Tempus issue 21

21

BACKES & STRAUSS / Salon QP review / Technology special / SIR RANULPH FIENNES / Armin Strom / Best of bespoke / EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL / VW XL1 / Encelade / SUPERYACHTS

Explore the Energy of Creation

PYRAMID BRACELET 0.27 ct black diamonds, 18K rhodium plated white gold and onyx

108 New Bond Street | London W1S 1EF | Tel. 020 3372 0108 | www.frostoflondon.co.uk www.shamballajewels.com

Linear-winding automatic movement, 18K red gold case with sapphire crystal sides and back.

Engraved gold version of the first CORUM automatic baguette-shaped movement.

Frost Of London, 108 New Bond Street, London W1S 1EF, United Kingdom Tel.: 020 3372 0108 • www.frostoflondon.co.uk

GOLDEN

BRIDGE AUTOMATIC

www.corum.ch

108 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1EF Tel: 020 3372 0108 - www.frostoflondon.co.uk

Once again we’re setting the pace For the first time in the competition’s seven-year history, a motoryacht from a British boat builder won the prestigious “Best Custom Yacht” at the 2013 Motor Boat of the Year Awards.

The Sunseeker 28 Metre Yacht claimed the award in the Custom Yacht category for its pioneering approach to design and innovation.

To see why the judges awarded the 28 Metre Yacht this highly regarded accolade, visit www.sunseekerlondon.com

WINNER

2013 Motor Boat of the Year Awards 28 Metre Yacht C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

The world’s finest luxury motoryachts from 40 to 155 feet.

W W W . S U N S E E K E R L O N D O N . C O M

SUNSEEKER LONDON

+44 (0) 207 493 3441

SUNSEEKER POOLE

+44 (0) 1202 666 060

info@sunseekerlondon.com

SUNSEEKER SOUTHAMPTON +44 (0) 1489 854 892 info@sunseekersouthampton.com W I T H

O F F I C E S

I N

F R A N C E ,

SUNSEEKER PREDATOR 72

2007

£795,000 Tax Paid

Contact Broker: Richard Tilley Tel: +44 (0) 207 493 3441 Email: richard@sunseekerlondon.com

SUNSEEKER MANHATTAN 60

2008

info@sunseekerpoole.com

SUNSEEKER TORQUAY

+44 (0) 1803 293 939

M O N A C O ,

info@sunseekertorquay.com

T U R K E Y ,

G R E E C E ,

2008

SUNSEEKER MANHATTAN 70

£1,095,000 Ex Tax

Contact Broker: Harry Bristow-Holmes Tel: +44 7595 002 698 Email: harry@sunseekerlondon.com

SUNSEEKER PORTOFINO 53

2005

E G Y P T

A N D

SUNSEEKER PREDATOR 64

Contact Broker: James Wood Tel: +33 620 02 50 95 Email: james@sunseeker.fr

SUNSEEKER PORTOFINO 48 2011

£275,000 Tax paid

£549,000 Ex Tax

SUNSEEKER SUPERHAWK 48 1999

SUNSEEKER PORTOFINO 46 2003

WINDY 44 CHINOOK

£138,000 Ex Tax

Contact Broker: Gary Cleaverly Tel: +44 777 887 88 86 Email: gary@sunseekerlondon.com

Contact Broker: Frederic Hestin Tel: +33 608 69 06 64 Email: frederic.hestin@sunseeker.fr

£195,000 Tax Paid

Contact Broker: Spencer Brown Tel: +44 (0)1202 666060 Email: spencer.brown@sunseekerpoole.com

2011

£1,100,000 Ex Tax

£650,000 Ex Tax

Contact Broker: Gary Cleaverly Tel: +44 777 887 88 86 Email: gary@sunseekerlondon.com

C A R I B B E A N

Contact Broker: Jean-Marc Zubovic Tel: +33 614 34 81 29 Email: sfg@sunseeker.fr

£465,000 Tax Paid

2010

Contact Broker: William Burns Tel: +44 777 623 34 59 Email: william@sunseekerlondon.com

W W W . S U N S E E K E R B R O K E R A G E . C O M

WWW.BORGIONIS.COM

WWW.BORGIONIS.COM 13BORG078 Vogue Italy ad1.indd 1

108 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1EF - UK Tel: 020 3372 0108

108 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1EF Tel: 020 3372 0108 - www.frostoflondon.co.uk

10/23/13 4:16 PM

- fo r ewo r d -

ISSUE

TWENTY ONE Editor

Scott Manson

scott.manson@astongreenlake.com 020 3617 4693 Art Director

Jonny Hughes

tempusartwork@astongreenlake.com 020 3006 2122 Writer

Alex Doak

alex.doak@astongreenlake.com Web development Manager

Mitchell Finlay

mitchell.finlay@astongreenlake.com Business Development Director

Mark Edwards

mark.edwards@astongreenlake.com 020 3617 4688 Senior Account Manager

Tom Pettit

t.pettit@astongreenlake.com Account Manager

Ashley Collin

ashley.collin@astongreenlake.com Managing Director

Jay Boisvert

Contributors

From the editor As we enter the silly season, things have got a little giddy at Tempus towers. In among the endless rounds of Christmas parties and canapé overload, our excitement levels have also been raised thanks to myriad opportunities to get up close and personal with some of the best watches (and watchmakers) on the planet.

Timepiece expert Angus Davies heads to Switzerland to get the lowdown on Armin Strom, a boutique brand that boasts some of the finest open-worked watches on the market. You can read his account on page 80.

We were also lucky enough to attend the opening night of Salon QP – held last month at London’s Saatchi Gallery – and one of our horological highlights of the year. All manner of mechanical marvels were on display and many of the exhibiting brands also had watchmakers on hand to guide the Tempus team through the dark arts of movement creation. We highlight the timepieces that caught our eye on page 103.

Elsewhere we reveal the best in top new technology, showcase the jewelled creations of renowned watch atelier Backes & Strauss and mix up a storm with some of the best drinks for the festive season.

Finally, if the relentless round of this month’s partying has left you looking for a soul-enriching getaway, take a look at our travel feature on page 149. From Caribbean cookery courses to a demanding Bear Grylls survival experience, we’ve selected a smorgasbord of experiential holidays that will have you reaching for your passport.

Alex Doak

One of the UK’s best-known watch writers, Alex makes a case for high-end watch brands producing ‘diffusion’ lines, on page 43.

Angus Davies

As the founder of watch website escapement. uk.com, Angus is well-placed to reveal the inner workings of Armin Strom, a boutique Swiss timepiece brand renowned for its skeletonisation techniques.

Enjoy the issue.

Alex Pell TEMPUS IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY

BY ASTON GREENLAKE PUBLISHING LTD, 8TH FLOOR, 6 MITRE PASSAGE, LONDON SE10 0ER. TEL: 020 3617 4688 PRINTED BY

When it comes to all things shiny and digital, there are few writers who can match this former editor of the Sunday Times’s technology section. On page 72 Alex reveals the coolest must-have hardware for the holiday season.

Scott Manson Editor - 15 -

Cristiano Ronaldo

EPIC SF 24

Split Flap Display 45mm 18K Rose Gold Automatic Movement C h e m i n d e P l e i n - Ve n t 1 ch-1228 Genève, Switzerland +41.22.310.6962 jacobandco.com

- c o n t en ts -

Inside ISSUE TWENTY ONE - 20 Take Me There The

Winter Olympics 2014 are afoot, so if you’re a fan of the white stuff, you need to be in Sochi come February - 25 Luxury Briefing Because,

it turns out, the best things in life aren’t free, after all - 39 Food and Drink Two

of the best dining options from London’s booming foodie scene - 43 The Word Luke

Mackay on where chefs go to shop; Alex Doak makes the case for more lower-end watches - 47 The Watch Snob AskMen’s

columnist pulls no punches when solving your horological conundrums - 48 Auction Watch Our

pick of the best pieces going under the hammer - 50 Trendwatching Checking

what’s hot right now

- 66 Diamond Life Inspired

by London, but with a Swiss movement beating at its heart, we turn the spotlight on the always impressive watch brand that is Backes & Strauss - 72 Digital Delights With

the gifting season upon us, we’ve selected some of the coolest tech goodies for home, work or play - 80 Skeleton Crew Armin

Strom has truly blossomed, from open-working movements to making its own movements in the first place - 90 Town and Country A

hot half dozen of our favourite hotels

out

- 103 Close Encounters The

best of SalonQP, London's fine watch show - 115 Get Your Bearings A

fresh new concept in cufflinks

- 118 Festive Spirits The

very best in seasonal sipping

- 128 Here Come the Mods The

world of high-end modification

- 136 Electric Dreams VW’s

282mpg hypercar is revealed

- 52 Last Minute Luxury Some

- 141 All About ME The perfect

suitably sumptuous eleventh-hour gift ideas, just in time for Christmas

hotel in the perfect location – London’s ME hotel ticks all the right boxes

- 54 Object of Desire A

technical tour de horological force from avantgarde American-Swiss collective, Maîtres du Temps

- 143 Playtime We

reveal the world's best nautical tenders and toys

- 146 It’s In The Cans The

- 57 Style Advice: Shoes This

latest and greatest headphones on the planet

issue is particularly well-heeled, with three of the world’s best-respected figures in fine footwear

- 149 Are You Experienced? A

- 61 To the Extreme The

perennial explorer and sometime author Sir Ranulph Fiennes talks about his greatest missions and the bespoke watch he designed for outdoor enthusiasts

72

Special thanks: Charlotte Johnson @ThePressOffice Simon Berkovitch

- 17 -

cherrypicked selection of once-in-alifetime experiences for the intrepid traveller - 154 Moments in Time When

Salvador Dali partnered with Piaget to create ‘Dali d’Or’

Take me there

- 20 -

Sochi Ski Resort

- RU SS I A

The Winter Olympics 2014 are afoot, so if you’re a keen skier, boarder or just spectator, you need to be at Russia’s beautiful mountainous resort of Sochi come February. Situated on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia and Russia, Sochi 2014 will be the most compact Winter Games in the history of the Olympic Movement. It will be possible to get from one venue to another in just a matter of minutes and all Olympic and Paralympic competitions will take place in the same venues. Keen skiers wanting to get in on the action before the athletes arrive should aim for Rosa Khutor ski resort for the best access to harder runs. By far the largest of the ski areas, it has a good mix of terrain, including a large number of red runs and surprisingly steep blacks – some with a vertical drop of over 1km.

crystalski.co.uk

- 21 -

Diamonds & White Gold Collection French designer and gemmologist Sandrine Domercq invites us to a world of luxury, elegance and delicacy with her London based jewellery brand, Perle de Lune. Born from a true passion for gemmology, Perle de Lune’s latest stunning diamond range features timeless designs for everyday jewellery, introducing essential ďŹ ne diamond pieces to the brand reďŹ ned collection.

Available at

www.perledelune.com ww

YOU CAN TELL A GOOD WATCH

BY ITS HEART. The most important element of a genuine Armin Strom is the movement. Not only is it where the work begins, it is also at the heart of the design. This means that everybody who checks the time will always see the beauty of the technology. arminstrom.com

TOURBILLON WATER

MANUFACTURE CALIBRE ATC11 16½‘‘‘

- lu x u ry b r i efi n g -

Because the best things in life aren't free New waves

- A RT O F K I N ET I K

Belgrade, Serbia – hardly the first place that springs to mind as home to a leading luxury powerboat manufacturer. But when Art of Kinetik’s boldly named, 63ft Hedonist burst onto the yachting scene three years ago, even the most cynical ‘boaties’ couldn’t prevent their jaws from slackening. Moving wooden hull craftsmanship on from the likes of Riva by leaps and bounds, Hedonist employs the same sophisticated software and CNC machining used in the aerospace and automotive industries to marry classic nautical materials (premium-grade African mahogany, Burmese teak and American dark walnut) with cutting edge in-cabin and powertrain technology.

artofkinetik.com

- 25 -

- lu x u ry b r i efi n g -

Ditch the Beats

- A KG

With more than 1,400 international patents, American headphone brand AKG has been delivering the powerful, crystal clear sound that music professionals demand for more than 60 years. Its equipment has toured with everyone from Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones to Missy Elliott and Kanye West. And thanks to the new K812 flagship studio mastering headphones, it will continue to be a firm fixture in recording studios, too.

uk.akg.com

Literarary inspiration

- D U M AU R I ER WATC H ES

Yes, du Maurier Watches is a young, vibrant company producing luxury, Swiss made watches – but no, for once the name isn’t borrowed from a long-forgotten, 18th-century pioneer watchmaker. In fact, it’s still in the hands of Daphne du Maurier’s grandson, Ned du Maurier Browning, who was inspired by the memorable leading characters from her best-known novel, Rebecca. The Maxim watch shown here is driven by a Swiss Ronda quartz movement, yet designed with quintessential Englishness in mind.

