ROX Man SS19

DIAMONDS & THRILLS

SS19 | £4.50

MAN IN BLOOM

A REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

1969: THE YEAR THAT CHANGED WATCHMAKING FOREVER AUDEMARS PIGUET KEEPS BREAKING THE RULES HUBLOT’S ALCHEMICAL WIZARDRY WITH SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL

Big Bang Unico Blue Magic. Case in vibrantly-coloured blue ceramic. In-house UNICO chronograph movement. Interchangeable strap using patented One-Click system. Limited edition of 500 pieces.

hublot.com

MILLE MIGLIA CLASSIC CHRONOGRAPH Since 1988, Chopard has been the historical partner and official timekeeper of the fabled Mille Miglia, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most beautiful car race. Proudly created and assembled in our Manufacture, this unique 42 mm-diameter chronograph showcases the full range of watchmaking skills cultivated within the Maison Chopard.

TAG HEUER CARRERA CALIBRE 16 Patrick Dempsey, perfectly inspired by Gentlemen Drivers, is the symbol of TAG Heuer’s legacy. He embodies the taste for adventure, panache and elegance. #DontCrackUnderPressure is what drives him.

DEF Y EL PRIMERO 21

Z E N I T H , T H E F U T U R E O F S W I S S W AT C H M A K I N G

w w w . z e n i t h - w a t c h e s . c o m

DAWN BLACK B ADGE AE RO COW L ING the tonneau cover Styl e a nd i nnovat ion blend in t his t ruly e xhil a ra ti ng evolut ion of Dawn. U nco mpro mi sing de sign and light weight c onst ruc t ion g ive Daw n Bl a ck Badge a t ransformat ive nat ure; se a ml e ssly swi tching bet ween immersive four- seat er so ci a li te a nd e xpressive t wo- seat er at hlet e . Unri va l le d be aut y on t he open road.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Edinburgh One Corstorphine Rd, Edinburgh EH12 6DD Tel: 0131 442 1000 www.levencarcompany.co.uk/rollsroyce Ofﬁcial fuel economy ﬁgures for the Rolls-Royce Dawn Inspired by Music: Urban 13.0mpg (21.8l/100km). Extra Urban 28.5mpg (9.9l/100km). Combined 19.8mpg (14.3l/100km). CO2 emissions 326g/km. Figures are obtained in a standardised test cycle. They are intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not be representative of what a user achieves under usual driving conditions. © Copyright Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited 2019. The Rolls-Royce name and logo are registered trademarks.

S301

Beautiful To Drive.

Aston Martin Edinburgh Bankhead Dr, Edinburgh EH11 4DJ Tel: 0131 442 2800 www.astonmartinedinburgh.co.uk

WWW.ASTONMARTINEDINBURGH.CO.UK

the LAMBORGHINI Huracรกn LP 610-4. at lamborghini edinBurgh.

LAMBORGHINI HURACร N LP 610-4

LAMBORGHINI EDINBURGH Fort Kinnaird Edinburgh EH15 3HR Tel 0131 475 5500

Lamborghini Huricรกn LP 610-4 fuel consumption (1/100 km) city 17.8; extra-urban 9.4; combined 12.5*. CO2 emissions 290 g/km *In accordance to directive 80/126/CE

lamborghini.com

ROX MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

CONTENTS 26

SS19 WISH LIST This season’s must have fashion, watches and accessories.

HOW TO BE A MODERN MAN Getting it right where it really matters.

MAN IN BLOOM Breaking the mould the Man In Bloom creates his own norm- a rebel without a cause.

THE LUXURY WATCH EDIT The definitive guide to what you should be wearing on your wrist right now.

RIGHT ROYAL RULE BREAKERS CODE 11.59 is by no means the first time that Audemars Piguet has ruffled feathers.

THROUGH A GLASS LIGHTLY

p. 50

Sapphire crystal is material of the moment chez Hublot.

1969

p. 84

Fifty years ago, to the background of Vietnam, Led Zeppelin and the Moon landings, Switzerland was undergoing its own revolution.

p. 133

133

MOTORING

p. 90

Chris Chilton give us an insight into Porsche and Aston Martin's masterpieces.

141

GADGET MAN You don’t have to be a tech wizard to enjoy a good gadget.

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T HI N K A CEN TUR Y AHE AD Each decanter is the life achievement of generations of Cellar Masters.

Please Enjoy Responsibly

www.LOUISXIII-cognac.com

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EDITOR'S LETTER

WELCOME...

t’s my great pleasure to welcome you to another vibrant SS19 edition of ROX Man. Like last year, somewhat appropriately, I find myself writing this letter on board the annual flight to Basel, Switzerland for what - come to think of it - will be my 15th consecutive March at the watch industry’s biggest event. But apart from a sudden, crushing sense of my advancing years, what’s different this year is a positive feeling of springtime actually springing. Another “Beast from the East” would have been plain unfair, of course, but also rather dispiriting in welcoming you to our fresh-as-daisy “Man in Bloom” issue. It’s not just a convenient seasonal metaphor. If anything, the “modern man” in all his guises bloomed many moons ago, once the “metrosexual” and “new lad” chat turned to something more enlightened (making my Modern Man pages harder and harder to write with every issue). No, the thing that has really blossomed is the opportunity now afforded to men on the clothes front. With each gender’s London fashion weeks now piggybacking, the same scope of creativity and enthusiasm applies it seems. The only “trends” are oddball flurries of fashion best left to the peacocks of Instagram (no cheek-

grazing cut-off denim short shorts in these pages, chaps, rest assured). Instead, with this season’s triumphant return of suiting in all its guises (check out Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton and Kim Jones for Dior) “style” over “fashion” is becoming the norm; instinctively yet adventurously tailoring your own look to what suits you, what’s fluidly mix-and-matchable, and what’s longer-lasting. And so it goes with watches. After years of boomtime cuff-busting carbuncles, recent austerity has brought a long-overdue maturity to men’s timekeeping. Cool mid-century designs have been reissued, where the most extravagant functionality is limited to diving or a stopwatch, and brands are focusing more on their entry-level collections. The pricetag will still be high, but if you’re talking “cost per wear” as the fashionistas say, a Swiss watch is still a lifelong (generations-long, even) investment. Just check out our feature on 1969: Zenith’s El Primero and TAG Heuer’s Monaco are still as covetable today, 50 years on, and barely tweaked since. They’ll look great with a pair of stonewash bum-skimmers, too. Enjoy the issue!

Alex Doak

EDITOR’S PICKS

Audemars Piguet Watch 67351 | £26,900

DIOR

Hublot Watch 71922 | £15,900

GOYARD JOUVENCE

Chopard Watch 67937 | £4,240

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FRESH MANIFESTO It’s time to throw caution to the wind and take the path less travelled. Flora, fauna, fish, fowl, whatever: 2019’s agenda for the modern man embraces every opportunity going and refuses to subscribe to a tribe. From relaxed pastel tailoring to high-rave neon pattern clashing, blustery links course to far-flung safari reserve, it’s all there for the taking and ROX is here with a season’s worth of inspiration

Excursion from camp Omaanda, Namibia | © Zannier Hotels

26 31 32 34 36 38 40 45 46

WISH LIST WATCH ANATOMY CULTURAL RADAR TIMELINE TRAVEL DINNER PLANS FORE! WATCH OUT ETIQUETTE

WISH LIST

FRESH MANIFESTO

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SS19 WISH LIST We’ve sourced this season’s must have fashion, watches and accessories so that you can step into Summer in true ROXMAN fashion.

Everyone needs to embrace a denim jacket this season and this Dsquared denim combines quality and style to give you the perfect wardrobe staple for SS19. Pair with a smart jogger and crisp white sneaker for an effortless summer look.

Whether you’re hitting the golf range or the beach club this Balenciaga cap is an accessory you need in your SS19 suitcase. Unapologetically loud this one is for the Man In Bloom unafraid to stand out from the crowd.

INTO THE BLUE The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph watch cuts an impressive figure on the wrist. There will be no Monday blues with this piece. Original, bold and intriguing it leaves a lasting impression. 72733 | £23,800

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For the gentleman proud to wear the style on his sleeve this ROX Man black woven leather bracelet makes a perfect choice. Made in Italy and crafted in the finest Italian leather the bracelet is woven tightly in a cross pattern and fastened with a stainless steel adjustable clasp. 69327 | £50 The Bremont Arrow 42mm chronograph watch is a dedication to the man who seeks adventure. The Arrow plays on the same British military DNA as the Broadsword but is aimed at the airman with its chronograph functionality - a necessity for any timed mission. Presented on a 20mm RAF blue sailcloth strap it is the very essence of British Armed Forces. 72637 | £3,595

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FRESH MANIFESTO

TRENDING SS19 is the season to consume a little conspicuously as brands all over loudly mark their territory. Opt for the Fendi slides to chill poolside in true ROX Man style – and if you want to go full logo mania the Fendi swim shorts are the perfect companion.

WISH LIST

Beautifully crafted in soft Saffiano leather this bi-fold wallet, part of the ROX leather collection, is both practical and stylish. Complete with the ROX logo on the front, the design plays host to six compartments for credit cards and a bank note slot. 68857 | £129

FASTEN YOUR BELT The TAG Heuer Formula 1 watch has captured the hearts of thrill seeking motor racing fans. Buckle up for an fun filled SS19 with this timepiece on your wrist. Featuring TAG Heuer’s signature quartz movement it awards almost perfect precision. 72339 | £1,350

Don’t settle for anything less than gold with this Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion King Gold watch. We’re tickled pink by this beautiful pink gold dial and contrasting bold black croc strap. Wear your style on your sleeve, this one’s for the gent who isn’t afraid to shy away from the top spot. 71248 | £29,000

SKELETONISED STYLE

If you are looking for some shade this summer Dior have it covered. These classic sunglasses will keep you cool even when the mercury is rising.

It’s all in the details and this Zenith El Primero Titanium Defy Classic possesses an opaque centre allowing for supreme detailing of the watches mechanism. It’s the perfect way to introduce a drop of colour into your life with the subtle blue feature. Clean, strong and interesting this timepiece is a masterpiece of the Zenith brand. 70130 | £6,100

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WISH LIST

FRESH MANIFESTO

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The fundamental answer to soothing, woody fragrances, ROX Burning Embers will take you back to camping expeditions and warm nights by the fire. The mysterious fragrance burns for up to 40 hours, perfect for those long summer evenings. 63430 | £35

WHAT A STEEL MIX IT UP This Tudor Black Bay GMT watch is a real showstopper. The Pepsi coloured dial is ideal for the ROX Man who wants to inject a little colour into his life, making it the perfect accessory from beach club to nightclub. 71717 | £2,570

Wear the trousers in style with Tom Ford this season as he adds some crocodile texture to a classic. You won’t regret embracing the uber stylish brand loved by Jay Z and Justin Timberlake.

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Inspired by the 'Grand Turismo' universe the new Classic Fusion Ferrari GT is sure to put you ahead in the watch game. With only 500 pieces available globally it’s the watch to have this SS19. The love child of Ferrari and Hublot didn’t fall short of expectations boasting a 72 hour power reserve, a Carbon 3D Fibre 45mm case with polished black ceramic bezel… catch it while you can. 72847 | £15,900

This beautiful blue dial model features a 41mm brushed titanium case with domed sapphire crystal glass. Master the art of managing time in style with this Zenith El Primero Defy Classic. 70110 | £5,500

Channel Saint Laurent’s Parisian street style with a relaxed crew neck t-shirt printed with a metallic signature logo. It wears effortlessly from day to night.

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FRESH MANIFESTO

WISH LIST

Watches aren’t the only way to wear your style on your sleeve. These minimal Sterling Silver ROX cuff links are a must for the fashion forward man of SS19. Show off your distinctive style without being over the top. 63862 | £125

BEST OF BOTH Who says the wedding has to be all about the bride? Steal a little limelight from your other half on the wedding ring front with this ROX palladium and rose gold wedding band, this season is all about the modern man. 71700 | £1,095

Gear up for a summer filled with adventure with this TAG Heuer Aquaracer. The watch is fitted with a time regulated quartz crystal which vibrates at a high frequency, one of the most reliable and accurate made in Switzerland. 71268 | £1,250

BOLDLY BRITISH Ten years on from the launch of the Bremont MB range, a partnership which has not only become synonymous with the Bremont brand but which celebrates pioneering British engineering, the luxury British watch company introduces the anniversary MBIII/WH GMT chronometer. Featuring a white dial this piece will add an essence of summer to your watch collection. 72652 | £4,195

CARRY IT WELL Tap into the true rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic of the Saint Laurent brand with this vibrant multi-patch duffle bag. Practical and stylish it’s a piece you won’t regret investing in.

Show off your extravagant personality with this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch in pink gold and black. This iconic timepiece features a 41mm wide case with pink gold hands and handstitched crocodile strap as well as a 70 hour power reserve made up of 257 parts and 32 jewels. What’s not to love? 71913 | £28,300

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Enjoy sophisticated luxury in one of Glasgowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated hotels. Overlooking a private garden, this stunning Georgian landmark has recently undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment, with the addition of a new two-bedroom penthouse. Available for both short breaks and exclusive private events.

11 Blythswood Square Glasgow, G2 4AD T: 0141 248 8888

Experience a true taste of five star in the heart of the city at Blythswood Square.

blythswoodsquare.com

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FRESH MANIFESTO

WATCH ANATOMY

CARBON WHIRLWIND Since the Sixties, TAG Heuer’s chronographs have been synonymous with the world of motorsport, but never as viscerally as this year’s Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon: the watchmaker’s own high-octane ‘engine’, turbocharged with a whirring tourbillon carriage, has been tuned up with F1’s favourite lightweight material .

The dial’s openworked hexagon motif is for good reason: it’s the molecular arrangement of pure carbon atoms, in both of the crystalline forms that make up the balance spring’s composite. Namely, cylindrical ‘nanotubes’ and their unrolled, sheet-form ‘graphene’ allotrope.

