Issuu

The Craftsmanship Issue

Wish List: The Best Stuff

How to DIY

Battle-Ready Zombie Tools

Pro Tips: Breaking In Raw Denim

Boozing with the Monk of Malt

Modding a $10K Watch

The Review: TNF FutureLight

#TheMug

Zen at 60 mph. THE ALL-NEW ELECTRIC LIVEWIRE™ Here comes Harley’s first step into the electric future—one that goes 0 to 60 in 3 seconds with a twist of the throttle. No clutch, no shifting, just pure exhilaration. Discover the most connected rider experience with H-D ™ Connect technology that helps you stay in touch with your joyride.

L E A R N M O R E A B O U T T H E L I V E W I R E ™ AT H - D . C O M

© 2019 H-D or its affiliates. Harley-Davidson, Harley, H-D and the bar and shield logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The H-D™ Connect service is not available in all markets. See dealer for details.

The integrated design, optimal dimensions, comfortable style and carefully executed finishes of the BR 05 make it perfectly suited for urban life. Full of character, this instrument exudes strength and elegance. The BR 05 is the latest jewel of masculinity from Bell & Ross.

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W W W. H I L L C I T Y. C O M

N E W YO R K ASPEN SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANG E LE S AETHERAPPAREL.COM

#DiscoverYour Planet “Satan’s Palace” Miyakojima, Japan

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT SEIKOWATCHESUSA.COM

Coiling darkly through the coral reef, a narrow shaft ends in an illuminated cavern unlike any place on earth. It’s known as Satan’s Palace.For those with the passion to challenge and explore the unknown.

Contents The Guide

Found: Klon Centaur Guitar Pedal

Aftermarket Watch Mods

Jony Ive’s Personal Touch

Wish List

The world’s most desirable gear, right now

Garage Brands: Humble Beginnings of Iconic Labels

Counterpoint: Craftsmanship Is Not a Lifestyle Prop

Kramer Knives Shokunin Series

Klipsch Heresy III Speakers

The Armoury Archives Bespoke Suit

AnOrdain Model 1 Watch

2019 Bugatti Chiron

SnoPlanks Asym Fish Snowboard

G EAR PATRO L TH E C RA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E

What the Hell Is “Craft Whiskey” Anyway?

The Review: FutureLight by The North Face

Testing: Dog Beds, Cameras Hiking Boots + More

Guide to Life: How to Break In Raw Denim

Bulk Buy: Humidity Packs

Craig DeMartino Climber

Arcâ€™teryx specializes in technical, high-performance apparel, outerwear and equipment. Design is our way forward. Make it yours.

Arcâ€™teryx Equipment | Vancouver, Canada | arcteryx.com

CONTENTS

Features

110

East Fork Breaks the Internet

In Good Hands

Alex Matisse comes from art world royalty (yes, he’s related to that Matisse) but always wanted to make things that were honest and usable. His East Fork pottery line is exactly that — and also an unexpected online sensation.

Handmade goods are time-consuming, labor-intensive and essentially impossible to scale, which is why almost no one makes them anymore. These six artisans produce the intricate (and highly hands-on) exceptions.

124 How to Make a Blade for the End of the World

In Montana, a self-taught crew of swordmakers crafts well designed and battle-ready blades for the zombie apocalpse — whenever that arrives. Until then, the Zombie Tools gang will continue drinking beer and having fun.

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136

146

Q+A: The Whisky Bible’s Jim Murray

Photo Essay: Janus Motorcycles

Chris Wright talks with acerbic Brit Jim Murray, one of the most polarizing and powerful voices in the spirits world thanks to his exhaustive, expansive and entirely self-published annual tasting anthology.

On the ground in Goshen, Indiana with the builders behind Janus Motorcycles, makers of small, simple bikes with outsize levels of quality and craftsmanship — and even more personality.

