Worn & Wound
Owner’s Review: the Straum Jan Mayen Stormy Seas
Spirit Halloween stores are popping up around the city, pumpkin beer has hit the shelves, and 80-plus-degree highs in Brooklyn are in the rearview mirror (please remain true). I’ve returned my most worn summer watch to the display box and this one included quite a few “firsts”. I received my Jan Mayen Stormy Seas, a collaboration between the Norwegian brand and The Real Time Show (a podcast I’ll admit I’m still ignorant of) in late May after a production issue with the rubber straps delayed the promised delivery date by about three months. I grew up on the west coast sailing with my parents (who until very recently lived fulltime on their 43ft Hans Christian Ketch named “Galatea”) so perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to a watch called “Stormy Seas”, but regardless I found the contents of the precision machined capsule absolutely stunning. This was the first watch I’ve ever pre-ordered. While it’s not my favorite business practice, I knew the risks involved and was quite happy when they included a second strap gratis for the inconvenience. It remained on my wrist almost exclusively for the next three months. As well as my first pre-order and first Straum, it is also the first watch I’ve owned on a rubber strap, my first titanium case, and first integrated bracelet (more on that later). Straum has been on my radar since a Limited Edition Jan Mayen they released with Fratello back in the Spring of 2023. I loved the textural details in that fiery red dia...