During WWII, the British Ministry of Defense released 12 distinct field watches, lovingly dubbed the “Dirty Dozen.” Today, they are highly collectible and remain deeply beloved in the watch world.

A few short years ago, British microbrand Studio Underd0g launched a tribute to those watches, called the 02Series, which took a playful spin on the traditional concept.

Now, the brand has returned to that design, revamping it into the Studio Underd0g 02Series, Generation 2. While it retains the original spirit, it gets some subtle, yet impactful tweaks to its design.

Studio Underd0g

Playing with tradition

In keeping with the first-generation 02Series and the tradition of the original Dirty Dozen watches, this field watch houses a manual movement. However, this second generation swaps the original for a new one.

The first edition came with a Sellita SW210, while this new generation sees it swapped for a SW200-2 M Power+. While functionally similar, they do have one major difference.

Studio Underd0g

The SW210 had a 42-hour power reserve (about 1.75 days between winds). The SW200-2 M Power+, by contrast, bumps up significantly to 63 hours (a little over 2.6 days between winds). That makes for a major difference in its convenience, while maintaining the same overall functional spirit.

There’s also another relatively significant change, albeit to the watch’s form: the case depth. The first generation had a depth of 12 millimeters, while this one shrinks to 11.5. That might not seem like much by-the-numbers, but at this scale, every fraction of a millimeter makes a difference.

Studio Underd0g

Not-so-dirty dozen

Beyond its new movement and shorter depth, the other stylistic changes are much more subtle. Except for one altogether obvious one: the dial colorways.

Two from the first generation, Pink Lem0nade and Steffany Blue, return, while the other two, Full Mo0n and Midnight, have been replaced with Nightshade and Red L0lly.

I know, that’s a lot to parse, so let me try and simplify it: the original pink-and-yellow gradient and light blue dial colorways are now joined by new dark purple and red dial colorways.

Studio Underd0g

All four also receive custom seven-layer SuperLuminova treatments on their numerals, indices, and hour and minute hands. The minute track around the dial has also been slightly reduced, although the unique suspended sapphire disc and metallic base plate construction remain.

As before, every one of these watches is painstakingly assembled in Great Britain, a fact that is now reflected on the dial (whereas the original had “Mechanical Hand-Winding” printed on the dial). And each colorway receives its own unique strap, although you can add more for an upcharge.

Studio Underd0g

Availability and pricing

The Studio Underd0g 02Series, Generation 2 is now available on the brand’s site for $1,200 apiece in all four colorways.

Studio Underd0g

Studio Underd0g 02Series, Generation 2

Specs

Case Size	37.5mm
Movement	Sellita SW200-2 M Power+
Water Resistance	100m

• $1,200 at Studio Underd0g

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From linking up on rugged watch collaborations to teasing slick storage solutions, Scout has managed to find plenty of ways to build excitement ahead of the launch of its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup.

While most of the brand’s previous efforts have made some varying appeals to the promise of utility, its latest project focuses squarely on visuals.

Scout Motors

All the same, I’d argue it makes the Traveler a more tempting prospect than ever. As a truly tasteful heritage overhaul, its draw extends even beyond Scout’s claimed celebration timing. 

Scout looks to its heritage

It’s called the Spirit of ‘26, and it’s a treatment that Scout spun up in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Though it’s a one-off rig, it’s still worth appreciating because of its various historical associations (and moodboard potential, if nothing else).

Scout Motors

That’s because it references the Spirit of ‘76 option that International Harvester offered to coincide with the U.S. bicentennial back in 1976. It’s a true throwback, then, and an effective one.

As befit its patriotic name, the original package combined a Winter White paint job with red and blue stripes, a Wedgwood Blue interior and a denim blue Safari top. It was exclusive to 100-inch wheelbase trucks, but buyers also benefited from beefier rubber and Rallye wheels.

Scout Motors

Now, it’s worth noting that the Spirit of ‘76 was actually derivative of another celebratory play. Earlier that same year, International Harvester fielded a fleet of 17 1976 Scout SUVs as transport for the United States ski team during the Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria.

Like their eventual factory counterparts, those trucks donned a sweet white, red and blue livery. However, they also touted a few cool touches that didn’t make it to production, including some sweet team decals, ski racks and winches. 

A subtler take on a 250 special

In any event, you don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the way that Scout has reinterpreted the U.S. Ski Team rigs and the corresponding Spirit of ‘76 package on the forthcoming Traveler SUV.

Scout Motors

Namely, because it’s a subtle homage. Unlike many of the 250th drops that have emerged over the course of the year, it’s not loud or in your face, and it avoids the gaudy flash.

This is because it sticks to a few choice themes: Rallye stripes, Harvester graphics and the use of red, white and blue. It makes for a tasteful reinterpretation, because the stripes are more abstract to fit the new body lines, and the incorporation of the combine logo takes the place of the ski team crest.

In the absence of any overt America-related branding, it’s a look that stands out as something not only truly timeless but also far broader in its appeal. After all, you’ll quickly run out of fingers if you start tallying up this year’s World Cup teams with red, white and blue flags.

Scout Motors

Capsule collection consolation

While Scout hasn’t announced any plans to offer the Spirit of ’26 as a package for the forthcoming Traveler and Terra, it does at least have a little consolation in the form of an accompanying capsule collection.

The merch spans everything from Igloo coolers to hats, tees and other apparel. Prices range from $24 to $125. 

Scout Motors

Scout Spirit of ’26 Capsule Collection

• Starts at $24

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Working out is heating up, and it’s not just due to rising summertime temps.

Hybrid fitness races are blowing up. Running is experiencing an epic resurgence. And hitting the gym continues to trend.

If you’ve been looking for a water bottle that can hit the weights, keep up with cardio and make handle your commute with ease, Stanley just dropped an affordable, durable gym hydration solution that may just usurp Yeti and Owala’s position as top bottle.

Stanley

Chug! Chug! Chug!

The Vitalize Tempo Bottle is leakproof, lightweight and built to keep athletes and gym-goes hydrated and performing their best.

This isn’t just another standard insulated water bottle … it’s filled with thoughtful details that help make it an ideal choice for working out.

Stanley

Stanley used its proprietary Aerolight construction on the Vitalize Tempo Bottle, which uses a spun steel technique to make the material much lighter than conventional stainless steel, without sacrificing insulating power.

The double-wall vacuum insulation keeps hot drinks toasty for up to 12 hours, and cold drinks chilled for up to 30 hours.

Stanley

Stanley

The locking, dual-action lid stops accidental openings and keeps the bottle 100 percent leakproof. It also keeps the sip zone clean between uses.

A removable silicone boot means the Vitalize Tempo will stay in place wherever you set it, and the metal finger loop is durable and streamlined.

Stanley

The Vitalize Tempo 24 Ounce Bottle is available in a whopping 11 colorways, so there is likely a hue for every taste and temperament.

At just under a pound, Stanley’s fitness-focused bottle is light enough to throw in your bag, and its slim shape is also cup-holder compatible, making commuting to the gym a breeze.

Availability and pricing

The Vitalize Tempo Bottle is available now on Stanley’s website, retailing for just $40.

Stanley

Stanley Vitalize Tempo Bottle 24 Ounce

• $40 at Stanley

Considering the fact that Triumph offers five different motorcycles on the platform, the brand clearly believes in its TR-series 398.15cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine.

Having test-ridden the two most recent bikes to deploy it, the Thruxton 400 and Tracker 400, I have to say I believe in it too.

Triumph Motorcycles

The power and torque it generates are a thrilling reminder that small-displacement affordability and approachability do not have to come at the expense of, well, fun.

The temptation just rose another notch at the most accessible level, as the Speed 400 returns for the new model year with quite possibly its best look yet.

Better off red

Before we dig into it, a quick contextual note: the fresh Speed 400 paint scheme is one of six newly liveried bikes Triumph UK just announced for the 2027 model year.

As with the updated Rocket 3 R, Rocket 3 GT, Speed Triple 1200, Scrambler 400 X and Tiger Sport 800, the US will have to wait to see if this Speed 400 treatment makes its way stateside.

Triumph Motorcycles

But if I may opine for a moment, Triumph North America would be foolish not to bring this one over, as the Racing red/Pewter grey combo is arguably the most compelling yet.

The new treatment sees the tank adorned primarily in red, with a thick black diagonal stripe near the back separating it from the grey tone covering perhaps a quarter of the vessel.

Triumph Motorcycles

As it’s this back section that connects with the black seat, a sort of streamlining effect comes to life, one that should have bystanders doing a double take. 

Triumph keeps things simple the rest of the way. A black tubular steel frame matches black components, set off by bronze upside-down forks and several bits of silver, including the exhaust, a stainless twin-skin header system with a stainless steel silencer.

Triumph Motorcycles

Beyond the head-turning new hue, the bike retains everything that made it such a hit last year.

Aesthetically, the teardrop tank and classically styled round headlight, bar-end mirrors and analog speedometer with integrated multi-function LCD screen are back. 

Triumph Motorcycles

So are the engine (of course), reliable suspension and ABS-enabled disc brakes, spoked 17-inch wheels and twin-sided cast aluminum alloy swing arm. 

Throw in the approachable 31.1-inch seat height and nimble 375-pound wet weight and honestly, what’s not to love?

Availability and pricing

The 2027 Triumph Speed 400 rolls into UK dealerships next month at a starting price of £5,245.

Time will tell if this tempting colorway makes its way to US shores, but considering the 2026 model starts at $5,495, the price should come in well under $6,000.

Triumph Motorcycles

2027 Triumph Speed 400

• Learn More

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When Nike brought back the Footscape Woven in 2023, it felt less like a revival and more like a second chance.

The original version debuted around 2005 and became a cult favorite. But it arguably fits more with our present-day acceptance of idiosyncratic style than the era it was born into. Blending experimental biomechanics with a handcrafted aesthetic, the strange silhouette was a hybrid shoe of sorts. It wrapped the asymmetrical Air Footscape runner from the ‘90s with a leather-woven technique found in the Nike Woven. 

Nike

Now, the lifestyle sneaker sets the stage for yet another hybridization, and it should definitely ruffle just as many feathers.

Creating a new lane

With the help of Beijing-based streetwear firm Soulgoods, Nike has crafted the Homescape Woven. It interpolates the Footscape Woven quite a bit while creating a new lane for its existence.

Nike

Nike

Keeping the asymmetrical design, the new shoe sifts the lifestyle context of its predecessor to the outdoors. This isn’t a hiking shoe, per se, but it’s also not not one. The collapsible heel makes this a solid sneaker-slipper for around the house, while the overall tooling means it’s also perfectly serviceable for light trail jaunts.

In terms of the uppers, the Homescape Woven doesn’t necessarily go all out with its hand-woven elements. Instead of wrapping all the way from the heel to the toe, the lace-like weave starts in front of the heel counter and rides just above the hairy suede toe cap in front.

Nike

Perhaps most significantly, the lacing system gets a totally modern upgrade. Rather than traditional laces, the sneaker goes with a toggle unit for adjusting on the go.

A hybrid hybrid

Additional elements enter the fray here as well. Underfoot, the Homescape Woven takes on a completely new form compared to the Footscape Woven. 

Nike

Nike

To give you better traction, the smoother outsole has been swapped with the rugged, military-grade rubber from the Special Field Boot (SFB). Meanwhile, the midsole seems to be completely lifted from the 2010-era Flyknit Trainer Chukka to give this shoe a total gorpcore vibe.

Nike

Availability and pricing

Several colorways of the Homescape Woven have been unveiled or leaked. However, the initial Medium Orewood Brown is set to debut July 11 for $180 on the SNKRS app. Blue Beyond and Chile Red variants are also arriving at an unspecified date.

Nike

Nike x Soulgoods Homescape Woven

• $180 at Nike

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For those who are unfamiliar, the best way to describe Tullio Abbate is the “Ferrari of the sea.” Like the renowned sports car brand, it is Italian, a leading name in its industry and holds unparalleled records.

But that moniker was solidified in 1985, when Tullio Abbate, with Enzo Ferrari’s personal approval, built a speedboat powered by a Ferrari engine.

Unimatic

Now, the Lake Como-based boat manufacturer lends its design philosophy to the world of watchmaking through a collaboration with Unimatic. It is another natural partnership between Italian brands with a shared philosophy of advancing performance through pragmatic design.

The Unimatic x Tullio Abbate collaboration consists of two watches, each focused on a different aspect of speedboat design. The more performance-forward entry is the Modello Quattro U4S-C-TAB.

It features a standard 40mm Modello Quattro case constructed entirely of forged carbon, including the signature monoblock fixed bezel. It has a black-and-gray marbled texture, reminiscent of Italy’s most famous stone.

Unimatic

While it is the more aesthetically understated of the pair, it bears the most apparent mark of the collaboration with the script Tullio Abbate logo running across the dial’s center.

It comes on a black version of Unimatic’s new standard TPU quick-release pin buckle strap.

Pleasure boating

Like most of Unimatic’s core catalog, the U4S-C-TAB is a function-forward tool watch designed for practical use. It has a time-only dial with strong legibility provided by the white, framed hour markers set against the marbled black forged carbon dial.

Unimatic

It features Unimatic’s standard handset with green-emitting white Super-LumiNova set in matte black frames. The seconds hand has a red tip opposite the lollipop counterbalance.

This lightweight, tough-as-nails tool watch is perfect for high-speed boating. It features a screw-down crown, shock-resistant movement cage, flat AR-coated sapphire crystal and 300m water resistance.

Unimatic

The U4S-C-TAB screw-on forged carbon caseback is etched with the full Tullio Abbate logo. It conceals a Sellita Caliber SW200-1 b automatic movement, which beats at 4Hz and provides a 41-hour power reserve.

The first mate

The other half of the Unimatic x Tullio Abbate collaboration celebrates the elegant finishing found on the renowned Italian speedboats. It is a standard Modello Uno, the watchmaker’s flagship diver, with a handsome paint job.

Unimatic

The dial is glossy white with a seconds track and fine framing around the hour markers in electric blue. The standard Unimatic handset features matte blue frames with green-emitting inlays that match the hour track with a slight green hue in daylight.

It has a 41mm brushed stainless steel case and unidirectional coin-edge bezel with a royal blue aluminum insert. The metallic 60-minute track features a lume pearl at 12:00, and the only numeral is a script five, a nod to Tullio Abbate’s competition number.

Unimatic

This affordable Modello Uno is powered by a Seiko Caliber NH35A automatic movement, which beats at 3Hz and provides a 41-hour power reserve. It comes on a blue TPU quick-release pin buckle strap, and a gray nylon NATO strap with brushed steel hardware is provided.

Availability and pricing

Unimatic is the new king of indie watch collaborations, but I can’t think of a partner that aligned more in philosophy and provenance than Tullio Abbate. Both are design-forward Italian brands with a love for the water.

The Unimatic x Tullio Abbate collection is available now from Unimatic. The black forged carbon U4S-C-TAB costs $2,740 and is limited to 50 pieces, while the stainless steel U1-TAB costs $920 and is limited to 200 pieces.

Andover Audio is best known for its high-end all-in-one turntables and, subsequently, its powered speakers designed to sit beneath a turntable. In a nutshell, it has focused on vinyl hi-fi systems.

Now, the Boston-based audio manufacturer is branching out into a new audio category: portable Bluetooth speakers.

Andover FreePlay

Andover Audio

The FreePlay is Andover Audio’s first portable Bluetooth speaker. And it’s a far cry from today’s breed of tiny, super compact speakers. It’s a boombox that weighs 9 pounds.

On the surface, the FreePlay boasts many of the features you’d expect from a modern portable Bluetooth speaker. It has an IP67 rating, so it’s quite rugged and water-resistant. It has quite a long 24-hour battery life. And it even has a 3.5mm auxiliary jack, so you can play wired sources (like your smartphone, computer or even turntable).

Andover Audio

Andover Audio

True stereo playback

However, Andover Audio is banking on the fact that what really separates the FreePlay is its sound. While many portable speakers play mono audio or rely on digital processing to create a more spacious sound, the FreePlay delivers a true stereo sound.

“With FreePlay, we wanted to create something people are proud to display throughout their home, just as much as they would enjoy taking outdoors,” says Bob Hazelwood, Andover Audio’s Director of Engineering and Product Development. “We focused on preserving musical balance, stereo information, and honest sound, all wrapped in a portable yet durable enclosure.”

Andover Audio

Andover Audio

In addition to its true stereo playback, Audio Audio has given the FreePlay a few other unique features. The standout has to do with charging.

The speaker features a USB-C port that supports bi-directional charging. This means the FreePlay can double as a portable battery and charge your other devices, like your smartphone, when using this wired connection.

Also, on top of the speaker is a Qi-compatible wireless charger. So if you don’t have a charging cable, you can place your smartphone on top of the speaker to wirelessly charge it.

Andover Audio

Andover Audio

Availability and pricing

Andover Audio’s FreePlay is available in three different finishes: ivory, olive and slate. Each speaker comes with a should-strap bag for easy and safe transport.

The FreePlay is available now on the company’s website. It costs $429.

Andover Audio

Andover FreePlay

• $429 at Andover Audio

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Welcome to “Today in Gear,” your daily snapshot of the most important releases in style, watches, tech, motoring, fitness, home and the outdoors.

Today in Gear: The most important news in the product world, independently curated by our editors. Catch up on other key releases across all the topics you care about.

Saucony

Saucony Paramount Max

Saucony releases its most-cushioned running shoe ever with the new Paramount Max. Featuring a 43mm heel stack (down to 37mm in the forefoot), the sneaker gives you impressive energy return built on its IncrediRun foam platform. The cushioning is almost exclusively found in the brand’s premium super shoes but now makes its way into the daily trainer category. Other features include a premium engineered mesh upper, a molded heel for comfort and a high-rebound sockliner. This lightweight runner also weighs just around 10.6 ounces.

• $200 at Saucony

Orbitkey

Orbitkey Hybrid Laptop Sleeve v2

Orbitkey’s latest release is designed for the modern professional that works from the office, home and everywhere in between. The Hybrid Laptop Sleeve v2 combines an ergonomic laptop stand, device protection and a portable workspace setup in one slim, portable package. The 3-in-1 workspace solution combines a laptop sleeve, desk mat and laptop stand and features a stretch back pocket for your mouse, charger or small cables, as well as a magnetic closure for quick setup. The ambidextrous design suits left and right-handed use, and can fit most laptops. The Hybrid Laptop Sleeve v2 is available now in Black or Espresso and ships in late July.

• $80 at Orbitkey

Reigning Champ

Reigning Champ Linen Venue Jacket

This simple, straightforward collared jacket from Reigning Champ offers maximum versatility in warmer climates. The body is 100-percent linen with a 100-percent viscose lining, ensuring excellent breathability. It has a pointed collar, double-button cuff, two-way zipper and a pleated back. Available in black and sand.

• $265 at Reigning Champ

Bizzarrini

Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso

The Bizzarrini 5300 Aperta Lusso realizes a dream over 60 years dormant, as it finally brings to life the targa-topped configuration envisioned by founder Giotto Bizzarrini and designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. As such, rather than a folding droptop, it sports a pair of removable roof panels. Moreover, to stay faithful to the original concept, it maintains its striking midcentury curves, and it takes its power from a period-correct Chevy small-block V8. However, even though it looks thoroughly classic, it hides plenty of updates like a single-piece carbon body, fuel injection and some modern brakes and suspension. Just 10 are planned for production.

• Learn More

Balmuda

Balmuda Naturewind Studio

You might recognize Balmuda as a beloved toaster oven brand, but this home goods outfit is broadening its horizons with a small standing fan ideal for homes of all sizes. Originally released back in 2010, the Naturewind Studio is now finally available here in the United States. Boasting a powerful DC motor and proprietary dual-blade technology, it punches way above its weight class, offering five speeds for full-room circulation. And yet it’s also quiet, dropping to 9 dB, about the same as a whisper.

• $429 at Balmuda

Barbour doesn’t often run deep discounts, and when it does, the sale rarely gets loud.

Right now, Huckberry and a few other retailers are quietly offering some of Barbour’s updated Icons line at 30 percent off or more — including the Bedale Cotton and Casual Jacket, the Spey Casual Jacket, and the Transport Casual Jacket.

These aren’t clearance-rack relics. They’re current-season interpretations of the brand’s most recognized silhouettes, rebuilt for everyday wear without abandoning what made the originals worth buying.

We’ve listed every jacket we’ve discovered on sale below, with a breakdown of what makes each one worth considering.

Welcome to Shop Smarter: A series dedicated to highlighting not just what’s on sale, but why it’s worth owning. Discover more here.

Barbour Bedale Cotton Jacket

Barbour

The Bedale is Barbour’s most iconic silhouette — short-bodied, boxy and built around the corduroy collar that’s been part of the design since 1980.

Two versions of it are on sale here: the Cotton Jacket and the Casual Jacket. Both keep the original’s defining shape and hardware, but each takes a different approach to the shell.

