Contents 18
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Found: Akai GX-747
A Reel Revival
Chasing Japanese Whisky
Big In Japan
Wish List
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34
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The world’s most desirable gear, right now
Crowded at the Top
Archivist: Running Shoes
Everything New Is Old Again
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64
68
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How to Hide from Big Tech
In Praise of Cheap Skillets
The Review: 2020 Porsche 911
Tested: Gin, Running Shoes, Sunglasses + more
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How to Maintain a Dive Watch
Secondhand Style’s New Look
Bulk Buy
The Guide
2019 Ford Ranger Jacques Marie Mage Fitzgerald Leica Q2 Laurent Ferrier Annual Calendar Galet Montre École Opaline Dial The Macallan Edition No. 4 Technogym Run Personal
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CONTENTS
Features
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A Fish in the Water
A to Z of Collecting
Catch-and-release fishing means the prize fish always gets away. Avid angler Jacob Sotak heads to the Caribbean Sea to explore his love of a sport that never rewards a trophy.
From vintage bikes to a million-dollar bong to the most collectible sneaker ever made, a guide to collecting the Gear Patrol way.
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The History of Surfing Told by Six Surfboards
The Way of the Knife
Surf legend Eric “Bird” Huffman explains the evolution of the sport using examples from his 1,200-board collection in San Diego.
Manufacturers around the world use the Laguiole name but none match the craftsmanship of Forge de Laguiole, writes Will Price.
154 Timekeeper
The legendary watch auctioneer talks to Justin Fenner about his first mechanical timepiece, whether the perfect watch exists, and why he doesn’t consider himself a collector.
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TRAIL 2650 Inspired by the Pacific Crest Trail, designed for daily adventure. Superior traction, breathable and versatile. Athletic performance meets more than 80 years of Danner toughness.
danner.com/trail2650
CONTENTS
Intel
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164
176
Spring’s Slickest Rain Gear
Sneakernomics
Staying Sharp with Chef Roze Traore
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170
Nike’s Killer Collabs
NYC Norton, Jersey’s Coolest Bike Shop
178 The Styles Driving Spring Fashion
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The One-watch Collection
At Work with Sweats God Jimmy Gorecki
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Treat Your Closet Like a Showroom
Blu Dot and Lichen Talk Furniture Vintage and New
Bartender, Code me a Drink
OUTDOOR CREDIBILITY. EVERYDAY VERSATILITY.
MOISTURE MANAGEMENT
DURABLE FABRIC
UPF 30
W R A N G L E R . CO M
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
F Eric Yang
FOUNDER, EDITOR IN CHIEF
@hashtagyang | eyang@gearpatrol.com
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irst things first, welcome to the all-new quarterly edition of Gear Patrol Magazine. New cover, new design, same mission: to help discerning readers discover great products and explore product culture. The team has been up to a lot since last year, rearchitecting every last inch, word and idea about the way we write, shoot and design Gear Patrol in print. What hasn’t changed, though, is our dedication to richly produced stories with sharp photography, a global perspective and relevant ads. Our first quarterly aims to be two things: a better seasonal compendium that explores a topical idea — for this issue, collecting — and a servicepacked guide focused on making you a smarter, savvier consumer. Gear Patrol quarterly is organized into three distinct sections: The Guide, a series of briefings, reviews and essays focused on the thing we wake up for every morning, gear; Features, stories of makers, models and exemplars worthy of deeper exploration and thought; and finally, something I’m personally very excited about called Intel, our take on what I can only describe as acumen — knowledge, style and opinion. During a late night chat amid a flurry of final deliverables ahead of press time, I was talking with our new deputy editor, Josh Condon, about the new orchestration of Gear Patrol Magazine. “It’s about having an honest conversation with our readers, not cramming layers on layers of stuff that tries to make us sound trendy or cool,” he said. “We want to get right down to what we do, which is product journalism.” If you’ve been a longtime subscriber and read this column regularly, you probably know I’ve used