CONTENTS

Intel

164

166

180

Personally Adaptable Accessories

Won't Fade Away: Craftspeople Keeping Dying Arts Alive

In the Inferno at Michael David Glass

170 Seasonal Style From Studio to Street

182 Build It, Tie It, Make It, Dye It Yourself

188

192

Hacker & Restomodder Talk Cars of Tomorrow

The Parallel Universe Machine

G EAR PATRO L TH E C RA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E 1

Never Sound the Same

MW65 ACTIVE NOISECANCELLING WIRELESS HEADPHONES

Exceptional Acoustics

Premium Design and Materials

Built for Life On-The-Go

Active noise-cancelling technology engineered to perfectly accompany our signature rich, warm sound

Our most sophisticated and lightest over-ear headphones, crafted with anodized aluminum and fine leathers for superior comfort

The ultimate companion for your daily listening or travels, featuring 24 hours of battery life

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

A Eric Yang

FOUNDER, EDITOR IN CHIEF

@hashtagyang | eyang@gearpatrol.com

G EAR PATRO L TH E C RA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E

ccording to Google, searches for "craftsmanship definition" have increased nearly threefold over the past nine years. My sense (at least from up here, in the armchair-economist cheap seats) is that, now more than ever, people want to know how to identify a well-made thing. Post-recession psychology drove generations of consumers to think about what is truly essential — and that increasingly includes products. My editor’s letter from Issue 10, which focused on innovation, noted that a product’s viability most often comes down to utility for the end user; consumers vote with their wallets. But as those consumers have become savvier and more discerning, the table stakes have moved beyond price: they now incorporate story and process — the question isn't just “how much?” but also, now, “how?” and “why?” The provenance of certain products has always been a selling point — cars and wine come to mind — but it's no longer optional; products today need origin stories. We have become obsessed with “handcrafted” goods, throwing money at them on crowdfunding sites and in the process recalibrating our value calculus to prioritize a good story over actual long-term value. Marketers moved in to supply that demand. The result: the word “craftsmanship” can be loaded, if not downright cliché. The rise of crowdfunding hasn’t helped, specifically in the “here’s what consumers love to hear” template that’s invariably copy-and-pasted across categories. Consumers love hearing about artisanship and craft, so — truthful or not — those ideas are broadly applied in an effort to drive up prices. Likewise, it’s an open secret that many people’s favorite direct-to-consumer companies, whether they make luggage or sunglasses, neither design nor make their core products; instead, they rely on venture capital and the smarts of agencies like

Branch Creative and Pattern Brands to design and develop their wares. That's all fine, as far as those things go, but it does add yet another obfuscating layer between those who make things and those who buy them. That leaves us with a notion of craftsmanship that’s practically post-definition, avoided by especially savvy founders and marketers alike. It’s a word that, as someone who takes the idea of product journalism seriously, leaves me wondering where we stand. I tend to look to younger consumers for guidance. Powered by unprecedented access to information and fueled by anger at the latent effects of the global recession, these consumers, particularly Gen-Y and Gen-Z, are especially perceptive, despite lower net worth and less discretionary cash — a huge voting bloc of two-legged value calculators who put a premium on sustainability and authenticity. (For that reason, they are also the consumers powering the booming second-hand marketplace and the apps and services that sustain it; frugality is no longer shameful — it’s share-worthy.) And how does that affect the practitioner, the craftsperson himself? Thanks to that same empowered consumer I believe that there’s a resurgence of educated appreciation for craftsmanship currently underway. Brands that peddle shoddy wares are increasingly called out and shunned. True artisans can reach larger audiences thanks to e-commerce. And even large name-brand companies are embracing the idea of well-made at scale. All of this, and more, is addressed in Issue 11. Simply put, there’s more well-made stuff available to more people at more price points than ever before in history. So, what does "craftsmanship" mean in 2019? It's the role of the modern consumer to answer that for themselves. We're just here to help.