Barbour

The Cotton Jacket swaps the traditional waxed cotton for a peached-finish cotton blend, making it easier to live with daily. There’s no re-waxing schedule to maintain, no stiff break-in period and no campfire smell lingering in your closet. It wears and washes more like a conventional jacket while holding onto the shape and hardware that made the original worth coveting. The result is a Bedale that works just as well in a city as it does in the countryside — arguably better, since you’re not babying it every time rain hits.

The Bedale Casual is a lighter-weight take on the same silhouette. It retains the boxy cut and corduroy collar, but without the full wax construction, making it the most packable and warm-weather-friendly of the two. If the Cotton Jacket is a shoulder-season workhorse, the Casual is the version you reach for when the weather is mild and you want the Bedale’s look without any of its weight.

Huckberry

Barbour Bedale Casual Jacket (Fern)

• $294 at Huckberry
  $420 (30% off)

Barbour

Barbour Bedale Casual Jacket (Military Brown)

• $349 at Orvis
  $420 (17% off)

Huckberry

Barbour Bedale Cotton Jacket (Winter Moss)

• $378 at Huckberry
  $540 (30% off)

Barbour

Barbour Bedale Cotton Jacket (Clay)

• $405 at Bloomingdales
  $540 (25% off)

Barbour Spey Casual Jacket

Barbour

The Spey Casual sits in a different register than the Bedale or the Beaufort. Where those jackets lean into Barbour’s country-house heritage — boxy cuts, waxed shells, utilitarian hardware — the Spey reads as more contemporary and relaxed. It has a cleaner profile, a lighter-weight shell and simplified hardware that strips away some of the traditional signaling without losing the brand’s underlying DNA.

Barbour

If the Bedale feels like a jacket with a strong point of view, the Spey is the version for someone who wants Barbour’s quality without announcing it. It’s the most versatile piece in this sale and the easiest entry point for new brand shoppers.

Huckberry

Barbour Spey Casual Jacket (Tan)

• $273 at Huckberry
  $390 (30% off)

Barbour Transport Casual Jacket

Barbour

The Transport Casual Jacket takes a cropped, relaxed approach with a slightly A-line silhouette. It’s cut with a fuller body but a shorter hem than the Bedale, which gives it a different proportion — less equestrian, more everyday.

Barbour

The shell is a non-waxed cotton-polyamide blend, so it shares the Bedale Cotton’s low-maintenance appeal without the traditional weather resistance of waxed construction. What you get instead is a jacket that moves easily, layers well over heavier mid-layers and doesn’t demand much in return. At $235, marked down from $335, the Transport is also the most affordable jacket in this sale, which makes it the most obvious place to start.

Yamaha is, without a doubt, one of the biggest names in home theater AVRs, with models ranging from a few hundred to its flagship model, the RX-A8A, which goes for $3,300.

In early May, the Japanese audio manufacturer unveiled two affordable AV receivers designed for enthusiasts looking to build an entry-level home theater system. According to the brand, they aim to “close the gap between soundbars and true AV receiver-based home theater.”

Fast forward to this month, and both of Yamaha’s newest entry-level AV receivers are available for purchase.

Yamaha RX300A and RX500A

Yamaha

Trickle-down tech

The RX300A and the RX500A are the brand’ new entry-level AV receivers. Both support Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X, as well as 4K/120Hz video and popular gaming features (such as ALLM and VRR). And they support Bluetooth streaming, too.

Basically, these new AV receivers promise to work well with the latest 4K TVs and next-gen gaming consoles. And when you’re not watching TV, you’ll be able to stream audio to the system.

Additionally, each model has a center-mounted “fifth foot,” which the brand calls Anti‑Resonance Technology (A.R.T.), that helps reduce vibration and improve stability. This is a trickle-down feature from Yamaha’s flagship Aventage range.

Yamaha

Yamaha

A new entry point

Of the two, the RX300A is the more entry-level model.

It’s the direct successor to the company’s previous entry-level model, the RX-V385, but boasts a fresh look (cleaner front panel with fewer buttons) and contemporary features that have already been mentioned (most notably, support for Dolby Atmos).

The RX300A is a 5.2-channel AV receiver that supports Dolby Atmos in flexible speaker configurations. According to the brand, this includes “3.2.2-channel with up-firing or in-ceiling height speakers, as well as 5.2-channel with virtual height processing.”

Yamaha

Yamaha

The step up

The RX500A is the next step up. It has all the same cosmetic upgrades and feature support as the RX300A, but is a beefier AV receiver that delivers more power and supports a more complex surround-sound system.

It’s a 7.2‑channel AV receiver that supports in‑ceiling, up‑firing and virtual layouts. According to the brand, this “allows the RX500A to create a larger, more enveloping soundstage with increased scale and impact.”

Additionally, the RX500A offers higher-resolution streaming via Wi-Fi and Ethernet. It supports Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Qobuz Connect and Tidal Connect.

Yamaha

Availability and pricing

Yamaha’s new entry-level AV receiver, the RX300A, costs $400, while its superior sibling, the RX500A, costs $600.

Yamaha’s RX300A is available now and can be purchased from most authorized retailers. The RX500A is available for preorder and is expected to start shipping in September.

Yamaha

Yamaha RX300A

• $400 at Yamaha
• $400 at Adorama

Yamaha

Yamaha RX500A

• $600 at Yamaha
• $600 at Adorama

Most technical hiking shoes today look like they were designed for pro athletes or robots.

But On’s latest take on the Cloudhorizon 2 Waterproof in Soba Eclipse – a warm earthy brown paired with black — changes that conversation entirely, making the shoe read less like a tech artifact and more like something you’d find in a 1990s REI catalog.

Back to basics in a category that forgot them

On

On deserves real credit — and some responsibility — for accelerating the futuristic sneaker aesthetic that has quietly taken over the hiking category.

Its CloudTec Phase outsole, with those hollow pods arranged in rows, looks unlike anything that came before it.

That visual language proved enormously influential. Scroll through today’s top trail and hiking shoes and the pattern is hard to miss: aggressive lug geometries rendered in neon, reflective overlays, and colorways that prioritize visibility over subtlety.

On

Look at the Salomon X Ultra 5 Gore-Tex, the Hoka Challenger 8 GTX or the La Sportiva Spire GTX — technically excellent shoes, each of them, but none of them would look out of place in a gaming peripheral ad.

The KEEN Hightrail Waterproof stands as something of a holdout in this regard, offering a few quieter alternatives to the category’s prevailing loud looks and aggressive cuts. Now On appears to be making a similar bet with the Soba / Eclipse update.

On

It’s a meaningful shift.

The Cloudhorizon 2 Waterproof sits in On’s outdoor-focused lineup as a light hiking and trail lifestyle shoe — built for the person who moves between a trailhead and a coffee shop without changing footwear. It carries On’s CloudTec Phase cushioning underfoot and a waterproof membrane overhead, making it genuinely capable on wet terrain.

The Soba / Eclipse colorway transforms the Cloudhorizon 2 into something that looks purposeful more than performative.

Availability and pricing

On

The Cloudhorizon 2 Waterproof in Soba/Eclipse is available now directly from On’s website for $200.

That puts it above the highly regarded Salomon X Ultra 5 Gore-Tex ($175) and Hoka Challenger 8 GTX ($165), both of which cost less — while delivering official Gore-Tex waterproof protection and trail capability.

On

As such, the Cloudhorizon 2 Waterproof in Soba / Eclipse demands a clear premium that may not be justifiable for those who prioritize function over form.

But in a category sprinting toward maximum visual complexity, if you’ve been searching for a modern, lightweight waterproof hiker that doesn’t announce itself across a parking lot, this is one of the surprisingly few options out there right now.

On

On Cloudhorizon 2 Waterproof (Soba Eclipse)

• $200 at On

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Between inflation, added production costs and improved tech, most automakers love a good price hike year to year. It’s pretty much an inevitability these days.

Unfortunately, the increases don’t always account for whether there’s actually anything different going on underneath the metal. To squeeze the most out of their margins, companies will gladly sell you the same exact vehicle for, well, more.

But that’s what’s refreshing about the 2027 Subaru Trailseeker. Despite retaining the honor of being the brand’s quickest American car, prices are exactly the same for the upcoming model.

Subaru

A rock-steady Trailseeker

Accordingly, Subaru’s all-electric Trailseeker will once again start at $39,995 for the entry Premium trim and run from $43,995 for the Limited and $46,555 for the Touring.

As a reminder, the 74.7-kWh lithium-ion battery and 375-horsepower dual-motor setup is the sole powertrain option available throughout the lineup. There’s some variation in driving range, but the real distinctions are appointments like upholstery, heated seats and speakers.

Subaru

In any event, the true test of the Subaru’s value will come with how it fares compared to its Toyota twin. As of this year, it came in over $5,000 less than its counterpart.

Granted, some of that cost can be attributed to subtle brand differences. However, it has still made the Trailseeker the more affordable alternative, as prices for Toyota’s bZ Woodland and Woodland premium trims currently start from $45,300 and $47,400, respectively.

At this stage, Toyota hasn’t released pricing of its own. Nevertheless, it stands to reason that Subaru will continue to undercut it. Even if it drops the price on the bZ Woodland, it has a ways to go before it comes close to the Trailseeker Premium.

Subaru

Subaru’s unified EV effort

The Trailseeker pricing isn’t the only piece of good news that comes with the Subaru lineup ahead of next year. In keeping with their stablemate, the brand’s Solterra and Uncharted models are also holding steady for 2027.

Subaru

In the case of the former, this means that the middling electric crossover will start at prices ranging between $38,495 for the Premium and $45,855 for the Touring XT. Mind you, that’s a consistency that even comes on the heels of a significant refresh for this year.

Likewise, the smaller Uncharted will continue with its MSRP set upon debut. As the affordable entry point into the Subaru EV experience, it takes advantage of a rare (for the brand) front-wheel drive powertrain to come in at a more accessible $34,995.

Having only just launched the Trailseeker and the Uncharted this year, Subaru’s tactics are undoubtedly an effort to continue building momentum moving forward and inviting more buyers into the experience. Out of the gate, the two EVs have proven to be promising, outperforming the established Solterra in their month-to-month sales.

Subaru

It’s also worth pointing out that Subaru hasn’t thrown in anything extra to sweeten the deal. All the same, given the ballooning state of the used EV market, it’s refreshing to see a little consistency from an OEM.

Availability and pricing

Subaru’s 2027 Trailseeker (as well as its other EVs) will be available at dealers this fall. As mentioned, pricing will start from $39,995. Destination and delivery add a further $1,475.

Subaru

2027 Subaru Trailseeker

• Starts at $39,995

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The current Range Rover Velar might be on its way out, but its saga isn’t entirely over yet. New reports confirm Land Rover’s ambitious plans to make the most road-going Range Rover ever into a nearly full-fledged sedan or fastback.

Yep, you read that correctly. Previously heralded as hearsay, it appears those rumors are holding water. And Land Rover is on track to build its first-ever regular four-door.

Or, what will likely be its most sedan/wagon-like, road-friendly model ever.

The next Velar will be the most car-like Land Rover in history

When Land Rover originally introduced the Range Rover Velar, it received mixed reactions. The Velar was specifically for people who wanted all of the Range Rover’s distinctive design, refinement and luxury, without any of the serious off-roading tech and gear.

For purists, that was blasphemous. For those who wanted all that the Range Rover has to offer, except without all the excessive off-roading tech and for more urban and suburban environments, it was perfect. All the more so if the Range Rover Sport was still a little too rugged.

Land Rover

Now, Land Rover appears to be leaning into the urban Velar idea even more. Autocar got the scoop, learning that the next-gen model will not only shrink in size. It’ll also take on its most car-like form ever.

What does that really mean? Speculation and details point to a semi-lifted sedan/crossover, à la Toyota Crown Signia.

An affordable multi-energy Range Rover

Land Rover

Word has it that the new Velar will be reengineered and repositioned in the Range Rover lineup to take on the likes of the BMW X3/iX3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and the Audi Q5.

Similar to other automakers, Jaguar-Land Rover quietly pivoted away from its aggressive all-electric strategy to implement a more “multi-energy approach.” In that sense, the next Velar will reportedly come in EV, plug-in hybrid and gas-hybrid form.

Land Rover

This comes thanks to JLR reworking its EMA modular platform, which was originally supposed to be all-electric. But thanks to the ingenuity and contingency preparation from its engineers, Jaguar-Land Rover designed its EMA platform to be flexible for both electric and internal combustion powertrains.

Lifted sedans and wagons may be the new craze

Cadillac

Recent spy photos of the next-gen Velar show a very low-riding, fastback-sedan-like vehicle in the works. Its silhouette is very similar to the Cadillac Lyriq and even the Toyota Crown Signia.

Neither the Lyriq nor the Crown Signia are crossover SUVs in the conventional sense, as they’re not as high-riding. But as one can see from their elevated ground clearance, high shoulder lines and low-slung roofs, they’re not full-fledged wagons or sedans, either.

Toyota

Land Rover seeks to replicate that formula. Additionally, other telling details point to J-LR’s intent to hit this segment specifically. The current Range Rover Velar currently stickers for around $60,000.

Both the Lyriq and the Crown Signia both have similar price ranges, with the Toyota starting closer to $45,000. When optioned out, it easily surpasses the $55,000 mark and comes within swinging distance of the Velar.

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The IWC Ingenieur just keeps getting better.

Reviews were somewhat mixed when the Schaffhausen brand brought back the Gérald Genta-designed version of its Ingenieur sports watch back in 2023, but since then, the Ingenieur line has expanded in interesting ways to become a bona fide hit.

From experimenting with materials like titanium and ceramic to incorporating such complications as a perpetual calendar to becoming a movie star with the Brad Pitt-inspired F1: The Movie tie-in watch, the Ingenieur has become a line to watch, with each new release more exciting than the last.

The Ingenieur’s latest version isn’t doing anything revolutionary; it’s just a new colorway, but it looks so damn cool that it might be my favorite version of the watch yet.

IWC

Cannonball!

The newest Ingenieur is an update to the smaller 35mm version (my favorite size for the watch) with a new dial color that the brand refers to as “Pool.” It’s basically IWC’s take on the classic “Tiffany Blue” turquoise that took the sports watch world by storm half a decade ago, and while the hype around the color has subsided, it still looks just as beautiful as ever.

IWC describes the color as “aquatic” and “fresh,” obviously drawing inspiration from chlorinated pool water in an attempt to create an Ingenieur that just screams “summer!” I think it’s safe to say the brand accomplished this feat, as the Pool colorway looks shimmering and brilliant when matched with the Ingenieur’s signature grid-patterned dial and Super-LumiNova-filled, rhodium-plated hands and hour markers.

IWC

Also reinforcing the watch’s summer vibes was its unofficial debut on the wrist of actor Andrew Garfield, who wore the model to Wimbledon over the weekend ahead of the watch’s embargo lift. Garfield paired the watch with a turquoise (or “Pool”) outfit, turning heads and generating some buzz for the watch ahead of its official release.

While Omega remains the king of these sneaky celebrity watch previews, IWC has been gaining steam of late. Frequently, the brand has turned to musician and watch nerd Ed Sheeran, most notably for the Ingenieur in black ceramic that he wore on The Tonight Show last year, ahead of its release at Watches and Wonders.

Outside of the fresh new dial color, the new watch is the same as other Ingenieur Automatic 35 models in stainless steel. It retains the integrated bracelet and signature bezel held in place by five functional screws, and it keeps the sapphire display caseback showing off the movement, a feature not found on the larger 40mm version.

However, the tradeoff is that the 35’s visible automatic movement, IWC Calibre 47110, is much more basic than the IWC Cal. 32111 that powers the 40mm Ingenieur. The former’s power reserve is a paltry 42mm, while the latter gets an impressive 120 hours on a full wind. The 35 also lacks the increased magnetic resistance of the 40’s soft-iron inner case.

IWC

Availability and pricing

Whether the color is currently in vogue or not, turquoise/Tiffany Blue remains my favorite dial color of an integrated steel sports watch. It just always works, and I think it looks especially good here on the smaller Ingenieur in steel.

The Ingenieur Automatic 35 “Pool” in stainless steel is available now from IWC and priced at $11,200, the same price as the other colors in 35mm steel.

IWC

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35 “Pool”

Specs

Case Size	35mm
Movement	IWC Cal. 47110 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $11,200 at IWC

As most Leatherman aficionados probably know, the Garage is a unique side hustle for the Portland, Oregon-based brand. 

Launched in early 2022, it is essentially a little laboratory through which the brand develops and releases limited, sometimes experimental knives and multi-tools. 

Leatherman

In the past, it has brought us everything from the fixed-bladed Malloy Special to the locking pliers-enabled Captain’s Crunch. 

As intriguing as releases like those are, the latest is not only one of the most affordable but also the most useful: the plainly named but surprisingly versatile Adapter.

Small wonder

Right off the bat, some bad news: this thing sold out (at $75 a pop) almost as soon as the product page went live this afternoon. 

The good news is, Leatherman may take this as a sign they should make more, transferring this project from the Garage to the showcase of the main site … and you can sign up to be notified if/when it returns.

Leatherman

So what is the Adapter? In simplest terms, a dynamic mini multi-tool with a rather unconventional feature set.

Measuring less than 4″ x 1.2″ x 0.7″ when folded, the Adapter’s most prominent function is a three-way ratcheting system (forward, reverse and locked) that allows you to keep turning to keep driving a screw without constant repositioning.

Leatherman

Made of 3D-printed titanium, it can be oriented three ways, too: straight for extended reach, 90 degrees for maximum leverage and fully closed for both very compact ratchet use and easy pocket carry.

Meanwhile, the 30% glass-filled nylon “handle” doubles as a modular cache storage system, sealed with a threaded metal cap.

Within, you’ll find several handy ratchet bits: Torx #6 and #8, plus Phillips 1/2″ and 3/16″ and an eyeglass screwdriver.

Leatherman

That’s not all, however, as it also stores a D1 ballpoint pen cartridge, a T-shank wood saw and a T-shank file with double cut, saw cut and diamond surfaces.

The first of those can be inserted into the end of the ratchet to turn it into a stylus, while the T-shanks attach at the pivot point.

Leatherman

What’s more, the storage cavity can also be used to carry extra hardware, specific tools, sharpening gear or a small repair kit. 

Considering the space it occupies and functionality it offers, the Adapter could be the smartest $75 you spend this year.

Availability and pricing

As mentioned above, the $75 Leatherman Adapter sold out almost instantly upon launching this afternoon.

However, you can sign up on the product page for Garage updates … and to be in the loop when it inevitably resurfaces.

Leatherman

Leatherman Adapter

• Learn More

If you’ve been looking for a hot Toyota Camry, but are saddened by the absence of the hi-po V6-powered TRD model from not too long ago, there may be some hope. Kind of.

New rumors and a recent trademark filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office suggest Toyota’s prepping a sportier Camry for the latest model.

The Camry recently entered its seventh generation just last year. Now, Toyota’s in the midst of repopulating its range with all the fancy (and not-so-fancy) variants.

Giving grams and gramps speed

Toyota

When Toyota introduced the seventh generation, fans were sad to see the disappearance of the optional V6. The Camry was the last of the mainstream midsize sedans to offer six-cylinder power.

Moreover, it was also one of the last naturally aspirated V6-powered automobiles on the market. Between its high redline and 300-horsepower output (in a freakin’ Camry!), said V6 was an unexpected hoot.

Toyota

As such, grandma and grandpa could burn rubber just like in their 390-powered ’66 Fairlane 500. It also attracted younger buyers for the amount of go-fast performance it offered per dollar.

That was very much the case with the V6-powered TRD variant. But even without the desirable extras from Toyota Racing Development, the V6-powered Camry could sprint to 60 mph in less than six seconds.

Toyota

In fact, that V6 is so good, Lotus used it in a variety of its sports cars up until a few years ago.

The V6 Camry TRD wasn’t perfect. But there certainly weren’t very many cars like it. And the best part was that it was a total sleeper.

Now, Toyota’s looking to revive some of that excitement for its vanilla bread-and-butter family sedan.

Another go-fast Camry?

Toyota

According to the rumors and the USPTO filing, Toyota may be prepping an “Apex Edition” of the Camry. If that trim level sounds familiar, the Japanese automaker introduced the same badge and equipment spec for the current Corolla.

For the Corolla, it adds a bit of sporty flair with some performance benefits. This includes a track-tuned sport suspension with a half-inch decrease in ride height for quicker handling, some larger alloys and a sport-tuned exhaust.

Toyota

The Corolla Apex exists solely for the US market. If those were any telling clues, that could mean a similar treatment for all US-spec Camrys.

Just like all trademark filings, it’s no surefire confirmation of a new model. However, a sportier Camry Apex becoming a reality is hardly a far-fetched possibility.

Toyota

The only sad part is the absence of the V6. Today, the quickest Camry is the top-spec all-wheel-drive hybrid variant.

It produces a total system output of 232 horsepower and can propel the sedan to 60 mph from a standstill in just six and a half seconds.