this page to yammer on and on about both products and the magazine industry. But in an era where its au courant to be cynical of both, I see our work and this magazine with a more optimistic view. We do it not to drive you to consume more, but to consume better. Which brings us to to the topic of collecting, the theme for Issue Nine. There are no shortage of reasons why people collect: a sense of order, nostalgia or even a validation of prescience. For some, collecting is driven by a desire to achieve some level of social distinction or identity. Others simply collect for bragging rights. But the best collectors don’t just amass, they edit. As my life has reprioritized itself — fatherhood can do that to you — I’ve actually found my relationship with collecting to be more vibrant than ever. Sure, I still have a habit of accumulating Land Rovers, periodicals and other objets de design, but the aperture has ratcheted down significantly. I look for fewer things in better-considered places. A byproduct is that I cherish the hunt even more than I used to, and the moments of payoff, while certainly fewer, are that much sweeter. In the end, and something I believe you’ll find runs as a current through this issue’s topic, is a more sanguine perspective of collecting. My hunch is that the smartest collectors out there are also the best curators, blending information, perspective and taste into their passions. Today’s collector isn’t motivated by the rote maximization of things, but a better-edited, ever-evolving form of consumption — that is, the pursuit of selection and value.
Our timeless classic, rewritten in bronze. With an ever-changing patina that reflects the passing years. A single red hand that marks the present day. And a future that’s yet to be written. The story continues.
Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition
MASTHEAD
founder , editor in chief
ERIC YANG @hashtagyang cofounder , coo
BEN BOWERS @benbowersgp
deputy editor
vice president , advertising and partnerships
JOSH CONDON @jpc_nyc_
ZACH MADER @z_mader
managing editor , editorial operations
sales director , east coast
ALI CARR @chasingalicarr
JASON DAKOTA DAVIS @KidDakota
senior editor
staff writers
account executives
JACK SEEMER @jackseemer
TANNER BOWDEN @danger_bowden
MIKE BAILEY
TUCKER BOWE @j_tb3
ALYXANDER EFFRON @alyxeffron
BRYAN CAMPBELL @businessbryan
TIM MURRAY
MEG LAPPE @meglappe
MADELEINE WINROW @madeleinewinrow
senior associate editor
JUSTIN FENNER @justinfenner assistant editor
WILL PRICE
OREN HARTOV @ohartov
JOHN ZIENTEK @sieben_tagen
assistant editor , editorial operations
associate staff writer
J.D. DIGIOVANNI @jdedig
ZEN LOVE @zlo_watches editorial assistant
ANDY FRAKES @andy.frakes issue contributors
account manager
KEVIN O’BRIEN @_kevinobrien_ client success manager
GENEVA AUDUONG @genevaa25 sales planner
DOMINIQUE GAGEANT @dgag3ant campaign manager
MATT BEAN @mattbean
EMMANUEL POLANCO @polanco_emmanuel
ALEX FRENCH
JULIUS TANAG @typeofguy
SUNG HAN @sungsdynasty
MARK TESI @mark_tesi
pacific northwest advertising director
KAILAH OGAWA @kailahogawa
CHRIS WRIGHT @wrights_writing
SCOT BONDLOW @scotbondlow
STEVEN MAX PETERSON @stevep2007
GREG TATE @thegregtate
southwest advertising director
JUSTIN PARKHURST @justinparkhurst art director
deputy photo editor
JOE TORNATZKY @jtornatzky
HENRY PHILLIPS @henrysp
senior designer
associate photo editor
SHERRY WANG @sxw
CHASE PELLERIN @chase_pellerin
associate designer
associate staff photographer
HUNTER D. KELLEY @type_hunter
CHANDLER BONDURANT @chandlerbondurant
head of marketing
KYLE SNARR @kyality consumer marketing manager
CAITLYN SHAW @heyitscgs sales marketing coordinator
AISHA LOPEZ @aishalyn head of video and platforms
platform manager
LUKE WAHL @lukewahl
ALEXANDER STEIN @alexanderstein
coordinating producer
platform producer
NICK CARUSO @thenickcaruso
BRENDEN CLARKE @brenden.jpeg
assistant video producer
platform coordinator
RENARD DAVIS @renardrey
SAMANTHA KEPHART @sammiekephart
head of gear patrol studios
MONICA HARE project manager , gear patrol studios
AJ POWELL @allenjamespowell deputy editor , gear patrol studios head of commerce
cfo
BRIAN LOUIE
BRANDON FRANK
MEGAN BILLINGS @meganblings content producer , gear patrol studios
RYAN BROWER @owen_brow
content director , commerce
JACOB SOTAK @jacobsotak 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.