It shows timeless style and quality with non-reflective sapphire glass, rose gold PVD plated markers and elegant slimline hands.

dumaurierwatches.com

- 26 -

High-octane homeware

- B EN T LEY

Aston Martin and Lamborghini are already homebodies.

Now Bentley is getting in on the act with its new range of sumptuous furniture produced by Italian furniture brand Club House Italia, which also distributes the home ranges by fashion houses Fendi and Kenzo. Inspired by the renowned craftsmanship and exquisite materials that characterise the interiors of all Bentley cars, the tables, chairs and even beds blend the finest elements of traditional and modern design. The bodies of the new Richmond pieces, for example, are created with an embracing double shell and can be covered in either leather or a fine veneer of burr walnut. The transition from garage to lounge will feel seamless‌

bentleymotors.com

- 27 -

- lu x u ry b r i efi n g -

Next-Gen Seven

- CAT ER H A M

The company that has manufactured Britain’s favourite track-day and Sunday car for over 40 years, the award-winning Seven, has a new generation of cars on the horizon, starting with the AeroSeven Concept. Close collaboration with the company’s F1 Team has not only yielded a stunning bit of carbon fibre bodywork, but also, thanks to a newly developed Caterham Engine Management System, a car with fully adjustable traction and launch control functionality. Production will remain at the Caterham Cars factory in Dartford and delivery of the production version of the concept model will begin in Autumn 2014.

uk.caterhamcars.com

- 28 -

CHAPTER ONE ROUND TRANSPARENCE ONE of 11

CHAPTER ONE ROUND TRANSPARENCEŽ Three of the world’s most renowned master watchmakers have collaborated on a world-first combination of complications, featuring a laser-etched sapphire dial, hand-beveled cut-out bridges, precious finish chronograph bridge, oneminute tourbillon, mono-push chronograph, retrograde date indicator, retrograde GMT indicator, day of the week indication on roller, and patented precise moon phase indication on roller in a fully integrated mechanical movement. Shown in 18K red gold and limited to 11 pieces.

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Every Piece for the Piste

- C O U RC H EV EL EXC LU S I V E

An exceptional ensemble imagined by Lacroix Skis, the resort of Courchevel and Parisian trunkmaker Pinel & Pinel, this beautiful, €50,000 set comes with all the essential accessories, plus a full package of services directly related to the practice of skiing, a full one-year 3 Vallées ski pass, maintenance service, storage and delivery. The luxuriously crafted travel trunk carries a pair of ‘Courchevel Exclusive’ skis, Lacroix Smartrack bindings, full carbon ski poles, leather ski gloves, ski goggles and two leather pouches. Only 10 trunks are available in the new Lacroix brand store located in the centre of Courchevel, so make sure they have one left before you decide to travel light.

lacroix-skis.com

Mountain Range

- BA LLY

When Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay took their final steps to the top of Everest on 29 May 1953, strapped to Norgay’s feet were a pair of Bally ReindeerHimalaya boots, forever linking the Swiss brand to this momentous achievement. Bally’s new 60th anniversary Himalaya boot in shaved deer skin is the re-edition (or re-boot, if you will) of the original footwear sported by Sir Edmund’s right-hand man, featuring both Bally’s re-engineered ‘360 Degree Non-Slip Grip’ and durable double stitch Norwegian construction.

bally.com

- 30 -

39

at last, a watch that adjusts to all 39 time zones on earth.

ASTRON. By developing a low-energy-consumption GPS receiver, Seiko has created a watch that connects to the GPS network and uses it to identify both time of day and time zone. The new Astron recognises all 39 time zones on earth and, by taking all the energy it needs from light alone, never needs a battery change. seiko-astron.com

info@hillierjewellers.co.uk 01642 245255

www.hillierjewellers.co.uk

- lu x u ry b r i efi n g -

Lean green machine

- GA R I A

Forget everything about golf carts you’ve always scoffed at. Garia’s team of highly skilled Danish engineers and designers have completely redesigned every notion of the traditional ‘leisure car’, combining advanced technology with top quality components and luxury coachwork. Things have been turned up to 11 with this new limited-edition roadster, designed in close collaboration with Mansory, the car customiser famous for souping-up luxury supercars such as Bentley, Bugatti and Ferrari.

Only seven examples of the Garia Mansory Currus will be made, with signature Mansory luxury features such as a dashboard in genuine leather, custom seat and carbon fibre rear body.

garia.com

21-bottle salute

- ROYA L SA LU T E

Tribute to Honour has been crafted

by Speyside distillers Royal Salute using the most exquisite, precious and scarce whiskies, all in order to pay homage to the oldest crown jewels of the British Isles: The Honours of Scotland. As the world’s oldest jeweller to royalty, Garrard has embellished the Royal Salute Tribute to Honour black porcelain flagon with 413 flawless white and black diamonds. Set in gold and silver, 22 carats of gemstone adorn the decorative collar and stunning flagon’s visage. You’ll certainly need a wee dram once you’ve seen the price: £150,000..

whiskyshop.com

- 33 -

CONTEMPORARY SWISS WATCHMAKING

R E V E A L

Y O U R S E L F

OCULUS V.01 CHRONO Red Gold

108 New Bond Street - LONDON Tel: 020 3372 0108 www.frostoflondon.co.uk

Transformable timepiece in limited edition

www.valbray.ch

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Moving on up

- NOMOS

Germany’s Nomos Glashütte has carved a unique name for itself as a watchmaker of bafflingly good value – with beautiful Bauhaus design thrown in for good measure. Close observers will have noticed quiet moments of showing off in the past – a tourbillon here; a set of gorgeous movements for Wempe there – but at last, the Berlin- and Saxony-based boffins are poking their heads above the parapet with a brace of properly luxurious pieces called Lambda (below) and Lux. Both driven by the same, in-house-manufactured, typically Saxon, ‘haute horologerie’ movement (three-quarter plate, swan neck fine adjuster, hand-engraved balance cock), you have a choice of two voluptuous gold case shapes.

nomos-gold.com

- 35 -

- lu x u ry b r i efi n g -

Watch the birdy

- T H E R EN A I SSA N C E C LU B A part of the Scottish East Lothian landscape since 2008, Jacksonville Businessman Jerry Sarvadi has ambitious plans for his £34 million links golf course, The Renaissance Club. Designed by world-renowned golf course architect Tom Doak, the course harnesses the rugged elegance of East Lothian’s sweeping dunes and tall pines into a truly exquisite golfing challenge. With a recently acquired triangular piece of Muirfield-owned land that Doak fashioned into three new holes and the club’s recently completed three-storey clubhouse with accommodation (at an additional cost of £9.2 million), the showpiece is finally complete. There are a limited number of highly sought-after memberships still available, so get your name down fast.

trcaa.com

Sublime in summertime

- V I LLA LES PA RCS, FR A N C E Winter’s here and ski season is afoot, but it’s never too soon to start fantasising about the summer.

Here’s a good place to start: a hilltop villa located in the exclusive private estate of Les Parcs de St. Tropez.

It boasts uninterrupted views of the azure sea, the Southern Alps and the sky, thanks to the clever play of extravagant space and intimate seclusion. Your friends can start fantasising, too, thanks to the vast entertainment spaces, fitted with beautiful, contemporary and bespoke details, from the towering mantelpiece to the 4m-long dining table, destined to be filled with tanned holidaymakers.

rhein-property.de

- 36 -

meccanicheveloci.com

QUATTRO VALVOLE 44 CHRONOGRAPH LUXURY

108 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1EF - Ph. 020 3372 0108 - www.FrostofLondon.co.uk

The Piccadilly Princess 327 ideal cut round brilliant diamonds weighing 23.36 carats

76 113A Brook Jermyn Street, Mayfair, 5EE SW1Y 6HJ Street, London, Mayfair,W1K London, +44 (0) 207 518 2585 For details of our worldwide retailers, please visit www.backesandstrauss. com www.backesandstrauss.com

- fo o d & d r i n k -

TRENDS AND NEWS FROM THE BEST BARS AND KITCHENS GALVIN AT WINDOWS

Reviewed by Scott Manson

Photographers call it the ‘magic hour’ – the last hour of sunlight during the day, when the light is diffused softly and the world seems a happier, more gentle place. The perfect time, then, to visit one of London’s most picturesque, panoramic restaurants – Galvin at Windows. The room has been one of London’s best dining spots since the Hilton hotel it sits atop opened in 1963.

Captains of industry have made it their lunch spot of choice for years – you can almost hear expense accounts being rinsed all around you – although, famously, the Queen refuses to visit the hotel as she opposed its construction after realising that it overlooked Buckingham Palace’s gardens.

On the strength of our visit, though, her Royal Highness is missing out. She should skip the delights of the Buck House kitchens one night and instead investigate the prestige menu at this sublime 28th floor restaurant, ensuring she books in for the magic hour, when the golden-hued glory of Hyde Park provides a fitting backdrop for a memorable meal.

We kicked off with a starter of king scallops served with sweetcorn purée, slow-cooked pork belly and a shellfish reduction.

Like a high-end surf and turf, this combined the pure protein hit of fresh shellfish with a punchy dose of porcine loveliness. The crab and salmon starter was similarly strong, with a generous helping of the former that saw me give silent thanks to the sous-chef who’d tirelessly picked the meat from the shell.

A simple roasted fillet of cod followed, accompanied by an authentic-tasting paella with chorizo and squid, while my dining partner opted for the tender fillet of beef Rossini, served with foie gras and truffle. It sounds rich – hell, it was rich – but was pleasingly balanced and plentiful.

Head chef Joo Won has only recently stepped up to the (hot) plate at this restaurant, but it’s clear that he’s already made his mark. When a restaurant is packed and buzzing on a wet and cold Tuesday evening, who needs royal approval…? galvinatwindows.com

SKATE AND DINE

London’s Somerset House ice rink has become a winter institution. On a crisp, dark evening, in spectacular neo-classical surroundings, it’s the quintessential outdoor skating experience. Foodies, too, should note that Tom’s Kitchen – headed up by top chef Tom Aikens – also has a restaurant on site, offering great seasonal produce for those looking for a quality post-skate meal. somersethouse.org.uk - 39 -

- fo o d & d r i n k -

BRILLIANT BUBBLES

BOULESTIN

Unbelievably, it turns out that London is effectively France’s sixth biggest city, with more French residents than Bordeaux.

Some 300,000 to 400,000 of our Gallic cousins currently live in London, so it’s fitting that the recent crop of foodie openings (Brasserie Zédel, Balthazar, et al) provide a taste of home for them.

One of the UK’s early adopters was Frenchman Marcel Boulestin, the original celebrity chef, restaurateur and writer who made London his home in the 1920s, owning what was the capital’s most expensive restaurant in its day The Boulestin, to which I head in St James’s Street, is an homage to Marcel’s eponymous Covent Garden eatery and a new launch for the owner, Joel Kissin, the man responsible for a coterie of 1990s cool Conran eateries such as Mezzo and Quaglino’s.

First impressions are great. From the belle époque prints on the wall to the marble bar and black and white chequerboard flooring, it feels typically French without being too twee. Our corner banquette gives us a great view of the dining room, before we turn our attention to the menu and, crucially, the rosé champagne and home-baked bread placed before us.

Reviewed by Jonny Hughes We open our account with the classic ouefs en marette – egg poached in a red wine sauce with mushrooms which left me wanting beaucoup plus – and a selection of perfectly cooked scallops with butternut squash, pine nuts and sage. It’s all wonderfully, knowingly French.

For mains, the dark, cold November weather called for slow cooking and it doesn’t come much slower or darker than a daube of beef with celeriac pureé and simple, well-cooked winter roots. Its big, earthy flavours elicited satisfying oohs and aahs from our table which I’m convinced could be heard across the restaurant.

With the window in the British game season open, we also opted for a roast partridge with red cabbage, bread sauce and a latticework of game chips. Moist, but with perfectly crispy skin, this was a sign of a kitchen at the top of its game.

Our friendly waiter recommended a bottle of excellent St Aubin 1er Cru burgundy to accompany the mains. It proved a great choice from the extensive, but pricey, wine list.

For dessert, the lemon tart was, like my old spinster French teacher, sharp and a little underwhelming. The Sauternes custard with Agen prunes more than made up for the citric sobriety, however.

Despite the dining room being fairly quiet for a Friday night in London, it was heartening to hear that all the other customer conversations were in French.