Toyota

Should the Apex model happen, it likely won’t be as extreme as the TRD version, what with its pronounced rear spoiler, racy bodywork and flashy multi-spoke alloy wheels.

But it’ll still look more appealing than just your plain, vanilla rental-spec Camry.

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Vans’s Old Skool platform has been an absolute boon for collaborations and new editions throughout the years. The classic feel of the skating sneaker offers broad appeal and the simple multi-panel uppers give the silhouette the perfect amount of versatility to serve as a blank canvas for various reinterpretations.

Vans

As part of the new Field Pack collection, the latest edition isn’t the first military-inspired Old Skool, but it might be the most faithful to the theme.

Playing the field

It starts with a personal approach. The Field Pack (also featuring takes on the Half Cab Decon and Authentic 44) was created under the auspices of Greg Betty — one of the key figures responsible for the brand’s revival in the last decade. Rather than mere camo-printed versions of beloved silhouettes, the collection draws inspiration from his father’s military service and vintage military equipment.

Vans

Vans

The centerpiece of the three models is the Old Skool 36, in both Woodland Camo Green and Combat Black colorways. The classic canvas uppers are covered with gillnet overlays inspired by the netting on World War II helmets. It nearly buries the signature Sidestripe insignia underneath on the Woodland variant. However, it comes through just fine on the black.

The camo print can be seen on the toe cap, heel counter, tongue and eyestays. Meanwhile, canvas is swapped for pebbled leather on Combat Black. 

Vans

Tying together the motif, the white midsoles on both sneakers are intended to look aged and dirty with seemingly random black markings.

Vans

Both shoes are based on the Premium version of the Old Skool, which means higher-quality materials, a Sola Foam ADC insole and upgraded foxing tape inspired by the Osnaburg-reinforced outsoles from the ‘90s.

Two more to watch out for

Aside from the Old Skool, the Field Pack also includes the Half Cab Decon and Authentic 44.

Vans

The Half Cab comes in Combat Black, Combat White and Woodland Camo Green. The netting is present here as well, but much less so, wedged between the leather or canvas overlays.

Vans

The Authentic 44 ditches the netting entirely but still features the distressed soles. It lands in Woodland Camo Green and Combat Black.

Availability and pricing

Priced at $115, the Old Skool 36 Field Pack editions are expected to be available July 16 from Vans’ website. Meanwhile, the Half Cab Decon and Authentic 44 variants will be priced at $100.

Vans

Vans Premium Old Skool 36 Field Pack

• $115 at Vans

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It’s no secret that I am a big fan of using a backpack for travel (as opposed to a roller carry-on). But not all of them are equal, which is maybe obvious to those in the know. Some are highly capable but bulky, while others sacrifice toughness for compactness.

Well, a new contender has just entered the competition. Called the Tortuga Superlite, this bag is trying to set a new standard, offering incredible strength, durability and lightness in a package that falls well within most airline carry-on standards.

Tortuga

Suitcase assassin

I’m not sure if you’ve been to the airport lately, but they are a nightmare. They’re overcrowded with clumsy, clunky carry-on suitcases (and boarding makes the congestion even worse). Well, the Tortuga Superlite was specifically designed to bypass much of that frustration.

As it’s a backpack, you carry it on your back, which already bypasses one of the biggest frustrations of airport travel. However, that means adding extra weight to your shoulders, right? Sort of.

The Superlite, as its name suggests, is much lighter than most other backpacks of similar size. In total, it weighs just 2.2 pounds. That’s more than a pound less than a full Stanley Quencher water bottle (and 77 percent less than similar travel bags). As such, you really only need to worry about the weight of the gear inside.

Tortuga

To help you bear it, the bag has padded adjustable straps, a sternum stabilizing strap, a hip belt (an optional upgrade) and load lifters (to keep the weight from sagging), helping spread out the weight and make it more comfortable overall.

And this is managed largely by its construction. The bag is made from Ultra fabric, which is 15 times stronger than steel, as well as waterproof and abrasion-resistant.

And that extremely capable, lightweight exterior is balanced beautifully by its organization-focused interior.

Tortuga

Travel (and EDC) titan

This bag combines the best elements of carry-on luggage and everyday backpacks. That starts with a 34-liter internal capacity, which is ideal for short trips, for use as an auxiliary travel bag and for EDC.

Outside, it has a stretchy mesh water bottle pocket alongside an externally accessible 16-inch laptop pocket. It also has a smaller externally-accessible pocket perfect for smaller items (like EDC), which also offers quick access to important documents, like your passport and tickets.

Tortuga

Inside, it has an organizational scheme similar to many hard-sided roller carry-ons, including numerous mesh zippered pockets (ideal for socks, underwear and the like). That means, despite its format, it packs just like a suitcase should.

That’s aided by its clamshell opening, which allows full access to everything inside. And that’s just the beginning of everything this bag has to offer.

It might be time to ask yourself why you keep fussing with that frustrating luggage when this superior option is available.

Tortuga

Availability and pricing

The Tortuga Superlite has already absolutely demolished its original $7,777 crowdfunding goal (as of this article, it has secured over $406,000 in funding). As such, it will be going into production. However, there’s still time to secure one for yourself, starting at $185 on Kickstarter.

Tortuga

Tortuga Superlite

• Starts at $185

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

Some of Seiko’s best collabs of the past few years have come with the assistance of Rowing Blazers, the New York-based trendy arbiter of preppy style founded in 2017, and Eric Wind, the horological guru behind Wind Vintage.

The trio has linked up thrice before, first for a trio of Seiko 5 Sports Divers in 2021, and then each of the following two years with colorful takes on the Seiko 5 Sports Field.

Now, the band has gotten back together after a three-year hiatus with a pair of ’70s-flavored Seiko 5 Sports Divers reminiscent of that first collab that feel like instant classics.

Rowing with the Wind

Rowing Blazers

The new Seiko 5 Sports Rally Diver carries over the 1970s-derived “rally-style” from the first Rowing Blazers/Wind Vintage collab, but in new colors and sizes.

There are two distinct versions: One in 42.5mm featuring a saturated blue dial, and the other a smaller 38mm diver with a racing green dial. Both feature bezels to match their respective dials in a striking checkerboard pattern.

Both models also have the same LumiBrite-filled applied indices and handsets, the same red-and-white striped seconds hand, the same 3:00 day-date window and the same 4:00 crown. There’s a Seiko 5 logo below 12:00 on the dial, with the Rowing Blazers logo printed above 6:00.

Wind Vintage

It’s the same basic design as the popular original Rally Diver collab from 2021, but that model only came with a black dial in 42.5mm.

However, there are some new features that go beyond the new colors and smaller size. There’s a new motif on the exhibition caseback featuring a full-color rendition of Rowing Blazer’s “bath club” logo, a yellow dripping faucet, along with Wind Vintage branding. Behind the logo is the same Seiko Calibre 4R36 automatic movement as before.

Rowing Blazers

The strap options are also new. Both versions come on the Seiko 5 Sports Diver’s standard three-link steel bracelet, while also including a nylon NATO-style strap. The straps are available in the opposite color to each dial, with the blue dial paired with a green strap and the green dial getting a blue strap.

Availability and pricing

As expected, this new collab is limited, with 2,500 pieces of each style available for a total of 5,000 watches. That may sound like a lot, but trust me, it’s not. These will sell out instantly, and some will be flipped for more than the decidedly affordable retail price of $495.

Rowing Blazers

Even today, Rally Divers from the original collab can sell for double the SRP on the secondary market, as the demand for these things is through the roof. With Rowing Blazers and Wind Vintage only becoming more notable over the past five years, I see no reason why a more colorful reboot of the coolest watch from the original collab, the Rally Diver, won’t become the most collectible watch from this trio yet.

To make sure you don’t miss this latest drop, you can sign up for early access on Rowing Blazers’ site here. Otherwise, the watch will launch on Rowing Blazers and the Seiko USA site on July 9 at 11:00 am ET.

Rowing Blazers

Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sports Rally Diver

Specs

Case Size	38mm, 42.5mm
Movement	Seiko Cal. 4R36 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $495 at Rowing Blazers

Three months ago, one of GP’s favorite EDC brands, Titaner, entered a new frontier, the wide, wild world of pocket knives, with the Heron. 

Featuring a 3.15-inch drop-point 14C28N or M390 blade, grade-5 titanium handle, liner lock and Titaner’s signature high-precision machining, it’s among the smoothest-deploying folders ever.

Titaner

Yet even as it was raising more than $160,000 on Kickstarter, the brand’s mad scientists were hard at work on a sequel. 

Today, the new, decidedly more sophisticated Hornbill begins its own crowdfunding campaign, and I won’t be at all surprised if it blows past $200,000 and doesn’t look back.

The spice of knife

Of course, another signature Titaner trait is an epically long Kickstarter page, but fear not, I shall hit all the major points here. 

First, let’s answer the question “why’d they make this?” Because it’s a bit different from what you might expect.

Titaner

Though at a glance the two knives look similar, Titaner sees the Hornbill not as an evolution from the Heron but as a unique alternative. 

While the first knife was a minimalist masterpiece, the Hornbill is “an all-scenario workhorse built to handle whatever comes next.”

Three big differences

Toward that end, for this more robust sibling, the brand went all-in on premium blade steel. 

While there are two versions of the knife (more on that later), both boast M390, a super steel prized for its wear resistance, corrosion resistance and edge retention.

They also went bigger, as this drop-point blade is slightly longer at 3.23 inches, but more importantly, it’s fuller-bellied: while the Heron measured 1.1 inches at its widest point, the Hornbill comes in at 1.26 inches.

Titaner

That’s not by accident, Titaner points out: “The fuller belly keeps more edge engaged through long cutting paths, making tasks like slicing rope, breaking down boxes and preparing food smoother, cleaner, and easier.”

Performance is further boosted by a cutout at the base of the spine, complete with jimping, flanked by grippy, ambidextrous thumb studs. 

With your forefinger deep in the choil and your thumb pressing down on the cutout, the level of control and pressure you can apply is maxed out for optimal cutting capability.

Titaner

Moving on from the blade, another key difference is the locking mechanism. While the Heron opted for a simple, sturdy liner lock, the Hornbill upgrades to an Axis crossbar lock. 

This type of lock boasts similar security, doubles the deployment options and eases swift one-handed retraction of the blade. 

No wonder legendary American brand Benchmade and many others have embraced the mechanism, and why it makes plenty of sense for Titaner to do so with an all-around all-star knife as well.

Titaner

A final major difference worth noting regards the handle. While the Heron’s handle, like the vast majority of Titaner products, relies on grade-5 titanium, the Hornbill offers a choice. 

The ergonomically shaped 4.72-inch handle is available in both light but tough titanium and lighter, more affordable G10. 

We’ve seen this material used successfully in thousands of pocket knives, indicating its EDC dependability.

Titaner

While you sacrifice some durability, it does shave nearly a full ounce, dropping the weight from 4.7 ounces to 3.75 ounces.

Take your pick. As with nearly every Titaner product we have come across, you can’t really go wrong.

Availability and pricing

The Titaner Hornbill is available now on Kickstarter at the Launch Day Special price of $139 for the G10-handled version and $219 for the titanium-handled version. Estimated delivery is December.

Titaner Hornbill

• Starts at $139

Though the Toyota Tacoma may technically be a Japanese-branded truck, it’s a pickup that proudly flies the Stars and Stripes in spirit.

After all, Toyota designed and engineered the model specifically for the US market. It’s dominated the midsize segment for the better part of its 30-plus-year history, proving itself a true American favorite.

Welcome to Power Moves: Diving deep into the product and brand moves that can change where a category is headed. Discover more here.

It’s for these reasons that Toyota’s new venture promises to be such a big deal. Along with making for a massive financial investment, it heralds a decisive update for Tacoma production. 

Toyota

Bigger in Texas

According to an announcement this week, Toyota will be allocating some $3.6 billion to grow its San Antonio-based manufacturing facility. 

The expansion will add 2.5 million square feet to the location, 2,000 jobs and a new assembly line. Upon completion in 2030, Toyota’s renovation efforts will have doubled the plant’s size.

Toyota

Arguably more important than the improved output potential, though, is the relocation the project brings. Over the next four years, Toyota will gradually move Tacoma production from the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Baja California (TMMBC) center to its newly expanded Texas plant.

It amounts to a kind of homecoming, as it brings the truck back across the border for the first time in years. Though Toyota previously assembled the Tacoma in the United States, in Fremont, California and then in San Antonio, it shifted all production to Mexico come 2021.

Toyota

Now, it’s worth noting that the expansion doesn’t mean Toyota is pulling its Tacoma production out of Mexico altogether. Rather, the larger Texas location will eventually operate alongside and complement the newer Guanajuato facility. 

Toyota’s long game

All the same, Toyota’s move has some big implications for the pickup nameplate. 

Toyota

For starters, it serves to further centralize production, as the Tacoma will be built under the same roof as its Tundra and Sequoia stablemates. Along with offering relief from tariffs, it promises future protections against evolving (or devolving) trade agreements.

Moreover, it helps to reinforce the Tacoma’s American identity. As it’s a US-market truck with a strong enthusiast following, for some, the only fitting answer is that Toyota makes the pickup stateside, too.

Ultimately, it demonstrates the brand’s belief in the strength of its product, and it’s one that’s warranted. Just last year, Toyota posted record-breaking Tacoma numbers with 274,638 annual sales, a 42.4 percent improvement over 2024.

Toyota

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, though, the brand has since improved its pace by nearly 10 percent through the first six months of this year. Yeah, the fourth-gen Tacoma is humming along.

If nothing else, then, Toyota’s relocation shows its commitment to the long game. For as much as $3.6 billion may sound like a lot to bank on a single vehicle, it is the Tacoma we’re talking about. Few other nameplates can lay claim to the same kind of staying power and runaway success.

Toyota

2026 Toyota Tacoma

• Starts at $32,145

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Made famous by Jim Bowie and designed by his brother Rezin, the Bowie knife could rightfully be called the grandfather of fighting knives.

Known for its beefy, aggressive blade, it is also one of the most quintessentially American fixed blades. Bowie even carried this knife with him when he defended the Alamo.

However, Buck’s 119 Special America 250 Edition might take the cake for embodying patriotism and heritage. And now, it could be yours.

Buck

Stars and bars

For the most part, this knife is true to its predecessors. However, it does have one very obvious alteration: its handle.

Over the years, the 119 has seen quite a few different handle materials. That includes hardwoods (like Rosewood and Cocobolo), Micarta, Phenolic and more. This edition, however, sees its handle crafted from acrylic.

Buck

This material is respected for its low level of necessary maintenance and resistance to moisture. However, it also has another stylistic bonus: it can be made in any number of colors and patterns. As is obvious, Buck has chosen a red, white and blue motif inspired by Betsy Ross’s original American flag design.

The handle also gets a special butt and guard treatment, boasting aluminum spacers sandwiched between brass. It might just be the most patriotic-looking Bowie knife ever made (or at least put into production).

As an added heritage bonus, the knife also comes with an exclusive black buffalo leather sheath.

Buck

Born in the USA

Beyond its handle restyling, this is still a classic Buck 119 through and through. It retains the same overall specs and silhouette.

That, of course, includes its most notable feature: its beefy clip point blade. Measuring 5.875 inches, this blade is built from 420HC steel (a classic, beloved, hard-working outdoor steel). That means it can handle just about any tough cutting job you might throw at it.

Buck

And since it has a full tang (meaning the steel extends through the handle), it can also withstand a lot of pressure and impacts, as occur during chopping and carving.

Granted, it’s also an incredibly beautiful showpiece, so you might not want to put it through too much punishment. But it does help to know that, despite its great looks, it can still handle plenty of service.

Buck

Availability and pricing

The Buck 119 Special America 250 Edition is now available on the brand’s site for $500 apiece. However, it’s a limited release, so it won’t be around forever.

Buck

Buck 119 Special America 250 Edition

• $500 at Buck Knives

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Many of the world’s greatest dive watches, including the Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster, Blancpain Fifty-Fathoms and Panerai Luminor, have military roots.

You can add the Sector Deep Pioneer from American indie watchmaker Nodus to that list. The overbuilt aquatic tool watch was originally commissioned by an undisclosed US military unit, and the new NVG reference channels those tactical roots.

Nodus

Nodus is not at liberty to discuss which American armed forces unit contacted it to update the Sector Deep with a specific list of features, but the civilian version unveiled in 2025 features a compass bezel and GMT complication not found on the original diver.

According to the brand, some tailored bezel scales were omitted from the public version, but it is still packed with useful features. It inherited 500m water resistance, a fully lumed dial and bezel, a blue-tinted anti-reflective flat sapphire crystal, an overhanging bezel and a knurled “destro” crown from the original Sector Deep.

The Pioneer iteration layers on a compass bezel to assist with navigation and a GMT complication for travel. Of course, the customary time, date and timing bezel are present.

Nodus

The new Sector Deep Pioneer NVG adds a matte black DLC finish to the 38mm case, three-link bracelet and 42mm overhanging bezel for enhanced protection and a stealthy look.

The scratch-resistant coating has appeared on the standard Sector Deep, including the Damascus Steel version released earlier this year, but this is its first use on the Pioneer.

A touch of green

The black DLC coating is complemented by an olive-green ceramic bezel insert that houses the compass markings. It adds a touch of color, along with the green seconds hand and khaki GMT hand, to an otherwise white-on-black motif.

Nodus

Despite being packed with information, the dial provides exceptional legibility with oversized hour markers, 1970s-style dive watch hands and a large 24-hour GMT track printed on the dial.

Night vision

Almost no legibility is lost in the dark thanks to the collection’s standard fully lumed dial and bezel. Every informative detail is coated in Grade A, blue-emitting Super-LumiNova.

Nodus

Beneath the glowing dial ticks a Seiko Caliber NH34A automatic movement. It’s a “caller”-style, meaning the GMT hand is adjusted independently, and it beats at 3Hz while providing a 41-hour power reserve.

Seiko’s wholesale workhorse GMT movement has a less-than-stellar reputation. But Nodus regulates its movements in-house, achieving the best possible performance from this entry-level automatic GMT, with an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds per day.

Availability and pricing

It’s hard to believe that Nodus could pack any more performance into the Sector Deep Pioneer, but they did it. What was already the most overpowered automatic diver available for under $1,000 is now even more durable and still priced well under that mark.

The Nodus Sector Deep Pioneer NVG is available now from Nodus for $725. The full DLC treatment only tacked $50 onto the price.

Nodus

Nodus Sector Deep Pioneer NVG

Specs

Case Size	38mm (42mm bezel)
Movement	Seiko CAliber NH34A automatic
Water	500m

• $725 at Nodus

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It makes perfect sense why most budget watchmakers choose mineral crystal instead of sapphire to cover their dials. Despite inferior scratch resistance and clarity, the cost of mineral glass is much lower. Plus, the added durability of the crystal helps give these affordable timepieces a boost for everyday wear.

Among its panoply of digital watches, the A1000 arguably sits as Casio’s most sophisticated. From its elegant shape to its hairline finishing and jewelry-like design with a slim 7.3mm thickness, the timepiece is basically the LCD-equipped equivalent of a dress watch. However, until now, a sapphire crystal felt like a lofty expectation.

Casio

All grown up

Presenting itself as a significant step up, the new A1000SP takes your classic A1000 and swaps the mineral glass for sapphire. The upgrade will certainly improve clarity on your wrist, instantly giving the timepiece a dressier appeal. And considering the use case, the decreased shatter resistance shouldn’t be an issue.

Underneath the crystal, Casio has implemented a new vapor deposition as well, creating a striped effect that, according to the brand, “changes as light is reflected at different angles.” 

Casio

It’s a real retro look that begets a more minimalist aesthetic on the brass dial. Instead of dial text marking every button function, the A1000SP keeps it clean. The only words shown are the brand’s name, “Sapphire” and “WR” to denote its water resistance.

This isn’t the first time the A1000 has had sapphire over the dial, but it is the first time the material has appeared in a mainline release. Back in 2022, a Rag & Bone collab featured sapphire crystals on a pair of limited-edition watches that sold out rather quickly. 

Casio

Band together

Inside the same elegant 38mm stainless steel case, the timepiece still gives you the same LCD display. You also get your typical feature set, including a stopwatch, alarm and auto-calendar, along with the same white LED backlight.

A revised bracelet is also in tow. Instead of your usual multi-link bracelet, Casio opts for a sportier, solid band, also made of stainless steel. Closing with a one-touch, three-fold clasp, it contrasts mirror and hairline finishing for a more dynamic look. 

Casio

Availability and pricing

Currently listed on Casio’s international site, the A1000SP doesn’t have a price yet. But you can assume it will be significantly more expensive than the standard A1000 models at $160. For comparison, the A1000RCG from 2022 was $250. 

You can expect this new watch to land in the coming months.

Casio

Casio A1000SP-7

• Learn More

Uniqlo has built a global affordable fashion empire, in part, on a simple skill: watching what the fashion world reaches for, then delivering something close enough at a price that makes the look far more attainable.

