In Gear: Our pick of awesome gadgets from December

Lego Creator James Bond Aston Martin DB5, $210

8

Making a model car out of Lego bricks is like trying to sculpt Kim Kardashian using nothing but fence posts, yet the designers at Lego have done an incredible job recreating arguably the most famous of James Bond’s rides. The 007 Aston Martin DB5 uses 1295 bricks – none of which look particularly like an Aston by themselves – to build a construction toy masterpiece. Not only does the kit evoke the iconic car’s looks that starred alongside Sean Connery in the 1964 film Goldfinger, it even pulls some of its neat spy-car tricks. Machine guns pop out of the wings with the pull of a lever, there’s a functioning ejector seat, and we’re certain Ian Fleming was predicting speed cameras when he created the rotating rego plates.
shop.lego.com

Boeing 707 engine high-top table, $9430

8

The idea of dining on something that has been part of an airliner for many millions of kilometres is not initially appetising. However, when you realise this table has been cleverly constructed using the turbine of a Pratt & Whitney JT3 engine, brekkie or maybe a few bevvies sounds a lot more appealing. The components have been cleaned and polished to bring out the natural heat discolouration that occurs in normal operation, but that wouldn’t convince us to eat off a retired Boeing seat cushion no matter how much cleaning or polishing it had.
boeingstore.com

Kings of the Road, $50

8

Two hundred pages of pure hardback Aussie automotive authority, that’s Kings of the Road. This comprehensive cross-section of some of Australia’s favourite vehicles puts 50 machines under the microscope and tells the story of how each fits into our rich motoring tapestry. Oh, and you can trust the authors. Not only do Toby Hagon and Bruce Newton have half a century of automotive industry experience between them, you’ll also recognise their bylines from the pages of Wheels magazine.
panmacmillan.com.au

HSV Design Series print, from $100

8

If pairing the letter W with the figure 1 immediately evokes images of a British railway locomotive then you definitely won’t be interested in these limited edition prints from HSV. This is the ultimate addition to any GTS-R W1 garage wall or, alternatively, if you can’t bear to be reminded how you missed out on grabbing your own example of Australia’s most powerful home-grown muscle car, you can also choose from the VL Walkinshaw or 1996 GTS-R.
shop.hsv.com.au

Watches

Grand Seiko Sport Collection Spring Drive Chronograph GMT, $249,000

8

Nissan kicked off its GT-R half-century celebrations a year early by collaborating with Italdesign on the wild GT-R50 prototype. Now, there’s a watch to match that costs significantly more than a regular GT-R. It’s made by Grand Seiko, a Japanese timepiece manufacturer to rival any from Switzerland, and uses the brand’s Spring Drive technology, which allows the seconds hand to move in a fluid motion rather than ticking to better represent time itself. It’s constructed from 18-karat gold, platinum and ceramic, and runs a GMT complication. Only three will be manufactured.
grand-seiko.com

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, $730

8

Hamilton is an American watchmaker with a storied past, now producing a range of function-driven, military-inspired timepieces, among others, in Switzerland. The Field Mechanical is a highlight, featuring a hand-wound movement, 38mm stainless-steel case and a tough, textile strap. It’s based on Hamilton’s watch for the US Army (GG-W-113) made between 1967 and 1986. It’s a beautifully clean and simple item perfect for daily wear.
hamiltonwatch.com

Shinola The Lake Superior Monster Automatic, $2250

8

Shinola is a Detroit-based brand becoming famous for its range of American-made lifestyle goods. Watches are where the project began, in 2013, founded by a Texan named Tom Kartsotis – the same bloke who built Fossil into a multi-billion-dollar accessories giant. Following a run of quartz-based pieces, The Monster is Shinola’s first automatic. It’s a 43mm dive watch made from stainless steel with a sapphire crystal and date display, assembled in Motor City.
shinola.com