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CHRIS HEALY @cl_healy
ISSN 2381-4241 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY PRINTED in USA by AMPER LITHO on
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ISSUE 9 TEAM
Behind The Issue
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The output is 208 pages of storytelling, but what about the input? Last December, Issue Nine was a glimmer in the eye of our staff. In the intervening months we’ve touched a few continents, swam in a couple seas and bought way too many matchbox cars. Here’s what else we’ve been up to.
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THE GUIDE
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F
FOUND
1982 Akai GX-747 text by tucker bowe photo by henry phillips
Audiophiles' analog obsession is moving past vinyl: reel-to-reel tape players, popular in the '70s and '80s, are making a comeback. They sound better than record players and look impressive on an audio rack. But unicorns are rare, and inexpensive machines on eBay probably haven't been maintained properly. The pristine machine pictured here, an Akai GX-747 from the early '80s, has been fully restored by New Jersey's SkyFi Audio, which offers six- to 12-month warranties on its merchandise. Consider it non-negotiable: manufacturers like Akai haven't made a reelto-reel player in decades, and they won't provide support should something go wrong with your piece of precision equipment. $2 , 9 9 9
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The Reel Deal Reel-to-reel tape machines provide stellar quality, stunning looks and a direct connection to how music is made in the studio. No wonder hardcore audio geeks are rediscovering the tale of the tape. text by tucker bowe photos by henry phillips
All through the '60s, '70s and '80s, magnetic tape formats like the 8-track and cassette were audiophiles’ technology of choice. They played high-resolution tracks, had an impressive dynamic range and dealt with relatively little signal processing. The compact disc effectively killed these formats in the Nineties, with all major manufacturers — Teac, Akai, Sony, Revox and Panasonic — ending production of consumer tape machines not long after. But there are whispers of a revival, specifically for the large and beautiful open-reel machines that look like they came directly from the studio where Blood on the Tracks was recorded. The renewed interest from purists has less to do with aesthetics than sound quality; there’s a reason reel-to-reel was the
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format of choice for professional music recording for decades, and it’s why some authenticity-minded modern artists like Jack White, Lady Gaga and The Black Keys still favor the technology. But if you’re on the hunt for a reel-to-reel player of your own, don’t make the mistake of buying something actually meant for the studio — those are designed primarily for recording, not filling your living room with deep cuts. “A homeowner wants to play stereo tracks,” says Fernando Zorrilla, founder of SkyFi Audio, a New Jersey company that refurbishes old tape machines. “There are machines for playback of stereo that look identical to the ones made for studios — don’t buy yourself a studio machine, it won’t play right.” Reel-to-reel tapes come in various widths.