Just when you thought pure carbon was restricted to the superstructural aspects of a watch – cases, baseplates, bezels, dials – TAG Heuer is proving its mettle for tricksy mechanical components. In this debut case, the tricksiest of all: the spiral balance spring, on which the balance wheel oscillates as the watch’s ticking ‘pendulum’.

Black calfskin leather and rubber strap, contraststitched in acid green, attached with carbon buckle and black-PVD titanium folding clasp.

Like silicon (and unlike traditional metal alloys), carbon springs give you antimagnetism, perfectly concentric oscillation and come with the ‘collet’ axis attachment integrated into the monostructure. But it’s the 5,000g shock resistance of crystalline carbon that’s the main draw over silicon – still avoided by purist watchmakers for its brittleness.

Chronograph stopwatch function’s start-and-stop pushbutton.

As if a carbon balance spring wasn’t impressive enough, it ticks at the heart of a whirring ‘tourbillon’ carriage – a 218-year-old invention that rotates the entire balance assembly by 360º per minute to even-out the ‘squashing’ effect of gravity.

Chronograph stopwatch function’s reset-to-zero pushbutton.

Logarithmic tachymetre scale for speed-distancetime calculations etched into ‘forged carbon’ bezel – essentially random carbon fibres compressed under great heat and pressure.

Like silicon parts, TAG Heuer’s carbon hairsprings are made with a photolithography process, but one that grows the parts on a silicon wafer, rather than etching them from one. A complex series of chemical and gaseous baths and reactions grow the composite at a molecular level to give it outstanding flex characteristics.

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CULTURAL RADAR

FRESH MANIFESTO

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CULTURAL RADAR

It pays to keep your ear to the tracks, fingers on pulses, eyes on the prize and many other parts of your anatomy elsewhere. With a tumultuous 2018 behind us, and an even-more uncertain 2019 ahead, the silver lining is a smorgasbord of even-smarter thinking and cultural relevance to keep us all enthralled to the now.

THE SCREEN

THE STREAM

THE EXHIBITION

SO THIS IS GT40

BACK TO THE EIGHTIES

THERE IN SPIRIT (AND BODY)

If you’ve already seen 2016 documentary, The 24-Hour War, you’ll know what a rivalry Ford shared with Ferrari back in the Sixties. If you won at Le Mans on Sunday, you sold cars on Monday, and the American carmaker wanted to beat the Italians in their own backyard. This epic battle saw drivers lose their lives, family dynasties nearly collapse and the development of a V8 racer that changed motorsport. Let’s forget about the car crash that was Ron Howard’s Rush and hope that Hollywood does better with November release, Ford v. Ferrari, starring Matt Damon as US legend Carroll Shelby.

The stakes are high for season three of instant cult favourite, Stranger Things, set to drop onto Netflix come July 4th. Teasers confirm it’ll bring us back to the sleepy backwater of Hawkins, Indiana, but the story itself is still shrouded in mystery. All we can be sure of are yet more stellar turns from its brilliant cast, complete with awkward romances and hilarious exchanges, plus disturbing stirrings in the Upside Down, just half a dimension away. Not forgetting of course, Stranger Things’ original draw: delicious Eighties nostalgia with a healthy dose of Spielbergian parody.

Dedicated followers of fashion will have recently noticed the most diverse and gender-inclusive cross-section of models being sent down the runway in the history of high-end style. It certainly hasn’t escaped the attention of the National Museum of Scotland, whose Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk exhibition brings the conversation to Chambers Street, examining how fashion creatives are reappraising contemporary ideals of beauty. Gaze upon pivotal looks from designers including Max Mara, Ashish, Pam Hogg and Jean Paul Gaultier, or listen to influencers, from stylists to photographers to the models themselves.

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FRESH MANIFESTO

CULTURAL RADAR

THE COFFEE TABLE DESIGN FOR LIFE Perfectly timed for the centennial of Germany’s seminal design movement, Bauhaus is another sumptuous Taschen tome to add to your coffee table. Realised with the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin, this updated edition celebrates the school’s prolific inter-war progression, gathering 550 illustrations across 400 pages, including architectural plans and biographies of key figures like Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, and Marianne Brandt - the ultimate guide to 20th-century modernism’s gestation, bringing a breath of fresh air to the movements rather stale reference library.

THE PODCAST

THE ALBUM

THE NIGHTSTAND

CAREER ADVICE

BULL FOR YOU

SWEET SIXTEEN

Ever met a scuba diver instructor or wondered who gets to design Lego sets, thinking “Hey, cool job”? This podcast, hosted by American writer Mary H.K. Choi, does what it says on the tin: explores the working life of people who have pursued careers that stand out. It unveils the everyday lives of a war reporter, a celebrity paparazzo and a Japanese porn publisher, while musing on the state of the modern workplace – what a ‘career’ means these days. If you’re looking for something relaxing yet inspiring, get this onto your podcast subscriptions.

Say what you want about the Brooklyn hipster culture, leaking its exposed brickwork and craft IPA everywhere, but one upshot we can all agree on is the music: if not a playback of rare vintage vinyl, then the scene’s very own ‘chillwave’ genre, shaped by style mavens like Chaz Bundick AKA Toro y Moi – an American singersongwriter-producer whose stock in trade stitches together hazy jams of jazz, hip hop and disco with seeming effortlessness. His seventh album is his strongest in years: funky, focused, rooted in the present and blessed with good old-fashioned catchy tunes.

Coming out in July, Sweet Sorrow (Hodder & Stoughton) should prove to be another essential summer-holiday read, from bestselling British author David Nicholls – best-known for his 2010 Galaxy Book of the Year Award-winning One Day. A decade on, Nicholls returns with a bittersweet and brilliantly funny coming-of-age tale, told over one life-changing summer (appropriately enough). An authority on what it truly feels to be young and in love, Nicholls delivers yet another hymn to the tragicomedy of ordinary lives.

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TIMELINE

FRESH MANIFESTO

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CHOPARD’S L.U.C. BREAKS

While its fabulous jewellery continues to pioneer sustainability on the red carpet, Chopard’s elite Swiss atelier has transformed modern watchmaking in the past 20 years, masterpiece by masterpiece.

he jewels you see gleaming on the red carpets of the Cannes Film Festival and the watches adorning the wrists of the Mille Miglia vintage car rally drivers all come from Chopard – a still-independent luxury powerhouse that began with Louis-Ulysse Chopard in 1860, in the small Swiss village of Sonvillier. Their precision and reliability meant his watches fast garnered a reputation among enthusiasts, finding buyers as far aﬁeld as Eastem Europe, Russia and Scandinavia. By 1963, however, the sons of Louis-Ulysse’s grandson Paul had no interest in perpetuating the family firm, so the baton passed to kindred spirit and upwardly mobile Karl Scheufele. A descendant of a dynasty of watchmakers and jewellers from Pforzheim in Germany, Herr Scheufele and his wife Karin have orchestrated 34

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Chopard’s international expansion for more than 40 years and sure enough, their two children are now its current custodians: Caroline Scheufele, responsible for the ladies’ collections and mastermind behind the Cannes connection, plus on the men’s side, brother Karl-Friedrich. Having established his own pet partnership as early as 1988 with the Mille Miglia (in which the confirmed petrolhead continues to race) the mid-Nineties brought a new kind of challenge to Karl-Friedrich. Interest in ‘proper’ mechanical watches was back on the upswing, and he was determined to revive the horological prestige originally forged by the founding father. Louis-Ulysse Chopard would certainly be proud to see his initials adorning the timepieces that have since emerged from the titular facility in Fleurier – a hotbed of innovation and exacting hand-craftsmanship.

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FRESH MANIFESTO

Chopard’s ‘L.U.C.’ facility, named after founder Louis-Ulysse and built in the Swiss Jura mountains’ village of Fleurier, premiered with the 1.96 – an exquisite timekeeper driven by two winding barrels giving 70 hours of power.

1996

2000

L.U.C.’s first tourbillon mechanism, tumbling the ticking balance spring 360º every minute, silenced any remaining detractor of Chopard’s horological chops.

2003 2004

The L.U.C Lunar One featured a perpetual calendar requiring no manual correction until 2100, and also an ‘orbital moon-phase indicator’, out by only 24 hours every 122 years.

The L.U.C 98.01-L “Quattro” calibre boasted four winding barrels comprising a total 1.88 metres of spring, endowing the Quattro watch with a sensational autonomy of nine days.

Having cemented L.U.C. as facility worthy of Fleurier’s repute as a hotbed of prestige watchmaking, Chopard joined forces with next-door-neighbours Bovet and Parmigiani to launch Qualité Fleurier – a rigorous certification procedure that demands a watch is 100 per cent Swiss-made, highly accurate, robust and flawlessly hand-finished.

2005

2007

While ‘L.U.C.’ crafts first-class haute horlogerie, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele always had broader self-sufficiency in mind when it came to movements – culminating in the establishment of Fleurier Ebauches, harnessing cuttingedge mechanisation to produce ‘businessclass’ calibres on an industrial scale.

TIMELINE

No mean feat for any Swiss watchmaker: a fully integrated self-winding chronograph, resulting from 16,000 hours of R&D. Nearly every other watchmaker relies on a piggyback stopwatch ‘module’ mechanism, or a bought-in ‘blank’ movement, but not L.U.C.

2009

2012

A world première watch, encased in an ethically sourced gold that supports its own South American mining co-op: the L.U.C Tourbilon QF ‘Fairmined’, tested and certified to the strict Qualité Fleurier criteria.

L.U.C. 8HF, the first high-frequency Chopard watch, operating at a rate of 57,600 vibrations per hour – and yet running for around 60 hours.

2014

2016

A marquee year for L.U.C., which celebrated its 20th anniversary in considerable style: the GMT One and Time Traveler One worldtimer, boasting integrated secondary-time-zone functionality on two levels of sophistication (home time, then all 24 of the world’s main time zones). The year climaxed with the Full Strike – the maison’s first chiming ‘minute repeater’, striking the hours, quarters and minutes on two sapphire gongs tuned to C and F, beautifully resonant and pristine. Much like L.U.C as a whole, then. www.rox.co.uk

FRESH MANIFESTO

RAMBLING MAN The balmy winds of summer are breezing our way, and chances are your getaway plans are still exactly that: in planning stage. Allow ROX to provide some travel inspo, whether you’re making a last-minute weekend dash for the sun, or gearing up for a far-flung and exotic exodus.

AN EPIC ADVENTURE SUNSETS ON THE SAVANNAH Perched on the southwestern coast of Africa, consistently stable and democratic since 1990, Namibia boasts the largest free-roaming population of black rhino and cheetah in the world and is the only country with an expanding population of free-roaming lions – the greatest African wildlife recovery story ever told. So why not go and witness it yourself? Over 43 per cent of Namibia is under conservation management, and a lot of that includes unparalleled safari experiences.

STAY:

There’s ‘off grid’ and then there’s Omaanda. Composed of 10 thatched huts inspired by traditional Owambo architecture, this is an out-ofthis-world luxury safari retreat that couldn’t feel more authentic, deep in the heart of a private animal reserve: over 9,000 hectares of savannah, surrounding the capital Windhoek. There’s a cosy bar, a spa, a boutique and a heated infinity swimming pool overlooking the majestic plains and its roaming elephants. Come nightfall, nursing a nightcap around an open fire, you’ll never see the Milky Way so clearly for the rest of your life. Visit zannierhotels.com/omaanda 36

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EXPLORE:

Excursions and safaris are organised twice daily at Omaanda, made-to-measure according to your thirst for adventure. You could go on a group game drive to witness the extraordinary wildlife of Namibia, which extends far beyond the ‘Big Five’. Or why not experience the savannah in a private vehicle with the reserve manager and potentially spot even more animals. There’s even the opportunity to go ‘behind the scenes’ following the vets of the Shiloh Wildlife Sanctuary, and the antipoaching unit, with the added privilege of a stroll with cheetahs and baboons.

FRESH MANIFESTO

THE LONG WEEKEND BROGA IN SARDINIA Giggs, Ronaldo, Beckham, James (both David and LeBron) – they all put their athletic longevity down to yoga. The ancient Indian practice of meditative poses just keeps on getting bigger and bigger throughout the western world as a more ‘mindful’ (i.e. less narcissistic) alternative to the gym, and healthier too. No longer the preserve of bored housewives or newage kooks, men are signing up to classes in their droves – and now have a wholesome excuse to hang it all and treat themselves to a sunkissed Mediterranean retreat.

STAY:

If you’re a stressed-out, yoga-keen chap seeking a more luxurious and relaxed break from the ratrace, in a gorgeous location, then Destination Yoga has precisely what the chiropractor ordered: one-week retreats at Hotel Galanias, on Mediterranean hotpost-ofthe-hour Sardinia. The yoga sessions take place within the garden in the wonderful outdoor circular shala. With hardwood floors for help you feel grounded and soft flowing draped walls it’s the perfect spot to ease your thoughts and focus on the practice. In between twice-daily yoga, you can relax in pretty poolside cabanas, enjoy relaxing massages, reflexology and Thai stretching sessions. Being rustic and Italian, the local food is divine: fresh, simple and intensely flavoured. As for the wine? Well,

that depends on how much of a ‘wellness’ jag you’re on, but it would be very rude not to, wouldn’t it now? Visit galaniashotel.it

EXPLORE:

Galanias is a stone’s throw away from the wide stretch of sandy beach of La Torri di Bari and the warm Mediterranean sea. Further afield, the wild, wild east of Sardinia continues to be all about the great outdoors and nature. It’s where the Supramonte’s imperious limestone mountains roll down to the Golfo di Orosei’s cliffs and sparkling aquamarine waters. Deep valleys conceal prehistoric caves, the lonesome villages of the Barbagia are steeped in bandit legends, and its forests harbour wild pigs snuffling amid centuries-old holm oaks. Explore it all by mountain bike. www.rox.co.uk

EATING OUT, EATING WAY OUT

FRESH MANIFESTO

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DINNER PLANS What are you doing tonight? Eating will be involved, we’re sure, and Scotland and the Northeast has better-than-ever homegrown opportunity to sample our shores’ world-class produce – whether out on the town, or way out of town.