ORIGINAL OUTSIDER 40 YEARS AGO WE SET THE STANDARD In 1979, we introduced the Danner Light – the world’s first breathable, waterproof boot lined with GORE‑TEX. The utilitarian design quickly became the standard in waterproof footwear. Today, we honor four decades of premium, American craftsmanship with the limited‑edition Danner Light 40th, built for the modern explorer.

DANNER.COM

MASTHEAD

founder , editor in chief

ERIC YANG @ hashtagyang cofounder , chief content officer

BEN BOWERS @ benbowersgp

deputy editor

staff writers

chief commercial officer

head of commerce

JOSH CONDON @jpc_nyc_

TANNER BOWDEN @danger_bowden

ZACH MADER @z_mader

BRIAN LOUIE

sales director , east coast

content director , commerce

JASON DAKOTA DAVIS @KidDakota

JACOB SOTAK @jacobsotak

senior account executives

store operations manager

MIKE BAILEY

CHRIS HEALY @cl_healy

TUCKER BOWE @j_tb3

senior editor

JACK SEEMER @jackseemer

WILL PRICE @willcprice associate staff writer

editors

WILL SABEL COURTNEY @willsabelcourtney

ZEN LOVE @zlo_watches

ALYXANDER EFFRON @alyxeffron

STEVE MAZZUCCHI @motosandmore

associate editor , editorial operations

ERIC LIMER @ericlimer

J.D. DIGIOVANNI @jdedig

associate editors

project coordinator , editorial operations

TIM MURRAY

OREN HARTOV @ohartov

RYAN BROWER @owen_brow

KEVIN O’BRIEN @_kevinobrien_

editorial associate

client success manager

TYLER CHIN @tylerch.in

GENEVA AUDUONG @genevaa25

JOHN ZIENTEK @sieben_tagen editorial coordinator

account executives

MEG LAPPE @meglappe

sales planners

DOMINIQUE GAGEANT @dgag3ant

head of marketing

KYLE SNARR @kyality consumer marketing manager

CAITLYN SHAW @heyitscgs sales marketing coordinator

AISHA LOPEZ @aishalyn

NGHI HO art director

deputy photo editor

JOE TORNATZKY @jtornatzky

HENRY PHILLIPS @henrysp

campaign manager

GREG TATE @thegregtate senior designer

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SHERRY WANG @sxw

CHASE PELLERIN @chase_pellerin

associate designer

associate staff photographer

HUNTER D. KELLEY @type_hunter

CHANDLER BONDURANT @chandlerbondurant

chief financial officer

BRANDON FRANK

pacific northwest advertising director

SCOT BONDLOW @scotbondlow southwest advertising director

JUSTIN PARKHURST @justinparkhurst

head of gear patrol studios

MONICA HARE senior multimedia producer

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NICK CARUSO @thenickcaruso

gearpatrol.com/subscribe

multimedia producer

CUSTOMER CARE

support@gearpatrol.com

BRENDEN CLARKE @brenden.jpeg

CAREERS gearpatrol.com/jobs issue 11 contributors

STORE

JACK CLAWSON

JULIUS TANAG @typeofguy

SEAN EVANS @angryinparadise

CHRIS WRIGHT @wrights_writing

gearpatrol.com/store

TONY HARMER @tony_harmer

CORRECTIONS & REPRINTS

HAISAM HUSSEIN @hh_infographics

sayhello@gearpatrol.com

LIAM O’DONNELL @odoillustration KAILAH OGAWA @kailahogawa RYAN PLETT @ryanplett

WHOLESALE REQUESTS wholesale@gearpatrol.com

DANIEL PUND @danielpund

director of content and strategy , gear patrol studios

MEGAN BILLINGS @meganblings project manager , gear patrol studios

AJ POWELL @allenjamespowell content producer , gear patrol studios

CHARLES MCFARLANE @charles_mcfarlane Gear Patrol Studios is the creative partnership arm of Gear Patrol. Select advertising in this magazine has been crafted by Gear Patrol Studios on behalf of brands to help tailor their message specifically for Gear Patrol readers. These sections are demarcated with GEAR PATROL STUDIOS. To learn more visit, studios.gearpatrol.com or reach out to us: advertising@gearpatrol.com

