Watches, Stories, & Gear: An Enormous Ruby, a New Release from Liberum Watches, and Images from the Cannes Film Festival

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.

Liberum Watches

Finding new ways to stand out in the watch market doesn’t have to be limited to a new silhouette, a new strap, or colorway. Sometimes, it’s about being innovative with materials. Take Liberum’s RE-XHAUST, a new release coming from the Italian brand through its Kickstarter campaign. As Liberum notes, traditional stainless steel production relies on mining raw materials and an energy-intensive manufacturing process. By working with Termignoni (an Italian brand that specializes in motorcycle exhausts) Liberum recycles the exhaust material into the RE-XHAUST’s watch cases. In doing so, Liberum has added a sustainable – and perhaps competitive – angle to its release, coming later this month.

Keith Haring Auction

This week, Sotheby’s began auctioning off a series of works by Keith Haring, from the private collection of his friend Kermit Oswald. With a friendship that originated in their childhood, Oswald’s selection of items on the block show an intimacy with the Haring that few were able to achieve within the artist’s short life (Haring died when he was 31 due to complications with AIDS). Within the collection, Oswald has included some fascinating pieces that undoubtedly represent Haring’s iconoclastic style, but with a more personal story behind them. For instance, a dachshund-emblazoned crib, painted by Haring for his friend’s newborn, will go up for auction, as well as a 1985 self-portrait, one of only six the artist ever painted on canvas.That alone is expected to go for $3-5 million.

All in, one may think that Haring’s longtime friend is selling off these pieces as a sort of money-grab, but as The Guardian notes, it’s a much more nuanced approach to legacy, friendship, and Art-with-a-capital-a. As Oswald puts it, “There’s nothing precious about art, especially Keith’s, until you make it precious. To take something that’s nothing and turn it into something precious, that is magic, and not many of us can do that. Keith could.”

The 11,000-Carat Ruby Found in Myanmar

Earlier in April, an 11,000-carat ruby was found in Myanmar, and after watching Uncut Gems for the first time last weekend, this story felt especially relevant to me. Did you know that 90% of the world’s rubies come from Myanmar? Well, I didn’t. The country is home to the “Valley of Rubies,” where Mogok rubies are among the most precious and expensive in the world. Because of this, the newly discovered stone is getting a lot of press, both for its size and for its superior color, clarity, and overall quality.

I just hope whoever sells this giant ruby has a bit more luck than Howard Ratner, if you ask me.

Sonic Editions Cannes Collection

With the Cannes Film Festival now underway, Sonic Editions has curated a collection of rare photos from past festivals, which you can order in sizes ranging from 14 x 11” to over three feet, if you have the wall space. Ranging from Hollywood starlets during its Golden Age to more contemporary stars like Keanu Reeves, these prints have an intimacy that’s often lost in the glossy, over-edited stream of photos that get lost in our Instagram feeds. 

I get the same feeling looking at these photos as I do visiting a museum and seeing the skeleton of a dodo. I’m far enough removed to not feel a sense of loss or nostalgia, but a funny little tingle goes up my spine when I think about how things have changed so much in so little time. 

ZEISS Terra ED Binoculars

This is a real story. When my husband and I bought our first house, my father-in-law gave us a pair of binoculars. Having never shown any interest in bird watching or hunting, I was a bit confused. “Oh,” he said, “it’s for when you want to see what your neighbors are doing.”

While that pair of binoculars has since found its way to Goodwill – and no, I never did feel the need to spy on my neighbors – I may have kept them a bit longer had they been the ZEISS Terra ED Binonculars. Compact, well-designed, and with such features as a hydrophobic lens and ZEISS T-coating to produce high-contrast images in a variety of weather conditions, it’s what I imagine as the platonic idea of binoculars for those in the market for something to keep on hand when out in the field.