And I suspect that as the word gets about this little slice of gastronomic goodness in a quiet corner of St James’s, the expats will descend en masse. boulestin.com

- 40 -

No self-respecting home should have fewer than a dozen vintage bottles of champagne squirrelled away. There’s a time and a place for cheap fizz – when the marquee is erected in the summer perhaps – but December is not one of them. Champagne takes time, precision and a huge amount of trust in the wine-makers for it to produce masterful results. So, buy right and look beyond the entry level this season

by Peter Dean GOLD MEDALLISTS

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1998

I last popped one of these in the summer as a prelude to a fine dinner in which some serious wines were ‘being shown’ by various collectors.

Pure, golden heaven, the structure, definition and length are immaculate in the way they combine with one another. Best drunk with plenty of years on the clock, when it loses the robustness that you find in youth.

hedonism.co.uk, £169 a bottle

Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2004

Moet has only released a vintage champagne 70 times since its first vintage production was issued in 1842. This beauty is a mediumbodied wine with a classy citrus finish and aromas of marzipan and quince.

It’s precise, with superb bubbles that make it head and shoulders above the regular brut release.

majestic.co.uk, £42 a bottle

Laurenti Grande Cuvée Brut

A new champagne to me. One just released in Britain after 90 years production in France, this is a broad, medium dry wine with a terrific finish.

Try and leave it open for 15 minutes before pouring and then enjoy its toasty, nutty, apple aromas and flavours. An inspiring surprise.

virginwines.co.uk, £180 for six bottles

ROBERTOCOIN.COM

POIS MOI COLLECTION

Swiss movement, English heart

C9 JUMPING HOUR MK II – 18CT ROSE GOLD LIMITED EDITION

Bespoke ETA 2824-2 Jumping Hour automatic modification by Master Watchmaker Johannes Jahnke / Each piece, of only 250, personally assembled by Johannes and his team at CW’s Swiss atelier / 43mm, surgical grade stainless steel and 18ct rose gold case with sapphire crystal and exhibition case back / Ethically sourced Louisiana alligator strap with Bader deployment

Showroom at NO.1 PARK STREET, Maidenhead. To arrange a personal appointment, call +44 (0)1628 763040

- t h e wo r d -

How low can you go?

Alex Doak

Alex Doak is a luxury lifestyle journalist and edits theprodigalguide.com

I’m not here to rail against a surfeit of ridiculously complicated, ridiculously priced watches. The fact is, just as we love the Lamborghinis, Bugattis and Paganis of this world, we can all appreciate brands like Maîtres du Temps, Franc Vila or Ladoire for tearing up the horological rule book, whatever the price tag. That’s the top end for you.

But what I am here to argue about are the less-than-top brands; the premium watchmakers who are gradually abandoning their aspirational customers in search of topend adulation. The car brands don’t do it, so why should watches?

Yes, you may argue that Mercedes has its ever-more-bonkers AMG division, Audi its R8 supercar… even Peugeot have just launched its most extreme roadcar ever, the RCZ R. But have they abandoned their A-Classes, A1s and 208s? Of course not – if anything we’re getting more and more choice in the supermini sector. Quite apart from needing to satisfy the EU’s average-emissions criteria, they need that bread-and-butter business. And, critically, ‘normal’ customers crave the ability to buy into a brand that also turns out V12 stallions, or even F1 cars in Mercedes’ case.

Which is something Switzerland could learn from. Yes, we all have to accept prices go up, even though the line does tend to go up far faster than inflation (more to do with gold prices and the Swiss franc than watch brands’ actual greed). Yes, ETA’s restriction of movement supply means brands with enough money (such as TAG Heuer and Breitling) are developing their own in-house movements, driving up prices for staples such as chronographs. And yes, of course it’s written into Luxury’s Ten Commandments

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that Thou Shalt Never Dilute Your Brand, Nor Undermine the Exclusive Echelon That Your Existing Customer Base Has Bought Into.

But surely this upsell presents a more-logicalthan-ever opportunity to downsell? Why shouldn’t a high-end watch brand introduce a lower-priced, more accessible collection?

As long as it’s just as well-made, looks the part and feels right, everyone’s a winner. Just imagine being able to spend £5,000 and get yourself a new Patek Philippe. Or just £4,000 for an A. Lange & Söhne? Or even a measly £1,000 for a Bell & Ross? Come to think of it, that’s about what you used to pay for a Bell & Ross anyway…

The brands could even make it into a kind of contest– we all know how much they love an engineering challenge. After all, as Top Gear’s James May says, what’s so clever about a £500,000 box of over-engineered tricks? The really clever thing is making a reliable, safe runaround for just £8,000. Just look at Swatch at Baselworld this year. Admittedly their big story was a higher-end watch for them – the plastic-fantastic, automatic Sistem51 – but that’s not the point; the point is that this £108 watch was everyone’s favourite of the fair because it was the cleverest mechanical watch there. Plus, Swatch didn’t dilute their brand image – we still buy into the Sistem51 because we all secretly love Swatch.

Whether people are intelligent enough to see that a £5,000 Patek can still be a Patek through and through, and not undermine their status in the boardroom or the value of their prior investments? We’ll probably never see that put to the test, sadly.

Carry on upselling, Switzerland. It’s all you know what to do.

TURBINE XL, A1050/1 TECHNOLOGY OF THE DOUBLE ROTOR.

Made by movement

WWW.PERRELET.COM

108 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1EF Tel: 020 3372 0108 www.frostoflondon.co.uk

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Where London’s chefs shop Luke Mackay

Luke Mackay is a private chef and food writer.

Pity the private chef in Croatia: there is only so much you can do with cabbage, beetroot and onions. There are huge vegetable markets in Dubrovnik and further up the Dalmatian coast, in Hvar and Trogir, where you wander in amazement as a sea of fresh produce opens up in front of you. Stall after stall groans with veg and traders shout over each other to attract the lucrative yacht chef, new in town and pockets full. But it is only as you delve deeper that you realise that each and every stall carries exactly the same things – a combination of beets, cabbage and onions. If you’re lucky, you’ll unearth the odd salad leaf, perhaps a tomato or two or – praise be – some garlic.

It’s the same with meat. Witness the giant men, mustachioed and smoking, hacking at unidentifiable carcasses, their monstrous cleavers slicing through the humid fug. I never bought a piece of meat in Croatia that wasn’t embedded with bone shards and gristle.

The fish is great, but a lot of the good stuff is pilfered sharpish by Italian restaurateurs from across the Adriatic. You have to be creative as a private chef in Croatia. You learn, quickly, how to transform unpromising produce into delicious meals. You cook a lot of fish.

Not so in London, now one of the best cities in the world both to eat out and eat in. More and more specialist food shops are springing up, offering diverse ingredients from every corner of the world. It’s a good thing, too.

In this private chef ’s opinion, the great department store food halls are struggling to

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keep up. Overpriced and ill thought out, a recent trip I took to a former glorious ‘London larder’ was unbearably disappointing. Poor displays, ludicrous prices and a real lack of variety and passion left me sad for this gastronomic grande dame.

The smaller independents are better. For the finest fresh pasta, made silky and yellow-yolk-rich on the premises, Lina Stores in Soho is hard to beat. For similar passion and knowledge about fruit and vegetables, Andreas Veg in Chelsea is the place to go. Add his fishmonger neighbour, Rex Goldsmith, to the pot and you have a foodie focal point of the highest quality.

Everyone knows about the stunning produce at Borough Market – for my mind the best market in Europe – but try Maltby Street Market on Saturday mornings, too, for some stunning small producers.

For spices I go south, with Deepak Cash & Carry in Tooting being the best in the business.

For dried goods and spices, it has no peers. If Deepak doesn’t have it then, in all probability, no one does.

My final tip, for chefs and food lovers alike, is Druid Street in Southwark. Head there on Saturday for the best food co-operative in London, with wonderful purveyors like O’Shea’s Butchers and Neal’s Yard Dairy bringing the old railway arches to life with beautiful ingredients and knowledgeable staff creating the most unique, London experience.

Your epicurean adventure starts here…

Beyond the standard.

Blaken Explorer II AC Schnitzer Chronometer

AC Schnitzer ACS6 Sport Gran Coupé

AC Schnitzer offer bespoke BMW cars to the motoring enthusiast. Built to order with enhanced performance, superior ride comfort, and a sound to take you to the moon.

ACS4 Sport (Z4)

ACS1 Sport (M135i)

ACS5 Sport (X5)

Example shown ACS6 Sport Gran Coupé based on 640i M Sport. Includes performance upgrade to 360hp, carbon fibre front spoiler, chrome front grille, carbon fibre rear diffuser, dual sports rear silencer, lowered suspension, 21” Type VIII Forged Racing wheels with Michelin Supersport tyres £88,950 OTR. “Magic Copper” wrap available separately.

Colour coded Blaken Explorer II AC Schnitzer chronometer £12,750 with car purchase.

Available from AC Schnitzer UK Manor Road Dersingham Norfolk PE31 6LD Tel: 01485 542000 Subject to availability. Prices correct as of 6/12/13 Other packages are available, please call for a brochure.

www.ac-schnitzer.co.uk 01485 542000

The

Got a question about timepieces?

Put it to AskMen.com’s Watch Snob. Be warned: you may not like what he has to say…

Fakes are for phonies

Rookie errors

Does steel go with gold?

Hi Snob, I’m a 24-year-old NGO leader, surrounded by politicians and businesspeople. I own three watches: a Diesel analog (fine for going out with friends or for long travels by car); a Rotary analog watch (beautiful, but it is gold-plated with a brown strap, so it doesn’t fit the suit); and a third, which is problematic. It’s a Cartier I received as a “thank you” present from a company in the UK, but I think that it’s fake. I really don’t want a watch that is not congruent with my status, so other suggestions would be very helpful.

Hi Watch Snob, Since my teens I’ve wanted a square watch with a black face and Roman numerals. Can you please recommend a model less than £5,000? Frédérique Constant does one that seems OK. Do you know of any other brands?

Hey Snob, Over a decade ago, a fellow enthusiast spent his first few paychecks on what we both thought was a nice watch.

But something always bothered me about his Longines watch. Recently, I was trying on a Zenith Captain Winsor Annual Calendar when it dawned on me what it was: Steel case watches with gold hour markers bother me.

Not even Patek’s relatively recent Nautilus Chronograph can change my mind on the matter. Is a steel case watch with gold face decorations an acceptable combination? How about the steel and gold cases and bracelets of the 1980s? Or is it my taste that is in need of adjustment?

So, you’re 24 years old, hobnobbing with leading government officials and business folk, and all you have to show for yourself is a Diesel, a Rotary and a fake Cartier?

Rectify the situation quickly. A choice of a Baume & Mercier is one that would fit most 24-year-olds well. However, judging from your self-important description of yourself, a £1,500 watch simply won’t do. You need something worldly, something unique, something untouchable. You need a watch that someone like myself could see and say: “Hey, this kid knows his stuff.” Look for a vintage Vacheron Constantin ultra-thin watch. You can find them at auctions for around £2,500. I can promise you no one will mistake this for a fake – and if they do, have them talk to me.

Reading this question, I am asking myself a few things. First, how old are you? You mention your teens as if they were decades ago. If you’ve been pining for such a pointless concoction, available from every watchmaker in every price range for more than six months, you likely have bigger problems than finding a square watch with a black dial. Second, have you ever been to a watch store? I am leaning toward the negative, because you would’ve likely seen something from Swiss Army, TAG Heuer, Louis Erard, Jaeger-LeCoultre or even Rolex that suits your needs. My final question is this: Will I ever get the time I spent responding to this inquiry back, or is it lost forever? I hope to never hear from you again.

Steel and gold can work well together – or they can be a flabby attempt to gussy up an unimaginative design. In the case of Patek, the combination of gold and steel is not a matter of economy but of aesthetics: someone who is able to consider a twotone Nautilus is unlikely to have practicing economy as a motivation. For watch enthusiasts of a certain generation, this combination is irresistibly evocative of floods of Rolexes on the wrists of hordes of hoi polloi, and thus, anathema. Audemars Piguet used to do steel and gold together very nicely and I rather wish it would again.

To read more from the Watch Snob, head to askmen.com - 47 -

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Underthe hammer From December’s auctions, a slice of J.P. Morgan history, a one-off piece of royal jewellery and a 1934 Lagonda Rapier Special classic car are the last word in super-luxe Christmas presents

Sotheby’s

Charles Frodsham (1810– 1871) was one of London’s most renowned watch and clockmakers, who took over Arnold & Co. at 84 Strand in 1843. The family business, Charles Frodsham and Co. still holds the Royal Warrant of Clock Suppliers to the British Royal Family and they presented a fine carriage clock to the Queen in March to mark the Diamond Jubilee. This handsome 18ct yellow-gold open-faced minute repeating chronograph tourbillon pocket watch, on sale at Sotheby’s this December, was presented by John Pierpont Morgan (of J.P. Morgan fame) to Thomas Cochran, “On the Occasion Of His Joining The Firm”, on 1 January, 1917.