Close to home... THE LITTLE CHARTROOM Buoyed by the starry buzz of a Young British Foodies Chef award, a husband and wife team are fast-forging must-visit status, caught betwixt historic Edinburgh and hipster Leith. This is the first restaurant from Roberta HallMcCarron – former head chef at Castle Terrace, previously of Tom Kitchin’s The Kitchin – and her husband Shaun. Roberta won the coveted Young British Foodies Chef award in 2018 and the restaurant has been receiving rave reviews since opening earlier last year.

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A neighbourhood bistro tucked away on Albert Place, a short walk from Edinburgh centre towards buzzy Leith, The Little Chartroom’s tiny open-plan kitchen serves its necessarily limited (like, 16-covers limited) guests an inventive take on French-British style cuisine, while surrounded by vintage maps. (Actually bespoke artworks by Roberta’s mum, inspired by her love of sailing and old shipping charts.) The food is simple and seasonal, but as you’d expect from a classically trained chef, comes blessed with an attention to detail that belies such a bijou setting. Hall-McCarron has elevated things far, far beyond standard bistro fare. If you’re in the neighbourhood, be sure to set a course. The Little Chartroom, 30-31 Albert Place, Edinburgh EH7 5HN. 0131 556 6600, thelittlechartroom.com

Further afield... INVER Come for the food, stay for the… well, just stay. (If you’re lucky enough to secure a table at Scotland’s hottest lochside ticket in the first place, let alone snaffle a night in one of Inver’s four new bothies) Tantalisingly close, as you drive through Furnace down to the Kennacraig ferry along our route to The Machrie (see Great Drives, overleaf), Inver is nonetheless a gruelling swim away, perched as it is on the east coast of Loch Fyne. But we urge you to strike out and seek this hidden gem, fast gaining world-class accolades, and less than two hours’ drive from Glasgow around the limpid shores of Loch Lomond. Chef Pamela Brunton and co-owner Rob Latimer have been honing the Inver experience (it’s so much

more than simply great food) since 2015. Housed in an unassuming, low-rise cottage, this charming restaurant harnesses current cooking techniques and the very best local wild and farmed ingredients to offer a contemporary take on traditional and forgotten Scottish dishes. Every precisely crafted course is simple yet alchemical, with foraged twists: oxtail buns; bright green hedgerow soup; halibut and aged beef with scurvy grass; potato broth; blackcurrant leaf mousse for dessert with chunks of milk crumb. And good news for those dreading the prospect of a provincial B’n’B: last summer, Pam and Rob opened four en-suite bothies next to the restaurant. Scandi-chic in style, with one of the best views on the West Coast, unsurprisingly they’re booked out every weekend as far as the eye can see. Bed and breakfast £160; dinner, bed and breakfast £255 (based on two people sharing). There are no fully accessible guest rooms, but one bothy has a walk-in wet room. Inver Restaurant, Strathlachlan, Strachur PA27 8BU, 01369 860 537, inverrestaurant.co.uk www.rox.co.uk

FORE!

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GREAT DRIVES There’s nothing quite like a spontaneous weekend dash to the countryside – especially when there’s a spot of golf to be had on the way. And with spring having finally sprung, a bracing coastal jaunt is just the thing to blow the winter cobwebs away. Here are two of ROX’s favourite links courses along some of Britain’s most magnificent seafronts, both accessed via some thrilling backroads, and both boasting resplendent examples of that all-important thing: the 19th hole.

BUNKER DOWN AT BIRKDALE The golden, sandy links of the northwest coast provide the dramatic setting for one of the UK’s top-five golf clubs – not to mention a sweeping, undulating A-road blast to get there, followed by a cruise through the spectacular Ribble Valley.

The Route:

1. Starting in maritime Liverpool, the A565 undulates its way along the coast. Make the most of a detour to Crosby beach (aka ‘Another Place’) where you’ll spot Antony Gormley’s eerie iron men. 2. Stop off for 18 holes round the Royal Birkdale. 3. Open up the engine as you cruise through the sand dunes towards Victorian Southport and the UK’s longest iron pier, just in time to catch a fabulous sunset over the Irish Sea. 4. Zoom up to Pendle Heritage Centre via the M65 then take your car through its paces along the Ribble Valley. 5. Let loose on the meandering, narrow roads of the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, then up through the wild moors, ending with a visit to Lancaster’s castle.

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FORE!

Situated on the golden dunes of the North West coast – home to no less than 12 of the UK’s finest links courses – Southport’s Royal Birkdale is possibly the finest of all in England. Royal Birkdale has held more Championship and International events since World War II than any other course in the world. It was 1922 when Southport Corporation became owners of the Club, putting a sevenyear plan into operation to prepare the course for ‘Championship’ standard. This involved the building of a low-rise clubhouse – a masterpiece of Art Deco design – and a grand remodelling of the course. Their philosophy was to lay out holes in the valleys between the sand hills rather than over them. This enabled Birkdale’s reputation as one of the fairest of the championship courses. It rewards the straight hit but punishes the wayward shot, with its surrounding buckthorn and dwarf willow scrub. The fairways thread through the valleys, leaving the mighty sand dunes as perfect natural vantage points for spectators.

Which car? JAGUAR I-PACE Our route demands at least one overnight stay, meaning you’re not the only one who can recharge – your car can, too. Though, admittedly, not as much as you might suspect, since Jaguar’s gamechanging all-electric SUV makes so-called ‘range anxiety’ seem rather old-fashioned. Two Jaguar electric motors, producing 400PS and 696Nm, allow the I-PACE to deliver all-wheel-drive sporting performance (essential for powering through the tortuous single tracks of the Ribble Valley) over a whopping 292 miles.

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FORE!

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MAKE IT AT THE MACHRIE Here’s a fine excuse to tour the brooding west coast of Scotland: a drive almost as rewarding as a hole-inone on the historic links of the newly refurbished The Machrie on Islay. Given the Isle’s fame for whisky, why not tour a distillery or eight, too?

The Route:

1. From Glasgow, our route to Islay gives a great mix of lochs and hills en route to Kintyre and the islands of the west coast. 2. Travelling north from Glasgow on the A82, you enter the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park at Balloch and soon see Ben Lomond looming over the east shore. 3. Turn off on to the A83 at Tarbet, where a short climb takes you down to Arrochar at the head of Loch Long – the first of the sea lochs. 4. From the pine forests of Lochgilphead, head south to the ferry at Kennacraig for the 2.5-hour trip over to Islay. 5. Top-flight golf awaits at The Machrie, yes, but also eight whisky distilleries – all of which run tours. Ardbeg on the south coast is a must.

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FORE!

Set into Islay’s magnificent dunes (there’s good reason for the Isle’s ‘Queen of the Hebrides’ monniker), The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links enjoys an enviable location, nestled beside seven miles of pristine Inner Hebrides beach. Re-opened in late summer 2018 after a complete renovation and expansion, The Machrie now boasts 47 beautifully designed suites and lodges, some with their own outdoor terraces and views across Laggan Bay. But it’s the dramatic and wild scenery that has served as the main draw for golfers since 1891. The course combines the very best of a historic links from a previous age, with a modern slant. The need for thought, imagination and creative shot-making has not changed throughout the years and carries as much of a premium over sheer power now, as it did back then. Oh, just a reminder, where top-flight golf awaits, Islay is famously home to eight whisky distilleries, too – all of which run tours. Ardbeg is a must.

Which car? RANGE ROVER SPORT HST The winding and rugged roads of the Scottish west coast demand a maturer SUV that can handle anything thrown at it, yet remain suitably poised for our route’s long distances. Launched at March’s Geneva Motor Show, the new Range Rover Sport HST is just the ticket: a new 400PS Ingenium petrol engine adds straight-six balance, with a chassis that gives dynamic on-road handling, luxurious refinement and Land Rover’s trademark allterrain capability.

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JAGUAR F-PACE

NOT ALL SUVS ARE TAME.

F-PACE FROM £419 A MONTH PLUS

DEPOSIT AND OPTIONAL FINAL PAYMENT As Jaguar’s first performance SUV, the F-PACE blends power with technology and practicality delivering efficiency and true sporting performance.

F-PACE 19MY R-SPORT 2.0D 180PS RWD AUTO PCP REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE† On the Road Price

£41,400.00

Finance Deposit Allowance (FDA)

£3,883.00

Customer Deposit

£2,999.00

Technologically advanced to the core, F-PACE helps to keep you safe, connected and entertained. It has the capability for every road and the capacity for every day.

Total Amount of Credit

Call or visit to book your test drive today.

48 Monthly Payments

Purchase Fee (included in optional final payment)

Optional Final Payment

£34,518.00 £10.00 £419.00 £20,953.00

Total Amount Payable (Including FDA)

£47,957.00

100 Heathfield Road, Ayr KA8 9BN 01292 653000 61 Harbour Road, Inverness IV1 1UF 01463 716716

Duration of Agreement

49 months

Representative APR

5.9% APR

parks.uk.com/jaguar

Interest Rate (Fixed)

5.74%

Park’s

Annual Mileage Excess Mileage Charge

6,000 14p per mile

The model shown is an F-PACE 19MY R-Sport 2.0D 180PS RWD Auto with Caesium Blue Metallic Paint (£705), 22” ‘Style 1020’ Alloy Wheels (£2,095) and Adaptive LED Headlights (£600) at an On the Road Price of £44,800.

A BREED APART Official WLTP Fuel Consumption for the F-PACE range in mpg (l/100km): Combined TEH – TEL* 22.1 - 44.8 (12.8 - 6.3). Official NEDC Equivalent (NEDCeq) CO2 Emissions 272-145 g/km. The CO2 figures provided are NEDCeq calculated from official manufacturer’s WLTP tests in accordance with EU legislation. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. CO2 and fuel economy figures will vary according to wheel fitment, seat configuration, and optional extras fitted. NEDCeq are figures calculated using a Government formula from WLTP figures equivalent to what they would have been under the old NEDC test. The correct tax treatment can then be applied. †Important Information. Representative Example relates to an F-PACE 19MY R-Sport 2.0D 180PS RWD Auto. 5.9% APR Representative available on new Jaguar F-PACE 19MY models registered between 1st January and 31st March 2019 or until such time as they may be withdrawn by Jaguar at its complete discretion. Figures correct at time of printing. With Jaguar Personal Contract Purchase you have the option at the end of the agreement to: (1) return the vehicle and not pay the Optional Final Payment. If the vehicle has exceeded the maximum agreed mileage a charge per excess mile will apply. In this example, 14p plus VAT per excess mile up to 4,999, or for excess mileage of 5,000 or more, a charge of 28p plus VAT will apply to each excess mile above the maximum agreed mileage. If the vehicle is in good condition (fair wear and tear accepted) and has not exceeded the maximum agreed mileage you will have nothing further to pay; (2) pay the Optional Final Payment to own the vehicle or (3) part exchange the vehicle subject to settlement of your existing credit agreement; new credit agreements are subject to status. Representative Example is based upon an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. Credit is subject to status and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. This credit offer is only available through Black Horse Limited trading as Jaguar Financial Services, St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff CF10 5BH. We can introduce you to Jaguar Financial Services to provide funding for your vehicle. We may receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to the lender. *TEH (Test Energy High) and TEL (Test Energy Low) figures are shown as a range under WLTP testing measures. TEH refers to the highest/least economical figures (with the heaviest set of options). TEL refers to the lowest/most economical figures (with the lightest set of options). WLTP legislation dictates that where there is <5g CO2 variance between TEL and TEH, only the TEH is declared. Park’s (AYR) Limited and Park’s of Hamilton (Townhead Garage) Limited are Appointed Representatives of Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited, FRN 308476 of 14 Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0AY, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited permitted business is Insurance Mediation and to act as a Credit Broker. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers to assist with your purchase, who may remunerate us for introducing you to them. Retail customers only.

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WATCH OUT

ATTENTION! Whether you’re Army, Navy or Air Force, there’s a Bremont for you with Her Majesty’s own stamp of approval. Words by Alex Doak.

After years of building an unofficial reputation as supplier to countless elite squadrons across the globe, Britain’s Bremont has now earned unprecedented recognition from our own Ministry of Defence: it is now the sole luxury watch producer approved by all three of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. Not only does this mark the first time a watchmaker can legitimately use the signs, symbols and Heraldic Badges of all three services (engraved on the caseback of all three new launches) but also the first time civilians can purchase official ‘Bremont Military’ timepieces – previously the reserve of F-15, Typhoon or Stratotanker pilots wanting a liveried watch to call their own.

The 2019 ‘Armed Forces Collection’ draws direct inspiration from the original ‘Dirty Dozen’ – a strictly specified ‘Watch. Wrist. Waterproof.’ commissioned out by the MOD to 12 separate Swiss watchmakers in the last knockings of WWII. The time-only ‘Broadsword’ (Army, pictured left), ‘Arrow’ monopusher chronograph (RAF, right), and Argonaut diving watch (Royal Navy, not pictured) all share those essential militarywatch tropes traceable to the W.W.W. of 1944: no-nonsense, high-vis white-on-black styling, precision timekeeping, decent water resistance, and a ruggedly built steel case. If it’s up to the standards of the British military, spanning land, sea and air, it’ll certainly do for you.

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Illustrations by Ross Craig

ETIQUETTE

HOW TO...

BE A MODERN MAN Men in shorts, romantic mini-breaks, middle-class dinner parties: clichés exist for a reason, but it doesn’t have to be for the wrong reasons – here’s our fifth installment of ROX MAN’s guide to getting it right in a time of confused masculinity, bossing it in the process. Words by Alex Doak.