Recording studios might use half-inch or 2-inch tapes but hi-fi hobbyists should stick to quarter-inch widths — and the machines that can play them. There are new examples on the market, specifically from German company Ballfinger, which sells four gorgeous handcrafted models direct from its Düsseldorf factory. The only issue: entry-level models start around $12,000 and climb, precipitously, from there. Third-party sellers like eBay, Reverb and Audiogon offer plenty of old models, but buyer beware: vintage audio products, even those from reputable brands like Teac, Akai, and Revox, require meticulous service to stay in good working order, so cheap finds that haven’t been properly maintained can cost you in the long run. A better bet is the blooming refurbishing scene, with companies like SkyFi Audio restoring old equipment to like-new conditions. As for the music itself, that’s a hunt all its own. “Prerecorded reel-to-reel tapes are rare, but they exist,” Zorilla says. Resale sites like eBay can turn up some gems — The Beatles, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd are all available — but expect to pay top dollar. “Those recordings can go for a hundred to six hundred dollars apiece,” says Zorilla. (A decent chunk of coin to be sure, but if you balk at the idea of paying several hundred
bucks for wonderfully rich music on a rare and authentic analog format, you might be in the wrong hobby.) The real joy of reel-to-reel might be the genuinely weird finds specific to the format. Home recordings abound and can be uniquely fascinating — imagine finding some two-hour recording from a smalltown radio station back in 1975 — and for Zorilla, these tapes are the main draw. “There’s tons of home-recorded material out there,” he says, “and it’s fascinating.” (If you want to stick with the greats, check out The Tape Project, a California audio company that releases classic albums, du-
plicated from the master copy, on reel-toreel tapes.) That DIY spirit lives on in the home tape machine, according to Chris Mara of Mara Machines, a Nashville company that exclusively restores consoles from the defunct manufacturer MCI. “You can buy a blank tape, record your own stuff and reuse it — unlike a vinyl record,” Mara says. Also superior to pressed records: the connection to how music is made, not just enjoyed. “Audiophiles want to be closer to the source,” Mara says. “That means closer to what the artist is doing in the studio. Tape machines are definitely that.”
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Don’t make the mistake of buying something actually meant for the studio — those are designed primarily for recording, not filling your living room with deep cuts.
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TIME INSTRUMENTS FROM THE COCKPIT TO THE WRIST BR 03-94 Black Ceramic · Automatic chronograph
42mm
100m water-resistant
bellross.com
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Nowhere to Go but Gone
Demand for Japanese whisky has skyrocketed over the past few years, sending some endangered bottles into hiding. For rare-whisky collectors, the thrill is in the hunt.
t e x t b y m at t b e a n photos by chandler bondurant
The Task Rabbit was balking, but I had to save the deal no matter what. “Go quickly,” I pleaded. “I’ll tip you heavy.” “You want me to hit a liquor store?” he asked. “And twenty miles outside of Pittsburgh?” I told him that’s precisely what I wanted. Task Rabbits are for fetching groceries, maybe hanging a TV, but I’d found a cache of Yamazaki 12, a rare Japanese whisky that had been cleared out of New York already. And it was cheap. The only way to grab it was the gig economy. “State store number 0212. Make sure it’s the black box,” I said. “Grab what you can but leave enough for others. I’ll follow up with FedEx numbers when you score.” The gambit was the latest in a line of increasingly desperate measures to stock my bar with Japanese whisky. It worked. A few days later, three neatly wrapped bottles of Suntory’s finest had arrived at my door for a total of $285, or $95 per bottle. That same whisky now sells online for $310 a bottle — and it’s climbing. This was either a new low or a new high in my whiskey obsession. But anybody who’s
trolled StockX for Off-White Nikes or waited in line outside a Kith store knows the tractor-beam pull of the grail; whatever your genre, it’s as much the hunt as the trophy that gets the adrenaline pumping. Whiskey is different, though. It’s exhaustible, consumable — there’s a layer of urgency that doesn’t extend to sneakers or watches. These are anti-heirlooms, every bottle on borrowed time — or should be, assuming you’re not some cheap profiteer flipping bottles for a quick buck. I got hooked on Japanese whisky in Japan. During a visit to Nikka’s Yoichi Distillery in Hokkaido, I put down a procession of rare drams in the gift-shop bar for the price of a pickleback in the States. I toured the home of the founder of Japanese whisky, Masataka Taketsuru, and watched as a stout worker shoveled coal into ovens beneath giant copper pot stills, a traditional but highly inefficient method that’s been abandoned by virtually every other distillery in the world. Back in Tokyo, I trolled a dozen convenience stores and liquor depots looking for a rare bottle to bring home: each shopkeeper would shrug and jab his chin toward a gap in
Suntory Hibiki 17 Last year, Suntory ceased production of Hibiki 17, citing shortages of this famous expression. Before you start calling every store within a 100-mile radius, know that remaining bottles will likely start around $700. If you need a quick fix, you could always buy a TSA-friendly bottle like the one pictured here. They go for about $70 a pop.