Estimated to fetch between $100,000 and $200,000.

Sotheby’s Important Watches and Clocks sale takes place on 10 December at the New York saleroom. sothebys.com

Fellows

Bonhams

Estimated between £1,500 and £2,000. Fellows’ Antique & Modern Jewellery sale takes place on 5 December. fellows.co.uk

Estimated between £45,000 and £55,000. Bonhams’ Important Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia sale takes place on 9 December at the Oxford saleroom. bonhams.com

Perpetuating Fellows’ reputation for turning up ever-quirkier items of jewellery for its regular London and Birmingham sales is lot 62 in its December sale – a late Victorian onyx memorial hinged bangle, dating from circa 1880. The opening reveals a picture of the Duchess of Cambridge with an engraved description, “In Remembrance of Dear Great Aunt A. Cambridge. From Victoria R.I. Xmas 1889”. It would have been issued by Queen Victoria to the Duchess, which was quite standard practice, and now represents a relatively low-priced means of owning a slice of royal history.

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This 1934 Lagonda Rapier Special was built by Australian enthusiast, Ross Stewart, creator of one of the world’s fastest racing Austin Sevens.

Stewart’s starting point was an Abbott-bodied Rapier fixedhead coupé which, prior to its transformation into a racing monoposto, had last been seen on the road in Ireland in 1955. Comprehensively recommissioned in the UK by a renowned Vintage/PVT race engineer, this classic car has been fitted with new Dunlop racing tyres and, when rolling-road dynamometer tested in October 2009, developed 180bhp at 6,000rpm on 22psi boost.

byMG/FI

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Trendwatching Frost of London director Joseph Banin

M ec ca n i c h e V elo c i We held another eclectic event in the boutique last month for the brilliant watch brand Meccaniche Veloci, who named Newcastle United footballer Steven Taylor (pictured) as their brand ambassador. The player was also presented with a beautiful Meccaniche Veloci Quattro Valvole 48 Four Stroke timepiece from the Luxury Gold collection, featuring a black titanium case with 18ct rose gold bezel, crowns and buttons.

Premiere Velocity kindly supported the event, showcasing a selection of supercars that complemented Meccaniche Veloci’s automobile-themed watches.

D evo n The Devon Tread 2 Murder has just arrived in the boutique and what a fantastic watch and piece of technology it is. It employes an innovative system of fiberglass-reinforced nylon ‘time belts’ operated by a microcontroller. In essence, it’s an extremely compact computer inside a watch that offers impressively accurate timekeeping. Plus it looks the business, too.

reveals what’s on his radar this month

Lov e i s i n t h e a i r This year we are proud to have been chosen to design engagement and wedding rings for the likes of Amir Khan and Professor Green. Our in-house design service, which offers the last word in personal service, has been very busy of late.

With Christmas coming up it seems that love is in the air!

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Sa lo n Q P It’s amazing to think Salon QP, London’s only fine watch fair, is only in its fifth year. Without question it is one of the highlights in my calendar of UK horological happenings. Unlike Baselworld, it’s a truly intimate event and last month’s event provided a great opportunity to catch up with some of our signature brands.

Ro ll o n 2 0 1 4 This has been a great year for Frost of London, and for the luxury watch industry generally. A recent report on the Swiss watch industry, by Credit Suisse, paints a very positive picture for 2014 and beyond, and we are proud to play a small part in that. We have grand plans on the horizon, in particular our exclusive regular monthly events which will take place on the last Thursday of every month. The strictly invite only event is a must for any timepiece and jewellery enthusiast so watch this space. For now I wish you all a happy and healthy end to 2013.

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J ew ellery b r a n d o f t h e y ea r Shamballa Jewels Often imitated, never bettered, this brand continued its unstoppable march into the jewellery boxes of every luxury loving lady. And quite a few men too.

R estau r a n t o f t h e y ea r We enjoyed our visit to London’s hip-as-hell Dabbous, while the dining experience at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire showed us why it’s long been regarded as one of the country’s best restaurants. Our lunch at Hix Mayfair, however, has to go down as the meal of the year. Perfect service, incredible meat and a dining room so welcoming that it instantly makes you feel like cancelling your plans for the rest of the day.

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367 T h e n u m b er o f watc h es feat u r ed i n T em p u s t h i s y ea r.

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T h e n u m b er o f h o u rs i t to o k t h e T em p u s t ea m to d r i v e fro m Lo n d o n to Bas elwo r ld.

T h e i d ea t h at a roa d t r i p wo u ld b e fu n fa d ed a ft er t h e fi rst h o u r...

W eb s i t es o f t h e y ea r mrporter.com watchfinder.co.uk mrandmrssmith.com theprodigalguide.com

Watc h es o f t h e y ea r Nomos Ahoi Chopard L.U.C Engine One H Bremont Codebreaker Maitre du Temps Chapter Two Round

Ca r o f t h e y ea r Porsche 911 GT3 The most hardcore and intense iteration in the 911 line-up blew our car reviewer away. One can be yours for £100,000.

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T h e n u m b er o f m i les t h at BAS E j u m p er Feli x Bau m ga rt n er fell to Ea rt h o n h i s r ec o r d b r ea k i n g s ky d i v e. A n d t h e watc h h e st r a p p ed o n fo r t h e j u m p?

T h e to u g h-asn a i ls Z en i t h El P r i m ero St r ato s.

B est ev en ts Too many to mention, from the non-stop round of meetings and late night shenanigans that was Baselworld to the VIP launch night of London’s Salon QP to Frost of London’s in-store events, we had a ball this year.

Honourable mentions must also go to editor Scott’s night out with boxing legend David Haye, who turned out to be surprisingly knowledgeable about watches, and to the decadent brilliance of AskMen.com’s relaunch party at London’s Box nightclub.

- fas h i o n & ac c ess o r i es -

frostoflondon.co.uk

01

Last minute luxury Super-stylish ideas for eleventh hour gift shoppers 01 Theo Fennell

02 Montegrappa

03 Roberto Coin

04 Pippo Perez

A bright idea for the gents, these 18ct yellow gold and rock crystal lightbulb cufflinks are a wonderfully quirky take on a classic accessory. £2,500

For the budding novelist or art lover, the Montegrappa Salvador Dalí Rollerball is a unique writing instrument inspired by the artist’s famous work The Space Elephant.

It’s limited to just 989 pieces. £3,060

Embrace the spirit of the symbol of wisdom, temperance and strength, with this white gold bracelet with colourless diamonds, black diamonds and jade. And remember: an elephant is for life, not just for Christmas. £POA

This fine jeweller offers a collection of the stylish bracelets that any lady would welcome under her Christmas tree.

From £1,200

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05 Shamballa Jewels

06 Chrome Hearts

Always at the top of the festive wish list for those in the know, this magnificent chain necklace with white diamond pave in 18ct yellow gold is a sheer delight. £POA

‘The Monster’ 1950s retro style sunglasses are a rocking gift option for the wellheeled indie kid.

£900

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04 05

03

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Maîtres du Temps The ‘masters of time’ brand is so named as each model (or ‘chapter’) has been designed by a different watchmaker, all highly regarded industry big-hitters. This piece, for example, was a collaboration between Peter Speake-Marin and Christophe Claret, two of the world’s most celebrated contemporary watchmakers.

Its original iteration, created in 2008, resulted in the watch’s signature DNA of rollers, two per watch, to indicate the day of the week and moonphase, plus a tourbillon, chronograph, date and GMT, all set in a tonneau-shaped case. The next version, in 2010, took it a stage further, housing that complex movement in a round case.

The latest model, the Chapter One Round Transparence, shown here, is the most handsome yet. A transparent glass pane replaces the solid black dial of the previous version, allowing a view of the 558-component movement and the superbly crafted tourbillon. Only 11 of these watches are being made, reflecting the rarity that comes from something crafted by the best of the best. frostoflondon.co.uk

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- Sty le A dv i c e-

Words - Alex Doak

Well heeled Three of the world’s most respected figures in fine footwear dispense their timeworn advice when it comes to shodding oneself. After all, as the old saying goes, you can always judge a man by his shoes…

“1. THE PURCHASE: There are two elements to consider when buying a pair of shoes: it has to both dress and protect the foot. The two must go hand in hand, thanks to the magic of J.M. Weston. The most important thing is to remain true to your tastes, to yourself. You must manage to reconcile comfort and elegance, without neglecting the latter, and wear shoes that match your body shape.

Michel Perry, Creative Director, J.M. WESTON

ON THE DOS AND DON’TS OF DECENT SHOES…

2. COMMON MISTAKES: As far as style is concerned, I strongly advise against wearing a pair of new shoes for an occasion, an evening, etc. You must first of all make them your own and break them in before showing them in public. It is all a question of time: shoes that have not been broken in can ruin your style.

3. THE FORMAL DILEMMA: At J.M. Weston, we stick by the belief that shoes should always bring the required discretion and elegance to an evening, without overwhelming the personality of the person wearing them. They are the extension of your look. Our signature lies in the search for the perfect osmosis between know-how, quality and elegance.

4. THE TRAINERS ISSUE: Trainers can be worn on any occasion. As long as the look and the personality go together, there shouldn’t be the feeling of wearing a costume. The pairing of the shoes and clothing must be natural. You must wear trainers with confidence and feel at ease in them. A sense of ease and your attitude are therefore extremely important – they allow seduction to work its magic.” jmweston.com

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- Sty le A dv i c e-

“Most people focus too much on looks and forget about the f it”

Marc Hare, Founder, MR. HARE

ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF SHOES…

designers never step foot in a factory.

They don’t know the whole process of creating the perfect fitting shoe and therein lies the challenge.”

The Directors, THE LEFT SHOE COMPANY

ON THE FUTURE OF SHOES… Coming from a generation of shoemakers, Maurizio Mazzucato has spent his life creating perfect footwear. He is now the design director for made-to-measure shoe brand The Left Shoe Company, which recently opened its first shop in London.

“Most people focus too much on looks and forget about the fit,” he says. “I started learning in a factory making shoes by hand, whereas many of the new generation’s

These days, Mazzucato gets a little help from technology, as The Left Shoe Company uses a 3D scanner to find the measurements of each individual foot and then create a personal profile for every customer. This then allows the customer to either create his own personal shoe by choosing details such as the leather, the colour and sole then and there, or later online while in the comfort of his own home. This technological edge – along with the knowledge of craftsmanship – is what sets The Left Shoe Company apart.

“Most men don’t have time or don’t like shopping,” says Christian Haugaard, director of The Left Shoe Company in the UK. “But most of them have an opinion about what they like. This concept allows the customer to become part of the design process and the best part is, this process will not cost you more than a pair of shoes off the peg.” leftshoecompany.com

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“Mr. Hare, the brand, was conceived at a roadside tapas bar in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Andalucia, Spain in 2008. I was looking at the woven leather shoes of the old gentleman sitting next to me thinking those shoes could be so awesome with a few tweaks, but who could I get to make them? Five minutes later, Mr. Hare, the brand, was born; after 360 days an idea had become a shopfloor at Dover Street Market.

Our shoes are handmade in Empoli, in Tuscany, Italy. In future, they will be made wherever the greatest manufacturer best suited to the task at hand is located.

I believe the ethical way to do business is by having more small pockets of great expertise instead of a few large corporations affecting a brain drain for greedy financial gain.

Mr. Hare is a black shoe company.

This means my shoes are created to make the wearer look stylish and completely in control at night. This doesn’t mean they can’t be worn in the day, or come in other colours. It just means that when I designed them I was thinking about having a great time at night, outside, with friends, with great food and drink and dancing. Lots of dancing.” mrhare.com

THE MAIN EVENT from a Privileged Perspective

SITUATED IN THE HEART OF THE CITY, THE TOP TWO FLOORS OF THIS BREATHTAKING VENUE CAN BE HIRED EXCLUSIVELY FOR BREAKFAST, EVENING OR WEEKEND EVENTS. To book your event contact:

020 7071 5009 | entertaining@searcys.co.uk www.searcys.co.uk | @SearcysGherkin

- g o o d t i m es -

Words – Shaun Curran

Sir Ranulph Fiennes

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TO T H E

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- g o o d t i m es -

Named the world’s greatest explorer by the Guinness Book of Records, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has spent almost 50 years embarking on life-threatening expeditions across some of the planet’s most remote and physically testing terrains. Here, the perennial explorer and sometime author talks about those missions and the bespoke watch he designed for outdoor enthusiasts

EXT REME

Q: Sir Ranulph, your new book, Cold: Extreme Adventures at the Lowest Temperatures on Earth, documents expeditions you’ve embarked on across some of the most challenging natural elements imaginable. What is your motivation for continuing to undertake these adventures?