Over the years, we’ve seen the Japanese retailer mirror everything from minimalist backpack trends to Patagonia baggies to the classic Levi’s Type I denim jacket. But especially lately, it feels like the outerwear trends fueled by the iconic British outerwear brand Barbour are getting the lion’s share of its designers’ attention.

Barbour’s release of the denim Bedale early this year is easily one of the best new jacket releases of 2026. It’s a reinterpretation of its classic waxed silhouette in raw denim, priced at $650, that looks every bit of it.

Now Uniqlo has arrived with a denim coverall jacket that, from across a coffee shop, hits surprisingly similar notes. It costs $60.

A denim coverall with field coat accents

Uniqlo

The Uniqlo Coverall Denim Jacket (Blue) and the Uniqlo Coverall Denim Jacket (Black) share the same DNA: a boxy, hip-length cut with a full-button placket, a single chest pocket, and structured shoulders that feel closer to workwear than to fashion.

It’s specific details, though, like the corduroy collar and cuff, plaid lining near the neck, that feel like unmistakable nods to what Barbour has done with the Bedale in denim — itself a coat that drew on Barbour’s 2025 collab with Levi’s, which reintroduced denim workwear coats back into the style zeitgeist beyond the trucker jacket.

Uniqlo

But the traditional coverall jacket is not a Barbour invention, and style historians won’t need reminding.

The coverall traces its roots to factory floors — a garment built for physical labor, distinct from the chore coat in its fuller coverage and longer body.

Where the chore coat’s origins trace back to a French workwear staple, and many see the two jacket styles as one and the same, the coverall technically has its own history as American industrial dress, showing up in denim and canvas decades before any heritage brand thought to put it on a runway.

Uniqlo’s version appears faithful to that lineage in shape, even if the execution is decidedly mass-market.

Uniqlo

The mid-weight denim is substantial enough to layer under in shoulder-season temperatures, but not a true cold-weather coat. The button stance is clean, the pockets are functional rather than decorative, and the cut avoids the oversized trap that plagues much fast-follow workwear.

In blue denim, it reads casual and approachable; in black, it sharpens up enough to wear over trousers without looking like a costume.

Availability and pricing

Uniqlo

Both colorways are available now directly through Uniqlo at $60 each. To put that in context: Barbour’s denim Bedale runs $650.

Respected workwear brands like Tellason or Engineered Garments price their coverall jackets well north of $200, often closer to $400.

Uniqlo isn’t claiming to compete at that level of construction or materials provenance—and it shouldn’t. But for someone who wants the silhouette without the investment, the gap is hard to ignore.

Uniqlo

This jacket won’t replace a Barbour or similar premium denim options from brands like RRL, for the person who cares deeply about selvedge denim and generational durability.

What it will do is let many wear a clean, historically grounded silhouette through spring and fall without costing an arm and a leg.

Uniqlo

Uniqlo Coverall Denim Jacket (Blue)

• $60 at Uniqlo

Uniqlo

Uniqlo Coverall Denim Jacket (Black)

• $60 at Uniqlo

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It seems Yeti has the Midas touch.

Whether it’s a cooler, carry-all, insulated water bottle or camp chair, every rugged piece of gear the brand puts its durable stamp on turns to gold.

Yeti’s newest release, the Palo Active Backpack, continues that winning streak, bringing the outfit’s ultra-tough approach to an everyday carry-friendly form factor.

Yeti

Packing heat

The Palo Active Backpack is an everyday workhorse built for commuting to work, working out and everything in between.

At first glance, it may appear quite similar to the brand’s Ranchero pack, which debuted in the spring of 2025.

However, the Palo Active Backpack veers from the established mold in a few key ways, making it easier than ever to bring Yeti along every day.

Yeti

First up, the overall form factor is slimmer. The 26-liter version of the Palo Active Backpack is only 1.25 inches narrower, 1.75 inches shallower and half an inch shorter than its 27-liter Ranchero counterpart, but looks and feels much sleeker and slimmer.

The new pack uses Lightwork nylon in place of Yeti’s proprietary Tuffskin material, retaining some weather and abrasion resistance while lightening the load.

Yeti

Yeti

The unique RipZip opening appears on the Pale Active Backpack, offering clear internal views and making it easy to quickly access gear.

Daisy chain attachments on the front of the pack offer extended carry options, the padded laptop sleeve protects devices on the go, and multiple internal pockets keep things organized and in place. The lid pocket offers easy access to small essentials.

Yeti

In terms of comfort, Yeti’s new backpack has a lot to offer. Padded shoulder straps offset heavy loads, while the no-pressure padded back panel makes all-day carry comfortable, not cumbersome.

Yeti

When empty, the new daily driver weighs just 2.5 pounds, shaving more than a pound off the similar-sized Ranchero’s mass.

The Palo Active Backpack is available in three sizes, each offering increased capacity while retaining ansleek form factor: 20 liters, 26 liters, and 32 liters.

Availability and pricing

The Palo Active Backpack is available now on Yeti’s website, starting at $175 for the 20-liter version.

Yeti

Yeti Palo Active Backpack 20L

• $175 at Yeti

Yeti

Yeti Palo Active Packpack 26L

• $225 at Yeti

Welcome to “Today in Gear,” your daily snapshot of the most important releases in style, watches, tech, motoring, fitness, home and the outdoors.

Today in Gear: The most important news in the product world, independently curated by our editors. Catch up on other key releases across all the topics you care about.

Nothing

Nothing Ear (3a)

When it comes to $100 earbuds, it’s difficult to beat Nothing’s Ear A series. The 3rd-gen model, the 3a, has just been updated with 32MB of built-in storage for recording calls, activated with the pinch of your fingers. After that, the recordings are sent automatically to your Nothing X app. The drivers have been upgraded as well to 12mm, giving you fuller hi-res quality. Along with the usual black, white and yellow colorways, a new pink is also thrown into the mix.

• $99 at Nothing

McLaren M6GT

For the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, McLaren’s MSO department created a vehicle like no other: a one-off M6GT using historic drawings and original molds. As Bruce McLaren’s original vision of a road-going production car, it actually predates the F1 by more than two decades. However, it went unrealized at the time, as the McLaren founder’s untimely passing meant that only a handful were built before the project was put on hold. To ensure authenticity, MSO used a period-correct small-block Chevy V8 and a five-speed manual gearbox, hand-fabricating other critical components like the internal clam and wiring harness. The Colnbrook white exterior and green interior color scheme is inspired by the livery of Bruce’s first McLaren Formula 1 car, a 1966 M2B finished in white with a green stripe.

• Learn More

Prometheus Design Werx

PDW SPD STS-SFLT Mudhorn

The PDW STS-SFLT is undoubtedly one of the brand’s lightest, toughest tactical and outdoor knives. However, this edition kicks it up a notch, granting it a blacked-out finish. But it’s not just a colorway; that’s a Cerakote finish, granting this knife even more durability and toughness. It’s also still made from a single piece of MagnaCut steel, retains its skeletonized full-tang handle (with its paracord wrap) and comes with a Kydex sheath. As a final touch, this knife gets a Mudhorn sigil: a subtle nod to The Mandalorian (of Star Wars fame).

• $225 at Prometheus Design Werx

Hermès

Hermès Cape Cod

Hermès’ icon from 1991, the Cape Cod, has spent most of its history as a ladies’ dress watch, but a few unexpected tweaks have turned the legend into a men’s sports watch. The 2026 Cape Cod introduces a 41mm titanium case featuring a satin-brushed top and bead-blasted sides. The black dial receives a similar finish, with a sandblasted center surrounded by a satin-finished outer portion that houses applied rhodium-plated Arabic markers. These markers, along with the hands (save for the bold orange seconds hand), are filled with Super-LumiNova, which, combined with the watch’s 100m water resistance, makes this a true sports watch. Also aiding in that regard is the Hermès Manufacture Calibre H1912 automatic movement, along with a rubber strap that’s available in four colors: jaune de Naples (yellow), orange, bleu abysse (blue) and black. The sportier Cape Cod will go on sale in September 2026.

• $7,900 at Hermès

Korchmar

Korchmar Nash Waxed Cotton Twill Wheeled Duffle

Korchmar turned a classic canvas weekender bag into rolling luggage by adding wheels and a collapsible handle that can be hidden in a zippered compartment. It is built from 18-ounce waxed cotton twill with cowhide leather trim. The interior is fully lined and features a large mesh zipper pocket and two pouches. The 13-inch by 22-inch by 11-inch dimensions accommodate most airline carry-on regulations.

• $545 at Korchmar

Welcome to Talking Points, a series that looks at what makes certain products worth talking about, brought to you by Gear Patrol Studios.

Outdoor pros need gear that prepares them for whatever challenges the day might bring. As a part of the Ranger series, the Victorinox Ranger 79 M Grip is engineered precisely for this reality. With rugged capability backed by professional testing, this Swiss-made multi-tool combines heavy-duty construction with the functionality required for serious day-to-day work in the forest or the workshop.

Victorinox

Engineered for one-handed utility

Whether you are clearing an overhanging branch on a trail or cutting a piece of dowel for a backyard project, the Victorinox Ranger 79 M Grip centers on a large, locking blade designed for immediate deployment. An integrated thumb hole allows for efficient, one-handed opening, ensuring the tool can be accessed safely while working. Built to meet the standards of skilled craftsmen and tested by professionals, the locking mechanism provides crucial stability under heavy pressure.

Enhanced control via two-component scales

Trying to hold onto a tool with sweaty hands or during a sudden afternoon downpour is an easy way to lose your grip. That’s why the Ranger 79 ditches slippery plastic for rugged, two-component scales that practically lock into your palm, offering serious slip resistance when conditions get messy.

At 5.1 inches long and 1.3 inches wide, the beefy chassis gives you plenty of handle to wrap your hand around for maximum leverage, yet it manages to pack all that surface area into a pocket-friendly 5.9-ounce profile that won’t weigh you down.

Comprehensive, Swiss-made functionality

A great blade gets you through the door, but it’s the supporting cast of tools that makes a multi-tool earn its keep on your hip. True to Victorinox’s iconic design heritage, the Ranger 79 M Grip crams an impressive array of field-ready tools into a single frame.

When you’re done using the main blade and the powerful wood saw, the body serves up an impressive toolkit ready for both campsite fixes and backyard tasks, with 12 functions including: a reamer, punch, sewing awl, can opener, bottle opener, corkscrew, tweezers, toothpick, and key ring.

Built entirely in Switzerland and backed by a lifetime warranty, it’s a reliable, multi-functional tool you throw in your pack knowing it’s ready for whatever the outdoors throws at you.

Victorinox

Victorinox Ranger 79 M Grip

• $88 at REI

Watches, as we know them, are a constant reminder that time is linear, but they obscure the fact that it is also infinite.

Almost all watch and clock dials track the current day, and many give you a specific location in time, ranging from a day of the month to a perpetual calendar. But none give you a grand view of your place within a lifetime or longer, counting how far you’ve come and how much farther you have left to go.

Except this one.

Seiko

Welcome to Power Moves: Diving deep into the product and brand moves that can change where a category is headed. Discover more here.

Shohei Ohtani tasked Seiko’s design team with creating a constant reminder of that broad temporal context for him to wear on his wrist. If anyone outside the brand could command such an ambitious goal, it’s Ohtani.

The world’s greatest baseball player is from Japan, a country that reveres “America’s Pastime” more than any other, even America. A Michael Jordan in the 1990s-level of fame earned him an unheard-of sponsorship as the face of Seiko.

Along with a common homeland, the watchmaker and the athlete share an unwavering drive for perfection, pursued one step at a time. That determination is manifested in the Star Time, a watch that tracks one million hours on a single dial.

Seiko

The agreed-upon metaphorical inspiration is the movement of the stars across the night sky. You don’t notice the movement in real time, but viewed by the hour, by the day and by the year, fantastic motion is revealed.

Building the watch, which Ohtani helped conceive and design every step of the way, required a completely new mechanical movement and dial.

One million hours

The Star Time dial consists of five stacked discs, with the center acting as a 24-hour watch dial that tells the time like any other. With each full turn of the center one-day disc, the next successive disc moves once in a 1,000-hour, or 42-day rotation.

Seiko

Each successive disc moves once with a full rotation of the adjacent inner disc. Moving outward, the next tracks 10,000 hours, followed by 100,000 hours and finally, 1,000,000 hours.

It was Ohtani’s idea to add the diamonds to represent stars. The center diamond is a metaphor for the North Star, famous for remaining stationary in the night sky as all others move around it.

According to Seiko’s press release, the dial motif stands for “an unwavering goal whose position never changes. It expresses Shohei Ohtani’s determination to move forward without hesitation, steadfastly pursuing that goal.”

One-of-one

It was important to Ohatni that the Star Time be comfortable enough to wear every day. The 42mm-wide by 17mm-tall case is made of Seiko’s High-Intensity Titanium, topped with a blue ceramic bezel holding a box sapphire crystal.

It is equipped with a fitted silicone strap secured with a High-Intensity Titanium folding clasp, specifically fitted for Ohanti’s wrist. The watch is even waterproof to 100m.

Seiko

Unfortunately, Seiko did not disclose any details about the movement’s mechanical makeup, likely because it is packed with brand-new developments that may come to market in other projects down the road.

Another thing Seiko did not disclose about the Star Time is its price, as it is not for sale. Only one was made, and it was gifted to Ohanti.

Right now, the single Star Time watch is counting away towards its 114-year endpoint with unwavering pursuit.

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Whoop built its reputation on restraint and precision. Running counter to the booming smart watch trend, the company carved out a niche by avoiding wrist-worn screens and notifications, and instead, focusing on pairing an advanced, screenless sensor designed to log a range of advanced health and fitness metrics, with an intuitive app that processes and surfaces data in a way that helps users optimize how they stay active as well as how they rest and recover.

Those instincts have helped the brand land and showcase an impressive roster of ambassadors and high-profile moments, particularly in sports.

Rory McIlroy wore the device while winning The Masters, and Aryna Sabalenka put it in headlines for a different reason when Australian Open officials moved to ban the device mid-tournament.

Massive exposure via various players and even teams involved in the 2026 FIFA World Cup has only pushed that visibility further into the mainstream.

But over the last year, especially in recent months, Whoop has also leaned hard into adding AI features, powered by OpenAI behind the scenes, that customers are now engaging with in both exciting and concerning ways that may make or break the brand’s reputation moving forward.

The good, the bad and the weird…

The current AI-enhanced features touted most proudly by Whoop are technically listed in Beta, meaning they should still be viewed as a work in progress.

That hasn’t stopped Whoop, though, from setting high expectations for users.

In a recent press release published back in May, Whoop shared that its AI implementation combines “24/7 biometric data with the context you share about your goals and routines” to create “a uniquely powerful and adaptive foundation for coaching that evolves with you.”

Unsurprisingly, the unofficial r/Whoop subreddit has become an unfiltered showcase of these new capabilities. And much like most anecdotal consumer encounters with AI-powered chat these days, real-world outcomes appear to range from outright impressive to unintentionally funny to, at least in some instances, quietly alarming.

Reddit

On the positive side, true to Whoop’s own ambitions, an earlier thread titled “Whoop AI is adding real value” drew a wave of users crediting the AI coaching functionality with meaningful day-to-day utility.

The original poster wrote that the AI could “compare a cardio session to past sessions, provide specific recommendations to fine-tune the next, suggest specific strength exercises, weight, and reps, create a weekly plan based on my goals and current metrics.“

Others echoed that: one user said it helped them manage post-travel jet lag with daily plans, another praised the coach’s memory function, describing how they told it they were sick and it followed up with check-in notifications over the following days.

Another popular thread noted that the AI coaching functionality can also handled non fitness-related queries, unlocking the potential for some creative, clearly off-label use cases for gaining access to AI chat without coughing up yet another subscription fee.

Reddit

The criticism of the app’s AI integration has been louder and sharper.

A thread bluntly titled “Whoop AI is legit slop” — centered on a screenshot where the coach discussed a user’s elevation gain during a hike. Yet when the user asked where the device sourced the elevation data, the AI responded that it had fabricated the stat.

Reddit

A similar post titled “Whoop hallucinating. For a health app this is NOT COOL” surfaced more of the same pattern. Its lead screenshot appears to show the AI chat admitting it had made up the data that the user was more awake at night, then used that fabricated detail to make assumptions about how the user was feeling.

One user in the comments chimed in said they stopped using it entirely after the coach falsely assumed they were sick, then apologized when called out.

Another reported that the AI chat said it had logged a caffeine intake at 7:30, even though they hadn’t consumed any. Still another reply noted: “Mine told me it was logging alcohol after I completed a late-night (sober) dance sesh.“

Then there’s a thread posted within the last two weeks asking “What is going on with Whoop AI?“, which veered in more absurd territory.

Reddit

The note begins with screenshots of the AI chat supposedly volunteering, apparently unprompted, that it couldn’t advise on erotic roleplaying.

Another user in the same thread shared another image, supposedly showing how the AI chat had adopted a surprisingly aggressive tone, ending a response with the note “or are you skipping it again, b$%tch?“

If these examples are indeed real responses from the app’s current AI implementation, whether they’re the result of a guardrail failing or a response to an equally strange series of user prompts is unclear. Still, the images and the unhinged implications they suggest have spread fast.

But even in other threads that began clearly skeptically, some have quickly filled up with seemingly as many defenders as detractors.

This back-and-forth suggests that Whoop user experiences have varied enough to make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about AI’s impact just yet.

Following the leader?

Whoop

None of the public Reddit discourse around Whoop’s embrace of AI appears to be shifting the company’s focus, at least for the time being.

In January, the company announced its role as the first-ever chair and a founding member of the newly formed Massachusetts AI Coalition, planting its flag as a serious institutional player in the space.

In late March, the company revealed its Series G funding round, which raised $575 million at a $10.1 billion valuation.

And on May 8th, it followed that news almost immediately with a slate of expanded AI features, including on-demand clinician access, underscoring that Whoop aspires to be a serious player in broader healthcare monitoring and that AI is not a side feature but the platform’s future spine.

Google

Based on this momentum and trajectory, there’s no doubt that Whoop’s work will influence the rest of the wearable and fitness tech sphere’s stance on AI, if not the broader consumer healthcare ecosystem.

The multi-billion-dollar question is, what lessons will the industry take away from Whoop’s work?

The company has clearly demonstrated the value of turning complex biometric data into personalized, conversational guidance. It’s also quickly becoming a case study of the risks of introducing volatile AI models into categories where factual accuracy carries greater consequences than it does in productivity software or search.

Until Whoop and OpenAI can meaningfully reduce hallucinations and clearly communicate the limits of AI-generated health and wellness advice to users, though, every new AI feature may always carry a tradeoff: more personalized guidance alongside more opportunities for users to place confidence in answers that shouldn’t be trusted.

If Whoop is truly all-in on AI, resolving that tension should now be one of its top priorities if it still hopes to maintain its reputation as a class-leading wearable for analytical precision and performance-boosting insights.

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

When most people think of RVs, big, bulky, bus-like motorhomes probably come to mind. Companies like Bürstner are looking to change that perception.

The German outfit just came out with its latest concoction. It’s called the Signature SMT Series, and it joins the company’s growing line of compact RVs that prove luxury doesn’t always correlate with square footage.

Proof that size doesn’t always matter

Bürstner

It’s common to equate space and size with opulence and luxury. It’s why the RV and motorhome space typically adopts a mentality similar to that of many static homeowners. The bigger your RV is, the more luxurious it tends to be (and more expensive).

But Bürstner clearly shows that ginormous proportions aren’t all that. Especially with its latest Signature SMT Series.

Bürstner

Rather than starting life as some crazy Prevost coach bus or similar, the Signature SMT begins as your average Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

Then, Bürstner hacks off the rear end aft of the front doors, squares off the body with custom-shaped fiberglass and equips the interior with a level of modernity and lavishness befitting a yacht.

Smart and clever packaging

Bürstner

Once can see the very upscale ambiance by its very contemporary and European-esque styling on the interior. What with its wood paneling, clean and neatly-shaped mineral countertops and felt-lined cabinets.

But providing warmth and comfort aren’t the only highlights. Clever space-efficient storage and layouts are, as well.

2026 Bürstner Signature SMT Series – Details

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For instance, Bürstner offers a modular premium kitchenette system, complete with everything including the sink. One side houses a dual-electric (gas is optional) burner ranger, while the fridge and freezer combo reside below with pull-out drawer style doors.

The company also offers flexible arrangements for the sleeping quarters. One can opt for either dual twin-beds in the master bedroom area, or one single queen (for those who choose the slightly longer version of the Signature SMT).

Bürstner

There’s also even an option for a compact drop-down bed just behind the front seats.

Additionally, Bürstner also designed and engineered the interior to feature a flexible dedicated bathroom space. By simply sliding one of the interior’s main dividing walls, one can open or close a stand-up area for the wet bath and shower.

Bürstner

There’s even a true standard-sized throne for when it’s time to heed nature’s call.

Availability and pricing

Although Bürstner doesn’t have any dedicated US-based dealers, buyers from all over the world can opt for its European delivery services. If buyers choose to purchase a motorhome from the German-based company, they can import the RV as long as it’s federally compliant.

