Marc returns from Texas with stories of barbecue, tacos, indie beers... and even a stop at the Alamo, where Pee Wee’s bike really is on display now. He wraps the week with the full-on spectacle of a Texas A&M football game, complete with endless traditions and an absolutely wild fan base. After all that heat, he’s glad to be back in Denver.

With the wrist check and beer check out of the way (seriously, beer sponsors call us), Aaron surprises us yet again with a new pickup from the TGN Slack buy/sell/trade subgroup: the Vaer C3 Tradition Field—36mm, USA Solar. That sparks a long dive into three Explorer-inspired field watches in the 36mm sweet spot, all powered by the robust, reliable, and affordable Miyota 9-series movement: the Vaer, the Traska Summiteer, and the Lorier Falcon.

Marc finds himself clearly drawn toward one, and now Aaron owns another... but the real fun is in exploring what separates these three very different brands while they’re making such similar watches.