In Gear: Our pick of awesome gadgets in May

Check out below our pick of awesome gadgets we (wish) we could buy this month!

First published in the May 2017 issue of Wheels Magazine, Australia’s most experienced and most trusted car magazine since 1953.

Porsche Design 911 Soundbar, $4090
porsche-design.com

If your budget can’t quite stretch to a complete 911 GT3, Porsche fans can still annoy the neighbours with a wicked soundtrack, courtesy of the Porsche Design 911 Soundbar. The Bluetooth system uses a real GT3 exhaust back box to amplify and deepen sounds as it does when it’s attached to the car. DTS TruSurround and 200 watts of sound are the only emissions.

BMW Lifestyle Sport Collection hoodie, $169; Motorsport men’s Heritage leather jacket, $780
bmw.com

BMW has launched not one, but five new collections to celebrate its connections to various sporting disciplines. Motorsport, sailing and golf are all represented by the range of clothing and accessories. Included is a hoodie that borrows the camouflage pattern worn by disguised prototype vehicles, while a conspicuous white leather jacket is part of the Motorsport Heritage line and sports the company’s unmistakable M-colours.

Nikon KeyMission 170, $579
nikon.com.au
Believe it or not, there is an alternative to the GoPro. Nikon’s KeyMission 170 can dive up to 10 metres when naked or 40 metres in its optional housing. It features a 170-degree wide angle, and has a cool traditional camera aesthetic. Adventurers can capture their activities in 4K UHD with electronic vibration reduction. With dust-proofing, freeze-proofing down to-10° and construction that can withstand a two-metre fall onto concrete, the Nikon can probably survive more than you can.

Dirty Nails Bloody Knuckles car print T-shirts, $37–$39
dirtynailsbloodyknuckles.com
Tell everyone you are in the know without saying a word, with the knee-weakening range of car porn Ts from DNBK. You’ll be agonising for hours whether to go for the elevated front-view F40, 930 Turbo collage, or the mouth-watering Audi Sport quattro S1 in Pikes Peak-conquering livery.

Breitling for Bentley Supersports B55, $10,660
breitling.com
This watch cleverly attempts to make wristwatches relevant to modern motorsport again. It is the first quartz watch Breitling has produced in its Bentley range, and its name marks the launch of the new Continental Supersports. More importantly, the electronic movement connects to an app on your phone to perform a bunch of functions specifically designed for motorsport which go way beyond what a mechanical chronograph could manage. You can record up to 30 stage times on a rally, including penalties, record lap splits on a circuit, and set target times on a regularity trial: sounds like Bentley has actually asked competitors what they need. A titanium case and carbon dial make it look and feel light.

Bamford Watch Department carbonfibre watch roll, $2723
bamfordwatchdepartment.com
If you’ve invested some serious coin in a quality timepiece and you don’t want it rattling around in your Ermenegildo Zegna briefcase, or bumping into your Sonnenschein nail clippers when it’s not on your wrist, here’s a solution. Bamford Watch Department will sell you its Watch Safe, which can accommodate up to four pieces on a neoprene-upholstered tube that glides into the carbonfibre case on Japanese ceramic rails. Sounds expensive doesn’t it? It is.

IWC Ingenieur, $6650
iwc.com
This is a lot to pay for a relatively simple three-handed watch, but IWC has won an obsessive following with its combination of Rolex quality, an original and varied range and a slightly less showy image than some Swiss rivals. The revised Ingenieur range is very subtle, inspired by the earliest anti-magnetic engineers’ watches IWC made from 1955. They launched them at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in the UK: the originals are exactly the kind of watch an affluent, knowledgeable racegoer might have worn back in the ’50s. The Chronograph Sport version still features an anti-magnetic soft-iron ‘cage’ around the movement, and gets a small-seconds hand in the shape of a lightning bolt as a reminder.