Pricing starts at €93,999 or roughly the equivalent of around $107,175 USD with today’s conversion rates.

Bürstner

2026 Bürstner Signature SMT Series

• Starts at $107,175

There are retro-inspired sneakers that tap into nostalgia on the surface … and then there are models like the Abzorb 1890, where every meaningful component is pulled straight from brand archives.

New Balance’s elevated, 2000s-inspired lifestyle sneaker has been turning heads since its debut in early 2026, but its newest variant perfects the throwback/futuristic formula, using a layered, neutral color palette to underscore its eye-catching design.

New Balance

Neutrals, for summer

The Abzorb 1890 is stepping out in a few days’ time in an array of striking new colorways, but it’s the most grounded of the three that holds the most everyday appeal.

New Balance

The delectably named Linen with Pumpernickel and Basil Oil treatment highlights the Abzorb 1890’s reflective, welded teardrop overlays, which are borrowed from the 890v3 running shoe’s synthetic wave cutout pattern.

New Balance

New Balance

The off-white upper is overlaid with deep brown synthetic and cow leather, which is accented with vivid green detailing.

The defining full-length Abzorb midsole, taken directly from 2010’s 2002 model, is also dressed in varying shades of green.

A green toggle lace system completes the nature-inspired package.

New Balance

Alongside the grounded new colorway, the Abzorb 1890 is also adopting two much brighter color combinations: Streamsong with Alkaline Green and Dark Night and Nordic Green with Wakame and Outfield.

Availability and pricing

The latest Abzorb 1890s will be available on New Balance’s website beginning July 9 at 10 am EST, retailing for $180.

New Balance

New Balance 1890

• Learn More

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Last spring, BMW reached more than 40 years back into its archives, tapping the iconic R 80 G/S as the inspiration for a gorgeous new retro-styled adventure moto.

As GP’s own Sean Tirman pointed out, the original bike shocked the off-road world by claiming BMW’s first Paris-Dakar rally win in 1981.

BMW Motorcycles

Reborn as the dreamy R 12 G/S, the 2025 release offers a mix of old-school style and new-school performance.  

It gets even more intriguing in 2026 thanks to a makeover that looks like it rolled not off the factory floor but out of a top-notch custom shop: Option 719 Hematite in Frozen Brooklyn Grey Metallic.

Winning combination

Replacing last year’s Sandstorm Rover Matte colorway, the (admittedly much pricier) new edition joins the Night Black Matte and Light White variants, jockeying for the top spot on the R 12 G/S podium.

BMW Motorcycles

The headlight cowl, fenders and tank take on a smoky grey, while the single-piece tubular spaceframe comes to life in racing red, matched by accents on the saddle and either side of the tank.

Just about everything else is clad in black, but for the brake discs and much of the exhaust, which shines in silver.

BMW Motorcycles

The overall look is cleaner and cooler than the outgoing colorway, which was a bit too busy to fully connect.

The mix of classic and contemporary suits the bike itself, which beautifully blends 1980s vibes and 2020s performance.

BMW Motorcycles

For the latter, look no further than the engine, as the roaring 1,170cc air/oil-cooled boxer twin makes a stirring 109 horsepower and 85 lb.-ft of torque.

As is the case with pretty much all BMW offerings, the product page includes a “start engine” button that offers vicarious exhilaration rarely experienced from an office desk chair sitting behind a laptop. 

BMW Motorcycles

The bike also boasts Keyless Ride (unheard of in the ’80s), full LED lighting and three riding modes (Rain, Road and Enduro), optimizing handling in a tidy range of conditions.

Beneath the surface, helping to keep that beast under control (and upright) are ABS, dynamic traction control and fully adjustable enduro suspension with progressive damping, of course.

BMW Motorcycles

Even more modern? That would be the comfort package, featuring clutchless shifting, hill start control and heated grips. 

If you don’t wish for 1981 Paris-Dakar champ Hubert Auriol to turn over in his grave, however, I might think twice about that option.

Availability and pricing

The 2027 BMW R 12 G/S Option 719 Hematite in Frozen Brooklyn Grey Metallic is available now, starting at $19,120.

The bike is also available in two unchanged colorways: Night Black Matte starts at $17,095 and Light White starts at $17,440.

BMW Motorcycles

2027 BMW R 12 G/S Option 719 Hematite (Frozen Brooklyn Grey Metallic)

• Starts at $19,120

Since Ducati introduced the Desmo450 MX last year, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has wasted no time taking advantage of the expansion opportunities yielded by the new platform.

From a distance-optimized EDX to a spicy Factory edition, a street-legal EDS enduro and even a smaller 250, the desmodromic-valved off-road single has spawned a variety of derivations.  

However, the recent debut of the new Desmo450 SM Prototipo heralds the rowdiest expression of the Ducati lightweight yet. Unveiled in a preview at World Ducati Week, it marks what the brand is calling its first-ever racing Supermotard.

Ducati

That’s an important distinction because, even recognizing the longstanding Hypermotard nameplate and its recent single-cylinder additions, the new SM marks Ducati’s official debut in the FIM S1GP class.

In keeping with its focus on the tight, technical circuits of competition, the Desmo450 SM promises differences in its wheels, brakes, suspension, engine components and even some bodywork elements. While Ducati hasn’t yet spilled the beans, more details are to follow at the bike’s full debut in September.

Ducati

Pretty much every time Timex revisits its twentieth-century catalog for a new reissue, the brand knocks it out of the park. But its latest effort takes things to another level.

Timex has teamed up with British streetwear giant End Clothing for an all-new retro reissue called the 1981. Rather than End simply putting its own stylish touch on an existing Timex silhouette, the retailer found inspiration in Timex’s back catalog when designing this piece, which also counts summer tennis tournaments and classic menswear as its muses.

The End x Timex 1981 Reissue is one of the key pieces of the former’s sprawling Summer of Sport collection of collabs. Here’s what makes it so damn cool.

Sophie Robinson for Timex

Tennis, anyone?

While a growing number of pro tennis players wear watches on the court, End had its eyes on the wrists of the well-heeled spectators in the stands at pro tennis tournaments when crafting this shaped sports watch.

The vintage-approved stainless steel case has a TV shape and a brushed finish, and it measures a period-correct 35mm across and just 8.5mm thick. Its mineral crystal is surrounded by a beautiful octagonal bezel, but this is no Royal Oak ripoff. The bezel has softened edges that are slightly reminiscent of the Patek Philippe Aquanaut, but it features a stepped design and polished finish to contrast with the brushed case.

Sophie Robinson for Timex

The dial is ice blue with a pearlized finish and features an etched globe pattern as a retro-inspired detail that reminds me of the classic Pan-Am logo. Applied polished baton indices appear at all 12 markers, with a double index at 12:00 and a shortened one at 3:00 to accommodate the date window.

Timex’s and End’s logos appear printed in black at 12:00 and 6:00, and the hour and minute hands are crafted in a unique and attractive skeleontized alpha style. Flip the watch around, and you’ll find a surprisingly ornate engraved caseback featuring another globe being prowled by a pair of stylized tigers, a calligraphic “E” and a banner that reads “Globally Sourced.”

Sophie Robinson for Timex

The vertically brushed, single-row bracelet has a very retro style with a nice taper and a faux-integrated design. Though due to its tiny 16mm lug width, I don’t think this watch will look very good on a strap. Luckily, the bracelet is quite cool. Its narrow links ensure a silky feel, and the foldover clasp, which is engraved with the End wordmark in cursive, can be set in any position for a custom fit.

Powering the watch is a nondescript analog quartz movement, which I have reason to believe is a Miyota. For one, Timex uses Miyota for its movement supplier pretty often these days. Secondly, End describes the watch as being made in Japan on its product page. I see no markings indicating that on the watch itself, so I’m wondering if End actually meant to refer to the movement as being made in Japan, which would again point to Miyota.

Timex

I’ve reached out to Timex for comment on whether or not the watch was actually assembled in Japan and will update this story once I hear back.

Availability and pricing

This thing is just cool. The vintage size, the shaped bezel and TV case, the icy blue color, beautiful engraved dial and caseback, the unique handset, the retro bracelet … everything just works. Timex and End really knocked this out of the park, and I can’t wait to see these two brands collab again.

Oh, and I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. The 1981 Reissue is priced at just $199. $199! I don’t know how Timex does it. The watch went live today and is sure to sell out quickly, so I recommend scooping one up while you still can.

Timex

Timex x End 1981 Reissue

Specs

Case Size	35mm
Movement	Quartz
Water Resistance	50m

• $199 at Timex

New Balance enthusiasts have been loving the “R” variants popping up in recent years. Fan-favorites like the 2002R and 1906R have turned past favorites into retro-inspired reduxes (hence the “R” tag) and even helped kick off the brand’s modern lifestyle boom.

But until now, “R” models have been based on or, at the very least, inspired by archival silhouettes. Now, New Balance has introduced a completely new sneaker. And despite taking elements from previous hits, it altogether looks unlike anything we’ve seen so far.

New Balance

Mix and match

The 1954R is one of the rare parentless retro shoes from the brand. In other words, there was never a standard 1954 model and the origins of the numeric naming are unclear (although Sneaker News points out that it’s the exact average of 2002 and 1906). But the new tech runner certainly pulls from Y2K-era silhouettes. 

New Balance

New Balance

According to New Balance, the sneaker’s upper is “inspired by the 2002 and 1906.” The center features the former’s hourglass-style center made of pig suede, bookended by ovular mesh panels on either side (this is also a layout found on the 2010). Meanwhile, the “N” logo design on the side of the upper specifically recalls that of the 1906, as does the grille-like heel counter.

There’s also a small “1954R” denotation on a synthetic strip underneath the collar.

New Balance

Grid expectations

There are some other influences involved as well. You might notice that the almost-honeycomb-style grid pattern of the synthetic over the mesh is a bit unique here. It certainly resembles, if not interpolates, the highly popular 860 running series. But paired with these other elements, it helps create an entirely new aesthetic.

New Balance

The midsole utilizes the brand’s Abzorb-based cushioning system with its thick, sculptured geometry and slight translucence. Likewise, the outsole seems to have been lifted from various running shoes and then simplified for stability and traction.

Lastly, the lacing system employs the brand’s N-Lock technology, which integrates the lace into the shoe’s structure to lock in your midfoot.

New Balance

Availability and pricing

The 1954R is expected to land later this summer in the United States but has already popped up on New Balance’s international sites in Sea Salt, Slate Grey and all-black colorways. They’re priced at €190 (~$217). No word yet on US pricing.

New Balance

New Balance 1954R

• $217 at New Balance

A new generation of BMW’s most popular model is out and naturally, the feedback is in. As with most new BMWs, reactions make for a mixed bag. What with its radical redesign taking on the Roundel’s latest and controversial Neue Klasse theme.

There is one piece of feedback that clearly demonstrates disappointment among fans and X5 appreciators. It’s over one of the X5’s most iconic features, or the recent omission of it.

Said feature has been with the model since BMW first introduced the E53 back in 1999. It’s why keen-eyed observers were quick to notice it missing.

No more split tailgate

BMW

While the new, fifth-gen X5 ushers in a whole bucket list of firsts, for both BMW and the X5 model in general, it unfortunately gets rid of a major staple: its rear split tail gate.

Ever since BMW launched the first-gen X5, the SUV *ahem* SAV (as BMW calls it), one of its most appreciated and signature features has been its rear split trunk door. It’s an engineering element that’s been included for every single generation, up to the current one.

BMW

And fans clearly took notice when BMW opted out of offering the split tailgate with the X5.

It may sound inconsequential. But many appreciated the X5’s split tailgate in the same way Toyota 4Runner fans lust over the model’s versatile single-door tailgate. With the 4Runner, owners could always open or lower the rear window for partial access and ventilation.

BMW

That made it a quirky and favorite feature for 4Runner fans. And it was very much a similar case with the X5’s split tailgate.

Not many SUVs offer the same function, and it means it’s become a hallmark of the model. The only other modern crossover or SUV to offer a split rear tailgate was the full-size Range Rover, which it still touts today.

Thank the Range Rover for one of the X5’s most defining features

BMW

In fact, Land Rover is actually the one to thank for the X5’s unique cargo area opening. That’s because BMW took inspiration from the Range Rover for the X5’s split tailgate.

That was back in the 1990s, when BMW briefly owned the Rover Group for several years. During that time, Munich collaborated with the British auto conglomerate to co-develop two luxury SUVs to meet exploding demand.

BMW

Those luxury SUVs ended up being the L322 Range Rover and the E53 X5. Both of which shared the same platform.

Under BMW’s ownership of Land Rover, the two automakers rolled out their own versions using the same bones and even powertrains. Since then, both have become known for their two-part trunk doors.

People apparently complained about loading difficulties

BMW

According to some reports covering the decision-making behind the new “G65” X5’s design, customers apparently complained about difficulty loading items in the back. And they supposedly attributed that difficulty to the X5’s original split tailgate design.

Which is more than a little ironic, since the whole idea of the split tailgate was to make loading items in the trunk area easier and more flexible. It’s also never been a source of complaint for Range Rover owners.

2027 BMW X5 and iX5

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Additionally, if height was an issue, X5s equipped with air suspension or self-leveling dampers could lower the rear end at the touch of a button to make loading easier.

Another added but unsung perk, the split tailgate also allowed for a place to sit in the trunk area and enjoy the outdoors. A perk, now left to Range Rover owners.

Regardless of the reasons behind the tailgate’s omission, it’ll certainly be missed with this generation of X5.

Availability and pricing

The new X5 is slated to reach dealers later this fall in gas, plug-in hybrid, and electric form. The gas version starts at just under $74,000, while the PHEV variant and all-electric iX5 will command $78,950 and $81,250, respectively. All prices include the standard $1,450 shipping and handling charge.

BMW

2027 BMW X5 and iX5

• Starts at $73,550

A little under a year ago, Crocs took its most iconic shoe, the Classic Clog, and gave it a surprising heritage reinterpretation. The Crocs Classic Crafted Clog was an immediate hit and remains very popular even now.

Now, the brand has returned to that same shoe, albeit with a fresh reinterpretation that levels up its connection to Western tradition.

Welcome to Reference Points: A series about the products that changed the standard — and never really stopped influencing it. Discover more here.

The Crocs Crafted Pony Hair Clog is one of the more unique reissues of this iconic footwear. And yet, for its stylistic and material upgrades, it still remains pretty impressively affordable.

Crocs

Genuine pony

While the original Classic Clogs are made entirely from Croslite foam, the Classic Crafted Clog boasts a canvas upper, helping differentiate it from its predecessor in a few key ways (namely, by eliminating its perforations and altering the texture).

The Crafted Pony Hair Clog takes another step in that direction. However, instead of canvas fabric, this version swaps the upper for genuine cowhide leather with actual animal fur on top. This grants it even more texture, both to the touch and visually.

Crocs

Yet, that’s not all. That furry upper also comes in your choice of two graphic patterns. One is made to look like pony hide, while the other hearkens to fawns.

Okay, so they’re not genuine pony (or fawn), but they are still real cowhide leather. In fact, even the signature back strap is built from that same leather (albeit without the fur).

Crocs

Ride ’em, cowboy

Beyond that upper and backstrap, these Crocs are as classic as they come. Like the Crafted Clogs that came before them, the footbed and outsole are still proprietary Croslite foam.

That means they’re lightweight, durable, comfortable and easy to clean. They’re also waterproof, though the same can’t be said for the upper, so it behooves the wearer to be more cautious when exposed to the elements.

Crocs

Furthermore, they are still as comfy and can be swapped from casual mule mode to speedier sport mode at a moment’s notice. But what’s perhaps most impressive is that they’re still pretty damn affordable.

A pair of these clogs, complete with that genuine leather upper, will only cost you $80. Granted, that’s a good deal more than the all-foam Classic Clogs, but it’s still pretty cheap by most other sneaker standards.

Crocs

Availability and pricing

The Crocs Crafted Pony Hair Clog goes live on the brand’s site on July 9 at $80 per pair. It’s available in two colorways at the moment.

Crocs

Crocs Crafted Pony Hair Clog

• $80 at Crocs

Being an FIM- and WorldSBK-homologated, race-ready version of BMW’s S 1000 RR, the even more refined M 1000 RR isn’t lacking in its competition focus.

On the bike, this kind of pedigree takes shape in the form of advanced items like aerodynamically optimized winglets, trick brake ducts and track-honed suspension. It’s honestly a wonder how it can even be street legal.

All the same, BMW is clearly not willing to let its most potent motorcycle dull with age. For 2027, the Motorrad division has announced an improvement that promises to make the M 1000 RR even more of a weapon.

BMW Motorrad

A new frame of reference

I’m talking about the addition of the M Motorsport frame. As part of the M 1000 RR’s model-year refresh, BMW has made the bike even more of a thoroughbred at its very core.

That’s because the new chassis is a third-generation competition-derived design manufactured through sand-casting. It amounts to a notable upgrade for the M 1000 RR, as it brings gains that are marginal but nevertheless impactful.

BMW Motorrad

For instance, along with reducing the frame’s wall thickness by 30 percent, BMW has managed to shave a full 2.86 pounds off the package. As such, the frame tips the scales at a mere 3.3 pounds.

Moreover, the changes cut deeper than weight savings. BMW says that the architecture has been tweaked for rigidity, allowing for “more precise steering, stable lines, enhanced acceleration efficiency and improved control when braking in a curve”

Simultaneously, however, BMW also claims that the entire design brings “improved flex-balance.” Beyond facilitating earlier acceleration, it’s a difference that yields everything from earlier to acceleration to a lower lean angle and added traction.

BMW Motorrad

BMW mulls over its options

Now, even though BMW left most other parts of the M 1000 RR alone, such as its 205-horsepower 999cc inline-four, its M disc brakes and its straight-cut gearbox, the chassis isn’t the only difference.

BMW Motorrad

The other big changes come in base hardware spec and upgrade package configuration. For 2027, the M 1000 RR officially rides on M Forged wheels, and the once-standard M Carbon wheels are now an extra-cost option.

While the swap does bring with it a pound or so of mass, forged wheels do tend to be a more durable ride. What they lose in bling factor, they more than make up for in streetability. (Besides, they’re still featherweights compared to the cast units.)

In any event, the shuffle also means that BMW has dropped the M Competition package in favor of a new tiered option.

BMW Motorrad

M Track Package I adds the M Endurance Chain, Carbon Package, M Billet Package and M Carbon Wheels. A second M Track Package II does the same but without the wheels.

Availability and pricing

If you’re interested in BMW’s 2027 M 1000 RR, it’ll be available in August. Prices start from $35,395 for the base model.

BMW Motorrad

2027 BMW M 1000 RR

• Starts at $35,395

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

Arc’teryx has spent the past few years systematically building a footwear lineup capable of covering nearly every mountain pursuit — from the more casual (and breathable) approach-focused Kragg Aura to the trail-running-optimized Sylan 2.

Its latest release, though, plants a flag in the most traditional category of outdoor footwear: the long-haul, waterproof hiking boot.

The Arc’teryx Konseal Trek Boot might be the cult-favorite outdoor brand’s boldest – and priciest – attempt yet to master the serious trekking category, and it immediately positions itself as the brand’s flagship boot offering.

King of the mountain?

Arc’teryx

Long-time fans of the brand already know that the Konseal name anchors a full arc of climbing-centric gear, including the Konseal SL Pullover Hoody, the Konseal 15 Backpack, and the Konseal Pant.

But in footwear specifically, the name already carries real credibility. The Konseal Shoe and Konseal GTX Shoe earned praise across the outdoor press as technically capable approach shoes built for scrambling and long hauls, often landing among the top-rated options in the approach shoe category.

The Konseal Trek Boot takes that climbing-focused pedigree and evolves it into a dedicated trekking platform — taller, more protective and engineered for days-long mileage on varied terrain.

Arc’teryx

Where the low-profile Konseal shoes prioritize agility on technical rock, the Trek Boot is built for sustained load-bearing across rough, multi-day terrain.

It features a mid-height silhouette with a Nubuck leather upper and a Gore-Tex membrane, combined with a lacing system that runs high on the ankle for a secure, locked-in fit.

The midsole stack offers substantial compressed EVA cushioning for all-day comfort under a loaded pack. An aggressive, multi-height Vibram MegaGrip traction outsole is designed to grip everything from wet rock and loose scree to snow and rooted trail surfaces.

Arc’teryx

At approximately 590g per shoe, it runs meaningfully heavier than the low-profile Konseal approach shoes that preceded it — a trade-off made in favor of protection and durability over distance.

It also effectively outclasses the Kopec Mid GTX Boot as Arc’teryx’s premier long-haul hiking boot — the model that Backpacker named its best do-it-all hiking boot, at least in terms of ruggedness and support.

The Trek Boot is noticeably taller, with a more structured midsole stack and a more aggressive outsole designed to handle the kind of rough, multi-day terrain where the Kopec’s lighter profile might start to show its limits.

