But if you’re looking for another way to talk up your new timepiece at your next dinner party, consider this: Well before Schwarzenegger was governing, Terminating, or dropping bad guys off cliffs like a boss in Commando, he was serving his two years of compulsory service in the Austrian military behind the controls of a US-made M47 tank.

He completed his service in 1966, but nearly 30 years later, in 1992, he decided to track down his old vehicle. Not another M47, mind you, but the exact tank he drove from ’65 to ’66. And he found it, buried up to the turret on the Austrian-Hungarian border. After extensive restoration—and, presumably, digging—he was back in the driver’s seat, this time on US soil. And upon looking at the instrument gauges on the control panel, he got the idea in his head to use those gauges as a model for a watch with all the heft and attitude of his new toy. In 2010, that vision became reality in the form of a timepiece that boasts nearly 11 ounces of steel, a burly leather strap, and a precise Japanese movement. The name of this impressive timekeeper? The A.S. M47-331. “M47” for the model, and “331” for the serial number, of Arnold’s actual tank.

We’ve got three styles on offer. Two of them—a tan-and-black version with the Austrian Army symbol on the face and a blacked-out iteration with a simple “USA” stamp—are limited to only 500 pieces worldwide. The third version is signed by Arnold himself and comes complete with a $1,000 Daniel Marshall humidor, 10 A.S. Signature Dominican cigars, and a signed photo of Schwarzenegger with the tank that inspired it all. It’s limited to 100 pieces worldwide.

Remember, whichever you choose, the profits benefit After-School All-Stars and their mission to keep at-risk kids engaged with rewarding activities that will help them succeed in school and life. Like we said before: reason enough to get a watch.

But the back story you’ll get to tell all your friends is a nice bonus.

Get the A.S. M47-331 Military Tank Watch now, on Gilt MAN.

You were just barely 24 when you launched Read’s Clothing Project. What made you feel like, at such a young age, you could start a clothing company?
You can call it stupidity or arrogance [laughs], but I had a really strong belief in my vision for what I wanted to do. And I’ve always been pretty independent, pretty headstrong, and I didn’t want to wait to do this thing. So I basically just said, “F**k it,” and did it.

How exactly did you choose the charity for RCP? Why books instead of water, or shoes, or what have you?
I’ve taught classes, given talks, and helped out in classrooms in Africa, and doing that you realize that education is the way that people have upward mobility and societies become stronger—and books are such a great way to learn. Everybody’s got a book that’s really affected their life, and the ability to share that with someone who might not otherwise have the opportunity to have that experience through reading was pretty special. It’s a personal connection to that cause.

Do you have any formal design experience?
No formal design training—I guess I’m self-taught—but I have an idea of how things should fit, and how they should be made, so I just put that all together. And I’ve relied on the expertise of a lot of more experienced people in terms of actual construction, and that’s been great, too.

What informs the clothing you make for Read’s Clothing Project?
It’s basically the clothing that I grew up on: classic, American, kind of preppy clothing. It’s the aesthetic that I understand, and the one that I still want to wear. But I wanted to focus on fit, so we slimmed down the body on our shirts and gave them higher armholes for a classic look with a more modern silhouette.

Anything you’re really excited about in the sale?
Well we’ve got some really great stuff. There are a couple of oxford cloth shirts that are totally classic. We also have a grey, lightweight chambray we’re doing—it’s a summer-weight shirt, great for when it gets hotter.

And then there’s my favorite two from the collection. One is a blue seersucker gingham that just looks like a great gingham shirt from far out, but when you get in closer it’s got that puckered seersucker texture that’s great for summer. The other is a pinpoint, multi-stripe oxford that’s an awesome throwback to the early ‘90s, late ‘80s Danny Tanner look.

Read’s Clothing Project, on sale now on Gilt MAN.

Breakin' the law.

When he started as editor-in-chief of BlackBook in the ‘90s, Bill Powers didn’t know much about the contemporary art scene. Well, he learned—covering the art world for the magazine, plus a stable of other publications including the New York Times, Details, and Vanity Fair (and that’s just a few). Now, he’s one of the four co-founders behind members-only website Exhibition A, which teams with today’s best contemporary artists to produce limited edition prints at prices that everyone can get on board with. We talked with the art expert and all-around stylish guy about Exhibition A’s sale on Gilt MAN, how to buy art the right way, and what happens when a sartorially adventurous individual takes a wrong turn.

Why did you start Exhibition A? And what made you decide to focus on prints?
I always thought you had to be a millionaire to collect art and was surprised to learn that for those resourceful enough to do the footwork, you can buy prints by contemporary artists for under $1,000. I wanted to do that from my curatorial point of view. I see some public service aspect in allowing a younger collector to buy, say, a Nate Lowman “Marilyn” print from us for $450 when his original paintings can be $250k.

I enjoy contemporary art because it can be beautiful and also the gateway for new ways to look at the world. It’s that enrichment I want to share with other people.

With art collecting, where should one start? What are some mistakes and pitfalls to avoid?
If you don’t think you’ll actually hang the piece on your wall, don’t buy it. Focusing strictly on investment side is a mistake. No one ever fell in love with an “investment” property, if I can make a real estate analogy.

Steve Mumford's "Going Back In"—available in the sale—in context.