HOW NOT TO FLUFF YOUR FIRST MINI-BREAK “This can’t be just shagging – a mini-break means true love.” So wrote Bridget Jones (or rather Helen Fielding) in her titular diary, on the cusp of her first “full-blown mini-break holiday weekend” away with roguish boss Daniel Cleaver. And, subsequent plot developments aside, fair 46

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enough: the first time you go away with each other is a big deal. Like getting a puppy before kids, or co-renting before a mortgage, it’s one of the very first toes in the commitment water. But while you may not have the pectorals of Hugh Grant’s Cleaver to Renée Zellweger’s Jones, nor the vintage Mercedes drop-top or even the budget for a weekend at Stoke Park, you can at

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least plan things smoothly and not fall into the boating lake. For a start, keep it spontaneous, run away and don’t tell anyone. Safety reasons aside (probably best someone knows if you’re going wilderness camping) there’s no greater feeling of togetherness when nobody else knows. Secondly, dropping her a “pick you up 5pm Friday, pack something skimpy ;-)” text message before springing a surprise is all very debonair, but it can be fun organising something together. It’s a great way to learn more about your partner, and it avoids the pitfall of taking her somewhere from your past, rather than sharing a new discovery. (If you do insist on surprising her however, ‘something skimpy’ simply won’t cut it – hell hath no fury like a woman realising she’s packed insufficiently). Finally, as cheesy as it might seem, make sure you organise a Saturdayafternoon activity – preferably after a long pub lunch. Getting silly and then horribly lost around a toy museum is what the grandkids really want to hear about.

to sup together, at home, in unusually formal clothing, for all eternity – so accept the fact, send that invite to Phoebe and Marcus and book the babysitter. But then what? Food first of course, and make damn sure it’s something you can cook, preferably well. Shop for everything the day before (for there will be emergency runs on the day of) and keep your menu simple and two-

BE THE 21ST CENTURY’S HOST WITH THE MOST Prawn cocktail starters, Demis Roussos playing in the background, car keys in a big bowl… The Seventies have a lot to answer for when it comes to domestic soirées. But it needn’t be all Abigail’s Party, or Come Dine With Me for that matter. The middle classes are destined

course – a salad to season immediately before serving (yes, prawn cocktail is fashionable again), then a main that cooks low and slow like a spiced pork shoulder, which also ensures your place will smell amazing when guests trickle in. This means you’ll be calm and entertaining upon arrival, rather than brandishing knives in a soiled apron. The only thing you need do after guests arrive

ETIQUETTE

LIKE GETTING A PUPPY BEFORE KIDS, OR CORENTING BEFORE A MORTGAGE, IT’S ONE OF THE VERY FIRST TOES IN THE COMMITMENT WATER

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is dress, toss, carve and plonk on the table. Let guests help themselves – this will encourage chat and break the ice. (Speaking of which: stock the freezer with plenty of it.) And always buy in too much wine – there’s nothing more embarrassing than that a late night dash to Tesco Express for two more lukewarm bottles of sauvignon. As for the music? Release your inner DJ and go with the vibe – but stick to full albums, and start with something upbeat and instrumental, like St Germain, Röyksopp, or anything mixed by Gilles Peterson. The modern-day Sadé in other words. You smooth operator! LEGS ELEVEN! (OR HOW ‘TO SHORT’) If there’s one aspect of male outfitting guaranteed to inspire more heated debate than anything else, simultaneously striking fear in the very bowels of any long-suffering wife or girlfriend, it is of course the summer short. That we’re deploying the fashion singular here is fitting, for men’s style (note ‘style’ over faddish ‘fashion’) is here to stay following an explosive

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decade of broadening creativity and mainstream investment. And in this brave new world of relaxed tailoring, athleisure luxe and mustard corduroy, shorts most certainly feature. Like everything though, there are rules, which should be encouraging for chaps rather than daunting, as it really does keep things simple. For a start, massive cargo-pant pockets are OUT, unless you’re a carpenter. In fact, anything that’s baggy is ill-advised – a tailored fit will always flatter, as men’s behinds tend to stay more or less the same shape with age. Tube socks and pool sliders were trendy last year, but ironic fads tend to be just that – we know that you know sandals and socks are just a plain old NO. In fact, what are we saying? If in any doubt over your summer attire, just think one thing: Italian men. Or Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name. Either way, a pastel short with espadrilles plus blousy shirt with rolled-up sleeves is guaranteed to preserve all dignity on the school run and draw minimal scorn from the yummy mummies. Ciao! www.rox.co.uk

Zenith El Primero Defy 21 Ceramic Watch Â£10,600 (68721), Neil Barrett jacket and trousers & Gucci t-shirt from Cruise, Valentino shoes from Mr Porter, Socks from Matches Fashion

MAN IN BLOOM Breaking the mould the Man In Bloom creates his own norm - a rebel without a cause.

ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION/STYLING:

CHARLIE MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY: IAN LIM MAKEUP: MIRA PARMAR HAIR: JACK BAXTER MODEL:

TAYLOR BROWN

Zenith El Primero Defy 21 Ceramic Watch ÂŁ10,600 (68721), Neil Barrett jacket and trousers & Gucci t-shirt from Cruise, Valentino shoes from Mr Porter, Socks from Matches Fashion

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch ÂŁ24,500 (69770), Balenciaga jacket, Valentino sweater & Jacob Cohen jeans from Cruise, Saint Laurent boots and Hillier Bartley hat from Matches Fashion

Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Automatic Speed Watch ÂŁ5,970 (67625), Alexander McQueen leather, Dsquared2 t-shirt and jeans from Cruise, Saint Laurent boots from Matches Fashion

Hublot Big Bang Ceramic Blue Chronograph Watch Â£13,300 (69704), Gucci tracksuit from Cruise. Dior shirt and sneakers from Dior

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Watch ÂŁ23,500 (69695), Stella McCartney trousers and Balenciaga sneakers from Mr Porter, Neil Barrett shirt and Balmain blazer from Cruise

Hublot Big Bang Unico Titanium Watch ÂŁ14,700 (70073), Neil Barrett jacket, Balenciaga shirt and Off-White trousers from Cruise. Valentino sneakers from Mr Porter

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watch ÂŁ21,100 (66452), Suit, Shirt and Gloves from Walker Slater

Hublot Big Bang Unico Titanium Watch ÂŁ14,700 (70073), Neil Barrett jacket, Balenciaga shirt and Off-White trousers from Cruise. Valentino sneakers from Mr Porter

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Watch Â£40,700 (67353), Saint Laurent shirt & Helmut Lang trousers from Cruise, Dior sneakers from Dior

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Watch Â£40,700 (67353), Saint Laurent shirt & Helmut Lang trousers from Cruise, Dior sneakers from Dior.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Watch Â£40,700 (67353), Saint Laurent shirt & Helmut Lang trousers from Cruise, Dior sneakers from Dior

Bremont ALT1-ZT/51 Automatic Watch ÂŁ4,495 (65329), Silver Box Belcher Chain ÂŁ70 (72860), Balmain leather jacket & Fendi t-shirt from Cruise, Amiri jeans & Saint Laurent boots from Matches Fashion, Officine Generale shirt from Mr Porter

LUXURY WATCH EDIT

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LUXURY WATCH EDIT The definitive directory of what you should be wearing on your wrist right now.

AUDEMARS PIGUET

CHOPARD

HUBLOT

ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING 41MM

MILLE MIGLIA

AEROFUSION ORLINSKI RED

It could have been one of those urban myths, since dis-proved by the watch world’s obsessive blogosphere. But it really is true: after a daring, last-minute brief to design a luxurious steel sports watch for the Italian market, Gérald Genta coined the iconic lines of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak in a single night. And here we are almost half a century on, with the latest tweak introducing a newly refined calibre, cleaned-up dial and fulsome case profile. But ultimately, Genta got it so right in the first place, you’re investing in the same revolutionary vision as always – only better. A Porsche 911 for the wrist, in other words. 71915 | £17,000

With so many watch brands aligning themselves with the motoring world, it’s always reassuring to know where there’s genuine integrity beyond boys’-toys badge engineering. And it doesn’t get more fanatically petrol-headed than Chopard’s co-president. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is as fully signed-up a petrolhead imaginable, regularly driving Italy’s achingly glamorous Mille Miglia vintage rally at the wheel of one of his 30-strong collection, justifying his brand’s 30-year sponsorship. This bimetal version of 2018’s ‘Race Edition’ chronograph (a steel version being included in every driver’s race pack) is a potent cocktail of retro dashboard and upholstery details. 72800 | £6,450

The scarlet-red ceramic unveiled by Hublot last year was irresistible – high-tech kinkiness with as much brains as beauty. Making ‘Red Magic’ the perfect medium for Hublot’s next adventure with best-selling French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski. Like his trademark animal sculptures, it boasts sharp three-dimensional sculpted lines and a dazzling polished finish. But that’s not to overlook the serious horological clout at play: not only the watchmaker’s own precision ‘Unico’ chronograph movement, but ceramic technology four years in gestation chez Hublot, boasting double the hardness of before. 71923 | £19,900

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TUDOR 1926 41MM It’s not all about the Black Bay at Tudor. Sure, the runaway success of its heritageinspired diving watches and their new inhouse movements have set Rolex’s sibling brand apart as a formidable watchmaker in its own right, but let’s not forget why Hans Wilsdorf founded Tudor in the first place: to offer a highly accessible alternative to Rolex’s unparalleled sports watches, driven by third-party mechanics but still solidly built, through and through. All qualities the new 1926 – named after the year Mr W registered “The Tudor Watch” trademark while the Anglophile entrepreneur was building his empire in London – has in spades. 72799 | £1,330

ZENITH

TAG HEUER

BREMONT

DEFY CLASSIC TWO-TONE

CARRERA 02 TOURBILLON SENNA

SUPERMARINE S2000 RED

The return of Eighties bicolour flashiness continues unabated, but while most of us are busy blaming the semi-ironic steeland-yellow-gold legacy of Gordon Gekko’s Cartier Santos, Zenith has quietly forged a more modern path, blending the warm sheen of titanium with rose gold for its latest iteration of the Defy. It’s a combo that perfectly complements the collection’s angular style, which stems from Swiss watchmaking’s funkadelic late-Sixties / early-Seventies era. Along with its Elite movement’s intricate openworking, it all feels high-camp, glossy sci-fi – in a very good way. 72807 | £12,600

Anyone who followed Formula 1 during the Eighties and Nineties, or indeed anyone who has watched the phenomenal 2010 documentary, Senna will know that the talent and tragedy of Brazil’s greatest racing driver is never to be underestimated. As one of Ayrton Senna’s most loyal sponsors, TAG Heuer continues to pay tribute to the man’s precocious legacy this year with a brace of racy chronographs, fit for the three-time world champion himself (1988, 1990, 1991). The matteblack ceramic surrounding the in-housemanufactured tourbillon movement is pure contemporary cool, begging the question: how would Senna have fared in today’s F1? 72798 | £17,000

The restless action-man watchmaker of Henley-on-Thames ventures even further beneath the waves, while maintaining altitude on the wrists of so many military air crew worldwide. In fact, Bremont evolved its seminal pilot-watch DNA with 500m-waterresistance and high-luminescence just a few years into Bremont’s lifespan, before upping its sub-aquatic game to a whopping 2,000 metres down in 2013, even inviting the interest of commercial ‘saturation’ divers. If the bends aren’t going to get you light-headed, then the toothsome claret of this year’s bezel re-design certainly will. 72653 | £4,195

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RIGHT ROYAL

RULE-BREAKERS CODE 11.59 is the controversial launch of 2019 – but it’s by no means the first time that Audemars Piguet has ruffled feathers, as Alex Doak reveals. 86

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“

To break the rules, you must first master them,” declares the company motto, and quite right too. Since JulesLouis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet joined their surnames together in 1875, Switzerland’s only remaining family-owned watchmaker has consistently crafted ‘haute horlogerie’ of an elite standard and consistently challenged industry norms – always in the serene cradle of complications that is the Joux Valley, high in the Jura Mountains. Chiming ‘repeaters’ of wafer-thinness; digital ‘jump hours’ replacing hands; the world’s first luxury sports watch in steel (the octagonal Royal Oak if you hadn’t guessed); even the ongoing trend for chunky machismo that started in the Nineties was down to hitherto understated Audemars Piguet and the daring phenomenon that continues to be its Royal Oak Offshore. So when it came to Audemars Piguet’s first major new collection in years – and a classic, circular one to boot – expectations were at fever pitch. How to break the rules of a craft that had already been mastered, let alone already disrupted

LUXURY WATCH EDIT

a tipping point too – so what are the other Audemars Piguet rulebreakers that led us to CODE 11.59? Here are ROX’s favourites, which, let us remember, ruffled as many feathers back in their day. Time, appropriately enough, will always tell… 1892 WRISTING IT ALL Back in the 18th century, when Switzerland was establishing itself as the world’s one-stop shop for fine watches, it relied on two symbiotic geographies: the brands and named watchmakers of Geneva city – forced by puritanical Calvinist reforms to make useful timekeepers rather than jewellery – and the third-party component manufacturers of the Jura mountains – cattle farmers supplementing their income during the isolated snowy winter. Audemars Piguet belonged to the latter at first, before becoming competitors to Geneva’s finest in their own right, and one of their earliest breakthroughs was on behalf of ‘Louis Brandt Frères’, which would become

CODE 11.59’ HERALDS NOTHING LESS THAN A COMPLETE SUITE OF 13 BRAND-NEW PIECES PLUS THE SHOCK AND AWE OF AN ENTIRE TRADE FAIR in so many historic ways? The answer was finally revealed at this January’s ‘SIHH’ in Geneva, in the form of ‘CODE 11.59’. This deliberately gnomic nomenclature heralded nothing less than a complete suite of 13 brand-new pieces (including three new in-house movements) plus the shock and awe of an entire trade fair. ‘Controversial’ barely covers it, yet now the vapours have dispersed and social media is finally taking a breath, it’s plain to see why Audemars Piguet took the path it did, and how cleverly conceived ‘CODE 11.59’ really is. The numbers of course refer to that precious minute one savours before tipping into a new day – opportunity awaits, in other words. The letters are an acronym, spelling out a different version of that motto adorning every Audemars Piguet advertisement. With the new watches’ tension of roundess sandwiching Royal Oakesque octagonality, plus a cocktail of in-house innovations like the dial logo’s galvanically grown gold and skeletonised lugs that ‘lean’ against the base rather than being welded, Audemars Piguet are ‘Challenging’ themselves like never before, ‘Owning’ it by dint of their familial independence, ‘Daring’ to go there (as usual) and ‘Evolving’ in the process (as always). It’s the culmination of a long journey and