The Guide

Craftsmanship isn’t easy to define. Perhaps that’s because it encompasses so many things, from a legendary guitar pedal (p. 24) to an iconic tech brand’s entire look and feel (p. 34). And it’s not limited to hard goods, either, as brews (p. 43) and booze (p. 58) have in recent years staked a formidable claim to the “craft” label. In truth, just about anything — even a crazy-fast car (p. 84) or a funky-shaped snowboard (p. 92) — can merit the designation. As long as actual humans are willing to put thought, consideration and loads of sweat equity into their wares, “craftsmanship” will remain in the lexicon for years to come.

FOUND

Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive text by john zientek photo by chandler bondurant

After playing guitar in clubs around Boston in the 1980s, Bill Finnegan decided to build a kind of guitar pedal that didn’t exist: a neutral, harmonically rich overdrive that didn’t affect the character of the guitar or amp. So with the help of two MIT grads, he spent four and a half years developing a completely original circuit. To protect his work, Finnegan coated the hand-wired board in black epoxy and housed it in a customcast enclosure. In the last weeks of 1994, Finnegan delivered the first batch of Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive guitar pedals to professional players. He quickly developed a following. Over the next decade, he worked up to 70 hours per week, all to build around 8,000 $2 ,0 00 +

GEAR PATRO L TH E CRA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E

units. The Klon Centaur found its way under the feet of countless professionals (like Jeff Beck and John Mayer), kick-started the boutique-pedal movement and spawned untold clones on its way to becoming one of the world’s most influential and collectible pedals. In 2009, Finnegan discontinued the Centaur, and the $329 pedal doubled in price overnight. Now, on the secondary market, they regularly sell for thousands. If you just want the sound, a successor pedal, the KTR ($269), sounds much the same but is far less expensive thanks to surface-mounted components and an off-the-shelf housing. But if you want a legendary piece of handmade history, there’s no substitute for a Centaur.

Body Modification Aftermarket watch customizers engrave, color, refinish, bling up and otherwise mess with the watch worldâ€™s most beloved brands. Are they artists, or vandals? text by zen love photos by chandler bondurant

GEAR PATRO L TH E CRA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E

Chris Ser knows his work upsets people. “I understand where they’re coming from,” he says, digging his pneumatic engraving tool deep into the metal of a $10,000 watch that most owners would be afraid to scratch. “But Rolexes are not as sacred as some people make them out to be.” Ser and his colleagues at Fin Des Temps, an artist-owned engraving house he founded in 2014, perform their sacrilege in a tiny sixthfloor apartment-turned-studio on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. They are not simply engraving owners’ initials; they are carving intricate, original artwork onto nearly every available metal surface of high-priced luxury watches. Ser, himself heavily tattooed and with gold teeth in his smile, physically resembles his ornate, flashy designs. Fin Des Temps and other engravers exist within a small but growing industry offering aftermarket customization in a variety of forms. At one end of the spectrum, DIY

enthusiasts tweak design elements of their inexpensive Seikos or Casio G-Shocks, swapping in new hands, bezels and even dials. At the other, highly trained craftsmen, like those from Les Artisans de Geneve, will refinish every component of a complicated high-end watch, from the dial to the movement, leaving it practically unrecognizable from its original form. In between you’ll find

companies, such as Bamford Watch Department and MAD Paris, that will give your Rolex Submariner a black PVD coating, a layer of diamonds or other flamboyant features not offered by the brand itself. Underpinning the customizing scene is a desire for something exclusive. “Anyone can buy a Rolex, but a one-of-a-kind piece? Nobody else will have that,” says Justin Counter,

A fully engraved watch, including case and bracelet, can require more than 100 hours of work.