Most auction houses start in $5k range so that limits a lot of people financially, but real collectors however use inclusion in auction sales as a type of benchmark—so they are of real value. But at galleries like mine, Half Gallery, we might have a Leo Fitzpatrick collage for $750 or a Ray Johnson piece of mail art for even less! There are real opportunities out there for someone willing to do the footwork.

And as a general rule, it’s a good idea to stick with imagery or a medium that feels signature to that artist.

The upcoming Gilt MAN sale: any pieces you’re particularly excited about, or that we should be on the lookout for when it starts?
I think the Kanye West LP cover signed by Murakami is pretty tight. I’ve never seen another one like it.

On to style. You’re married to designer Cynthia Rowley, and Andy Spade is one of the partners at Half Gallery.  How does being surrounded by such fashionable folks influence the way you put yourself together?
It’s like playing tennis with someone that’s better than you.

But it’s no secret that you’re a pretty sharp dresser yourself. How would you describe your style?
I would wear the chocolate brown Prada tux I got married in every day if I thought I could, but mostly it’s Levi’s, vintage, and things my wife makes for me. I also find myself wearing Marc Jacobs sneakers quite a bit.

I like the John Currin quote about style, although he was talking about painting: “Your style is who you are when you’re not trying to be clever or better than you actually are.”

A chocolate brown Prada is a pretty bold move, so it seems safe to say you’ve taken some sartorial risks. Which means I have to ask: What’s the biggest style mistake you’ve ever made?
There were some Gucci clogs in the ‘90s I’m glad there’s no evidence of me wearing is all I’m saying.

The fifth generation of a line of shoemakers that started in Bridgewater, MA, 1758, Keith was searching for a moniker for the thriving footwear business he officially founded in 1874. “Walk-Over” conveyed strength and simplicity—exactly the kind of qualities he wanted to telegraph about his shoes—and thus became the first brand name in men’s footwear in America. Over the course of the following decades, the company, drawing on an already-century-long tradition of crafting straightforward shoes of exacting quality, became one of the premier names in American footwear. By the 1950’s, Walk-Over was known worldwide, and by the ‘80s, Walk-Over’s wares—notably its revered bucks and saddle shoes—were part of the upper echelon of US-made shoes and boots. But in the ‘90s, things took a less favorable turn. Feeling the crunch from an industry-wide trend favoring quantity over quality, Walk-Over was forced to cease production. A sad day, no doubt, but there were better times ahead.

In the midst of the recent heritage boom, Walk-Over was given new life. With a slew of styles that paid homage to the brand’s archives but balanced things with a healthy dose of modern irreverence—think classic dirty bucks finished with neon green soles—the brand launched again for Spring 2011. Still made in the US to the standards that made it a force in years past, Walk-Over has quickly reestablished itself as the go-to shoe for semi-traditional types looking for footwear with the requisite levels class, craftsmanship, and humor.

Walk-Over, on sale Thursday, 1/19 at noon ET, on Gilt MAN.

Batwing
The blades of the tie—the parts that don’t wrap around your neck—are cut straight, and generally measure about 1.5” to 2” at the widest point. Taking a look at an actual bat’s wing, it’s clear that the rationale for the name is either lost to the ages or was never there, but it makes for a slim, modern bow, nonetheless.

Butterfly
Unlike the batwing, it’s pretty easy to see where the moniker comes from: The blades are shaped like, well, butterflies. (It’s also called the “thistle” by some, but the alternative is more popular.) The narrow center of each blade forms the knot, and the bow flares out to around 2.5” in from there. It’s the classic bow tie shape, and it’s got a place in every guy’s wardrobe.

Diamond Point
Not really a new shape, but a variation on either the batwing or butterfly. Instead of ending with a blunt, straight line, the diamond tapers to a point at either end of the bow. It creates an asymmetrical bow—the point faces out on one side, and backwards, towards the neck, on the other—that’s a nice counterpoint to the bow tie’s formal associations, and it’s a great way to mix things up a bit.

But aside from the reworked lines of the thing, the Chesterfield isn’t all that different from its ancestor. Like the frock coat, it’s a full-length overcoat cut from dark, heavy wool and worn over a sport coat or suit jacket. Single-breasted versions are marked by a fly front, in which a cloth placket covers the buttons so they can’t be seen when the coat is closed. Double-breasted versions also exist, but feature exposed buttons. In either case, pockets are flapped and hit at the hip, and a single vent at the back gives your legs some room to move. And though it’s not technically a requirement for a coat to qualify as a Chesterfield, most versions feature a velvet collar. Originally worn by the wealthy as a sympathetic nod to the beheaded, aristocratic brethren who fell during the French Revolution—think about where a guillotine hits your neck—it also served a far more practical purpose: The velvet section could easily be removed and replaced after it became soiled. Longer hair was the style at the time, and as bathing was a once-in-a-while kind of affair, the oils that built up in a guy’s locks tended to transfer to the collar in short order. Seems that hygiene, like formality, is a relative thing as well.

Italia Independent, on sale now on Gilt MAN.

Rag & Bone, on sale now on Gilt MAN.

Shipley & Halmos, on sale now on Gilt MAN.

Allegri, on sale now on Gilt MAN.