Arc’teryx

But the boots’ beefed-up specs come with one obvious trade-off. The Konsel Trek Boot weighs a whopping 240 grams more per shoe than the 350g Kopec Mid GTX, which is a meaningful weight for anyone counting grams on long approaches.

That’s even 50g heavier than La Sportiva’s ultra-premium Aequilibrium Trek GTX, though a hair lighter than Salomon’s ~595g Quest Gore Tex 5.

Then there’s the matter of price.

Availability and pricing

Arc’teryx

The Konseal Trek Boot is available now for men and women directly from Arc’teryx in Black/Graphite and Mid Bracken/Graphite for $280.

That makes it easily the most expensive shoe in the brand’s current footwear lineup and on par with ultra-premium offerings like the La Sportiva Aeuqilibrium Trek GTX ($289). Though well-regarded offerings, such as Solomon’s Quest 5 Gore Tex ($240), Hoka’s Kaha 3 GTX ($240) and others still cost noticeably less.

Arc’teryx

For serious mountain trekkers with money to burn or already invested in the Arc’teryx ecosystem, the Konseal Trek Boot at a minimum represents the brand’s most complete design offering in long-haul hiking footwear to date.

The weight penalty over the Kopec Mid GTX is real, but so is the added protection and traction it’s designed to deliver.

Whether the Trek Boot justifies its cost over proven options from will come down to real-world performance — and early buyers will answer that question soon enough.

Arc’teryx

Arc’teryx Konseal Trek Boot (Black/Graphite)

• $280 at Arcteryx (Men's)
• $280 at Arcteryx (Women's)

Nike bet big on its cult-favorite outdoor sub-brand, ACG (All Conditions Gear) with a comeback this past February.

Later in the spring, the Swoosh’s Gorpcore label announced a new hiking boot silhouette, one that was met with high levels of excitement.

Nike ACG

Now, we have a few more details on the Zegama Hike, including pricing, available colorways and more.

The upcoming, ultra-light boot is set to release this month in two colorways.

For men, there’s an earthy British Khaki/Linen/Light Crimson option that features a dual-tone tan upper with a red midsole and black Vibram outsole.

The Life Lime/Barely Volt/Smoke Grey/Dark Smoke Grey, available for both men and women, is a brighter option for kits that skew neon, featuring a striking mix of lime green, pale yellow and multiple greys.

A super-lightweight ZoomX foam midsole sits directly underfoot, maximizing cushioning while maintaining connection to the trail.

The reliable Vibram MegaGrip outsole with Traction Lug tech offers grip on every trail surface, and the heel strap, wider outsole and extended eyestay offer a roomier, more comfortable fit.

The breathable textile upper and stretchy ankle cuff help keep feet cool and debris-free.

The capable new hiking boot will retail for $190 and is expected to release in coming days. You can sign up for notifications via Nike’s website now.

Nike ACG

Nike ACG

In 2024, Longines launched the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve.

The watch takes direct inspiration from a 1959 Longines watch that featured a unique circular power reserve indicator in the center of the dial, accompanied by a date window at 12:00. The 2024 edition was quite faithful to the ’50s model, featuring a champagne dial with gilt hands and indices for a classic look.

The watch had a highly acclaimed debut thanks to its unorthodox and intuitive display, and now Longines has launched a sequel to the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve with a more contemporary appearance.

Longines

Modernize it

Longines’ new take on the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve adds a couple of touches that modernize the design.

Most obvious is the debut of a new dial color. The new dial is a light blue opaline with a color-matched date disc at 12:00. The cool blue color feels more casual and sportier than its dressy predecessors (black and gray versions accompanied the original champagne dial), and is paired with black printing and silver-toned applied indices and “skyscraper hands.”

Longines

But this is more than just a new dial color. For the first time, Longines has also added a stainless steel bracelet option to the Central Power Reserve.

Only available as an option on this new blue version, the bracelet has an H-link design with brushed H-links and polished center links. It’s secured with a dual-push-button folding clasp featuring an applied Longines hourglass logo and equipped with a toolless microadjustment system.

If you’re not a fan of bracelets, or if you just think the Central Power Reserve works better as a dress watch, the blue version is also available on a gray alligator leather strap with a polished steel pin buckle.

Longines

Everything else on the watch remains unchanged. The stainless steel case measures 38mm across and is topped with a box sapphire crystal, and the sapphire crystal caseback reveals the decorated Longines Calibre L. L896.5 automatic movement and its silicon balance spring.

The movement has a full 72-hour power reserve, 64 hours of which are tracked via the central display on the dial, which features two rotating discs displaying a 64-hour scale and an indicator, respectively. This setup creates a much more symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing way to display a power reserve complication.

Longines

Availability and pricing

With the light blue dial and the addition of a bracelet, this take on the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve looks less like a vintage reissue and more like a modern, innovative sports watch. Some will like that. Others will prefer the original. Luckily for everyone, Longines offers both.

The new Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve is available now from Longines for $4,400 on the bracelet or $4,300 on an alligator leather strap.

Longines

Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Longines Cal. L896.5 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $4,300 at Longines

Ever since Suzuki rolled out the SV-7GX at EICMA last fall, we’ve been waxing enthusiastic about a bike that appears to offer the best of the sport and touring worlds.

We’ve also been wishing and hoping to see the bike make the jump across the pond to American shores.

Suzuki Cycles

Now, per the sleuths at motorcycle.com, it appears that dream is becoming a reality.

Here’s all you need to know about this promising new spinoff of the beloved SV650.

States-bound superstar

Credit to the aforementioned site’s eagle-eyed Dennis Chung, who has uncovered a California Air Resources Board executive order certifying the 2027 SV-7GX.

The bike still needs to get the go-ahead from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but all signs point to a stateside release.

Suzuki Cycles

That’s great news for American moto fans, as this bike offers a potent mix of features at a price tag that should slide under $9,000.

The power plant is Suzuki’s tried-and-true 652cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine, which makes a spirited 73.4 horsepower and 47 ft-lbs of torque, numbers that travel well from the street to wide-open highways.

Suzuki Cycles

Meanwhile, rider-friendly modern electronics include a ride-by-wire throttle, ABS, a bi-directional quickshifter, hill-start assist, three power modes and three traction control modes.

These features and more can be accessed through a 4.2-inch color TFT display complete with smartphone connectivity and USB device charging.

Suzuki Cycles

Shooting the gap between a sport bike and a touring moto, the bike addresses the former with athletic performance supported by a steel trellis frame outfitted with a 41mm front fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock. 

Those traits are complemented by refined aerodynamics and grippy Pirelli Angel GT II sport-touring rubber wrapping stylish cast aluminum wheels, helping you navigate twisties without fear.

Suzuki Cycles

From a touring standpoint, the bike offers handguards, a three-position adjustable windscreen and safety-boosting full LED lighting.

Bolstering the touring dimension is an expansive rear carrier with molded hooks for tying down gear, plus the option to add a 45L top case and side cases that expand from 15L to 20L, for a total of 85 liters of onboard storage.

Suzuki Cycles

Comfort-wise, the seat boasts a contoured, pressure-reducing shape and thicker padding than the beloved SV650: 10mm more for riders and 20mm for passengers.

Perhaps best of all, the bike remains relatively approachable; the curb weight of 465 pounds and seat height of 31.3 inches invite riders to swing a leg over and give that throttle a twist.

Availability and pricing

Full availability and pricing information on the 2027 Suzuki SV-7GX is yet to come from the brand.

Considering the bike costs £6,999 in the UK (roughly $9,350 USD and £200 less than the Burgman 400, which has a $8,949 US price tag), we expect it to dip comfortably under $9,000.

Since its relaunch in 2017, the Marlin collection has been Timex’s love letter to vintage watch enthusiasts. The collection has grown exponentially, producing retro bangers like the Olive Marlin, Marlin Draper and Marlin Quartz within the last year alone.

For my money, the best model family within the larger Marlin collection is the Jet, and Timex just released the best version yet.

Timex

When the Jet debuted in 2024, it was distinguished by its Hesalite “glass box” crystal and raised flange. Like the Olive and Draper, it was a brand-new design, faithful enough to the 1960s “jet age” to fit right in with the archival-reproduction Marlins.

Timex elaborated on the Jet’s gorgeous dial design, spawning an entire sub-collection with a Carrera-esque chronograph, a quartz day-date and now, a GMT.

The new dial is remarkably similar to the automatic time-and-date model introduced in late 2024, but with a fourth hand and 24-hour track layered on to accommodate the travel-friendly complication.

Timex

While the new Marlin Jet uses the same case shape as the rest of the collection, in the same 40mm size as the chronograph, Timex snuck in a notable update: it’s made of lightweight titanium.

Travel time

The Marlin Jet Titanium Automatic GMT features the characteristic bowl-shaped dial with cutouts for each applied baton hour marker. A 24-hour track is represented by printed odd numerals nestled between each index.

The standard Jet handset is joined by a GMT hand with a big white triangle tip outlined in red. A frameless date window can still be found at 3:00, but, as with the chronograph, the crosshair detail is now only a vertical line down the dial’s center.

Timex

Only one dial color is available with the new model’s introduction. It is a champagne color with a slightly shimmering finish.

The dial is still framed by a raised metallic flange completely enveloped by the Hesalite crystal, with the Marlin word mark engraved below 6:00.

Flight wrist

The Marlin Jet’s new GMT function comes courtesy of the Seiko Caliber NH34A automatic movement, which beats at 3Hz and offers a 41-hour power reserve. It is a “caller” variation, which means the GMT hand is set independently with the crown in the first position.

Timex

The modestly finished movement, featuring vertical brushing and the Timex logo etched into the rotor, is visible through an exhibition caseback with the Jet logo printed on top.

Availability and pricing

Timex named the Jet collection after the 1960s “jet age” design genre that inspired the dial, but you’d be excused for assuming it referred to travel. This new update covers both interpretations with the collection’s most impressive variation yet.

Landing an automatic GMT at this price is great, but it’s the titanium case that sticks the landing. It’s lighter than steel and more corrosion-resistant, resulting in a superior travel watch.

The Timex Marlin Jet Titanium Automatic GMT is now available for preorder from Timex for $549, with orders shipping out in October. That’s a long lead time for Timex, but the Jet collection has a history of selling out in a flash, so it’s likely the Waterbury watchmaker’s way of trying to keep up with demand.

Timex

Timex Marlin Jet titanium Automatic GMT

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Seiko Caliber NH34A automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $549 at Timex

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I am especially fond of including a watch in my everyday carry. It keeps me from being too attached to my phone and helps add some style to my wardrobe.

That said, I tend to prefer timepieces I don’t mind putting through their paces. Those that are too expensive and fancy worry me. Like parking a sports car on the street or in a crowded lot, I’m always concerned about what harm might come to them.

As such, Casio’s W738H is the perfect alternative, offering exceptional, reliable performance and styling at a price point so low I’d never think twice about donning this watch anywhere and everywhere.

Casio

Bargain beater

Even for Casio, this watch is a relative bargain. And that makes it a steal by just about any other venerated watch brand’s standards.

Available in three colorways (black, OD green and gray), the W738H will cost you just under $55, putting it in the same range as Timex and Swatch’s most affordable offerings. However, there’s an argument to be made that this Casio is a much better value.

Casio

You see, the watches in the same range from Timex and Swatch are pretty bare-bones analog quartz offerings that can tell the time and little more (if anything). But since this Casio is digital, it can do a whole lot more.

Perhaps most impressively, it houses a battery that can keep it consistently functioning for an entire decade. That means no charging, no winding, no battery swaps for 10+ years. That alone is worth the sticker price.

And yet, that’s far from all it has to offer …

Casio

True EDC

For this to remain a true everyday watch, it helps that it can do more than just tell the time. At the most basic level, that means it also has an onboard calendar, so you can tell what time of day it is, along with the day of the week and the time of the month, all at a glance.

Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll discover it can do much more, granting it the same abilities as some classic digital sports watches. It has built-in timers, stopwatches and alarms, giving it some usefulness at the gym, on the track and out on the trails.

It also has an integrated LED backlight, so you can still read it even on the blackest nights. And all of that is housed in a durable, lightweight resin case with an integrated strap, making it comfortable and tough, as well.

Casio

While this timepiece isn’t going to win any horological awards, it doesn’t have to. Its absurdly low price and handy features are what make this an EDC hidden gem.

And the best part is, you can beat it to death without feeling a shred of guilt or worry.

Furthermore, though wasteful to suggest, it’s so inexpensive that you could feasibly just replace it in ten years once the battery finally goes.

Casio

Availability and pricing

The Casio W738H is available in three colorways, each for just $55 apiece.

Casio

Casio W738H

Specs

Case Size	42.8mm
Movement	Quartz
Water Resistance	100m

• $55 at Casio

In the past seven years, we’ve seen G-Shock’s 2100 line in just about every colorway imaginable. And yet, the all-black variants continue to set themselves apart from the pack by adroitly nailing the balance of toughness and versatility that’s made the watch range so desirable among collectors.

However, the Japanese watchmaker’s latest stealthy take on the “CasiOak” model might be arguably the sleekest we’ve ever seen.

Casio

Subtle refinement

Finally landing in the United States, the 2100 Luxe Black takes the classic octagonal-bezeled streetwear favorite and actually revises the design a bit. This isn’t a new generation of the CasiOak, per se, but more of a spin-off intended for dressier occasions. 

Casio

Casio

For starters, the timepiece is given a matte black dial finish that’s notably darker than possibly any 2100 before it. According to the brand, its textured surface “suppresses reflections and absorbs light.” The analog display is also paired with a reverse LCD digital display in the corner to match the black motif.

Rather than just altering the colorway and calling it a day, G-Shock also redesigned the handset ever so slightly. The hour and minute hands feature slimmer, more extended proportions. The hour markers have been revised as well, with a new PVD treatment called “circular metallic evaporation,” which helps them achieve deeper, richer tones.

Casio

“Each dial element has been individually reconsidered to express the essential qualities of a product designed for long-term appreciation,” says the watchmaker. As such, the indices are now sharper and higher in contrast for legibility, too.

Casio

The varieties

Four references are available upon launch: two resin-based models (GA2100LXB-1A and GA2100LXB-1A9) and two stainless steel-based models (GM2100LXB-1A and GM2100LXB-1A9). Within the all-black cases, the 1A variants feature subtle silver accents, while the 1A9 variants are accented in gold. The resin-based 1A9 especially advances the coloring with gold-colored hour markers as well.

Casio

Aside from their materials, the major difference between the two styles is their size. The GA2100 models stretch 45.4mm across, while the GM2100 models are 44.4mm across.

All four models ship with bio-based resin straps. However, the ones for the steel references are stamped with a texture that continues the one from the dial.

Casio

Your standard 2100 features are all accounted for here, like the stopwatch, the countdown timer, the world time function, daily alarms and the full auto-calendar. It’s also shock-resistant and water-resistant to 200m, as per usual.

Availability and pricing

Available now from G-Shock’s website, the 2100 Luxe Black is priced at $145 for the resin models and $260 for the steel models.

Casio

G-Shock 2100 Luxe Black

• Starts at $145

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Welcome to “Today in Gear,” your daily snapshot of the most important releases in style, watches, tech, motoring, fitness, home and the outdoors.

Today in Gear: The most important news in the product world, independently curated by our editors. Catch up on other key releases across all the topics you care about.

Ferrari

Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale

In celebration of the brand’s long tradition of row-your-own gearboxes, Ferrari has created a version of the 12Cilindri called the ‘Manuale.’ As the name suggests, this means the Prancing Horse’s V12 luxe grand tourer adopts a gated H-pattern shifter. However, the car comes with a unique twist in that it’s also equipped with an 8-speed automatic and a DCT. As such, Ferrari’s Manuale physical hardware is essentially a highly immersive manual mode, providing electronic inputs to the first six gears via a clutch-by-wire experience. Like its standard 12Cilindri counterpart, the Manuale sports a sonorous 6.5-liter V12 under the hood, rated for 830 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. Just 1,499 examples are slated for production.

• Learn More

Prototypist

KeyBoy Advance Keyboard Kit

Evoking the spirit of Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance, the KeyBoy Advance is a compact keyboard that you help build yourself. It sports a unique design, omitting the function row up top, along with some other traditional keys. Nevertheless, this unit emphasizes compactness over range. Since this is a barebones keyboard kit, the case, circuit board and mounting hardware are included (and fully customizable), but you’re required to purchase and plug in your own mechanical switches and keycaps to finish the build.

• Starts at $287

Shinola

Shinola Gilda Radner Great American Watches

Gilda Radner was one of the founding members of SNL and is an absolute legend in the comedy world. She also sadly passed after a battle with ovarian cancer. To celebrate her life, legacy and the cancer support organization created in her honor, Gilda’s Club, Shinola has released a pair of stunning watches in the Gilda Radner Great American Watch collection. Both watches, a Runwell and a Runabout, feature gold cases and stunning red Jasper dials (with matching crown carbochons). However, while they clearly match one another, they also have their own unique character.

• Starts at $1,995

Ducati

Ducati Desmo 450 SM

Ducati continues to invest in its Desmo range, which hits five models with this supermoto, unveiled at World Ducati Week in Misano over the weekend. Using its 100th birthday festivities to show off a prototype, Ducati says full specs and details will come in September. All the brand has revealed so far is that its first-ever racing Supermotard is purpose-built for the discipline with dedicated brakes, suspension, engine components and specific bodywork … and it’s “pre-approved” by four-time world champ Marc Reiner Schmidt.

• Learn More

Schott NYC

Schott NYC Lady Liberty T-Shirt

Although its headquarters and factory have long resided in Union, New Jersey, Schott will always be associated with New York City. And its signature product, the Perfecto leather motorcycle jacket, will always be associated with American liberty. That’s why it is so fitting for Lady Liberty to ditch her robe in favor of a Schott Perfecto. The full graphic is on the back of the 100-percent cotton t-shirt, while only the Statue of Liberty’s hand and torch are printed on the front.

• $50 at Schott NYC

From afar, the watch industry may seem unhurried. But every passing day brings about new timepieces from brands big, small, new and old.

Below, find 22 new releases from the likes of affordable brands like Seiko and Casio, luxury legends such as Omega and TAG Heuer, and enthusiast favorites like Brew and Sraum. Together, they show an industry that never stops ticking — and, centuries later, can still find the time to surprise you.

Best New Gear: This article is part of an ongoing series collecting the most important new watches, gadgets, pocket knives and more. Catch up on other releases.

Omega

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional “Masters Green”

Omega quietly adds a new Speedmaster Moonwatch in Moonshine gold with a green dial and Moonshine gold subdials featuring a golf spike-inspired radial pattern.

• $51,600 at Omega

Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hour 1776

It seems that there are no hard feelings from the proudly British watchmaker. This limited-edition version of the jumping-hour field watch, featuring a central seconds hand, is decorated with indices and a script “1776” printed in white on the blue dial. It is available on a blue embossed leather strap or a steel Y-link bracelet, and is limited to 250 pieces.

• $4,300 at Bremont

Benrus #3061 250th

Benrus is on its second life now, but the new ownership remains faithful to the brand’s rich archive of watches produced for the American military. This vintage-inspired field watch features star-shaped applied hour markers and a dial decorated with the Declaration of Independence. It is a limited edition of 250 pieces.

• $1,776 at Benrus

Bulova

Bulova Snorkel Sail 4th

Bulova was once a titan of American watchmaking headquartered in Queens, NY. While it’s been owned by Japan’s Citizen Group for a long time now, the brand is celebrating America’s big milestone with a red-white-and-blue Snorkel. This quartz-powered skindiver features a decorative “Sail 4th” caseback.

• $281 at Bulova
  $375 (25% off)

The trend has only continued over the past week, as the brand released a stunning collaboration-driven water knife and brought the hottest super steel to the coolest tactical blade.

That said, these knives are not exactly, ya know, wallet-friendly, so it’s nice to see the likes of CJRB, Olight, Tenable and WESN step up with more wallet-friendly flippers and EDC-oriented accessories. 

Catch up on everything you might have missed below.

Kansept Knives

Kansept Contra

If you seek a utilitarian EDC knife with a uniquely modern angular minimalist aesthetic, Kansept’s latest premium folder deserves a look. Highlights include a 3.25-inch sheepsfoot blade made of either S90V or Damascus steel, anodized titanium handle scales in a range of shades, two deployment methods (front flipper and thumb stud) and a super-secure frame lock. 

• Starts at $190

Benchmade

Benchmade Mini Adira Abel Dark Waters

This special-edition knife zhuzhes up one of Benchmade’s most popular water knives through a fitting collaboration with Abel Reels. Inspired by that brand’s Vaya series fly fishing reels and evoking springtime storms and shifting weather patterns, the ported anodized aluminum handle scales are machined and finished by Abel in Montrose, Colorado. What they deploy is as formidable as ever: a 3.21-inch modified drop-point blade made of satin-finished MagnaCut steel. This knife is limited to 1,000 pieces, with $10 from every sale benefitting Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, which helps American vets heal through what the brands call the therapeutic art of fly fishing.