Omega: the world’s first wirstwatch minute repeater movement. It could chime the hours, quarters and remaining minutes, on demand, on two miniaturised ‘gongs’. 1921 GOING DIGITAL The development of the world’s first digital watches – albeit a few decades before batteries and LCD screens – began in 1921 with Audemars Piguet’s ‘jumping-hour’ HPVM10 calibre, which showed the hour through a window (much like a date window) and the minutes with a normal ‘sweeping’ hand. This was offered in either pocket or wristwatch form, but it was the wristwatch that truly embodied the times. The Art Deco movement and bold geometric shapes still appear sleekly contemporary today. 1955 LEAPING FORWARDS Audemars Piguet’s earliest masterpieces were multi-complicated pocket watches, on which a perpetual calendar always featured, telling the correct date every day of every month, even on leap years. But what if you want to know when that leap year falls? Without fumbling around for your fob? Enter the world’s first perpetual www.rox.co.uk

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1892

1921

1972

1955

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calendar wristwatch featuring leap-year display, at the height of Swiss watchmaking’s post-war boom – elegance in spades, as the era dictated, plus Audemars Piguet’s usual innovative self. 1972 ROYAL WITH EASE On balance, Audemars Piguet’s octagonal icon shouldn’t have worked. No one had made a luxury steel sports watch before, it was the start of the worst crisis ever to hit the Swiss watchmaking industry, and the market simply wasn’t ready for a steel watch that cost the same as prestigious gold pieces of the time. But as the family firm’s Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Olivier Audemars attests, “The Royal Oak broke the rules of the industry, at a critical time, which seemed the logical thing to do.” Sure enough, those immortal rounded facets, in combination with exposed screws, cross-hatched dial and integrated bracelet became Gérald Genta’s most famous design of the Seventies and spawned a whole new dynamic identity for the brand. 1986 SLIM KINGS As far back as 1986, Audemars Piguet quietly broke ground with the calibre 2870, framed by an elliptical gold sunray dial very much ‘of its time’. Not only was it the world’s first self-winding wristwatch ‘tourbillon’, tumbling the ticking escapement by 360º every minute, but it was the also the smallest tourbillon cage ever (7.2mm in diameter) and the thinnest tourbillon watch (5.3mm) – achieved by using the case back as the movement’s baseplate. (Turn it over, and you can see the geartrain’s ruby bearings gleaming through the metal.) It held its slimmest-ever tourbillon record for an extraordinary 32 years, until Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo just last year – all the more impressive when you consider computer-aided design and CNC machining – still the stuff of science fiction back in ’86 – has been around so long. 1991 STAR IN THEIR EYES As mechanical watchmaking began its renaissance at the beginning of the 1990s it was the wandering hours watch that led the way at Audemars Piguet. A ‘wandering hours’ watch in the style of a 17th-century clock, Audemars Piguet took the audacious step of removing the dial cover, allowing the slow revolving dance of its three sapphire hour discs to be seen, each taking it in turns to track across the minutes scale. Since the original Star Wheel was produced the concept has been revisited a number of times, most recently in the Millenary collection, and adopted by boutique indie upstarts Urwerk in high-tech sci-fi guise.

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2002

2016 1991

1993

1993 FIRST ACTION HERO Strange to think that the now-immortal Royal Oak never did particularly well in its Seventies and Eighties infancy. That is, until Audemars Piguet started aligning keenly with high-profile golfers, then, 25 years ago, introducing a beefedup, water-resistant “Offshore” iteration. This was a Royal Oak “for young people”, and by god did they get one; albeit young people who lived on the Riviera and drove white Ferrari’s. Of course, there were some detractors, some of whom went so far as to claim it was an insult to good taste – after all, back then, the idea of a 42mm watch seemed ridiculous. But it proved to be a pioneer, singlehandedly setting the trend for uncompromising, oversized watches.

& Papi complications hothouse. To kick off, a case that looks hefty but actually lightweight because it’s made of a cobalt-based airspace alloy named Alacrite. Ticking within its exposed, highly architectural movement is a tourbillon, suspended from a bridge that’s corrugated to absorb shocks. 2015 SOUNDING OUT From the nine minute-repeating watches of Audemars Piguet’s first 12 ever made, to the first wristwatch minute repeater in 1892 to 1921’s smallest-ever, Audemars Piguet has proper history when it comes to this particularly complicated aspect of watchmaking. And debuting in 2015’s RD#1 concept was a particularly sonorous new venture in chiming timepieces, since rolled out as 2016’s ‘Supersonnerie’ and now finding a home in the new CODE 11.59 collection. Having worked with acoustic engineers and even a violin maker deep in the forests of the Jura over the course of eight years, the Supersonnerie uses a sound board suspended proud of the caseback, which amplifies its hammers and wire gongs much like the front of a guitar.

2002 FUTURE FORWARD The next chapter in the Royal Oak saga came at the height of luxury watchmaking’s 21stcentury renaissance, commemorating the iconic octagon’s 30th anniversary with an evolution even more outrageous than the Offshore. The ‘Royal Oak Concept’ would become the thinktank (and ‘tank’ isn’t far off in proportional terms) of the manufacture’s most cutting-edge discoveries – a petri dish of far-out theories, usually cooked up Audemars Piguet is available online by the R&D boffins at Audemars Piguet’s Renaud and at ROX Argyll Arcade

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THROUGH A GLASS

LIGHTLY

Sapphire crystal is material of the moment chez Hublot, where pioneering new technology is veiling its watches’ inner mechanics with a pick’n’mix of colour. Words by Alex Doak.

hen industry maven, Jean-Claude Biver and his right-hand man Ricardo Guadalupe took over Hublot in 2004, no one had particularly high hopes for this rather eccentric brand, best known for its vanillascented rubber straps – despite Biver’s legendary reputation for spinning the fortunes of ailing brands. But sure enough, within just four years turnover had increased from 25 to 200 million and luxury giant LVMH had snapped Hublot up, lock, stock and winding barrel. It was principally the genius of 2004’s outrageously proportioned halo launch, Big Bang, in combination with a hyperactive marketing model that hoovered-up every high-octane brand partnership going (Ferrari, FIFA, Usain Bolt, you name it). But there’s an oft-overlooked third prong to Hublot’s thrusting success – and that’s good-old Swiss watchmaking. Innovation and manufacturing self-sufficiency mean that Hublot is free to wield its “art of fusion” mantra in ever-more creative ways, underpinning all those celebrity hook-ups with genuine horological credence. Cleverly, the brand’s signature (now nigh-on iconic) porthole-shaped case design is a modular jigsaw puzzle, allowing a mix and match of ceramic, titanium, carbon fibre, even in-houseforged ‘Magic Gold’ – 18 carats of scratchproof precious metal. The potential permutations for Hublot’s endless stream of limited-edition tributes to sporting or musical legends is, well, endless. “We never stop working on both new in-

house movements and new materials,” CEO Ricardo Guadalupe tells us. “Moreover, we always want to increase our verticalisation,” he says, referring to the industry’s ‘Holy Grail’ of bringing watchmaking’s countless aspects of production, from component machining to dial making, beneath one roof. Sure enough, since 2016, Hublot’s latest (quite-literally) cutting-edge quest has been to democratise and revolutionise sapphire; a totally transparent and ultra-resistant material whose machining process is so complex that its use in watchmaking has thus far been restricted to the ‘glass’ covering the dial. The idea of using sapphire for the entire case – let alone a Big Bang case, with all its separate components and their miniscule tolerances – was almost inconceivable. “Sapphire is hard and fragile at the same time,” explains Guadalupe of the notoriously tricksy milling process. “But in recent years we have managed to industrialise it and are now going even further: creating detailed components from sapphire as well as high-tech polycarbonate.” Despite the complexity, unpredictability, instability and lack of homogeneity in the fusion and crystallisation of sapphire, Hublot is now synthesising – entirely beneath its own roof, on the shores of Lake Geneva – translucent coloured sapphire cases. While coloured synthetic sapphire has been in existence since 1902, invented by the French chemist Auguste Victor Louis Verneuil, the necessary stages of melting and dying sapphire is a complex and unpredictable process. Because www.rox.co.uk

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its crystallisation process is unstable, it is difficult to obtain uniformly coloured sapphires, even if they are produced simultaneously. Furthermore, bubbles and cracks can appear in the material, making the end result unsuitable for producing watch cases – especially watch cases with any hope of water resistance. But the main challenge is in the size. Thus far, no uniformly coloured sapphires exceeding 2kg have been produced. Hublot has managed to exceed this threshold, developing a sophisticated and costly process – much in the same vein as their metallurgy department, who took on the challenge of pioneering scratch-resistant gold head-on and in-house. To make the first blue sapphire in the history of watchmaking, launched as 2017’s Big Bang Unico, Hublot melted aluminium oxide – the raw material for sapphire – with iron. Then, for a red version, a transition metal, chromium was fused

THE IDEA OF USING SAPPHIRE FOR THE ENTIRE CASE – LET ALONE A BIG BANG CASE, WITH ALL ITS SEPARATE COMPONENTS AND THEIR MINISCULE TOLERANCES – WAS ALMOST INCONCEIVABLE. with aluminium oxide somewhere between 2,000 and 2,050 degrees Celsius. Appropriately, given the scorching temperatures involved, 2019 sees the introduction of another primary colour never-before seen in watchmaking: solar yellow. To imbue the new Spirit of Big Bang’s sunny hue, Hublot fused copper with aluminium oxide, while managing to conserve all of sapphire’s beneficial properties as a case material: as hard and scratch-resistant as diamond (nine on the Mohs scale, versus 10 for diamond) and as light as titanium, at 107 grams on the wrist. It may cost roughly the same as a second-hand Ferrari, but you’re actually getting something infinitely more exclusive (not to mention cheaper to run). As Mr Guadalupe says, “The result is a very masculine and sporty aesthetic – strong and assertive.” Not a bad description of Hublot as a whole, we’d say. Hublot is available online and in-store at ROX Argyll Arcade, ROX Edinburgh & ROX Newcastle www.rox.co.uk

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1969:

THE DAWN OF

WATCHMAKING’S MODERN AGE

Fifty years ago, to the background of Vietnam, Led Zeppelin and the Moon landings, Switzerland was undergoing its own revolution – the first spin of the chronograph’s winding rotor, to be precise. Words by Alex Doak.

or most of us, the summer of ’69 was the year a certain Canadian rock legend bought his first real six-string. For anyone else involved in matters cultural, aeronautical, technological and horological, it was the fulcrum to a year that changed everything. Nineteen-sixty-nine was singular in many respects. The aeronautical and space race was in full swing with Concorde and the Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’ both taking to the skies for the first time. While Bryan Adams browsed the guitar shop, the Eagle was landing on the Moon, shortly before hundreds of thousands of ‘liberated’ young people gathered in White Lake, NY, 43 miles southwest of Woodstock. Two months after Jimi Hendrix had tortured the U.S. National Anthem with his white Stratocaster, an unintentionally portentous message was sent electronically from UCLA to Stanford Uni on the West Coast: “lo”. Actually a truncated version of “login”, it was the birth of what we now know as the internet. With all this going on, you’d be forgiven for turning a blind eye to the goings-on of the watchmaking ateliers dotted throughout the sleepy valleys of the Jura mountains. But for anyone sitting up in bed come the morning of January 1, 1969, groggily winding their beloved chronograph, the knowledge that not one but FIVE watch brands would finally master and market the self-winding chronograph inside of the next 365 days would seem genuinely revelatory. It started as soon as 10 days later. Zenith held a press conference announcing its ‘El Primero’ – what was to be (in Esperanto) ‘the first’ automatic 94

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stopwatch wristwatch; nothing short of every sports watchmaker’s Holy Grail up until then. Automatic wristwatches had existed for decades, of course, but the bulk of a chronograph’s additional mechanism made the addition of a winding rotor, powered by the movement of your arm, a tight squeeze to say the least. It was in 1962 that the basic elements of the El Primero were first consigned to the drawing board, with the intention of a 1965 launch to mark the brand’s centenary. It was to be a chronograph, the most-beloved ‘complication’ of the 1950s and 1960s, as its racy stopwatch functionality perfectly suited the breakneck pace of progress in science, technology and motorsport. Pioneered by brands like Longines, Breitling, Omega and Heuer, the twin-pushbutton wristworn chronograph was the magic product that restored the Swiss watch industry to health after its 1930s Depression-era collapse. It was the essential accessory for the burgeoning age of piston-driven speed. But it took the jet age and golden era of F1 to push speeds way off the tachometer scale. This boom in the classic, manual-wind, ‘columnwheel’ controlled chronograph was fuelled by three Swiss movement manufacturers – Venus, Valjoux and Lémania – all of whom produced, at industrial scale, what are now considered beauteous classics of micro-engineering. (Though not as robust as Omega’s calibre 321, whose suitability means the NASA-approved watch still being shot into orbit is a manual-wind chronograph). But no amount of late-Sixties funkadelic case shapes, orange colour pops and Action Man advertising could detract from one thing: handwinding a sports chronograph in that day and

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age was just a little… well, old-fashioned. But short of mounting a rotor on top of those three movement-makers’ already voluminous engines, what could be done? Switzerland’s boffins had been pondering this very quandary since the Fifties. Ambitiously, Zenith’s El Primero would be ‘integrated’, meaning there was to be no additional ‘modules’ mounted on top of an existing timekeeper – whether a rotor on top of a Valjoux, or a stopwatch on top of a rotor-fitted base calibre. It was conceived as an indissoluble whole.