There are many motivations that attract people like me to this sort of thing. In my early expeditions, patriotism was a factor.

Competition, against other people, is another; going for world records a third. Then it comes down to making a living.

At the end of the day it’s a form of travel that is a bit more ‘nitty-gritty’, if you like. So all those things come together.

And once you’re on the expedition and that feeling comes across your

mind that you want to stop, you want to turn back, then those things become important.

If you’re someone who has a weak voice in your head saying you must stop because you have gangrene or whatever, it’s difficult to ignore it. People of religion, whatever their faith, tend to be better at keeping going.

Q: You explore in a team. What sorts of characteristics must others display before they’re welcomed into the fold for your expeditions?

Q: Like your father, you served in the army as an officer. Did your time there help when it comes to exploring?

I think some of the military lessons are applicable in certain cases, but a lot of them aren’t. You’re up against other people in the army, whereas you’re up against nature in the expeditions.

And people can be unpredictable. You don’t get that with nature. It is fairly predictable even if the conditions are deeply unpleasant.

We know what we are looking for – people who aren’t too excitable when things go well, nor too down when things go miserably.

It’s about people who know how to behave in small communities.

We don’t often change the team - we’ve only had a couple of changes in the last 30 years.

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Q: You have lost some of the fingertips on your left hand due to frostbite. How has that affected you?

It doesn’t affect me very much. That happened 11 years ago, and that very hand has helped me on other expeditions since, so it isn’t an issue.

Q: Let’s move on to wristwatches – you were involved in the design of a watch specifically for explorers. How did that come about?

I actually have it on at the moment. I advised an American watchmaker, Mike Kobold, and the idea was to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff that is normally on a watch. The idea was simplification, so we brought it all back to some key characteristics.

It needed to work so that you could look at it in the darkest night and instantly see what the time was, which is obviously a big help when you are navigating.

We got rid of all the

- g o o d t i m es -

bits and pieces that you see on modern watches and reverted to a very predictable, very reliable watch that is specifically for polar navigation. And the result is the Kobold Limited Edition Polar Surveyor. It’s something I’m, understandably, very proud of, although I’m not suggesting that everyone who wears one needs to head out to the North Pole!

Q: Was watch display clarity something you had struggled with previously?

I’ve never struggled too much in the polar zones, but you certainly don’t want to be messing about with technology when it’s cold. I don’t even like using a satellite navigation system in the UK. Quite often I am travelling to do lectures in the middle of nowhere and the sat nav doesn’t recognise where I am. My method of navigation in the UK is being very good at

The Sir Ranulphdesigned Kobo–– ld Polar Surveyor

recognising local people from non-local people.

So then, when you stop the car and ask them where you are going, they will know how to direct you.

Q: Do you wear the watch all the time?

I’ve actually got two of them! But yes, I do wear them a lot of the time.

It’s one of those watches you can wear when you’re not exploring – it’s got great functionality. If you’re an uncomplicated man like me, you’ll like it.

Q: You have explored on both land and sea.

Which is the more testing of the two?

In the Antarctic you are travelling on land, which is a lot more secure. But if you’re trying to cross the Arctic Ocean via the North Pole, you are travelling on moving bits of ice on top of the sea.

The current and the wind is breaking it all up and unless you do it at the right time of the year, like the summer, you’ve a very great chance of getting into trouble. And if you go to the North Pole from the [former] Soviet Union, you’re going to start from Siberia – and a lot of people can come into grief. A female expedition disappeared, and Reinhold Messner, the great climber, got swept away by moving ice on day one of his venture there, though he survived. It’s often a more unpredictable zone than the Antarctic. Some of the ice nodes float around at three miles an hour and weigh 3m tonnes.

missions. Do you have a personal favourite?

Q: You have been involved in some record breaking

What do you have planned in the future?

Not particularly, although the circumnavigation of the world was so unique and so ambitious. It was good that it succeeded - it would have been a waste of 11 years had it failed. Then there was the finding of the lost city in Arabia – that search took us 25 years, on and off. We started in 1968 and found it in 1993.

And that was a relief, otherwise we would have had another 10 or so years of searching.”

Q: Through your explorations, have you learned anything you didn’t previously know about yourself ?

From a philosophical and introspective point of view, I don’t dabble in that sort of stuff.

Two and two makes four. Freud doesn’t get a look in.

I’ve never planned an expedition when I’ve still got one going on.

So, right now, we have a mission in Antarctica and we’re trying to remove the people this month. In February, an ice breaker can get down there and remove the equipment and look at the scientific samples we have put together. So what am I working on? Well, not thinking of what comes next, I guess.”

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ book, Cold, published by Simon & Schuster, is out now.

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Fact File • Ranulph TwisletonWykeham-Fiennes, Third Baronet, was born in Berkshire in 1944, just after his father was killed in World War II. • Fiennes served in the Army as an Officer until 1970. He was once the youngest Captain in the British Army who fought the Marxist Terrorists between 1968 and 1970.

• The first man to reach the North and South Poles, as well as crossing Antarctic and Arctic Oceans, Fiennes also led the first ever circumnavigation of the world along its polar axis – a 52,000 mile expedition.

• Other notable achievements include the discovery of the lost city of Ubar on the Yemeni border in 1992 (after seven previous search expeditions over a 26-year period) as well as becoming the oldest Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

• He has been awarded an OBE for human endeavour and for charitable services, with his expeditions having now raised over £14 million for good causes.

• Fiennes is also a renowned author and has published over 20 titles of fiction and non-fiction.

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Words – Scott Manson

Diamond - 66 -

Life

While taking inspiration from the very best of London’s historical architecture, Backes and Strauss’s elegant timepiece collections exude modern finesse

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ONES TO WATCH: The glorious Regent collection (previous page); an eye for detail in the workshop (below); where the Backes & Strauss journey began (bottom)

E

very successful businessman has their eureka m om e n t . Fo r Va r t k n e s s Knadjian, CEO of watch and jewellery brand Backes & Strauss (pictured above), it came while attending a Walpole luxury conference in London in 2005.

Although Knadjian had been working at the 224 year old company since 1976, Backes & Strauss remained principally a diamond business until 2003 when he decided to venture into high-end watch manufacturing.

“My father was a watchmaker. So I started to look at ways to build a heritage that combined our diamond expertise with my love of watches,” he explains.

“This journey led me to the Walpole conference,” he continues “as I was trying to better understand the world of luxury. Lew Frankfort, the CEO of Coach (American leather goods brand), was making a speech.

It was a decent speech, but at the end, during the Q&A, someone spoke up to query Coach’s luxury credentials, suggesting that many of us have lost sight of the true concept of luxury.”

For Knadjian, what followed was a genuine revelation; one that helped to inform the philosophy of his brand.

“The guy who spoke up – a journalist, I believe – explained that it’s not about what something costs, it’s how it’s made,” Knadjian recalls. “They even went so far as to suggest that Americans don’t understand luxury!

“They used the example of European royalty in the olden days. Monarchs would commission the best craftsmen and use the finest materials for their products, And if the king approved of the creations, aristocrats would aspire to own them too, and a trend would be born. This is where we come in. We use the best of the best – whether that’s the world’s finest diamonds or ultra-high quality watch movements, made for us by Franck Muller.”

It’s this traditional focus on craftsmanship that has seen Backes & Strauss – the world’s oldest diamond company – also become renowned for producing some of highest quality stones on the planet. These gems have an impeccable pedigree, boasting not just flawless colour and clarity, but also a quality of light refraction that sets them dazzlingly apart.

“Diamonds are all about polishing and light the best are ideal cut and scientifically perfect,” Knadjian explains. “This gives them maximum fire and brilliance. Many people don’t realise that diamonds are still hand-polished; even diamonds as small as 0.7 or 0.8mm still have all 58 facets created by hand. To create perfect cuts at that scale is incredible.”

It’s a level of craftsmanship that comes from the company’s prestigious 200 year history.

Founded in Germany in 1789, Backes & Strauss set up a London office in 1864. Prior to then, the company supplied diamonds to a number of notable Swiss watch brands, including Franck Muller.

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CAPITAL GAINS: Central London is the inspiration for many Backes & Strauss watches, including the limited edition Beau Brummell

“We use the best of the best – whether that’s the world ’s f inest diamonds or ultra-high quality watch movements, made for us by Franck Muller” - 69 -

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EFFORTLESS ELEGANCE: Brand ambassador Tamara Rojo, prima ballerina at the English National Ballet, sporting the 19thcentury-inspired Victoria watch

The collections The Regent collection The classical proportions of architect John Nash’s work are found in the sweeping curves and bold symmetry of the Backes & Strauss Regent collection.

“I wanted our watches to look British. We went on fact f inding trips, looking at the architecture.

Central London was a powerful influence” The subsequent collaboration has resulted in a collection of timepieces which, while unashamedly ‘jewellery watches’, also boast high quality movements and manufacturing.

They also channel the spirit of British design, not least as ‘London’ is stamped on the dial.

“I wanted our watches to look British,” says Knadjian. “We went on fact finding trips, looking at the architecture. Central London was a powerful influence. John Nash’s work on Regent Street informed the Regent collection, for example, with its use of symmetric circles.”

Other collections pay homage to jewellery past and present, neatly incorporating technical watchmaking prowess with stunning jewellery design. The brand’s Victoria collection, with Tamara Rojo, prima ballerina at the English National Ballet as its brand ambassador, nods to the company’s history by using 19th-century jewellery designs from its archives.The Monarch collection is a stunning example of jewellery brought to life by a beating automatic movement, featuring over 1,000 diamonds that reflect brilliant light from every perfectly-polished facet.

Knadjian is involved in every aspect of the creative process. Watches can take up to a year to create, although three months is the average,

with the biggest time factor being the polishing and repolishing of the diamonds. Backes & Strauss produce around 1,000 pieces a year, with the Regent being the most popular Knadjian feels no pressure to grow. “We don’t need to start doing complications,” he says.

“I wanted to focus on the fact we are a high jewellery brand, producing watches that range from £60,000 to £1m. What’s more challenging is to work with the world’s best diamonds and polish them to perfection.”

And while all these well-made watches have a Swiss movement at their beating heart, the London connection remains key. The brand has been sold in Frost of London’s boutique since the store directors visited Knadjian at Baselworld two years ago – “they had really done their homework on the brand” – and has been selling steadily since then.

“We have a varied customer base, although Japan is our biggest market, which came as a huge surprise,” says Knadjian.

Expect more surprises from Backes & Strauss next year, as it celebrates 225 years in business.

“I can’t reveal what we have planned,” he laughs.

“But whatever we do will be beautiful and represent true luxury – the best of the best.”

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The Piccadilly collection Inspired by John Nash’s Piccadilly Circus, this elegant confluence of old and new lies at the heart of the Backes & Strauss Piccadilly collection (pictured above).

The Berkeley collection This takes inspiration from one of London’s great squares, with its spacious, leafy garden in the centre of bustling Mayfair. Berkeley Square’s picturesque plane trees were planted in 1789 – the year Backes & Strauss began trading.

The Victoria collection Drawn from the Backes & Strauss archives, a 19thcentury brooch with two linked hearts was the starting point for today’s Victoria diamond watches.

Renaissance at Backes & Strauss This is a special range of ultra-thin timepieces, each 6.1mm in depth and incorporating movements just 2.5mm thin. The decorated inner workings are visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback.

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Words – Alex Pell

Christmas isn’t complete without a shiny new cutting edge gizmo or three nestling under the tree. Here’s our round-up of tech’s most wanted, whether in the house, at work or on the road

In the home

Devialet 240 AIR amplifier Precious few devices combine style and substance in one genuinely useful lump of gorgeousness as well this striking Devialet amp, which contains all the digital trickery needed to act as a complete audio system – just add speakers. Though the footprint is barely bigger than a vinyl album, it has the power and finesse to coax astonishing performances from some of the most demanding loudspeakers around. A bargain.

£11,800, devialet.com

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Sage SmartToast 4 Slice Even scorched bread can be a truly divine experience if Heston Blumenthal, the technophile chef, has created your toaster. Among the wealth of features on offer are Quick Look, whereby the bread glides up and down for a peek without interrupting the toasting cycle or A Bit More, which adds the final flourish at the touch of a button.

Samsung KE55S9C TV

£170, sageappliances.co.uk

The centrepiece of any mancave is a screen to fill visitors’ hearts with joy and envy. This striking Samsung has glass that’s slightly curved. Whatever the technical merits of this, it’s a novel idea – as is the curious ability for two viewers to each watch a different show simultaneously if both people are wearing 3D glasses.