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the shelf like a missing tooth as if to say, “You really think it’d be that easy?” I consoled myself on the top floor of the Park Hyatt, where the Suntory pitchman played by Bill Murray serenaded Scarlett Johannson’s character in Lost in Translation. The 2003 film was one of the first mainstream portrayals of Japanese whisky in American pop culture and sparked a burst of interest among the general public, even if whiskey writers had for years been touting the craftsmanship of Japanese distilling. Then, back in my room, an electrifying discovery: a tiny bottle of Hibiki 17 in the minibar. I had a start to my collection, even if it was only 50 milliliters. Back in the States the hunt continued. I
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craned my neck walking past liquor stores, scanning for telltale bottles and logos. I began to speed-read entire shelves like one uniform glyph. Dusty-bottle hunting is a practice unto itself, the art of finding long-forgotten bottles of old bourbon languishing on store shelves. In the right region, you never know what you might find. The search wasn’t all shoe leather. I pored over Google Maps and left breadcrumbs for future forays; on Instagram, I scanned geo-stamps of “haul pix” from other obsessives, zoomed in on their receipts and slid into their DMs with a sheepish “Any left?” (You haven’t truly experienced ghosting until you’ve asked a whiskey nerd where to get the good stuff.)
Whiskey is meant to be shared, but the profiteering has become fierce. This is especially true for Japanese brands. When a product sits for 17, 21, 30 or more years, it’s hard to size up the demand for future releases, and in 2018 Suntory announced that certain caches of its sublime age-statement Japanese whisky were starting to dry up. As it turns out, two decades ago Japanese drinkers were in the throes of a vodka obsession, so executives crimped the hose on the brown stuff. Today, price gouging at certain unscrupulous bars means you can pay $100 for an ounce of certain Japanese whiskies, or $700 for bottles that used to retail for a tenth that cost. And while the imbalance between
MSRP and bar price hasn’t yet reached the level of Pappy Van Winkle, the rare Kentucky bourbon with a legendarily rabid following, anything with an age statement is marked up heavily and sold quickly. That hasn’t stopped me. My head’s on a swivel and Instagram’s on alert. I’m in L.A. now, and I’ve already found a bar with accessible, practically generous prices on many rare Japanese whiskies. I’ll even tell you where it is: Rye, on Geary Street. More good news: a $60-bottle of Nikka called From the Barrel was just named Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate. It’s around. You can buy it, stockpile it, even drink it without restraint. If you’re looking to start your own collection, it’s a way in. For now.
facin g pa g e
Nikka From the Barrel More than 100 stock whiskies mingle inside Nikka’s From the Barrel blend, new to the States as of fall 2018. Whereas many Japanese whiskies have become rarer and more expensive with time, From the Barrel — released more than 30 years ago in Japan — went the other way. It’s widely available and costs just $60 at most liquor stores. Take advantage while you can.
this pa g e
Suntory Yamazaki 12 Suntory hasn’t discontinued its award-winning Yamazaki 12 whisky (yet), but that hasn’t stopped the price from climbing. In 2013, you could walk into just about any well-stocked liquor store and buy a bottle for about 50 bucks. Your best bet now? The online retailer Dekanta, which, at the time of publishing, has Yamazaki 12 listed for $310.