1965 target by some margin, eventually hitting shop windows in October of 1969, 10 months after its announcement. Which wouldn’t have mattered to head office if not for then-rival, now LVMH stablemate Heuer (now TAG Heuer). One morning in early March, Jack Heuer announced from floor 58 of the Pan-Am Building on Park Avenue, New York the results of ‘Project 99’ – a highly secretive joint effort in cahoots with rival chronograph brand Breitling, plus movement makers Büren and Dubois-Depraz, to market their own ‘very first’ self-winding

FOR MOST OF US, THE SUMMER OF ’69 WAS THE YEAR A CERTAIN CANADIAN ROCK LEGEND BOUGHT HIS FIRST REAL SIX-STRING. Furthermore, while most calibres ticked at 21,600 or 28,800 vibrations per hour (and still do) the El Primero chronograph would raise that speed to an even-more-precise 36,000. By dint of that, the accuracy of its chronographic timing was raised from an eighth to a tenth of a second. The first-ever chronograph to combine automatic winding had the extra hubris of ratcheting things up from 4Hz to 5Hz, dealing with all the friction and inertia issues in the process. Using pencils and drawing boards. And getting it so right, it’s barely been tweaked since. The launch of the El Primero over-shot its

stopwatch wristwatch. Something they had brought to market come summer, pipping Zenith to the post by some months. Arguably, it made more sense for Heuer in the first place: while Zenith was better known for its discerning chronometric pursuits, Heuer had shifted its entire catalogue’s focus onto chronographs over the course of the Sixties. Jack’s clever collusion with the playboys of the F1 pitlanes, plus his invention of the motoring chronograph as we know it (see Carrera, Autavia) meant he needed automatic technology more than anyone. www.rox.co.uk

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‘Calibre 11’ was the complete opposite of El Primero. Rather than being a coherently integrated movement, it was a self-winding base calibre, piggy-backed by a chronograph module. And rather than being an in-house effort, Heuer needed to collaborate with others, chiefly to get over the aforementioned bulk that would come from bolting a full-diameter rotor onto a chronograph. The kicker was Büren’s base calibre, driven by a ‘micro-rotor’, spinning unobtrusively within the volume of the other mechanics, rather than on top. Add a DuboisDépraz stopwatch module, Breitling’s European marketing influence on top of Heuer’s Stateside foothold, and we have three brands launching self-winding chronographs in 1969. But didn’t we originally mention five? For what it’s worth, American brand Hamilton ended up purchasing Büren, so they had their own dibs on Calibre 11. And history now shows that over in Japan, Seiko had beaten both Heuer and Zenith with its own 36,000vph automatic mechanical chronograph, the ‘5 Sports Speed Timer’ – dropped into domestic retailers by May. But that was the least of Switzerland’s worries, as something else was brewing in Tokyo that proved to be of far more concern to the Europeans. Like Indiana Jones snatching his fedora as the door slid down on 1969, Seiko chose Christmas Day to launch something that didn’t just send shockwaves through the watch industry, it changed things mainstream, with a product as significant as cheap transatlantic travel, the worldwide web and free love. It was ‘Astron’ – the first-ever quartz wristwatch. Dark clouds were about to descend on the valleys of the Jura mountains. But that’s another story altogether – and as devastating as the ensuing ‘Quartz Crisis’ would be on the traditional watchmaking craft, look where we are now. Zenith is back in rude health, pivoting about its largely unchanged El Primero since 1984. TAG Heuer has never been away, with a modern version of ‘Calibre 11’ now driving its Monaco, assuming pole position in a formidable grid of other self-winding sports timers, powered by variations on TAG’s own in-house Calibre 1887 and 1972’s Valjoux 7750 – the immortal powerhouse driving nearly every other automatic chronograph on the market, from Bell & Ross to Chopard to Bremont. Concorde’s last flight was 16 years ago, walking on Mars is still a pipe dream, and the cool kids are shunning rock festivals for mindfulness retreats. But against all odds, 1969’s lasting legacy continues to be the self-winding chronograph.

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CHILD OF ’69 For military-watch specialist Bremont, it’s quite the departure: a celebration of a civilian airliner, featuring the British brand’s first-ever (by contrast to the other two featured here) hand-wound movement. But as you’ll guess from the Supersonic’s name, it’s no ordinary airliner. This suitably streamlined, time-only dress watch in ice-white livery (from £9,495) celebrates 50 years of yet another 1969 milestone: the first test flights of Concorde. As is traditional for Bremont’s limited editions, it incorporates aluminium from the third of fourteen Aérospatiale/BAC-built aircraft, which for 27 years carried passengers 11 miles up, at twice the speed of sound. The movement features a cutely executed ‘delta-wing’ bridge, boasting eight days’ power reserve, and it comes on a leather strap in British-Airwaysblue from Connolly. But if you think champagne and canapés en route to JFK pales in comparison to Bremont’s usual g-suited guise intercepting bogies, consider this: Concorde clocked up more faster-than-sound flying hours than every one of the world’s air forces combined.

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from left to right: Zenith Pilot Bronze Extra Special Watch £5,900 (68724), Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch £23,00 (70086), Hublot Classic Fusion Watch £9,000 (69727), Bremont Airco Mach 1 Watch £2,895 (67852), TAG Heuer Heritage Watch £4,350 (69905)

WAR GAMES The glamour of war may have worn thin since your days of toy soldiers (well, hopefully) but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no less respect for the discipline and endeavours of the military man â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and tthe same goes for the rugged timepiece he still relies on, behind enemy lines.

BOY RACERS Sadly for most, Scalextric remains the closest we ever got to chequeredflag glory, but that doesn’t mean those boyhood fantasies still can’t be lived vicariously, by driving a tuned-up, highoctane chronograph – a performance engine for the wrist, still relied-on by every F1 pilot worth their salt.

from left to right: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Gulf Special Edition Watch £1,300 (70124), TAG Heuer Carrera Senna Special Edition Watch £4,850 (70119), Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch £23,500 (69695), Chopard Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition Watch £5,800 (67935), Hublot Big Bang Ferrari Watch £23,400 (67117)

BUILDING THE DREAM Go big or go home: vital career advice for any ambitious man, and boy for that matter. If you can see the potential in that pile of plastic bricks on your bedroom floor, then the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yours for the taking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as your reward: an exquisitely crafted luxury Swiss watch.

from left to right: Chopard L.U.C XPS Watch £14,600 (68128), Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold Watch £31,300 (67362), Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watch £50,100 (67334), Zenith El Primero Defy Zero G Watch £83,500 (70282), Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch £40,700 (67353)

It’s not an electric car. It’s an electric Audi. The all-electric Audi e-tron.

Edinburgh Audi EH11 4EJ

Glasgow Audi G52 4UB

03332 075691 lookers.co.uk/audi Official fuel consumption in mpg (l/100km): N/A. Official CO2 emissions:0g/km

Newcastle Audi NE4 7LA

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TOUR THE JURA Why not make watchmaking’s mountainous heartland your next holiday destination? Even Zenith will be happy to have you round…

Threading through the pancake-flat suburbs that skirt Lake Geneva, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider whizzing away 100m beneath you, the foothills of the Jura suddenly rear into view. As you snake into the forests that blanket the slopes, along the Col de la Faucille pass, your ears pop with every hairpin bend, the air becomes a little crisper, and down below, through the fir trees, another glimpse of Geneva town becomes a little more shrouded in cloud. Until, suddenly, the cloud clears and the Joux valley sweeps into view – an Elysian field of highaltitude isolation. Home to Audemars Piguet and the birthplace of high-end watchmaking. While it may have taken just 60 minutes in the car, back in the 18th century, come the relentless winter snow, this pocket of Switzerland couldn’t have felt more isolated. Which is why the area’s resourceful dairy farmers hung up their cattle prods every November and turned to an altogether smaller set of tools. The geography of time It may seem incredible that a hamfisted On a good day, the drive from Geneva airport to the Vallée de Joux only takes an hour, but it farmer could adapt to the delicate craftsmanship feels like you’ve teleported to another continent. of watchmaking, but back then it was the only hy take our word for it? You don’t just have to rely on ROX Man’s factory write-ups to discover the charms of the Swiss Jura mountains – you should plan your own tour of this watchmaking nirvana, and discover (as we have) a tucked away world of lush scenery, cheese, absinthe, world-class dining and spectacular, winding driving roads. The Neuchâtel region’s tourist board even offers a menu of horological packages and experiences to book in advance, from exclusive access to Zenith’s esteemed factory to donning a labcoat and taking to the workbench yourself, tweezers in hand. But how on earth did such a specialised industry find itself squeezed into such an awkward, if beautiful topography? A brief history lesson, first.

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way of supplementing their income. The watch brands down in Geneva needed the parts and – once the farmers became particularly adept in the 19th century – even whole movements. So using the small amounts of ore they’d mined from the surrounding hills, the Jura Mountains became as known for its horology as its gruyère. “From the 1740s to the early 1800s,” explains Sébastian Vivas, who runs Audemars Piguet’s watchmaking museum in Le Brassus, “the watchmakers in the Joux region walked to Geneva every spring to sell the movements they’d made over the winter to the ‘cabinottiers’ and ‘établisseurs’.” “But soon enough,” he continues, “the hill farmers realised that more money could be made

the mini-hotspot of horology that is Fleurier, where you’ll find Chopard’s top-flight L.U.C. manufacture. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself in the ticking heart of Switzerland’s industry. Colloquially known as ‘Watch Valley’, the rolling, verdant foothills of the Neuchâtel canton are home to La Chaux-de-Fonds and neighbouring Le Locle – where you’ll find factory after factory bearing famous names: TAG Heuer, Breitling, Girard-Perregaux, Tissot, Ulysse Nardin and on and on. It may seem a million miles from Manhattan, but La Chaux-de-Fonds’ gridded streetplan – built ground-up after a devastating fire in 1794 – was revolutionary and still original among Swiss

THREADING THROUGH THE PANCAKE-FLAT SUBURBS THAT SKIRT LAKE GENEVA, CERN’S LARGE HADRON COLLIDER WHIZZING AWAY 100M BENEATH YOU, THE FOOTHILLS OF THE JURA SUDDENLY REAR INTO VIEW if they put their own names on the dials. So many of them stopped farming altogether and began making watches all year. Families throughout the valley co-operated.” The ticking heart of watchmaking From the Joux plateau, it’s another short but heart-rendingly beautiful drive back into the crumpled, fir-lined slopes, northeast through Vallorbe – heart of the local absinthe industry, in fact. The road winds up hill and down vale, through chocolate-box-pretty villages, and past

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cities. Karl Marx dubbed the unique urban design a ‘city-factory’, famed architect Le Corbusier was inspired to build his first house there and it became a renowned centre of Art Nouveau. By 1914, this town of 38,000 was responsible for 55 per cent of the world’s watch production. By 2009, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were jointly awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Gentlemen, wind your watches. Rather than jetting off to the slopes come winter, it’s high time you spent a summer in the Swiss Jura. Visit neuchateltourisme.ch

TICKING ALL THE RIGHT BOXES STAY In the Vallée de Joux, Audemars Piguet’s very own ‘Hotel des Horlogers’ offers a blonde-wood chalet-style home from home, overlooking the Risoud Forest and set to the soundtrack of clanking cowbells (currently undergoing an ambitious 50-room expansion). Meanwhile, nearer Watch Valley, you can’t beat the modernist masterpiece, Hotel Palafitte perched on the shores of Lac Neuchâtel. Every room is an individual cabin stood in the water, with spectacular Alpine views to wake up to. palafitte.ch EAT Probably the best fondue in Switzerland can be found at La Ferme des Brandt, a converted farmhouse tucked away on the southwest corner of La Chaux-de-Fonds. fermedesbrandt.ch VISIT As well Le Corbusier’s early masterpiece of Art Nouveau, Maison Blanche (maisonblanche.ch) a must-visit for any watchnerd spending a day in La Chaux-de-Fonds has to be the unrivalled collection of Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH) – housed in a distinctly contrasting concrete-brutalist bunker. musees-neuchatelois.ch EXPERIENCE Don a labcoat and take to the bench yourself at a Centre Horloger masterclass, where you can spend an absorbing five hours learning to assemble a self-winding chronograph. Or you can let the experts show you first-hand, in situ, on a rare and privileged private tour of Zenith’s legendary ‘manufacture’ in Le Locle. By appointment only, timExplorer.ch

OUTSIDE EDGE Taking to the streets with Peter, aka @thegentlemanselect, in unforgiving style and confidence. Summer has never been more stylish for the ROX Man.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch 69731 | ÂŁ61,200

GO FOR GOLD Want your timepiece to be the focal point? Go for gold. Adopt the trend and showcase your flossy personality.

Styling: Taylor Brown in collaboration with Cruise. Blogger: TheGentlemanSelect. Photographer: Gregg McEwan

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OUTSIDE EDGE

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Watch 69898 | £1,600

Tudor Black Bay S&G Watch 70100 | £3,580

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Watch 69968 | £3,500

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watch 71912 | £44,700

Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion Watch 71248 | £29,000

Tudor Black Bay Bronze Watch 72814 | £2,910

Hublot Classic Fusion Watch 71921 | £83,000

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Tudor Black Bay S&G Watch 70100 | £3,580

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Watch 69898 | £1,600

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Hublot Classic Fusion Aerofusion Watch 71248 | Â£29,000

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Hublot Classic Fusion Watch 69727 | ÂŁ9,000

STEP BACK IN TIME Everyone loves a touch of nostalgia so why not wear your heart on your wrist with a retro style watch? Style it with a fresh modern look to create an interesting contrast.