£6,999, samsung.com/uk

Sonus Faber Aida speakers It’s arguable as to whether any speaker trumps the Aida for sound quality but nobody would suggest that a rival improves upon its craftsmanship or looks. The Italian firm describes these as sonic sculptures and, for once, the hyperbole is justified.

Perhaps the biggest challenge, however, is finding a way to hide these 6ft beauties under the tree.

Burmester 069 CD player If your world is still rocked by CDs and you hanker for luxurious plug-and-play magic, then you may as well own the best single-box player that money can buy. This is a stunning piece of industrial design in its own right that also sounds sensational. While digital inputs undeniably add versatility, make no mistake: this is for folks who revel in simplicity.

£79,000 per pair, absolutesounds.com

£36,000, burmester.de

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On the road

Astell & Kern AK120 Savour audiophile tunes on the hoof with a music gizmo so swish it makes most smartphones sound like a vintage radio (well, almost). The superb Astell & Kern can house up to 192GB of music in the highestresolution audio formats and, given the size of these, it may fill up faster than you think. A flexible friend able to deliver a sonic feast.

ÂŁ1,099, astellnkern.com

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Swarovski 8x32 EL Swarovision If you want a decent zoom (8x) and a compact size (32mm) from a pair of binoculars, this typically involves trade-offs such as a narrow field-ofview or a lack of brightness in the image displayed. This little Swarovski beauty, which weighs a mere 580g, somehow manages to deliver the best of all worlds. At a price, admittedly, but who said quality was ever cheap?

Bowers & Wilkins P7 headphones Wrap your cranium with soft leather and steel as you envelop your soul with sheer musical delight. These prestige cans are as comfy as they are fabulous sounding and, despite being the largest headset in the B&W range, the clever fold-up mechanism enables these to be tucked away neatly into the glove compartment of a car.

£1,500, swarovskioptik.com Braven 710 speaker Most speakers adhere to the laws of physics in that a tiny box yields modest volume. Yet, despite being small enough to slip into a trouser pocket, this wee Braven really belts out a tune. Unlike most Bluetooth rivals, it’s crafted from aluminium and is splashproof. Ideal for ambience on the poop deck, although it’s not quite got the oomph to get the yacht rocking.

£330, bowerswilkins.com

Olympus Pen E-P5 If you want great images plus the option to switch lenses without having to hump a hefty camera chassis around with you, then the E-P5 is the answer. Among its many virtues are the ability to choose from a strong ecosystem of suitably sized lenses and other accessories. The classy vintage styling completes an exceptional package.

£149, braven.eu

£999, olympus.co.uk

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At work

Mini Retro popcorn maker Few snacks are quite so moreish or as healthy as popcorn. So why not nourish your working days with a lifetime supply of the good stuff courtesy of this elegant gizmo?

Better still, the whole thing operates by virtue of hot air rather than oil, making this a way to feed your addiction while feeling good about doing so. A win-win scenario.

ÂŁ35, firebox.com

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch If you need to get things done on the move, the ThinkPad X1 is one of the meanest laptops on the planet and – thanks to a chassis made of carbon fibre – it’s also among the leanest. The Lenovo has just been upgraded to include a touchscreen and – though this doesn’t add much practical benefit – the X1 remains an exceptionally cool tool.

Up to £1,869, lenovo.com

Ruark MR1 speakers Bring a touch of class to your desk with these weighty little speakers that are beautifully designed and sonically accomplished. They can be battery-powered or wirelessly operated with the classy aptX variant of Bluetooth. If you tire of stroking their walnut or lacquer finish, the weighted rotary control will prove a tactile delight.

£299, ruarkaudio.com

Meridian Explorer DAC Give music played via computer an audible enhancement with this great DAC. Once connected to a USB socket, the Explorer takes over the task of converting the digital files into analogue sound and enables you to rediscover your favourite tunes. No surprise, really, given Meridian systems typically cost so much more than this. As a bonus, the Explore also amplifies the audio to give your headphones more punch.

£249, meridian.co.uk

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Sony PlayStation 4 Good luck with getting your hands on perhaps the most sought-after piece of hardware on the planet right now. Both of the two next-generation consoles (the new Xbox One has just launched, too) bring plenty to the party, but the PS4 seems to have the edge for gaming purists – not least due to the exclusives it has. And gaming is, after all, is the central appeal of owning one.

£349, sony.co.uk

Apple iPad mini 2 The new iPad mini is the ideal size of screen for life on the move and finally brings Apple's high-res Retina display to the party.

The only problem is sourcing one of these desirable gadgets: there are well-publicised production gremlins in terms of getting enough made. If you manage to find them in stock, buy two.

From £319, apple.com/uk

Play time

MikroKopter MK ARF Oktokopter XL Say hello to one of the world’s best remote-control vehicles. This copter boasts carbon-fibre blades and flies in an extremely stable fashion. It can be tricked out with an auto-correcting camera mount for smooth aerial videos and includes a controller. The whole shebang is simple to set up, too.

£4,999, mikrocontroller.com

Proporta USB TurboCharger 7000 charger This handy tool is an emergency power pack to replenish pretty much all your toys while you are on the go. Unlike similar models, the Proporta can store up to 7,000mA, enough to rejuice your phone or tablet many times. It comes with a clever retractable cable, plus tips to fit most gizmos.

£55, proporta.co.uk

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CHALLENGE YOUR SENSES WITH THE NEW BEOVISION 11 A masterpiece of sound, picture and digital entertainment. Hear, see and feel this Bang & Olufsen Smart TV. Come visit our store to experience BeoVision 11 up close.

“Looking for a truly luxurious TV that delivers a great performance too? This is it”.

B&O BeoVision 11, WhatHiFi.com, Feb ‘13

YOUR HOME’S NEW MUSICAL NERVE CENTRE The beautifully crafted BeoSound 5 Encore is the ultimate window into your music library.

Effortlessly flip through your complete album collection, and delight in the pure music inside. Listen to crisp notes soar out of your stereo in high bandwidth, true to the original recording. You will rediscover songs you forgot you loved, and feel the chills you got the first time the music met your ears.

• Connect your music with an external NAS or hard-drive, USB stick or smartphone • Easy and intuitive three button navigation • Access more than 13,000 international radio stations

Bang & Olufsen of Richmond Riverside Hifi LTD, 422 Richmond Road, East Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 2EB Tel: 020 8892 7613 Email: riversidehifi@me.com Website: www.riversidehifi.com

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Words - Angus Davies

Skeleton crew Armin Strom has blossomed this past few years, growing from a watch brand specialising in open-worked, or ‘skeletonised’, movements, to become a bona fide manufacturer, making its own in-house calibres. Chief designer Claude Greisler tells us about setting up shop in the recession and melting down F1 engines - 80 -

B

iel/Bienne: so good, they named it twice. Or rather, so Swiss that, in the ultimate act of neutrality, avoided all potential conflict and let its German and French occupants choose whichever name suited them best.

A city in the central canton of Bern, straddling the boundary dividing the French- and German-speaking areas of this land-locked country, Biel (it is mostly German, after all) is synonymous with watchmaking. Rolex’s vast, high-tech movement factory has always been here, just down the road from Swatch Group HQ, whose mega-brands Swatch and Omega both benefit from similarly vast manufacturing plants. The local population of just over 50,000 has blued screws coursing through its veins.

Look a little more carefully, however, and you’ll soon find a smaller, considerably more exclusive enterprise, tucked away on Bözingenstrasse. Above the door, a sign bearing the name ‘Armin Strom’ – a name that’s called Biel home since 2006.

Herr Strom was a watchmaker who, back in the 1960s, owned a business based in Burgdorf, northwest of Bern. He sold and restored clocks from his retail premises, ticking over, so to speak, but nothing that was going to change the world. The fateful moment came when he couldn’t sell a certain watch at all. After holding this unremarkable piece in stock for a lengthy period of time, Strom decided he had nothing to lose and skeletonised its movement and dial, using his own deft hands. The modified watch promptly sold and very soon his prowess at open-working movements became well-known and he undertook work on contract for many prodigious marques. In 1990, a ladies’ watch crafted by Strom was even entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest hand-skeletonised watch.

Willy Michel, an entrepreneur from Burgdorf who admired the work of Strom, decided that he admired it enough to form a limited

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BARE BONES: Skeletonised movements are a Strom trademark

eponymous company in 2006. Mr Strom (pictured left) put in another five years at the firm before retiring, though he remains a shareholder and adviser to the company that continues to bear his name.

Today – with Willy’s son Serge at the helm – Armin Strom creates handsome timepieces far removed in style from the watches sold in the Burgdorf premises of Mr Strom.

The watches that bear the Armin Strom name in the current era are highly contemporary in design. Nevertheless, they still openly disclose their movements and feature much hand-craftsmanship, typical of Mr Strom’s first forays.

Most models eschew conventional dials, presenting the movement centre-stage, as a canvas upon which to express the functions of time. Horological voyeurs are indulged with spectacular views of exceptional finishing and hand-engraved details. What will really get watch nerds weak at the knees, however – and the key point of difference with Armin Strom’s current incarnation – is the way the company is producing its movements: in-house, no less.

Yes, it’s probably the smallest manufacture you’ve never heard of.

And what’s more, Armin Strom decided to invest in its high-tech autonomy at the height of the global downturn and the worst financial wobble to hit the Swiss industry since the ‘quartz crisis’ of the 1970s and 1980s.

However, as chief designer and general director Claude Greisler points out during our conversation, setting up their atelier in 2008 allowed the company to procure state-of-the art machinery at very competitive terms, when most companies within the industry were cancelling orders.

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“Standards of mass production do not meet our quality requirements”

BMW i

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Some people follow. Others like to lead. If that’s you, you might be interested in the electric BMW i3. Designed to combine the benefits of an electric car with ultimate driving pleasure, it launches in November. And, if you sign up for a test drive from 16 November, you might even be one of the first people in Britain to drive it.

For more information or to arrange a test drive* from 16 November, call us on 020 3073 5000 or visit www.bmwparklane.com.

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Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3: mpg N/A, CO2 emissions 0 g/km, nominal power output (electric motor) 75/102 kW/hp at 4,800 rpm; peak power output (electric motor) 125/170 kW/hp, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100 km (combined cycle) 12.9 kWh, customer orientated range 80–100 miles, total range (combined cycle) 118 miles. Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3 with Range Extender: mpg 470.8, CO2 emissions 13 g/km, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100 km (weighted combined cycle) 11.5 kWh, customer orientated range without use of Range Extender 75-93 miles, weighted combined cycle total range 211 miles, weighted combined cycle range without use of Range Extender 106 miles. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions. *Test drive subject to applicant status and availability.

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LAB REPORT: Armin Strom is in control of the manufacturing process from the raw materials to the end product

MOVING EXPERIENCE: A beautiful movement is at the heart of each Armin Strom timepiece

“There were two other good reasons for investing when we did, too,” he explains. “Some watch movements are mass production movements and produced in series of 100,000 pieces. The standards of mass production do not meet the quality requirements of Armin Strom. Given that we produce our own calibres today, we have greater influence on the quality of raw materials used.

“Also,” he continues, “because the movement shares the largest part of our watch designs, visible from the dial and the reverse of the watch, we have to be able to design and develop our movements independently. This is the only way we can ensure the unique appearance of our models.”

Don’t get Herr Greisler wrong, though – there were plenty of awkward conversations happening around his boardroom table before those CNC lathes, 5-axis milling and electroerosion machines were all signed off.

“We certainly were aware of the economic crisis!” Greisler concedes. “It made us conscious that without creating exceptional products, we would not be able to offer sufficient differentiation.

Many brands use similar calibres, relying on substantial marketing budgets to promote products that lack originality. We felt that we had to ensure that we delivered a remarkable product to prevail within that economic climate.”

Sure enough, Armin Strom is now producing most of the components of its calibres in-house, without relying on the wobbly supply chains of third parties. “With our extensive array of machinery, we are able to produce plates, bridges, springs, levers, wheels, pinions, axis, screws and pins,” Greisler says with pride.

“The only components we have to source externally are main springs, minor parts and jewels. These we procure from independent

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A REFLECTION OF YOUR STYLE INTRODUCING THE STERLING COLLECTION Luxury Leather Goods and Accessories Hand Crafted in the United Kingdom

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“To merely print a logo on the dial seemed way too simple to us”

FULL THROTTLE: A Racing Tourbillion model (above); Greisler meets Marussia (left)

family businesses. Ultimately, yes, we are less susceptible to the action of third parties, but furthermore, we are capable of reacting to market demand, courtesy of our small structure and our in-house capability. Since the opening of the manufacture in 2009, we have already launched five manufacture calibres, something that would have been impossible without our own production capacity.”