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Japan’s collector culture is in a league of its own, with an unrivaled taste level and attention to detail. Here, four overseas obsessions you should know. photos by chase pellerin
バ ン ダ ナ
Watch Magazines Like the country’s collecting culture at large, Japanese magazines are often painstakingly curated, highly detailed and full of enigmatic little quirks of design or storytelling. And since Japan is a force in the watch-collecting world, the horology enthusiast is especially well served, with entire publications dedicated to, say, obscure military timepieces, or nothing but vintage Rolexes—or something entirely weirder. Sure, the text may be largely (or entirely) in Japanese, but no matter: there’s plenty to glean simply flipping through the beautiful photography and checking out the specs. Plus, keeping a few on your coffee table gives watch-nerd friends something to geek out over when they visit.
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時 計 の 雑 誌
Bandannas Kazuhiro Hirata is best known as head designer for Kapital, the iconoclastic and uniquely creative Japanese clothing brand. But he also wrote the book on bandannas — literally — with Bandanna Book, an archive of 20th-century Elephant Brand kerchiefs. And while the designer often features the humble accessory in Kapital’s globe-trotting fashion collections, Hirata’s obsession is such that he also runs the two-story Elephant Brand Bandanna museum in Kojima, Okayama, with 250 examples from his personal collection. Want a touch of Hirata’s style? His playful Rat Brand bandannas are an homage to classic Americana but with a mix of traditional and radical designs; prices start around $20.
Vinyl Outer Sleeves Tokyo is home to some of the best record stores on the planet, each with its own meticulous taste and personality. Visit some notables — Disk Union, Jet Set Records, Technique — and you’ll spot a trend: they all use the same tough, translucent mylar sleeves with adhesive flaps. These safeguard LPs from dust and other pollutants far better than the cloudy, open polyethylene versions found stateside. If you take your record collection seriously, take note.
ザ ㆍ ノ ㅣ ス フ ェ イ ス パ ㅣ プ ル レ ㅣ ベ ル
The North Face Purple Label Hypebeasts might care about the label stitched into their down jackets even if most climbers don’t. But both groups appreciate the covetable violet tag found in The North Face Purple Label, a cult Japan- and South Korea-exclusive offshoot launched in 2003 by Japanese designer Eiichiro Homma. Until recently, collectors had to jump on a plane to Asia or enlist a proxy buyer to get their hands on fresh pieces, but TNF Purple Label recently began introducing its fashion-forward silhouettes to other cities around the globe — starting with New York.
レ コ ㅣ ド ア ウ タ ㅣ ス リ ㅣ ブ
Wish List 0 1 /0 6
2019 Ford Ranger Ford has been dominating the pickup-truck game since the first F-150 debuted in the late Seventies and immediately became the best-selling truck on the market. Today, the F-Series is not only the best-selling truck, but the best-selling vehicle of any kind in the U.S., full stop — a record it’s held continuously for 42 years. But since 2011 there’s been a Ranger-shaped hole in Ford’s truck lineup. The midsize favorite has been out of production for nearly eight years, but Ford — always a savvy prognosticator of truck trends — heard the growing demand and jumped in with an all-new Ranger for 2019. Overlanders, especially, should rejoice: not only is the smaller, more nimble Ranger able to tackle narrow fire roads and camping trails (unlike the hulking modern F-150, which is now sized like a commercial vehicle), it comes standard with a steel front bumper and best-in-class torque, towing and payload for non-diesel trucks. In fact, Ford’s so committed to the adventure community it teamed with outdoor outfitter Yakima to let customers kit their Rangers with customized truck-bed tents straight from the dealer floor, transforming any lone Ranger into a go-anywhere mobile camping unit. $24 , 300
t e x t b y b r ya n c a m p b e l l photo by chandler bondurant
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Nepal, May 28th, 1953. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary resting on the southeast ridge of Everest at approximately 27,000 feet.