ROX MAGAZINE

Styling: Taylor Brown in collaboration with Cruise. Blogger: TheGentlemanSelect. Photographer: Gregg McEwan

Bremont Classic Watch 69963 | £4,895

OUTSIDE EDGE

TAG Heuer Heritage Watch 69906 | £4,250

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch 70086 | £23,000

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Watch 68824 | £5,500

Tudor Black Bay Watch 70080 | £2,570

TAG Heuer Monaco Watch 69903 | £4,350

Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Watch 68816 | £5,500

Bremont ALT1-ZT/51 Watch 65329 | £4,495

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Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Watch 68824 | Â£5,500

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TAG Heuer Heritage Watch 69906 | £4,250

Bremont Classic Watch 69963 | £4,895

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TAG Heuer Carrera Watch 70122 | £3,500

BLUE DIALS Dive into the blue with eternally stylish blue timepieces that will finish off any look from morning ‘til night.

Styling: Taylor Brown in collaboration with Cruise. Blogger: TheGentlemanSelect. Photographer: Gregg McEwan

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Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Watch 70687 | £9,600

Bremont Classic Watch 69962 | £4,895

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watch 69960 | £17,700

Zenith Defy Watch 72006 | £6,100

OUTSIDE EDGE

Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Watch 69691 | £18,200

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Watch 70076 | £18,200

Bremont Supermarine Type 500 Watch 69965 | £3,295

Hublotr Big Bang Unico Watch 71932 | £17,300

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Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Watch 70687 | Â£9,600

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Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Watch 70076 | £18,200

Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Watch 69691 | £18,200

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FOOD & DRINK

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FOOD & DRINK

HOUSE WINE

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? This SS19 you need fear the wine list in a restaurant no more as wine merchants Corney & Barrow talk us through the art of selecting the perfect vino.

ot everyone can afford to drink their favourite Grand Cru at a moments notice… and even if they could, wouldn’t it spoil the fun? Wine is about variety and appreciating the merits of each bottle. Special moments often have large price tags attached. Enjoying a meal out on a Tuesday night or settling down for a Sunday afternoon movie might not warrant your best bottle of red, yet how many of us would consider opening a house wine to be sufficient treat? CHEAP AND NASTY OR CHEAP AND CHEERFUL? When browsing a wine menu, there’s a tendency to avoid the offering at the top of the list. The cheapest must mean the worst quality – the swill, the bottom of the barrel. Do we have reason to be suspicious about the contents of the bottle? Do we doubt the motives of the supplier? Does the choice reflect our own lack of wine knowledge or available funds? Or is it all down to a strong belief passed along so assertively among drinking companions, that

house wine is simply bad wine? There’s a great misconception that lower cost wine means bad value. This is not always the case, especially when it comes to house wines. The reason your wine is cheaper is simply because the bar or restaurant has decided to place a bet on it being a favourite among its customers - buying in bulk. When a bar or shop buys a large amount of any product from a supplier, the price per item lowers, which allows at least part of that saving to be passed onto you. BEWARE THE UNMARKED CARAFE By putting their name on a product, brands are assuring you of its value. The same applies to the house offering at your local wine bar. The wine is chosen for you to drink it, to like it, and hopefully buy it again. Unless your restauranteur wants you to have a terrible time, and/or they don’t mind a bad reputation, they’ll have selected the wines on their list with care, and with as much attention to quality as they’ve given any other item on their menu. www.rox.co.uk

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SHAWN MENDES

- AR11212 124

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FOOD & DRINK

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR…

RIOJA Classic Rioja from a small, quality-focused family winery, showing rich plum, dark cherry fruit and warm spices £11.95

COMPANY RESERVE A succulent and approachable Claret, with richness structure and just a dash of hedonism £13.95

Not everyone will adore every glass of wine that’s put in front of them, but house wines are chosen deliberately with the intention to please the majority of wine drinkers in the majority of scenarios. It’s not just in restaurants and bars. House or own-label wines are a great addition to any wine shelf and nowadays reflect a measure of self-belief. A strong choice for impromptu parties, when the in-laws pop round or when you just fancy a mid-week reward. Today, own labels are a safe bet and a smart decision to make. They represent easy drinking, good quality wines with a not overly boozy alcohol content, which can be enjoyed with or without food, and certainly without breaking the bank. If you haven’t tried one recently, it may be time to rethink why? Own Labels have been core to the Corney & Barrow list since 1780. We are fortunate to work with some of the world’s finest winemakers, so we called on some of them, and these are the results. The wines continue to be unique, top quality and vintage stamped – our wines, made exclusively for us, and in some cases by us and good enough to bear two royal warrants. There’s always a time and place for Corney & Barrow own label wines.

WHITE BURGUNDY A supple, delicately creamy and gently ripe White Burgundy from the rolling hills of the Maconnais. £14.25

Find out more at www.corneyandbarrow.com/house www.rox.co.uk

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PROPERTY

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HOLIDAY HOMES

Why have one home when you can have two? Taylor Brown opens the door to the best holiday homes the globe has to offer for a truly unforgettable SS19.

SCOTLAND Opt for this Georgian five bedroom house isolated in the tranquil serenity of the beautiful Hawick landscape. Adorned in wild foliage this property oozes charisma with charming traditional décor. Ashybank House is surrounded by 30 acres of grazing and woodland ideal for a fresh 126

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summer walk with the family. If you’re seeking a little culture and nightlife Edinburgh is a mere one-hour drive, perfect for a romantic date night. Dive head first into summer as there’s also an out-door pool-house for those warmer summer days.

Address: Ashybank, Denholm, Hawick, TD9 Prices: £595,000 Rettie: 01896 824 074

ROX MAGAZINE

PROPERTY

MALIBU Perched proudly upon the Malibu hills this property has sweeping ocean views, boasting breath-taking scenery of Broad Beach extending from Zuma to Westward Beaches. Featuring three generous bedrooms, three bathrooms and a newly renovated open plan kitchen it’s the ideal abode for friends and family. With a

long private dual driveway and gated entrance you’ll be sure to chill in true Malibu style this summer. World renowned restaurant Nobu is your local and you can get your glad rags on to party under the dazzling Hollywood lights as the heart of Los Angeles is only a one hour drive. An American dream!

Address: 31347 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90265 Offers Over: £2,568,893 Savills: 424.285.8742 www.rox.co.uk

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SCOTLAND 3 Build your very own bespoke dream holiday home in Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital, Edinburgh. Residing in the heart of Scottish culture you can be a tourist or chill out away from the hustle and bustle with astounding views of the coast This exciting

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property opportunity literally possesses endless potential as you select every detail from the ground up. Vintage, modern, Swedish, grandeur? Whatever it may be it, will be all yours.

Address: Westgate, North Berwick, East Lothian, EH39 Prices: ÂŁPOA Rettie: 0131 624 9087

The new Bentayga Hybrid. There is a future that combines serene performance and exquisite craftsmanship. Beginning with the world’s first luxury hybrid. Discover more at BentleyMotors.com/Bentayga

BENTLEY GLASGOW

Bentayga Hybrid is currently only available to order in the USA and Canada. It will become available to order in other markets during the first half of 2019. All technical data is based on the North American drive cycle and is provisional, subject to Type Approval. Park’s of Hamilton (Townhead Garage) Limited is an Appointed Representative of Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited, FRN 308476 of 14 Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0AY, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited permitted business is Insurance Mediation and to act as a Credit Broker. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers to assist with your purchase, who may remunerate us for introducing you to them. Retail customers only.

ROX MAGAZINE

PROPERTY

MONTENEGRO 2 Situated in a residential complex you’ll be one of the locals of Montenegro. This grand penthouse offers light-flooded space and quality finish coming fully furnished. Featuring not one but two Jacuzzi’s in the master bedroom and on the terrace

as well as a private bar and three stonebuilt fire-place in both the living room and terrace - this property really does have it all. Boasting views of both the mountains and Becici beach there won’t be a sunset or sunrise missed in this home.

Address: Becici, Budva Riviera, Montenegro, 85310 Prices: £1,139,535 Savills: 020 7016 3740 www.rox.co.uk

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MOTORING

WINNING FORMULA

Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing join forces to create the astonishing 1000bhp Valkyrie hypercar, reports Chris Chilton.

ver wondered what a current Formula One designer’s brain might conjure up tasked with designing a car capable of driving to and from the racetrack, and not just round it? This is the answer. Called the Valkyrie it’s the spectacular result of a tie up between Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing, and Red Bull’s Adrian Newey. In its prodigious use of carbon fibre and obsession with downforce the £2.5m Valkyrie borrows heavily from the grand prix world Newey knows from his 12 years at Red Bull and hugely successful time at Williams and McLaren before that. But because rules governing the technical specification of F1 cars are so strict, the Valkyrie is arguably even more extreme. Aston was able to employ active aerodynamics and active suspension systems on the road car, two technologies forbidden in racing’s top tier. And there’s one more significant break from F1. While rival Mercedes has chosen to emulate the 1.6-litre turbocharged V8 recipe used in

current F1 cars for its own MercedesAMG One hypercar, the Valkyrie uses a Cosworth-designed naturally-aspirated 6.7-litre V12 that harks back to F1 cars of the 1990s. Capable of producing 1000bhp (1016hp) and revving to over 11,000rpm, it performs – and sounds - like no other road car engine in production. A small electric motor produces an additional 125hp or so, but because the focus is on performance and not saving the planet, there’s no silent electric-only mode. Inside the Valkyrie driver and passenger sit angled slightly towards each other to create sufficient space for legs, which are hoisted up near chest level, as in an F1 car, allowing air to pass below the floor, sucking the car groundward. Aston calculates that the Valkyrie’s various aero devices produced up to 1800kg of downforce at speed, the equivalent of driving down the road with an Aston Martin DB11 strapped to the roof. And if the standard Valkyrie isn’t sufficiently extreme for the lucky 150 www.rox.co.uk

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owners there’s always the option of an AMR (Aston Martin Racing) Track Pack. Consisting of an entirely new set of body panels, even lighter titanium brake components, magnesium wheels and retuned suspension it’s claimed to cut lap times by eight per cent.

FEATURE

McLaren’s Grand Prix cars, conceived the same company’s F1 road car. A quantum leap ahead of contemporary supercars, it held the production car top speed record for over 10 years after its release and is still feted as a watershed moment in the evolution of the automobile.

CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1000BHP (1016HP) AND REVVING TO OVER 11,000RPM, IT PERFORMS – AND SOUNDS - LIKE NO OTHER ROAD CAR ENGINE IN PRODUCTION Though few will ever get the chance to test that claim, or even drive the Valkyrie at all – Aston admits many of the 150 cars will end up as museum pieces – it serves as a halo product for the company, which is going from strength to strength with cars like the DB11, new Vantage, imminent DBX crossover and Valkyrie. The Valkyrie isn’t the first supercar engineered by an F1 designer. Back in the early 1990s, Gordon Murray, the brains behind

Twenty-five years ago McLaren launched the mighty F1, another F1-inpsired road car designed by an F1 engineer. Twenty-five year it’s still lauded as a watershed moment in the evolution of the car and if Aston Martin delivers on its promise the Valkyrie looks like having an equally seismic impact. Find more motoring news at www.rox.co.uk/magazine www.rox.co.uk

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MOTORING

CARRERA MARVEL

Subtle styling revisions disguise major improvements in Porsche’s iconic 911 sports car’. Words by Chris Chilton.

espite an unbroken production run of over 50 years, the arrival of an all-new Porsche 911 is rare enough to warrant shouting about – even if Porsche’s careful design evolution means the cars themselves rarely do much shouting. Perhaps they should. What the conservative styling of this latest 992-generation 911 doesn’t reveal is just how different the new car is beneath a skin that is now made almost entirely from aluminium for added strength and reduced weight. Look closer and there are some smart detail changes. The exterior door handles appear flush with the body, but extend to meet the driver’s hand when unlocked, like a Tesla’s, while the new front bonnet luggage cover is square and features a sunken section, which tips a hat to the styling of classic 911s of old and adds some

tension to the car’s face. The most obvious change is at the rear, which gets a bold new look featuring full-width taillights and a broader spoiler that retracts when parked so as not to distract from the clean lines. Inside, there’ll be no mistaking new for old. Only 15 years ago 911 interiors felt flimsy and distinctly low-rent. But from the driving seat this latest version is as special as you’d hope from a car that costs from £93,000, and that’s before you succumb to the lure of the options list. The materials look and feel stunning, and although the instrument layout, with the rev counter dominating the other gauges is classic 911, the digital supplementary dials, the huge 11-inch touchscreen and a bank of cool, toughlooking toggle switches give it a very modern twist. And this being a 911, you still get two back seats, although they’re only suitable for kids. For now the range is limited to the Carrera S

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MOTORING

in either coupe or cabriolet configurations and with rear or Carrera 4 four-wheel drive, though a cheaper Carrera, semi-open Targa and faster spin-offs including the Turbo will inevitably follow, though exactly how much faster you need to go is a valid question. Thanks to its 444bhp (450hp) turbocharged 3.0-liter flat six the Carrera 4S is capable of storming to 62mph in as little as 3.4sec and, eventually, on to 190mph in its optimum spec. Porsche helped pioneer turbocharging in both road and racing cars back in the early 1970s and that wealth of experience helps explain its mastery of the technology today. Unlike rival turbocharged coupes, the 992’s sound is strong and urgent

THANKS TO ITS 444BHP (450HP) TURBOCHARGED 3.0-LITER FLAT SIX THE CARRERA 4S IS CAPABLE OF STORMING TO 62MPH IN AS LITTLE AS 3.4SEC AND, EVENTUALLY, ON TO 190MPH IN ITS OPTIMUM SPEC. and there’s almost no turbo lag, that ugly delay between stomping on the accelerator and the engine actually coming up with the goods. But Porsche fans will be happiest to discover that despite the plusher interior and the addition of gadgets like a pedestrian-detecting thermal imaging camera and wet-weather sensors that adapt the chassis to suit, the more comfortable ride and lower road noise levels, the 992-generation car still feels like a sports car on a twisty road. That matters, both to buyers, and to Porsche. These days, the company’s SUV sales dwarf those of its more exotic products, but its reputation and appeal still largely depends on the 911. Find more motoring news at www.rox.co.uk/magazine www.rox.co.uk

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THE NEW BMW 3 SERIES. RESPONSIVE IN EVERY SENSE. Alive and more responsive than ever to your needs, this driver-orientated athlete features the latest BMW technology, including Intelligent Personal Assistant*. To seamlessly connect your car with your world, simply say, “Hey, BMW”. Book your test drive† today.