• $500 at Benchmade

WESN

WESN Keychain Bundle

Perfect your keychain setup with WESN’s all-titanium accessory bundle. Featuring three of the brand’s most popular EDC essentials, including the CB Titanium Carabiner, QR Quick Release Keychain and MT Keychain Multi-tool, the impressively minimal kit is everything you need (and nothing you don’t) to organize daily life on the go. Each component of the set is precision-machined from high-strength titanium, making it lightweight, durable and designed for the long haul. The Keychain Bundle is available in Titanium or Blacked-Out Titanium, and when you purchase as a set, saves 20-percent off the price.

• $118 at WESN
  $148 (20% off)

Benchmade

Benchmade Adamas

Benchmade’s top-notch tactical knife gets even better with the introduction of MagnaCut super steel to its 3.82-inch drop-point blade, which already comes in both straight and partially serrated versions, complete with spine jimping, a blood groove and a protective Cerakote treatment. Adding to the overall ruggedness are a durable, dependable Axis Lock and full-length stainless steel liners flanked by light but tough G10 handle scales, holed out to save a bit of weight.

• $325 at Benchmade

Few products have earned “buy it for life” status quite like the Swiss Army Knife. The designs have remained remarkably consistent for decades because they rarely needed reinventing.

That also means meaningful discounts don’t come around very often. Right now, though, REI has quietly knocked 20 percent off many of Victorinox’s most recognizable models, making it an excellent time to pick up a first knife, replace a well-worn favorite or upgrade to a model with a few more tools than the one you’ve carried for years. 

Just keep in mind that this sale ends on July 6th.

Swiss Army Knives on Sale

REI

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Knife

The Victorinox Swiss Army Classic is the quintessential keychain companion — 7 functions packed into a 58mm, 0.7oz frame that slips onto any key ring. A small blade, scissors, nail file with 2.5mm screwdriver tip, toothpick, tweezers and key ring handle the light-duty tasks most people face daily. Made in Switzerland with stainless steel internals and ABS/Cellidor scales, it suits commuters, travelers and anyone who wants capable EDC without the bulk.

• $19 at REI
  $29 (34% off)

REI

Swiss Army Rescue Tool Pocket Knife

Built in collaboration with professional rescuers, Victorinox’s Rescue Tool packs 13 functions into a 4.37-inch, 5.9-oz package with polyamide scales — including a seatbelt cutter, window breaker and shatterproof glass saw alongside everyday tools like a wavy-edge locking blade, wire stripper and Phillips screwdriver. The hi-vis neon yellow colorway glows in the dark, making it easy to locate fast. It ships with a nylon sheath and suits first responders, commuters and adventure-minded drivers alike.

• $92 at REI
  $115 (20% off)

REI

Swiss Army Huntsman Knife

The Victorinox Huntsman packs 15 tools into a 3.6-inch, 3.4-ounce frame — making it one of the most capable pocket knives you can slip into a trail hip belt or a jacket pocket. Its 2.76-inch stainless steel blade leads a lineup that includes scissors, a wood saw, corkscrew, can opener, bottle opener, wire stripper and more. Built for campers, hikers and curious-handed DIYers who refuse to carry dead weight.

• $42 at REI
  $52 (19% off)

July 4th, 2026, marks 250 years since a rag-tag group of colonial gentry declared independence from the largest, most powerful empire the world had ever seen, and the watch industry is getting in on the celebration.

You can take it as a sign of the American market’s importance to the industry, or simply as a sign of respect, but either way, more overtly patriotic designs have hit the market in the past few months than there were original colonies.

A ten watch salute

Breitling

The ten best designs marking America 250 are gathered below, ranging from Hamilton’s deep-cut historical reference to Benrus placing an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence on the dial.

Unfortunately, only two watches on the list are actually produced stateside, and none of the movements are. But American watch brands, both past and present, are well represented. Along with a few Swiss brands, a Canadian brand, and, believe it or not, even an English brand.

Happy birthday, America!

Timex

Timex Marlin Jet Automatic America 250

Timex gives a patriotic makeover to its Space Age-inspired Marlin Jet Automatic, adding touches of red, white and blue to the dial, indices, hands, strap and bezel.

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Miyota Cal. 8215 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $329 at Timex

Jack Mason

Jack Mason Canton Day-Date America 250

Jack Mason’s automatic Canton Day-Date dons a patriotic color scheme with a wavy-textured blue dial and gold detailing. A red script “250” above the 6:00 date window commemorates America’s 250th anniversary. A sapphire crystal caseback displays a gold-tone customized rotor on the SW240-1 automatic movement.

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Sellita Caliber SW240-1 automatic
Water Resistance	150m

• $1,749 at Jack Mason

Hamilton

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 250

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday and in recognition of the brand’s long history with the US Armed Forces, Hamilton created a limited-edition reproduction of the rare FAPD 5101 navigator’s watch. It was issued by the Air Force to flight navigators during the Vietnam War. It has a 36mm sandblasted steel case, an acrylic box crystal and fixed pin bars. It comes with an olive green nylon NATO strap, a brown leather NATO strap and an olive nylon watch roll. It is limited to 1,776 pieces, of course.

Specs

Case Size	36mm
Movement	Hamilton Caliber H-50 hand-wound
Water Resistance	100m

• $725 at Hamilton

Breitling

Breitling America250 Avenger Collection

Breitling is the only luxury watch brand to officially collaborate with America250, the bipartisan government organization established to oversee celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The collection consists of the Avenger 42 dive watch, limited to 250 pieces, and the Avenger B01 Chronograph 42, limited to 50 pieces. Both watches have blue dials with red and white accents and come on blue woven straps with calfskin lining and red side stitching.

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Breitling Caliber B01 and 17 automatic
Water Resistance	300m

• $5,100 at Breitling (Avenger 42)
• $9,700 at Breitling (Avenger B01 Chronograph)

Zenith

Zenith Chronomaster Revival Liberty II

Zenith’s iconic revival chronograph, mirroring the original 37mm angular tonneau case and ladder bracelet from 1969, dons a red, white and blue dial in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The blue-on-white panda dial is accented with a red-and-white striped chronograph seconds hand and a red date track on a white disc. A fun Easter egg is that 250 on the white tachometer track is red. It is available in a stainless steel case on a steel bracelet or a blue rubber strap, which is limited to 250 pieces, as well as a black carbon fiber case on a blue rubber bracelet, limited to just 25 pieces.

Specs

Case Size	37
Movement	Zenith El Primero 400 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	50m

• $10,600 at Zenith (Steel)
• $13,400 at Zenith (Black Carbon)

Bernhardt Watch Co.

Bernhardt The Cipher Diver

North Carolina-based boutique brand Bernhardt Watch Co. collaborated with Thomas Jefferson’s estate at Monticello, Virginia, to incorporate a mechanical cipher designed by the Founding Father into a dive watch. What appears to be a standard dive bezel, and is even fully lumed, reveals an alphabetical code cipher under a UV light. It aligns with the minutes track to decipher coded messages. The watch is powered by a Miyota caliber 9039 automatic movement and comes on a three-link steel bracelet.

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Miyota caliber 9039 automatic
Water Resistance	300m

• $795 at Bernhardt Watch Co.

Bulova

Bulova Snorkel Sail 4th

Bulova was once a titan of American watchmaking headquartered in Queens, NY. While it’s been owned by Japan’s Citizen Group for a long time now, the brand is celebrating America’s big milestone with a red-white-and-blue Snorkel. This quartz-powered skindiver features a decorative “Sail 4th” caseback.

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Bulova Caliber 2115 quartz
Water Resistance	100m

• $281 at Bulova
  $375 (25% off)

Benrus #3061 250th

Benrus is on its second life now, but the new ownership remains faithful to the brand’s rich archive of watches produced for the American military. This vintage-inspired field watch features star-shaped applied hour markers and a dial decorated with the Declaration of Independence. It is a limited edition of 250 pieces.

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	ETA Caliber 2892 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $1,776 at Benrus

Marathon

Marathon U.S. 250 Anthracite Stainless Steel Navigator with Date

This latest edition to Marathon’s beloved, blacked-out Anthracite collection is this pilot’s watch inspired by the U.S.A’s 250th anniversary. A more refined take than some of the lineup’s more militaristic watches, this one comes with a bison leather strap, a nod to America’s national mammal. But it’s still a highly capable mil-spec watch boasting an anthracite automatic Selitta movement, bi-directional elapsed time bezel, signature tritium indices (including a “rocket’s red glare” red one at the 12 o’clock position) and more.

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Anthracite Sellita SW200-1 with Incabloc Shock Absorber
Water Resistance	100m

• $1,776 at Marathon

Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hour 1776

It seems that there are no hard feelings from the proudly British watchmaker. This limited-edition version of the jumping-hour field watch, featuring a central seconds hand, is decorated with indices and a script “1776” printed in white on the blue dial. It is available on a blue embossed leather strap or a steel Y-link bracelet, and is limited to 250 pieces.

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Bremont Caliber BC634AH automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $4,300 at Bremont

Plus, a bonus desk clock

Timex

Timex Waterbury America 250 Table Clock

Timex celebrates America’s 250th birthday with a special-edition retractable table clock featuring premium traditional decoration, including guilloché and perlage.

• $399 at Timex

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The Omega Speedmaster may be known for being the first watch worn on the moon, but the latest version of the iconic chronograph is more at home on land. Specifically, on the greens and fairways of a golf course.

Welcome to Reference Points: A series about the products that changed the standard — and never really stopped influencing it. Discover more here.

Without making any formal announcements, press releases or social media posts, Omega has quietly added a new Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional reference to its catalog.

And while Omega doesn’t explicitly say so, the watch certainly seems like it could’ve been inspired by brand ambassador Rory McIlroy‘s second consecutive win at The Masters earlier this year.

Omega

Speed-Masters

The new Speedmaster is an update to the existing Reference 310.60.42.50.10.001. In fact, there’s just one thing that’s different, which I’ll get to in a minute.

First, let’s go over what hasn’t changed. This remains a 42mm Moonwatch in full 18K Moonshine gold, Omega’s proprietary yellow gold alloy. The case and “Nixon” bracelet are both made of the material, and the gold clasp features the current Speedy’s microadjustment system.

It is a “sapphire sandwich,” meaning you get a domed sapphire crystal over the dial and another sapphire crystal on the caseback showing off the luxury-finished Omega Calibre 3861, a manual-winding chronograph with a co-axial escapement and Master Chronometer certification from METAS.

Omega

The tachymeter bezel features the iconic “dot over 90” and has a green polished ceramic insert with a scale in Ceragold, Omega’s proprietary method of printing real 18K gold onto ceramic. The stepped dial has a green PVD coating and a sunburst finish, with its applied indices, Moonwatch hands and applied Omega logo all in gold.

The only difference between this new watch, Ref. 310.60.42.50.10.002, and the aforementioned 310.60.42.50.10.001, is the subdials. On the older watch, the three sunken subdials are the same green as the rest of the dial.

On the new version, the subdials are coated with Moonshine gold, giving them more contrast and making the watch look a bit more luxurious. What’s more, the subdials have also been given a new “azurage” pattern that Omega says is inspired by the radial design of golf spikes.

Omega

The previous gold-and-green Speedy was already used to promote the brand’s deep golf connections; Omega just shared the watch on Instagram on June 24 to celebrate ambassador Wyndham Clark’s U.S. Open victory, but this new one is even more intertwined with the sport thanks to its subdials taking direct design inspiration from the sport.

Combine the direct golf reference with the green dial, which Fratello, who first noticed the new watch, calls “Masters Green,” and it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that Omega tailored this chronograph specifically for its top golf ambassador, McIlroy, who just so happens to be the current owner of golf’s illustrious Green Jacket.

Omega

Availability and pricing

There is one curious thing to note about the new Speedmaster in comparison to the very similar reference that came before it.

The new watch somehow weighs one gram less than the older version at 222g versus 223g. This is despite containing more gold with the new subdials. There must be some other difference in the way the dials are constructed to cause that discrepancy, because the watches are exactly the same otherwise.

That extra bit of gold does show up in the price, however, as the new gold-n-green Speedy is slightly pricier than the old version, coming in at $51,600 compared to $50,900.

Omega

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional “Masters Green”

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Omega Cal. 3861 manual-wind chronograph
Water Resistance	50m

• $51,600 at Omega

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As much as taking to the road might sound like a great way to spend weekends and vacations, it’s not really practical for most people to keep a large motorhome in their driveway. Between the size and the expense, it can obviously be a big commitment. 

While camper vans can offer smaller, more manageable alternatives, they’re not without their own compromises. For instance, because they’re usually converted for the job, they can be a little lacking when it comes to things like interior space or living provisions. 

Winnebago

With this in mind, Winnebago has expanded its lineup through a new kind of goldilocks option. It’s a rig that blurs the lines between RV and van in an effort to make RVs more approachable.

A goldilocks option

I’m talking about the Elora (also known as the Resa). Based on the Ram ProMaster chassis and equipped with a trusty Pentastar V6, it’s a Class C setup that clocks in at only 20 feet long. 

Winnebago

As such, though it’s comparable in exterior size to other van-based Winnebago options like the Solis and the Travato, it brings some additional wiggle room inside. Ceiling height comes to 6.5 feet, while width spans 6.75 feet.

In practice, this means that it promises a much more livable space for the long term. Along with a full shower and cassette toilet setup, the Elora floorpan manages to make room for a galley, a refrigerator and cooktop, prep spaces and plenty of integrated storage.

Winnebago

What’s more, because the rear interior garage space is modular in design and offers up to 2,200 pounds of payload, it can be converted for a variety of uses. 

In addition to fully clearing away and opening via a clever pass-through to house bulky gear like bikes, it also serves as a lounge that can accommodate a power lift bed for queen and elevated double bunk sleeping.

Winnebago

Equipped for comfort

Even with its compact, narrow-body footprint, the Elora doesn’t skimp out on living provisions. 

In keeping with its well-appointed interior, it brings essentials like dual 30-gallon fresh and grey water tanks, chassis-fueled heating and a 5kWh battery to power onboard electronics.

Winnebago

To that end, you’ll find it supports plenty of creature comforts to keep the experience pleasant and hassle-free. Along with Winnebago’s EcoFlow management system, it touts dimmable LED lighting, a plethora of charging ports, hot water recirculation and even prep for Starlink. 

Moreover, though it already comes with features like a larger 220-amp alternator, Winnebago does offer further options to take the Elora’s off-grid potential to the next level. Whether you’re looking to fit solar or solar a hybrid generator, there are means to make it go the distance.

Winnebago

Availability and pricing

One of the best parts about the Elora is the price. Unlike ultra-luxe rigs that cost a quarter-million or more and require a second mortgage, it promises to be a (relatively) affordable option. Per Winnebago, it’ll roll out this month with prices starting from $153,772.

Winnebago

Winnebago Elora/Resa

• Starts at $153,772

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Launched in 2011, Reebok’s Nano is one of the most influential training shoe lines ever. Before its debut, CrossFit enthusiasts had to settle for either running sneakers, weightlifting shoes or some other type of generic cross trainer. 

The Nano dropped during a time when CrossFit started booming in popularity and gym-goers needed something more purpose-built for everything they’d tackle in one session: from box jumps to short sprints. 

But not everyone wanted or needed something that hardcore. That’s why Reebok debuted its Nano Gym a couple years ago. It was marketed as a super-affordable everyman gym shoe that cost up to half the price of the current Nano X line.

Reebok

Now, the Nano Gym has gotten its first sequel, and it’s even better than before.

Explosive improvements

This time around, Reebok swapped the standard EVA foam for its proprietary high-rebound Floatpulse in the midsole, which gives you a bit more explosiveness in your workout with improved energy return.

Reebok

Reebok

While it still has the same 8mm heel drop, the Nano Gym 2.0 should be better equipped for HIIT workouts and circuit training as well.

Reebok

Noticeably lighter

Most notably, the Nano Gym 2.0 benefits from a revised mesh upper. Gone are the extra panels and higher heel collar. Now, everything’s been simplified. And the result is around a 25% reduction in weight (from around 12oz to 9oz for the similar size).

Reebok

Fans of the first Nano Gym will be happy to hear that the brand brings back certain elements, including the Performance Comfort collar for locking-in your foot and the Flex Groove rubber outsole, which features strategically-placed grooves for flexibility.

Reebok

According to Reebok, the Nano Gym 2.0 is its “most versatile gym shoe yet.” And at $100, you can’t beat it.

Reebok

Availability and pricing

The Nano Gym 2.0 has already dropped in a slew of colorways from Reebok’s website. Again, pricing sits at $100.

Reebok

Reebok Nano Gym 2.0

• $100 at Reebok

When I first came across the AeroStrap, I admit I was a bit skeptical. 

This little corded accessory essentially turns your wireless earbuds back into wired ones … what’s the point??

AeroStrap

However, after testing them out with a friend, I have to say that they could indeed save you from a very costly accident. 

Maybe even better, they make an already excellent product even more convenient to use. 

There’s a strap for that

To better appreciate the AeroStrap, it helps to know the back story.

The product was invented by a couple of Illinois high school buddies, Colin and Griffin, after one of them lost an AirPod out in the wild.

Aero

Many of us know the brutal anguish of such an occurrence, because having one AirPod is almost like having no AirPods, and it’s especially painful if you shelled out $250 for AirPods Pro 3.

Their solution feels like something only teenagers could come up with, because they intrinsically realize falling back on wired buds (something they may not have ever even used) is ultimately a regression to an inferior product.

(I mean, did you know AirPods Pro 3 have a built-in heart-rate sensor? It’s true!)

Photo by Steve Mazzucchi for Gear Patrol

In other words, the only logical move was to bring the biggest strength of wired buds, their inherent hard-to-lose-ability, to the latest tech.

That’s what the AeroStrap offers: a sweat-, water and cold-resistant silicone retention cord that ensures you won’t lose your AirPods during activities such as running, biking, snow and motor sports. 

You simply insert your AirPods (or any similar wireless buds with little stalks) into the two little cuffs on either end. They have some stretch but nonetheless hold the stalks very tightly.

Aero / Winter Underwood

Like Croakies for personal audio, the strap keeps your buds securely with you, not only during movement but at the in-between times.

For example, I would have loved to have an AeroStrap before I got a motorcycle helmet with integrated audio, as my earbuds used to fall out (sometimes dangerously close to sewer grates) every time I took a helmet off.

The same definitely applies to ski and snowboard lids, because God forbid you drop a completely white AirPod into fluffy pow.

Photo by Steve Mazzucchi for Gear Patrol

All that said, as you’ll see in the video below, my buddy Winter and I discovered the coolest aspect of the AeroStrap is a bit more everyday than it is extreme. 

Each end of the cord also packs a built-in magnet. That means when you take the buds out, you don’t have to immediately stash them in the case; you can just let them hang like a little necklace around your neck.

There’s Aero Assurance, of course.

“If you lose your AirPods while using Aero, we’ll replace both the strap and your AirPods,” Colin explains over email. “We’re that confident in the product.”

Everyday convenience plus peace of mind? That could add up to the smartest $10 you spend this year.

Availability and pricing

The AeroStrap is available now for $10.

Aero

AeroStrap

• $10 at Aero
  $13 (23% off)

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The Ferrari F40 is already a legend and one of the most valuable collector cars in all the land. But this one that’s about to hit the Woodcote Park RM Sotheby’s Auction next week is quite a bit different.

As a one-off with an incredible background and history, this specific F40 may just set a new record for auction values when the gavel comes down.

One of the most storied F40s, ever

Ashley Border for RMSotheby’s

This specific auction-bound F40 was once owned by the late Jean Sage. If you’ve never heard of Mr. Sage, he’s arguably one of the most prominent figures in Formula One history.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Sage was best known as the director of Team Renault, specifically between 1977 and 1985. His involvement with Ferrari’s Formula One team didn’t start until 1986, when he departed from Renault.

Upon joining the group, Sage became famous for leading a whole fleet of racing-spec Ferrari F40s through the IMSA GT Series league in 1989 and 1990.

Ashley Border for RMSotheby’s

Sage also worked with Jean Alesi, who led Ferrari to win the Canadian Grand Prix in 1995. Alesi is most known for seat-swapping with the one-and-only Michael Schumacher in the mid-1990s.

Going back to the F40, though, it was formerly owned by the late director himself. Sage was known to be a regular driver of the machine.

Not just any F40

Ashley Border for RMSotheby’s

He eventually sent it to renowned Ferrari engineer and modifier, Giuliano Michelotto for a bit of rework. The result was nothing short of staggering.

Michelotto is best known as one of Ferrari’s most prolific motorsports engineers. He was among a very small and select group of engineers trusted by the Prancing Horse.

He’s credited for almost single-handedly helping Ferrari score a major portion of its motorsports victories from the 1970s and up through the 1990s. For example, Michelotto helped Ferrari win Le Mans three times in the class where the iconic 365 Daytona performed.

