A Cult Watch, Classic Turntable and Red Wing Boots: Yep, Tim Walz Is a Gear Guy

It’s official: Minnesota governor Tim Walz is Kamala Harris’s pick for Vice President. Also official: Walz has pretty great taste in gear — a simple fact no matter your political leanings.

A go-to affordable turntable

As reported by Inside Hook, three photos Walz posted to Facebook in late 2020 are making the rounds online. They show the Democratic nominee for Vice President helping his daughter set up a classic turntable system in her college dorm.

Tim Walz via Facebook

The photo reads: “Teaching Hope about old school stereo set ups. We’re sharing the joy of classic vinyl and Bob Seger. Quality speaker wire matters people!!!”

The vinyl system that Walz is helping his daughter set up appears to consist of some old-school floorstanding speakers, a Denon stereo receiver and Audio-Technica’s AT-LP60 — an entry-level turntable that’s become something of an affordable classic in the hi-fi space.

Audio-Technica

Audio-Technica AT-LP60X

• $129 at Amazon
  $149 (13% off)

Originally released back in 2009, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 is a fully automatic turntable with a built-in phono preamp that’s designed to make listening to vinyl easy — just add speakers. At the time, it was priced at just $150.

Today, Audio-Technica still offers a version of LP60, albeit more recent models — like the LP60X, LP60XUSB and LP60XBT — have added newer features such as USB connectivity and Bluetooth for digitizing records and streaming vinyl to a wireless speaker, respectively. They’re some of the most popular budget-friendly turntables out there.

Audio-Technica also just announced the AT-LP70X. It’s a slightly improved model that will replace the AT-LP60X in the company’s turntable line. It costs $199.

Audio-Technica

Audio-Technica AT-LP70X

• $199 at Audio-Technica

Workwear for the masses

Walz’s choice in an affordable turntable makes sense for a candidate who has a reputation for being down-to-earth. In fact, it’s a sensibility carried over to his taste in boots, outerwear and watches, too.

Eagle-eyed menswear circles have recently pointed out Walz’s affinity for Carhartt and Filson — especially the Mackinaw Cruiser jacket, which he wore in his 2022 re-election campaign for Minnesota governor.

Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Jacket

• $495 at Backcountry

They’re not his only favorite heritage workwear brands. Apparently he’s also a fan of the 3141 Heritage Work Chukka from Red Wing, which of course hails from Walz’s home state of Minnesota.

Red Wing

Red Wing 3141 Heritage Work Chukka

• $290 at Huckberry
  $300 (3% off)

As for his wrist? In the lead-up to the November election, Walz has been campaigning in a Hamilton Khaki Field Murph, as spotted by Time+Tide Watches.

It’s one of the best entry-level watches you can buy, retailing for around $700. Pricing aside, Hamilton’s roots are distinctly American, unlike the high-end Swiss companies favored by other candidates on the ballot.

Khaki Field

Hamilton Khaki Field Murph

• $895.00 at hamiltonwatch.com

In any case, you’ll likely recognize the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph from Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar — in fact, it was was created specifically for that film and released by Hamilton after fans petitioned the brand to make it.

It’s the watch that Joseph Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey) gives to his daughter “Murph” (played as an adult by Jessica Chastain), which she then uses at the end of the film to … no spoilers.

In Interstellar, Matthew McConaughey’s character plays a down-to-earth guy from the heart of America — sort of like Walz in real life.

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