SEARCH DOUGLAS PARK Hamilton Bothwell Road ML3 0AY 01698 303700 Glasgow Kyle Street G4 0HP 0141 333 0088 Stirling New Kerse Road FK7 7RZ 01786 474477

douglasparkbmw.co.uk

Fuel economy and CO2 results for the BMW 3 Series range. Mpg (l/100km): Combined 46.3 (6.1) to 67.3 (4.2). CO2 emissions: 139–110g/km. Figures are for comparison purposes and may not reflect real life driving results, which depend on a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. All figures were determined according to a new test (WLTP). The CO 2 figures were translated back to the outgoing test (NEDC) and will be used to calculate vehicle tax on first registration. Only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedure. *Available on M Sport models only. †Test drive subject to availability and applicant status. Douglas Park Limited is an Appointed Representative of Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited, FRN 308476 of 14 Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0AY, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited permitted business is Insurance Mediation and to act as a Credit Broker. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers to assist with your purchase, who may remunerate us for introducing you to them. Retail customers only.

ROX MAGAZINE

GADGET MAN

GADGET MAN You don’t have to be technical wizard to enjoy a good gadget. We bring you a selection of the best gizmos on the market. As our old friend Inspector Gadget would say: “Wowsers.” ZENITH 50 YEARS OF EL PRIMERO ANNIVERSARY SET As you will have learned from our 1969 feature earlier, Zenith’s groundbreaking El Primero chronograph is celebrating its halfcentury this year. This magnificent anniversary set, limited to 50, showcases a trio of El Primero watches within a miniature watchmaker’s workbench: a faithful 1969 reissue, a 2019 equivalent with ‘new-gen’ engine, the even-higher-frequency 360,000bph Defy 21, plus a bare movement stripped back to its core geartrain, which you wind with a special tool. Watch nerd nirvana. £POA

BREMONT MBIII 10TH ANNIVERSARY It's amazing to think it’s been a whole decade since Bremont teamed up with Martin-Baker ejector seats to design a nowiconic range of precision pilot watches. This anniversary edition of the MBIII, equipped with a ‘GMT’ 24-hours hand, is limited to just 310 pieces. Like the MBI and MBII, it’s also good to 30g, – all down to the movement ‘floating’ inside a cleverly designed flexible inner ring. No finer bit of kit for the next 7,595 lives to be saved by an Martin-Baker seat. 72652 | £4,195

ISOMMELIER PRO SMART DECANTER Give your wine cellar a 21st century upgrade with the iSommelier Pro Smart Decanter. A smart system designed to filter ambient air of impurities and aerate wine with a flow of highly concentrated purified oxygen. This in turn enhances the wine flavour with tastes akin to years of cellaring. It's accompanied by an app which provides remote control functionality, allowing you to calibrate the process to your palette. A definite investment for any wine connoisseur.

HUBLOT CLASSIC FUSION TOURBILLON ORLINSKI BLACK MAGIC You’re looking at iconoclast watchmaker Hublot’s latest adventure with best-selling French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski. Like his trademark animal sculptures, it boasts sharp three-dimensional sculpted lines and a dazzling polished finish, rendered in black ceramic. But that’s not to overlook the serious horological clout at play. Limited to 30 pieces, the graphically ‘skeletonised’ dial is inspired by the French artist’s bestiary in faceted resin, assuming a sculptural presence on the wrist. 71920 | £75,000

ROCKETBOOK EVERLAST A classic pen and paper experience with a hi-tech twist. The Everlast Notebook although it seems like a classic notepad is endlessly reusable and connected to all of your favourite cloud services. You don’t have to worry about misplacing your notepad as everything is uploaded to your computer documents. Just add a touch of water to the pen and it erases like magic.

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The Maserati of SUVs

PARKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MASERATI 143 / 159 ALMADA STREET, HAMILTON ML3 0ET 01698 303828 PARKS.UK.COM/MASERATI

Fuel economy and CO2 results for the Maserati Levante MY19 range in mpg (l/100km) combined: 20.7 (13.6) to 30.0 (9.4). *CO2 emissions: 282 - 207 g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. *There is a new test used for fuel consumption and CO2 figures. The CO2 figures shown however, are based on the outgoing test cycle and will be used to calculate vehicle tax on first registration.

ROX MAGAZINE

TREATS FOR HIM

TREATS FOR HIM You may not need convincing to spend that cash on a flash must have, but just in case, here’s a selection of treats to tempt you.

ROX Classic Cufflinks 63858 | £135

Emporio Armani Watch 72413 | £159

Prada Straw Hat

Hugo Boss Ocean Edition Watch 72217 | £399

Gucci Dive Watch 65364 | £680

Gucci Patch-embellished backpack

ROX Man Brown Bracelet 69328 | £50

ROX Card-Holder 68905 | £59

Saint Laurent Jimmy logo-stitched leather slides

Hugo Boss Legacy Watch 72211 | £229

ROX Wedding Ring 68789 | £1,095

Valentino Camouflage Logo Swim Shorts

Vivienne Westwood Watch 70038 | £235

Gucci Man Aged Silver Feline Ring 65561 | £200

Gucci King woven-straw backless loafers

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Watch 69895 | £950

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RANGE ROVER SPORT

IT’S CALLED SPORT FOR A REASON

MONTHLY PAYMENTS FROM £899 PLUS DEPOSIT AND OPTIONAL FINAL PAYMENT With the Range Rover Sport it’s all about performance. Lightweight, allaluminium monocoque body for improved speed and agility. And advanced driving technology that enables Range Rover Sport to adapt instantly and effortlessly to changing road conditions.

RANGE ROVER SPORT 19MY HSE 3.0L SDV6 306HP AUTOMATIC PCP REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE† On the Road Price* Customer Deposit

£67,319.00 £899.00

With its cleaner, more dynamic design, there’s a contemporary feel everywhere you look, from the new Range Rover Sport grille, redesigned bonnet vents and fender vents to the refined, yet sporty selection of wheel options. This powerful, athletic vehicle is now more compelling than ever.

Total Amount of Credit

Optional Final Payment

£37,625.00

Call or visit to book your test drive today.

Total Amount Payable

£81,676.00

Duration of Agreement

49 Months

Park’s

100 Heathfield Road, Ayr KA8 9BN 01292 653200

parks.uk.com/land-rover

61 Harbour Road, Inverness IV1 1UF 01463 716716

Purchase Fee (incl. in optional final payment) 48 Monthly Payments

£66,420.00 £10.00 £899.00

Representative APR

6.9% APR

Interest Rate (Fixed)

6.69%

Annual mileage

6,000

Excess mileage charge

14p per mile

Official WLTP Fuel Consumption for the Range Rover Sport range in mpg (l/100km): Combined TEH – TEL* 18.8-32.0 (15.0-8.8). Official NEDC Equivalent (NEDCeq) CO2 Emissions 291-198 g/km. The CO2 figures provided are NEDCeq calculated from official manufacturer’s WLTP tests in accordance with EU legislation. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. CO2 and fuel economy figures will vary according to wheel fitment, seat configuration, and optional extras fitted. NEDCeq are figures calculated using a Government formula from WLTP figures equivalent to what they would have been under the old NEDC test. The correct tax treatment can then be applied. † Important Information. Representative Example relates to Range Rover Sport 19MY HSE 3.0L SDV6 306HP Automatic. 6.9% APR Representative available on Range Rover Sport 19MY registered between 1st January and March 31st or until such time as they may be withdrawn by Land Rover at its complete discretion. With Land Rover Personal Contract Purchase you have the option at the end of the agreement to: (1) return the vehicle and not pay the Optional Final Payment. If the vehicle has exceeded the maximum agreed mileage a charge per excess mile will apply. In this example, 14p + VAT per excess mile up to 4,999 or for excess mileage of 5,000 or more, a charge of 28p + VAT will apply to each excess mile above the maximum agreed mileage. If the vehicle is in good condition (fair wear and tear accepted) and has not exceeded the maximum agreed mileage you will have nothing further to pay; (2) pay the Optional Final Payment to own the vehicle or (3) part exchange the vehicle subject to settlement of your existing credit agreement; new credit agreements are subject to status. Representative Example is based upon an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. Credit is subject to status and only available to UK residents, aged 18 and over. This credit offer is only available through Black Horse Limited trading as Land Rover Financial Services, St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff CF10 5BH. We can introduce you to Land Rover Financial Services to provide funding for your vehicle. We may receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to the lender. *TEH (Test Energy High) and TEL (Test Energy Low) figures are shown as a range under WLTP testing measures. TEH refers to the highest/least economical figures (with the heaviest set of options). TEL refers to the lowest/most economical figures (with the lightest set of options). WLTP legislation dictates that where there is <5g CO2 variance between TEL and TEH, only the TEH is declared. Park’s (AYR) Limited and Park’s of Hamilton (Townhead Garage) Limited are Appointed Representatives of Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited, FRN 308476 of 14 Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0AY, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited permitted business is Insurance Mediation and to act as a Credit Broker. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers to assist with your purchase, who may remunerate us for introducing you to them. Retail customers only. Figures correct at time of printing.

ROX MAGAZINE

GIFTS FOR HER

GIFTS FOR HER We love the ladies, and they're good to us, so if you need some gift inspiration look no further than our selection of treats for her. Happy wife, happy life!

ROX Diamond Ring 0.19cts 71311 | £595

Vivienne Westwood Orb Watch 72310 | £215

ROX Tribal Horn Pendant 71380 | £85

Eliurpi Capelina Straw Hat

Hermès Jaguar Quetzal Twilly

ROX Diamond Earrings 0.22cts 69559 | £650

Hugo Boss Victoria Watch 72206 | £299

ROX Diamond Necklace 0.15cts 70946 | £695

ROX Tribal Bar Ring 71369 | £70

Dior Dio(r)evolution Bag

Michael Kors Watch 72351 | £169

ROX Diamond Earrings 0.25cts 70993 | £595

Emporio Armani Watch 72425 | £279

ROX Orbit Beaded Silver Torque 70820 | £75

Saint Laurent Nu Pieds sandals

ROX Classic Heart Necklace 71341 | £55

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GUESTLIST Here at ROX we’re lucky to be part of the hottest events around, we take a look back at some of our favourite celebrations from the past season…

HOW TO SHOP

ROX MAGAZINE

ROX - DIAMONDS & THRILLS KEEP UP WITH THE DIAMONDS & THRILLS Follow us on socials for the latest product drops and jewellery trends for SS19.

@ROXJEWELLERY @ROXWATCHES

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READ ALL ABOUT IT

HOW TO SHOP

Pick up a ROXWoman magazine to keep up to date with all the latest jewellery trends and news. You can also read our e-magazine online at rox.co.uk.

Alternatively you can shop instore in one of our boutiques in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds or Aberdeen.

The materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any format without permission. Please email requests for permission to pr@rox.co.uk. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be accepted. Editorial material and opinions expressed in the ROX Magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of ROX (UK) Ltd. ROX (UK) Ltd do not accept the responsibility for the advertising content. Jewellery shown may not be actual size and/or set to scale. Carat weights shown are approximate and may vary in-store. When buying online,

please check our website for full terms and conditions. The contents of this magazine were correct at the time of going to print (April 2019). ROX and the brand owners featured reserve the right to change prices and specifications without notice. For more information about ROX, or to request a brochure, please call our Customer Services team on Freephone 0800 0124 363. ÂŠ Copyright ROX (UK) LTD 2019

www.rox.co.uk

Exhilaration, amplified. 570S Spider

McLaren Glasgow

Global and Regional Retailer of the Year 2015

Global and Regional Retailer of the Year 2016

Premier Club Retailer of the Year 2016

McLaren Glasgow Bothwell Road, Hamilton ML3 0AY 01698 303777 glasgow.mclaren.com

McLaren Leeds 2 Aire Valley Drive, Temple Green, Leeds LS9 0AA 01134 879710 leeds.mclaren.com

cars.mclaren.com

Official fuel consumption figures in UK L/100km (CO2 grams per km) for the McLaren 570S Spider (3,799 (cc) petrol, 7-speed Seamless Shift dual clutch Gearbox (SSG): Low, 22.4 (508), Medium, 12.5 (284), High, 10.1 (229), Extra-High, 9.9 (225), Combined, 12.2 (276). The efficiency figures quoted are derived from official WLTP test results, are provided for comparability purposes only, and might not reflect actual driving experience. Park’s of Hamilton (Townhead Garage) Limited is an Appointed Representative of Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited, FRN 308476 of 14 Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0AY, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Park’s of Hamilton (Holdings) Limited permitted business is Insurance Mediation and to act as a Credit Broker. We can introduce you to a limited number of finance providers to assist with your purchase, who may remunerate us for introducing you to them. Retail customers only.

TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM.

THE VALLÃ&#x2030;E DE JOUX. FOR MILLENNIA A HARSH, UNYIELDING ENVIRONMENT; AND SINCE 1875 THE HOME OF AUDEMARS PIGUET, IN THE VILLAGE OF LE BRASSUS. THE EARLY WATCHMAKERS WERE SHAPED HERE, IN AWE OF THE FORCE OF NATURE YET DRIVEN TO MASTER ITS MYSTERIES THROUGH THE COMPLEX MECHANICS OF THEIR CRAFT. STILL TODAY THIS PIONEERING SPIRIT INSPIRES US TO CONSTANTLY CHALLENGE THE CONVENTIONS OF

+44 (0) 207 409 0782 | AUDEMARSPIGUET.COM

FINE WATCHMAKING.

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE CHRONOGRAPH IN STAINLESS STEEL