1990 Ferrari F40 “Jean Sage” by Michelotto – RMSotheby’s Woodcote Park Auction 2026

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His other accomplishments include helping Ferrari win Sebring three times and Watkins Glen twice with the 333SP in the 1990s. Other victories in the decade include Daytona, Monza, and even the 1998 Le Mans.

And the list goes on. Needless to say, when Michelotto elected to modify Sage’s F40, it got a seriously special treatment.

Michelotto squeezed more power from the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V8. The final figure came to 527 hp and 626 pound-feet of torque, versus the original car’s 477 horses and 426 lb-ft.

Ashley Border for RMSotheby’s

He also reduced the car’s weight by 300 pounds in total, which for a racecar adapted for the road, was a massive difference. And the car to date has only clocked 14,105 miles in total.

Setting another record, almost four decades later

Ashley Border for RMSotheby’s

Because of this background, analysts are predicting that this specific F40 could fetch big money, with the starting price hovering between $3.65 million to $4.35 million. It also has the potential to set another record for vehicles sold at auction.

While it has a ways to go before it comes anywhere close to surpassing the most expensive car sold at auction (a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that sold for $142 million), the bidding wars could still drive it quite high.

Ashley Border for RMSotheby’s

The most expensive Ferrari F40 ever sold was a 1993 F40 LM also by Michelotto. It also sold via RMSotheby’s for a record-setting $11 million.

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Altra is one of the most sought-after brands in trail running, and the outfit known for its game-changing wide toe box has made inroads into road running, as well. 

It only fits, then, that the brand relied upon for tackling tough trail hazards would come out with a road shoe designed to overcome uneven city streets, thanks to an exclusive new Vibram outsole that can’t be found on any other shoe. 

Altra

Grip it and rip it

The Torin 9 builds upon the success of its predecessor, the Torin 8, by introducing substantive upgrades throughout the shoe … not the least of which is the exclusive new Vibram outsole. 

The all-new exclusive Vibram XS DURA outsole unit has 8.5 percent more grip than the version on the Torin 8, offering an unparalleled level of road traction. 

Altra

Vibram’s Altra-exclusive compound was tested on the streets of Mexico City, with plenty of terrain shift to put it through its paces. 

Altra has the exclusive on the new XS Dura compound for the next six months, which means you won’t find this grip on any other road shoe, but that’s not all the Torin 9 has to offer. 

Altra

Altra

The shoe’s heel has been reshaped, the tongue has been redesigned and the mesh upper is more breathable than ever. To top it all off, a proprietary P35X dual-density foam forms the new midsole.

Altra designed the reformatted midsole with a firm exterior and soft interior, which is intended to provide a comfortable, stable ride over long and short runs. 

Altra

With Altra’s classic zero heel-to-toe drop and a 9.8-ounce weight, the revamped mid-cushion, neutral road shoe brings a refreshingly responsive new meaning to what defines a reliable runner shoe. 

Availability and pricing

The Torin 9 is available in men’s and women’s sizing now on Altra’s website, retailing for $160.

Altra

Altra Torin 9

• $160 at Altra

Fourth of July used to mean blanket discounts and nearly every major retailer competing to outdo the next. This year, despite America’s 250th birthday, many brands appear to have taken a more restrained approach. The days of automatic sitewide sales seem to be fading, replaced by smaller promotions, selective markdowns and limited-time offers.

That doesn’t mean the deals have disappeared — they’re just harder to find.

Our editors have combed through the holiday noise to surface the products we actually recommend across style, outdoors, home, tech and more, separating the genuine values from the forgettable discounts. In fact, not every deal below is officially tied to the Fourth of July.

Some are simply standout markdowns that happen to coincide with the holiday weekend — and are every bit as worth your attention. We’ll continue updating this guide as we uncover new deals and better prices throughout the weekend, so check back often.

Best Fourth of July Deal Picks

Weber

Weber Genesis S-315 Gas Grill (Liquid Propane)

Weber’s Genesis S-315 is a 3-burner, stainless-steel propane grill built for backyard cooks who want reliable, even heat without the fuss. Its PureBlu burner system uses tapered tubes to generate consistent pressure and flames for even heat across 641 square inches of cooking area — 513 primary plus a 128-square-inch warming rack — at 39,000 BTU total output. Flavorizer Bars vaporize drippings for added flavor while a pull-out grease tray keeps cleanup quick. With the separately sold Weber Crafted Frame Kit, the grill becomes compatible with the Weber Crafted Outdoor Kitchen Collection, opening it up to griddle, pizza oven and Dutch oven configurations.

• $899 at Weber
  $999 (10% off)

On

On Cloudmonster 2 (Black/Frost)

On’s Cloudmonster 2 is a max-cushioned road trainer built for runners who want serious underfoot protection without sacrificing forward momentum. Its dual-density Helion superfoam midsole — firmer at the heel, softer up front — sandwiches a nylon-blend Speedboard that drives efficient toe-offs and smooth heel-to-toe transitions. The largest-ever CloudTec® pods deliver compression and rebound with every stride, while a recycled-polyester mesh upper keeps the build responsibly sourced. At 10.5 oz with a 6mm drop, it suits high-mileage daily trainers who prefer a stable, grounded ride.

• $125 at On
  $180 (31% off)

Peak Design

Peak Design Wash Pouch

Peak Design’s Wash Pouch packs more organization into a compact frame than most toiletry bags twice its size. Built from 200-denier recycled nylon with a DWR coating, it sheds water and stains with ease. A weatherproof #8 UltraZip swings the bag wide open for full visibility, while a network of interior TPU-coated mesh pockets, a magnetically sealed toothbrush pocket and an external zip pocket keep every item in its place. It stands upright on a counter or hangs via a stowable aluminum hook — equally at home in a hotel bathroom or a backcountry camp.

• $40 at Backcountry
  $50 (20% off)

REI

Yeti Hondo Beach Chair

Yeti built the Hondo for beach-goers who refuse to compromise on comfort or durability. Its powder-coated aluminum frame pairs with UV-resistant FlexGrid fabric and quick-drying EasyBreathe mesh to handle salt, sand and sun session after session. At 11.1 lbs with a 350-lb weight capacity, it sits just 8 inches off the ground for serious stability in soft sand. Four locking recline positions and a waterfall headrest dial in the comfort, while an included cup holder, armrest hooks for the Sidekick Dry Gear Case (sold separately) and a rear bar for the Hondo Gear Bag (sold separately) keep it well-equipped for a full day out.

• $240 at REI
  $300 (20% off)

The Timex Q Chronograph occupies a particular sweet spot in the watch market: it’s an unabashedly retro-styled chronograph with a stainless steel bracelet, a tachymeter bezel, and a 40mm case that wears as well with a blazer as it does with a T-shirt.

While the design may draw inspiration from a range of chronographs, one watch in particular, the Omega Speedmaster – a.k.a. one of the most iconic sports watches ever made, feels like this version’s biggest overall influence.

And Timex pulls it off without pretense, offering the aesthetic at a fraction of the cost. We’ve covered the Q Chronograph at length — it’s a watch that consistently earns its place among the best sub-$300 options on the market. Right now, Timex has cut the price further: use code Celebrate25 at checkout and it drops from $259 to $194.

Welcome to Shop Smarter: A series dedicated to highlighting not just what’s on sale, but why it’s worth owning. Discover more here.

Why it’s worth considering

Timex

The Q Chronograph runs a Japanese quartz movement, which means it’s accurate and low-maintenance — no winding, no regulation, no concern about positional error.

The case and bracelet are stainless steel throughout, not a mix of steel and plated base metal, which matters for both durability and long-term appearance. At 40mm with a 46mm lug-to-lug, it fits a wide range of wrists without overwhelming them.

Timex

The three-register chronograph layout — with subdials for running seconds, elapsed minutes, and a 24-hour time display — is functional and legible.

The tachymeter bezel lets you calculate speed over distance, though most owners will appreciate it mainly as a design element. Timex has extended the line into several variations, including a two-tone Continental version and even a Peanuts Snoopy collaboration, which speaks to how seriously it takes the platform. The core stainless model remains the most versatile of the bunch.

Timex

At full price, this watch is already a strong value proposition. The competition at $259 is thin for what you get: full steel construction, genuine chronograph function, and a design with real staying power.

How to get it for less

Timex

Timex has the Q Chronograph listed at $259 on its site. Apply code Celebrate25 at checkout and the price drops to $194 — a savings of $65. No indication of how long the code stays active, so don’t sit on it.

Timex

Timex Q Chronograph

• $194 at Timex
  $259 (25% off)

Adidas has spent years patiently building the BW Army into one of its most compelling silhouettes.

Though the shoe was famously developed as footwear for the West German military in the 1970s and built for function over style, Adidas preciently added it to its style-forward Originals line, paving the way for the BW Army’s cult following among civilians.

Adidas

Recently, the brand has noticeably ramped up its attention to the shoe in an apparent effort to upgrade its style status further — pushing it through deconstructions, running-inspired reworks, and high-profile collaborations. And now it’s applying a formula it knows well: the luxury edition.

Adidas

It’s the same playbook Adidas ran with the Samba OG Made in Italy and the Gazelle Indoor Made in Italy — take a proven silhouette, elevate the presentation and call it a day.

The BW Army Lux is the latest beneficiary, arriving in two new colorways that look considerably more expensive than their price tags suggest.

Classic looks, modern materials

If we’re being honest, the special Lux designation in this case is a bit of a mystery on paper. At $120, it doesn’t cost more than other BW Army iterations, and the clean, single-tone aesthetic mirrors tonal colorways the shoe has worn before.

Adidas

Whether the materials are substantively different is unclear, too, at least based on the limited information on Adidas’s product page. In contrast, past luxury editions of the Samba and other classic Adidas models were proudly presented as made in Italy or featuring clearly upgraded materials.

What isn’t unclear: the two new colorways — Brown/Gum and Cardboard/Gum — land with a richness that reads as genuinely upscale.

Adidas

The warm earth tones paired with a gum sole give both options a considered, almost archival quality that, at least on looks alone, aligns with the “Lux” label.

Availability and pricing

Adidas

Both colorways are available now directly through Adidas. The Adidas BW Army Lux in Brown/Gum and the Adidas BW Army Lux in Cardboard/Gum each retail for $120.

Adidas

For a silhouette with this much history and this level of polish, keeping the price in line with other BW Army versions feels like a win.

The sneaker has earned its place in Adidas’s rotation through consistent reinvention rather than nostalgia alone, and the Lux editions — whatever their material story — are among the sharpest versions the shoe has seen.

Adidas

Adidas BW Army Lux (Cardboard / Gum)

• $120 at Adidas

Adidas

Adidas BW Army Lux (Brown / Gum)

• $120 at Adidas

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In the early ’90s, a white-hot star shot across the accessible fashion galaxy: a line of T-shirts (and shorts) with a thermochromic pigment made by Matsui Shikiso Chemical of Japan.

That’s right, Generra Hypercolor garments changed color with the temperature, getting lighter when warm, to the degree you could leave a temporary handprint right on them.

CJRB Cutlery

They were such a hit, Seattle-based Generra Sportswear Company sold $50 million worth of merch in the spring of 1991, before going bankrupt due to mismanagement and, ahem, fading demand just a year later.

More than three decades later, the tech itself remains pretty cool (or hot, you could say), as CJRB reminds us with its shade-shifting new take on a popular flipper, the Pyrite-Light (Thermochromic FRN).

Color me rad

The Pyrite-Light is such a fan favorite, you can find literally dozens of variants on CJRB’s site. 

CJRB Cutlery

However, only a pair of them boast a thermochromic edge: J1945-DLG, which goes from dark green to light green, and J1945-BRD, which goes from brown to red.

The admittedly more fun than functional twist adds a bit of extra magic to an EDC knife that already has plenty of appeal.

CJRB Cutlery

The business end is a 3.34-inch wharncliffe blade made of AR-RPM9, Artisan Cutlery/CJRB’s wallet-friendly house steel, which counts corrosion resistance, toughness and ease of sharpening among its strongest qualities.

Jimping on the spine of the blade boosts blade control, while a bit of texture on the fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN) handle also assists with grip.

CJRB Cutlery

Meanwhile, an ambidextrous thumb stud, button-lock and ceramic ball bearing make smooth, swift one-handed deployment and retraction of the blade a literal snap.

True to its name, the Pyrite-Light weighs less than 2.5 ounces, with a reversible deep-carry clip making it easy to tote in a pocket.

CJRB Cutlery

Throw in the fact that it costs much less than most vintage Hypercolor T-shirts floating around the secondary market these days, and you’ve got yourself a star sure to shine for a much longer time.

Availability and pricing

The CJRB Pyrite-Light (Thermochromic FRN) knives are available now for $40.

CJRB Cutlery

CJRB Pyrite-Light (Thermochromic FRN)

• $40 at CJRB Cutlery

Hiding in Seiko’s Prospex line is a killer GMT dive watch.

Introduced in 2023, the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT reinterprets the brand’s 1968 dive watch through a modern lens and adds a travel-friendly GMT complication.

The original launches from three years ago, the green SPB381 and black SPB383, were both packed with premium features.

Among them were a chamfered 42mm stainless steel case with mirror-polished sides (a design inherited from the ’68 model), a glossy ceramic bezel insert matched to the dial, a slim new three-row steel bracelet, Super-Hard Coating on the case and bracelet, an AR-coated sapphire crystal, 200m water resistance and the then-new Calibre 6R54 automatic “office” GMT movement with a three-day power reserve.

Seiko

It’s a beast of a watch for $1,500, and Seiko has revisited the line a few times since for special editions like the SPB534 and SPB519, both of which added a couple of welcome updates to the line in greater water resistance and a new microadjustable clasp.

Now, with little fanfare, Seiko has brought these updates to the main line of the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT with two new references in the original green and black colorways.

A quiet update

The new watches, ref. HBC001 in green and HBC002 in black, are almost completely indistinguishable from their three-year-old predecessors.

Seiko

Put the two generations side by side, and the only visual difference you’ll pick up after an intense 30 seconds or so of staring is that the water resistance rating on the dial has been updated from 200m to 300m. Despite this water-resistance increase of 50 percent, the new watch retains the 12.9mm thickness of its predecessor.

Turn the watch around, and you’ll find the other major update, which is the clasp. While the previous generation had a diver’s extension, which is great for diving but not so useful for everyday wear, the new version has a push-button, sliding, microadjustable clasp that offers a full 15mm of travel in six 2.5mm increments.

Seiko

It’s not the most elegant-looking clasp in the business, but it’s great for adapting the watch to your changing wrist size throughout the day.

That’s literally it as far as changes go. The cases, dials, bezels, bracelets and movements all appear to be exactly the same, with only the water resistance and clasp having changed.

Seiko

Availability and pricing

As of right now, Seiko is showing both generations of the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT in its catalog, but with a $200 price difference. While the originals were priced at $1,500, the two new references go for $1,700, which is the same as previous editions featuring the new clasp and increased water resistance.

It’s unclear how long the old SPB381 and SPB383 will remain available to purchase, so if you don’t care about the clasp or higher water resistance and are more interested in saving a couple hundred bucks, you might want to pounce on them soon.

Subaru’s 2026 Outback redesign has been nothing if not controversial, as it’s made for a monumental update to the icon.

From split headlights and more angular cladding to a taller roofline and a boxier shape, it’s brought plenty of design changes. Beyond the dramatic differences in styling, this means that it now skews way more SUV-like.

Subaru

If Subaru’s latest sales statistics are any indication of how the rest of the year could pan out, it’s looking like the new Outback may be deserving of more credit than it’s been given.

The Outback rebounds

According to Subaru of America’s June report, the Outback posted a 32.7 percent increase in its numbers for the month compared to the same period last year. That amounts to 14,074 sales in June 2026 versus some 10,608 in June 2025.

Now, even though that means the model is not quite back up to 2024 levels, it represents a meaningful inflection point. Previously, May had marked the Outback’s only month of growth in 2026. Even that seemed like more of a rounding error, up a mere 44 cars (0.4 percent).

Subaru

Moreover, June’s performance makes for an even bigger switchup when you look at the first quarter. Outback sales seemingly fell off a cliff in March, down 42.9 percent. February and April were also rough months, as they slid 24.3 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively.

As a result, the recent gains mean Subaru has steadily made up some of the ground in its annual Outback total.

While March’s year-to-date numbers had the wagon staring down a massive 32.2 percent hole, it’s since clawed its way back to a less dire deficit of -14.1 percent.

Subaru

A perfect storm

So, what’s to make of the fluctuations? There’s obviously a complex combination of things to consider, but a few factors have been shifting the winds for the Outback. Chalking it up to the design alone isn’t enough.

For starters, some of last year’s car-buying behavior came in anticipation of price increases due to tariffs, so it resulted in brands like Subaru recording higher-than-expected sales across some months.

Subaru

Toward that end, Subaru has also orchestrated quite the shift in manufacturing between 2025 and 2026. From discontinuing the Legacy sedan to relocating the Forester and Forester Hybrid production to Indiana, the brand has had to make some big moves. Ramp-ups take time.

When you also factor in Subaru’s discontinuation of the Outback base trim and the relocation of manufacturing to Japan, it means the model’s starting price is considerably more expensive this year than before.

Subaru

However, between aggressive dealer discounts and incentives like 1.9% APR financing, the brand is now offsetting some of that additional expense and bringing more owners into the fold.

Whether Subaru keeps these offers up for the rest of the year only time will tell, but it’s bound to influence the Outback’s totals come December. After all, this month’s performance does suggest that buyers have had a bigger issue with the MSRP hike.

Subaru

2026 Subaru Outback

• Starts at $34,995

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Any motorcyclist who’s ever swung a leg over a sport bike or set foot on a motorcycle race track is likely quite familiar with Yamaha’s YZF-R6, aka simply “the R6″.

Launched way back in 1999, the 599cc bike turned heads from the start as the world’s first 600cc production four-stroke to make more than 100 horsepower in stock form.

Yamaha

For many years it set the standard for high-revving 600cc super sports, but the demand for such bikes has long been on the wane.

Rather than let it disappear without notice, Yamaha is prepping this bona fide modern classic for one last, special run.

Track star

Before you shed too many tears, it’s important to get a bit more context here, as for most riders, the bike is already more of a mystical ghost than anything approaching a daily driver.

Yamaha

As the astute lads at Visordown point out, the street-legal version got discontinued in many markets years ago thanks largely to stringent emissions regulations.

However, Yamaha has continued the so-called Race Base Model for track enthusiasts, club racer and even riders competing in national championships, where it has claimed a podium or two.

Yamaha

The bike remains compelling for its size, as the 599cc liquid-cooled inline-four engine is now complemented by an electronics package including traction control and a quickshifter.

It also looks fantastic, especially in the brand’s signature racing hue, which is literally called Yamaha Blue.

Yamaha

Yet as other brands have pivoted to bigger middleweights and new performance platforms, the R6 has become something of a unicorn. 

Even Yamaha itself has largely moved on, rolling out the three-cylinder R9 as a shining star.

Photo courtesy of Steve Mazzucchi

I’m sad to say I’ve never ridden an R6 myself, but if it is anything like the slightly bigger R7 I hit the track with a few years ago, damn, what a dream. 

That bike, thankfully, is still available (starting under $10,000 even) and well worth a test ride at least.

Availability and pricing

The YZF-R6 Race Base Model will go on sale in Japan next February, available only to customers who place an order during a reservation window that just opened this week.

The first reservation period runs from July 1 to July 31, 2026, followed immediately by a second period, August 1 and August 31, 2026.

No pricing has been announced.

Note: The link below goes to the aforementioned Icelandic site, which has some great info. The upcoming Japan-only bike will presumably be somewhat different … and almost certainly clad in Yamaha Blue.

Yamaha

Yamaha YZF-R6

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In case you forgot, Land Rover still makes its iconic midrange Discovery. The latest Range Rover and Defender might have been stealing the spotlight over the last few years.

But Land Rover didn’t want the world to forget that the Discovery still exists. And that, it’s still a very viable and competitive SUV and off-roader, despite its stiff competition.

So, the British automaker rolled out some new updates to keep it fresh and relevant.

A sorely underrated British SUV

Land Rover

To remind the world that the Discovery still exists, reworked the model’s range to offer three distinct variants. It all begins with the Discover S as the base model, Discovery Tempest, and Discovery Landmark.

The models vary based on equipment specification and exterior and interior appointments. Though, they mainly concentrate the updates to appearance revisions.

Land Rover

For instance, the new Landmark trim comes with a bucket list of unique details, both inside and out, that tip their hats to the Discovery’s first launch in 1989. Such details include a new Graphite Atlas exterior hue, which takes inspiration from the first-gen Discovery’s Clearwater Blue paint.

The midrange Tempest model also features some bespoke exterior and interior upgrades, such as front aluminum kick plates, B-Pillar inserts and puddle protection lights for more upscale appearances. Along with equally new exterior paint options, such as Borasco Gray and Discovery Tempest.

While the Discover S keeps it simple with the essentials.

An oldie, but still a goodie

2027 Land Rover Discovery Landmark – Details

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