The Sunday Digest 013
House plants and Rolexes.
Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you. Or, if podcasts are more your speed on Sundays, we’ve got that too.
Sunday Read: Inside the Frenzied World of Rare Watches
by Julian Sancton for Vanity Fair
The world of watches is a world I’d love to be a part of, but it’s also a world that’s incredibly intimidating for about a million reasons — the price points, the Old Boys Club clientele, and the possibility of overpaying for something that’s already completely overpriced.
And with watch prices absolutely soaring these days, there’s never been more pressure for outsiders to get in than now. I just looked up the price of a vintage Rolex I saw for $3,200 in spring of 2019 — and it’s now hovering above $8,000. While I do love some good Sunday retail therapy, I think I’ll stick to buying athleisure items and overpriced deodorant.
This week’s Sunday Read is from Vanity Fair.
There are very few holy grails left. The original Paul Newman Daytona has been sold. So have the Selassie Patek Philippe and the Bao Dai Rolex. No one is sure what happened to the Omega Speedmaster that Buzz Aldrin took to the moon. But even if it were found, it would go straight to the Smithsonian.
That leaves just about one: John Lennon’s Patek Philippe reference 2499. A specialist familiar with the watch—but who won’t tell me whether he’s seen it in person or even knows of its whereabouts—says it “checks all the boxes”: spotless condition, unimpeachable provenance, and even without the connection to the musical legend, the 2499 is one of the most collectible watches ever made. If it were to come up for auction, say most experts, the John Lennon Patek Philippe would likely sell for more than $30 million.
To own that watch would be a way to commune with Lennon across time, to wear the object he wore on his chord-forming hand as he performed some of the most memorable songs of the last century.
Read it in its entirety here.
New Episode: Stop Killing Your House Plants with Kate Ferguson, Co-Founder of Flourish
From fiddle-leaf figs to money trees to snake plants, it's probably safe to say that we've all killed a house plant at some point in our lives. This Sunday, we're joined by Kate Ferguson, the co-founder of Flourish, whose mission is to make sure your house plants are absolutely thriving. She answers several pressing house plant questions including the best low-maintenance plants, common mistakes to avoid, which indoor plants are subtle flexes, over or under-watering your plants, repotting, and more.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else podcasts are found.
Things I Saved This Week
The Sunday Haiku
Water, coffee, juice,
Father, son, holy spirit,
Fine, a bloody too.
Relaxing Watch: Ted Lasso on 60 Minutes
Somewhere along the way, people who would consider themselves to be #extremelyonline decided to turn Ted Lasso from a heartwarming Sunday watch into the most prime example of being cheugy. Unfortunately for them, I don’t care because it’s still the fuzziest watch going right now.
While the 60 Minutes clock sound may be the trademark signal of Sunday Scaries, their recent profile on Ted Lasso is well worth the watch.
See you next week.
— Will
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