Not only has the company achieved what so few aspire to – that elusive ‘manufacture’ status – but Armin Strom’s new embodiment of watchmakers have even evolved things beyond their eponymous founder’s ‘DNA’ of skeletonisation and engraving to bring something truly innovative to the table.

For example, on the occasion of its third season as official timing partner of the Marussia F1 Team, Armin Strom is breaking new ground with two limited series Racing Tourbillon models.

An in-house tourbillon is impressive enough, but take a second look at those intensely coloured red bridges, in the colour of the Marussia team.

“To merely print a logo on the dial seemed way too simple to us,” Greisler says, “particularly as our watches don’t really feature a conventional dial. We were keen to go further and wanted to find a new and exciting method of promoting our cooperation with Marussia F1. The engine of a watch is the movement, so it seemed obvious that we should combine the two engines together. After overcoming various obstacles, we have finally been successful in unifying the two engines.”

Greisler chooses his words significantly: these two engines are quite literally unified, using smelted parts from one of Marussia’s Cosworth V8 engines as the tourbillon bridges. Made of anodised aluminium, tourbillons don’t get much more racier than this.

When you think of the various indications still yet to undergo the Armin Strom treatment – from GMTs to chronographs to moonphases – this young company clearly has plenty of miles left to run. Based on its track record of bringing numerous models to market within a relatively short period of time, it is highly likely it will wow the watch buying public with a fresh array of novelties at Baselworld 2014.

And who knows what other fabulous skeletonisations are lurking in their cupboards in Biel…

Angus Davies runs watch website escapement.uk.com

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Immediate aesthetically pleasing results following treatment with biocompatible hair implants.

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Words – Scott Manson

TOWN AND COUNTRY

When it comes to fabulous hotels, London is hard to beat.

Effortlessly cool boltholes are dotted around the city, allowing visitors to enjoy the modern metropolis in the height of luxury.

Here we highlight six of the best from our address book, plus a couple of great countryside retreats

The May Fair

Built in 1927 on the site of what was once the Duke of Devonshire’s London home, the May Fair still attracts the high profile set.

Paris Hilton, Cheryl Cole, Michael Owen and Louis Walsh have all stayed at this discreetly luxurious spot.

The Schiaparelli and Azure suites are both recommended. The former is a lofty, open plan room filled with Chinese silk and witty furnishings. The latter is an elegant two bedroom affair with a glowing open fire.

There’s also an Eastern-inspired spa complete with mud treatment room and a cinema, a casino, restaurant and cocktail bar, plus a very popular cigar bar.

Venture outside and you’ll find Novikov and Nobu restaurants on your doorstep, or head to The Wolseley for a power breakfast before a stroll around Mayfair’s boutiques.

A range of Christmas packages are on offer, including a brilliant session of Moroccan Steam Cleansing in the spa – ideal for those who’ve spent a long day gift shopping on the streets of London. themayfairhotel.co.uk

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St James Hotel & Club

On a quiet cul-de-sac, just off St James’s Street, sits this elegant townhouse. It’s one of Tempus’s favourite boutique boltholes, with suites that are a symphony of Murano glass chandeliers, carefully curated art and fabulously appointed bathrooms. Some even offer a nifty unit that allows you to turn your shower into a steam room.

The Michelin-starred restaurant too, overseen by head chef William Drabble, is something special. If possible, book in for one of his dining experiences, held in a private room. The last time we visited there was a

The Milestone

Situated the heart of Kensington, The Milestone is a brilliant boutique hotel whose master suites are the stuff of legend. Each one is an ornate adventure, with two boasting overhead galleries, another featuring a billiard table and several with private balconies.

For the holiday season, check out its Christmas Extravaganza package. With three nights in one of those beautiful suites, staff will help you arrange your presents under your own personal Christmas tree in the room. Then take an open-top horse and carriage ride across Hyde Park to see London’s Christmas lights, before doing your last minute shopping in a chauffeurdriven Bentley.

Spend your evening at a show of your choice, then return to the hotel to a turndown treat – a gold and diamond necklace. Enjoy a private capsule on the London Eye with a bottle of champagne and awake on the 25th of December to a stocking full of treats.

With a fashionably late check-out of 3pm, this is a fabulous way to treat your loved ones to a Christmas to remember. milestonehotel.com

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‘slow food movement’ gastronomic odyssey on offer, featuring seasonal produce sourced from suppliers with impeccable, and often organic, credentials.

There are a number of festive package deals available, including one that takes in an overnight stay in a superior room, a pashmina from House Of Cashmere, a VIP invite to the Burlington Arcade and Liberty and a £100 gift voucher. And with Buckingham Palace and the delights of the West End just a stone’s throw away, this is the perfect spot to enjoy the delights of the capital. stjameshotelandclub.com

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For the ultimate luxury experience, arrive in style in a unique Rolls-Royce Phantom V Sedanca 1964 Browns

Star hotel designer Olga Polizzi weaved her design magic on this venerable Mayfair hotel, resulting in a stylish update that combines mosaic floors and fresh colours with woodpanelled cosiness, gilt mirrors and a sense of the property’s history as a desirable Victorian stalwart of the London hotel scene.

Budding writers and literary lovers should book a room in the Kipling suite, where Rudyard honeymooned with his wife over 100 years ago and, it’s claimed, wrote some of his famous Jungle Book during one of his many stays. A huge sitting room, flooded with light from three floor to ceiling windows, makes it the perfect spot for entertaining, too.

For dinner, you need look no further than HIX Mayfair, on the hotel’s ground floor. In the friendly, gentleman’s club-style

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atmosphere you can enjoy the best in modern British cuisine.

For the ultimate luxury Christmas experience, arrive at Brown’s Hotel in style in a unique Rolls-Royce Phantom V Sedanca 1964. Enjoy a decadent private afternoon tea for two before heading to Garrard, the world’s oldest jewellers, to meet with Creative Director Stephen Webster, for a personal appointment to create a bespoke piece of jewellery. After your appointment, you are invited to borrow a glittering piece of Garrard jewellery to wear for the evening before you return to your luxurious suite at Brown’s where a magnum of Ruinart Vintage Champagne will be waiting for you to celebrate this once in a lifetime experience. brownshotel.com

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Baglioni

From the moment you enter this gorgeous Georgian building, you know you’re in for a treat. With its buzzing ground floor bar, cascading water feature, stone floors, oversized gold vases spilling enormous white roses and accents of ebony, velvet, gold leaf and black lacquer, it’s clear that this hotel is the last word in luxury.

For a truly decadent visit, book the Royal Suite. At 240sqm and boasting three bedrooms, it offers a wonderful view over Hyde Park from its large outdoor terrace.

A Jaguar and chauffeur is available to accompany guests in London, whether for shopping or a business appointment. Guests in this room also have use of a butler service.

The dishes on offer in the Brunello restaurant take their cues from the best of

the Med. Largely composed of just three or four ingredients (many flown in from Italy), this is highbrow home cooking at its finest. Try and secure a table overlooking Kensington Gardens if you can. A wellequipped spa and fitness centre round out the

Jumeriah Carlton Tower

When it comes to Christmas shopping, you really don’t need to stray much further than Knightsbridge. From the boutiques of Sloane Square to the sensory overload that is Harvey Nichols and Harrods, this well-heeled corner of London is hard to beat. It’s fitting, then, that one of the capital’s best hotels should sit at the area’s heart.

The Jumeirah Carlton Tower, voted one of the top three best hotels in the UK by Condé Nast Traveller Gold List 2011, is a brilliant example of a hotel operating at the top of its game. From the cosy, atmospheric bar on the ground floor, complete with white-jacketed mixologists crafting classic cocktails, to the wonderful Rib Room restaurant or the luxury afternoon tea served in the Chinoiserie, it’s little wonder that occupancy levels at this property are some of the highest in London.

The Peak Health Club & Spa is a must-do too, offering amazing views of London and, crucially, arguably one of

the best hotel swimming pools in the city.

Big enough, in other words, that you can actually do some decent laps.

In terms of Christmas specials, we recommend their personal shopping experience, in conjunction with one of London’s top fashion stylists. Alternatively, those planning a children’s party should check out their new family fun service. The last time Tempus visited there was an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ party in full swing and the levels of production were staggeringly good. jumeirah.com

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package and, for Christmas, guests can enjoy tailor-made offerings that include tickets to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, plus hot chocolate, tea and homemade Christmas cookies on your return. baglionihotels.com

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Tylney Hall

Well, that was a close shave. We’d seen the weather reports forecasting one of the worst storms in the UK for 30 years, but decided to press ahead with our trip from London to Hampshire anyway. What could possibly go wrong? How about a 100ft fir tree falling down at 3am with a crack loud enough to wake us? Oh, and it crashed to the ground just a few metres from our bedroom window.

“When I said I wanted a memorable stay,” said my wife, “this wasn’t what I meant.”

A quick glance outside this grand Victorian pile – a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group – confirmed that while Tylney Hall’s 66 acre grounds were now covered with fallen trees, the property itself remained undamaged. “Someone up there definitely likes us,” laughed a waiter as he served us breakfast in the hotel’s Oak Room restaurant, with its domed ceiling, oakpanelled walls and beautiful garden views.

We’d dined in the restaurant the previous evening and, while the dress code of a jacket for gentleman seemed a little outdated, the food was first class. From the wonderfully tender roast beef, served from the carving trolley, to a rack of Hampshire lamb cooked

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perfectly pink, this was food that more than lived up to its grand surroundings. Oh, and special mention must go the pianist tinkling the ivories as we ate. A quick word in his ear from our helpful waiter and my wife, who was celebrating her birthday, received a quick burst of Happy Birthday before he resumed the smooth jazzy classics.

In truth, the sense of grandeur and adventure begins from the moment you arrive down a wide tree-lined avenue and then enter a world of walnut-panelled staircases, grand pillars and grandfather clocks. It’s easy to imagine a scene where former owners Lord and Lady Rotherwick were sitting under its gold-leaf ceilings taking afternoon tea. Since then, millions of pounds of investment have returned this grade II listed building to its former glory, with extras such as a spa, indoor and outdoor pools and rooms that combine the traditional with the contemporary.

Ours offered a huge double bed, views across the rolling Hampshire fields, dining area, work desk and a well-appointed bathroom. Heavy drapes and period pieces completed the picture of countryside contentment. Old-school luxury at its finest. tylneyhall.co.uk, slh.com

HATTERS SINCE 1898

73 JERMYN STREET LONDON

252 RUE DE RIVOLI PARIS

+44 (0) 207 930 2329

+33 (0) 214 260 3609

www.bates-hats.com

EST 1990

SE E , H E AR & B E L I E V E

A

family run business for over 20 years, with the aim of bringing

the finest quality hi-fi and audio/ visual products to the most exclusive customers with a discerning taste. We work directly with architects, interior designers and end users to make sure our equipment and installations meet and exceed their expectations.

We Provide The Following Services  The Full & Latest Range Of Bang &

Olufsen Products  Home Cinema & Home Automation  Home Surveys & Home Demonstrations  Full Bespoke Hi-fi & Audio/

Visual Solutions  Full Local/Worldwide Installation Service  Commercial & Domestic Installations  Touch Control Audio/Visual, Blinds/CCTV,

Lighting & Air-con/Heating  Full A/V Project Design & Management  Full iPhone/iPad Control Possible  Wireless Multiroom  Interest Free Finance (Subject to status,

terms & conditions apply)

Riverside Hifi LTD, 422 Richmond Road, East Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 2EB TELEPHONE 020 8892 7613 | WEBSITE www.riversidehifi.com | EMAIL riversidehifi@mac.com Anthem / Audio Research / Bang & Olufsen / Bose / Copland / Crestron / Denon / Eclipse / Elan / Epson Projectors / iLight / Jadis / Kaleidescape / Krell / Libratone / Lutron Lighting / Magico / Marantz / Martin Logan / Michell Engineering / Mirror / Waterproof TVS / Monitor Audio / Nuvo / Panasonic / Primaluna / Pro-Ject / Rako / Roksan / Schnepel / Sim2 Projectors / Sonus Faber / Spectral / Teac / Theta Digital / Thorens / Transparent / Wilson Audio

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limited edition print of Kate Moss on the wall, as this room hosted her at a recent party.

Each bedroom has its own unique and playful character, combining sensitive restoration of the magnificent Sir John Soane interiors with quirky contemporary art and taxidermy, the latter being one of James Perkins’ biggest passions. It’s this vivid juxtaposition of the old and the new, of never knowing what’s around the next corner as you delve deeper through the rooms of this living museum, that makes a stay at Aynhoe Park such a joy for the senses.