T H E C RAFTS M AN S H IP ISSU E G E A R PATROL

“I’ve seen people get mad at ’em, like straight hate on ’em. Or people love them. That’s how you know it’s art and not just a watch.”

one of Ser’s colleagues at Fin Des Temps. Rolex is a popular brand for modifications; customers want something personal and unique, but that still retains the prestigious manufacturer’s name and the high-quality watchmaking it represents. “It’s really good for us to be able to put our art on something as solid as the Rolex brand. It’s like a ten-thousand-dollar canvas,” Ser says. But receptions are mixed: “I’ve seen people get mad at ’em, like straight hate on ’em. Or people love them. So they create emotion, and that’s how you know it’s art and not just a watch.” Many watch engravers have backgrounds in gun engraving, a traditional and respected art form that dates back centuries. To see the type of intricate, leafy scrollwork one typically associates with a Purdey sidelock instead decorating a high-end watch is not only visually striking but provides a direct link to historical craftsmanship techniques. But not everyone sees it that way — especially fans of the Rolex brand. There is a seemingly disproportionate amount of emotion attached to the idea of customizing Rolex watches in particular, with much of the criticism coming down to the idea that modifications of any kind devalue what began life as a watchmaking masterpiece. Not only is it the height of hubris to try to improve a Rolex, the thinking goes, but doing so is tantamount to defacing the original art of the watch. On the secondary market, even Rolexes serviced by the

GEAR PATRO L TH E CRA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E

“You have to let the artist do his thing,” says Chris Ser of Fin Des Temps. The studio’s clients will often provide its engravers with images for inspiration, but most only see the final designs after they’ve been added to a watch.

company itself can lose value compared to “untouched” originals — such is the reverence shown for the Crown logo. (In any case, customizing any watch through a third party voids the manufacturer’s warranty.) As long as art exists, art critics will follow. Many customizing outfits seem to delight in such controversy. To mark the 90th birthday of the Mickey Mouse character, in 2018, Justin Counter at Fin Des Temps produced an irreverent bit of artwork that could be seen as simultaneously blasphemous to Rolex, The Walt Disney Company, and one

of America’s most iconic cartoons: a Rolex Datejust featuring numerous Disney characters melting in the throes of a psychedelic trip, Mickey engraved on the clasp with a gold tab of LSD on his tongue, licking Minnie’s eyeball. Is it art? Like beauty, the answer to that is in the eye of the beholder. But the skill and craftsmanship of many such customized pieces is undeniable. Ser, of Fin Des Temps, sees the two as distinct but interrelated. “Craftsmanship comes after the art,” he says. “The art is first and foremost.”

T H E C RAFTS M AN S H IP ISSU E G E A R PATROL

Wish List 0 1 /0 6

Kramer Knives Shokunin text by will price photo by chase pellerin

Bob Kramer is the Virgil Abloh of the knife world. His custom kitchen knives are status symbols among chefs and sell out in seconds, often for tens of thousands of dollars. Cook’s Illustrated, a revered source of reviews and tips for grandmothers and Michelin-starred chefs alike, once noted his classic carbon-steel chef’s knife “outperformed every knife” they had ever tested. It should be easy, then, to spot the value in the Nakiri vegetable knives in Kramer’s new Shokunin series, which start at a cool $1,600. Each features a handcrafted handle — options include cocobolo or blackwood $1,6 0 0 +

GEAR PATRO L TH E CRA FTS M A N S H I P I SSU E

bamboo — and an uncommonly hard 52100 carbon-steel blade, known for its remarkable ability to retain an edge. Although Shokunin — which roughly translates to “mastery” or “craftsmanship” in Japanese — is an evolving series of Kramer-designed knives expressly made to give more people the opportunity to own one, they still won’t last. The first release, composed of just over 400 knives, sold out within weeks of becoming available online. The good news: a chef’s knife (Kramer’s specialty) is next in line for the master craftsman’s Shokunin treatment.

T H E C RAFTS M AN S H IP ISSU E G E A R PATROL

Gear Patrol Magazine, Issue Eleven: The Craftsmanship Issue