While this may not be a hotel, the service levels are second to none. A butler, clad in traditional formal attire, attends to your every need from the moment of arrival until it’s time for bed. Whether he’s mixing you the perfect martini or delivering an afternoon snack of triple cooked chips with caviar (an unexpected delight) to your cosy corner table in the house’s library, after a couple of days you start to wonder how you ever coped without one.

Such is James’s craving for collecting that he recently held a sale – dubbed a ‘Modern Grand Tour’ – which saw many of his eclectic eccentricities up for grabs. These included a half life-size Airfix model of a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 (£14,400), a bronze Fragmented Crack coffee table (edition of five; £78,000) and numerous other artworks, making for one of the most interesting sales ever to be held in an English country house.

“I had to sell some of my works to make way for new arrivals,” laughs James.

Indeed, as we’re having breakfast on the morning after our night’s stay, James wanders past the table deep in conversation about a tiger’s head, fashioned by a famous 19th-century taxidermist, which has just been located in the dusty attic of a Suffolk pensioner. Expect to see it on display soon – possibly roaring above your head as you sleep in one of the property’s antique beds.

In decades of hotel reviewing, I’ve never come across anything quite like Aynhoe Park.

If you’re looking for somewhere special for a wedding or celebration, this incredible house should be top of your list. aynhoepark.co.uk, amoderngrandtour.co.uk

IN THE MIX: Classical sculpture rubs shoulders with contemporary design commissions

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Aynhoe Park

It’s fitting that, with Monty Python back on tour, this beautiful 17th-century Palladian house offers us the perfect opportunity to use the famous phrase, ‘and now for something completely different’. This place is brilliant; wonderfully bonkers. Sitting in 250 acres of Capability Brown’s landscaping in the Cotswolds, and owned by former music industry impresario James Perkins, this isn’t strictly a hotel. It’s much, much more than that. James, who lives in the property with his partner Sophie and their children, hires out the house for private functions such as weddings and photoshoots.

Indeed, a trip to the gents toilets on the ground floor reveals a great wall-mounted image of the singer Liam Gallagher, who filmed a video in the house, while one of the property’s 39 luxurious bedrooms has a giant

COOL COLLECTIONS: The ‘baby Aston’ and suspended giraffe are just some of the treasures on display at Aynhoe Park

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MAGICAL WATCH DIAL

®

TWO WATCHES IN ONE World Premiere A new way in watchmaking Change the dial of your watch by turning the bezel The movement and the date appear thanks to a ingenious optical patented system.

R03.FB01.T5.A0001 Chronograph Flyback 18k pink gold.

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Words – Scott Manson and Alex Doak

Close encounters

The striking venue for this year’s exemplary Salon QP show – London’s Saatchi Gallery – couldn’t have been more appropriate, as the contemporary watches we showcase here are modern masterpieces, all deserving of high art status The annual Salon QP fine watch show, held last month at London’s Saatchi Gallery, is one of the horological highlights of the year.

Most of the key players from the industry attend, showcasing the very best mechanical marvels that their brands have to offer. The Tempus team spent a day there poring over the latest and greatest timepieces, before making the following cherry-picked selection for your perusal. The next addition to your watch collection starts here…

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Schofield Blacklamp

Set up by a Sussex-based former graphic designer, hence the crisp aesthetics and clean lines, the Schofield Signalman proved to be an instant hit when it launched three years ago. An English coastal theme – signified by the lighthouse motif – is evident in every timepiece. This latest release, finished in on-trend black carbon and available in a limited run of 101 pieces, contains a Tritium gas light, creating a constant low-level ethereal glow. A minimalist masterpiece. schofieldwatchcompany.com

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Hoptroff no.10 Atomic Pocket Watch

New Brit brand alert! This home-grown piece is built on the site of a former prison in south east London’s aptly-named Clink Street.

It combines traditional analogue elegance with cutting-edge tech. Strictly made-toorder at the moment, its timekeeping is governed by a caesium gas chamber with a microwave resonator to monitor atomic transitions. If this has just whooshed over your head, then all you really need to know that it claims to be the world’s most accurate watch, losing or gaining time at a rate of no more than 1.5 seconds per 1,000 years. hoptroff.com

Piaget Emperador Minute Repeater

Say hello to the world’s thinnest self-winding minute repeater. Just 9.4mm thick, it also represents the 35th completely new in-house movement – the 1290P – from this venerable manufacturer. The repeater itself strikes at an impressive 64 decibels, with the hours pitched to G sharp and the minutes at A sharp.

Impressive in every aspect, it’s little wonder that it took Piaget engineers three years to develop. Look out, too, for another groundbreaking ultra-thin watch from this brand, which will be launched at January’s SIHH exhibition in Geneva. Tempus has had a sneak peek at this new timepiece and can confirm that it’s another beautiful example of the watchmaker’s art. en.piaget.com

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Konstantin Chaykin Cinema Watch

Russia’s only haute horologist, Konstantin Chaykin is known for his playful take on the telling of time and this offbeat model is a case in point.

It celebrates the pioneering days of motion pictures and contains a portal where a horse and rider spring into flickering life at the touch of a button.

Film nerds will know this visual mechanism as a zooprixascope and, fittingly, the case and dial also channel the aesthetic of early movie cameras. konstantin-chaykin.com

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Calibre 2755 (London Edition)

A big name for a big watch. Built to commemorate the recent opening of this venerable brand’s first London boutique and only available at that store, it features a caliber 2755 manual winding movement with a 58 hour power reserve. The 44mm case is clad in pink gold and boasts an elegant tourbillon carriage at the dial’s six o’ clock position. vacheron-constantin.com

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TAG Heuer MikroPendulumS

Physicist, mathematician, engineer, university professor, former test pilot and French National Defence guru… It’s no wonder TAG Heuer snapped up Guy Sémon a few years ago, throwing him the keys to a toybox of horological possibilities. Since then, his high-frequency concept watches have garnered awards and genuinely pushed the envelope in terms of precision mechanical timekeeping. His Pendulum concept regulates the tick-tock of the balance wheel using magnets developed with a small US materials-science outfit, which also has NASA on its books. tagheuer.com

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BEST OF BRITISH Peter Wilson MBE, Olympic Gold Medallist London 2012, with a Holland & Holland ‘Sporting’ Over-and-Under Shotgun.

A gun made entirely in our London factory.

Shop online now at www.hollandandholland.com

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Breva Génie 01

One of this year’s most extraordinary watch launches comes from three years of research and development, led by Jean-François Mojon’s elite ‘Chronode’ thinktank, to the specifications of entrepreneur Vincent Dupontreué. Named after the warm southern wind that blows across Lake Como, Breva’s new Génie 01 is the world’s first mechanical wristwatch that indicates altitude and forecasts the weather, thanks to an integrated barometer. Atmospheric pressure is measured by an aneroïd capsule visible at six o’clock. breva-watch.com

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Urwerk EMC

Huge interest was piqued by this sci-fiinspired boutique brand’s fully working prototype of their latest technological marvel – a watch you actually want to be inaccurate, just to see if its artificially intelligent precision monitor works. While the movement is 100% mechanical, an onboard optical sensor and computer determine the difference between the timing rate of the movement and that of the reference oscillator. Each microsecond difference between the two values is expressed as a gain or loss of a second per day of the timing rate. A variation of just 0.0000014 of a second per half-vibration of the balance wheel translates as a variation of a second per day. urwerk.com

MB&F Legacy Machine No.2

Jean-François Mojon and his team at Chronode have certainly been busy boys, realising Max Büsser’s latest far-out brainchild in parallel to weatherman Vincent Dupontreué’s Breva. Max’s first Legacy Machine – like this one, also developed with Finnish maestro Kari Voutilianen – asked you to imagine what MB&F would have created a century ago. But now, the knobs and levers have been adjusted to about 250 years ago; the days of Berthoud, Janvier and Breguet himself, all three of whom experimented with dual balances. In LM2, a planetary differential transmits the average rates of its two suspended balance wheels to a single gear train. mbandf.com

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Collection: Model: Movement: Crystal:

Official Watch and Timing Partner of:

Freelancer 7730-ST-20041 Automatic mechanical chronograph Sapphire crystal with antiglare treatment

Safe “Design”

Salon QP 7-9 November 2013 The Fine Watch Exhibition 1st Floor Stand F13 Saatchi Gallery London www.agresti.com

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Ressence Type 3

Generally speaking, putting liquid inside a watch is a bad idea. This clever piece, however, employs two sealed chambers – one filled with oil and the time-indicating components and the other housing the movement itself.

Magnets transmit information from the former to the latter, with the oil-suspended dials revolving accordingly. ressence.eu

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- J ew ellery -

Words – Alex Doak

Get Your

B ea r i n g s A fresh new concept in cufflinks combines astronomy, haute horlogerie and the world’s smallest ball bearings.

Welcome to the gyroscopic world of Encelade 1789

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- J ew ellery -

ANY NEW BRAND naming itself after a moon orbiting Saturn as well as the year of the French Revolution clearly has big ambitions. For that brand to be a maker of mere cufflinks, the ambition seems all the more inflated.

But closer–––– inspection of Encelade 1789’s remarkable little devices soon reveals a product that is genuinely unlike any other – exquisitely crafted in steel or gold on the shores of Lake Geneva, with appropriately Swiss levels of haute horlogerie finishing, from hand-bevelled edges to polished, sandblasted surfaces. However, what makes these cufflinks truly precious are its two spinning, biaxial rings, within which a dice is suspended, tumbling freely in total silence thanks to each axis’s eight tiny ball bearings.

It’s a remarkable answer to a question that’s bugged Encelade’s two founding first cousins for many years: In a world full of luxury products, who’s making high-end cufflinks for men?

“For the past 15 years I’ve been working in the luxury industry,” says Laurent Julien, “involved in everything from champagne to watches, and my customers have always complained that they can’t find this sort of product. Every time I travelled, I checked every store myself, but neither could I!”

When it came to fulfilling this gap in the market, the cousins drew on their deep experience in the watch industry to research and develop everything in-house, farming out the production of each cufflink’s 34-plus tiny components to a very few carefully selected suppliers. But when it came to the inspiration behind the spinning dice, a rather more innocent experience came into play.

“I remembered when I was a kid,” Julien explains, “I used to play with a toy gyroscope, sending it spinning round and round my bedroom floor. I thought that would be the perfect inspiration. After all, every adult looks for objects that remind them of their childhood.”

The gyroscopic mechanism took Julien and his cousin a year and a half to develop.

Eventually, they managed to source the smallest ball bearings in the world, which can only be made by one company and are usually used for small motors in luxury cars and precision firearms.

As for the dice itself, like Encelade’s motto ‘To innovate, you have to break the rules’, it stems from the cousins’ grandfather, who sadly passed away in July. “Luckily, he managed to see the fruits of our labour just before launch and truly believed our new venture would succeed,” says Julien.

“He was a military man and always told us that in life you never know what’s going to happen. That element of luck, whether good or bad, was what inspired the dice.”

Costing from €800 upwards, Encelade 1789 is a resolutely innovative brand, from the precision-milled aluminium packaging to the ‘Clip’ accessory that allows you to adapt the length of cufflink’s bar to the thickness of your shirt. And every six months, Julien reveals, there will be a new innovation winging its way to Frost of London and his 33 other retailers, patented worldwide every time.

A writing instrument is on the cards for June, and if the cufflinks are anything to go by, it also looks set to put the luxury world in a spin.

Encelade 1789 is stocked exclusively in the UK by Frost of London, frostoflondon.co.uk

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“ You never know what’s going to happen in life. That element of luck was what inspired the dice”

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- C h r i st m as D r i n ks-

Words - Alex Doak

Festive spirits Gird your livers, readers: Christmas is with us again. Which means you need to plan those long-overdue catch-ups, pre-party warm-up venues, post-party after-parties and, of course, the drinks cabinet at home. Follow our experts’ guide to all things alcoholic (responsibly) and ensure things are all washed down nicely

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BEST FOR...

ESCAPING THE CHRISTMAS CROWDS: COLONY CLUB A hidden gem located just off Park Lane, Colony’s warm amber hues, relaxed leather seating and new winter cocktail menu makes it the perfect place to retreat from the hustle and bustle of West End shoppers on chilly evenings. Try bartender Jack Charlton’s cosy hot toddie.

thecolonyclub.co.uk

SEASONAL DRINKS AROUND LONDON TOWN

Once Christmas Day finally comes round, we all need the rest – not least for all the partying that goes on in the run-up. There’s no escaping the office party, however, nor all those cocktails-and-canapé things in between, so at least make sure you pick a suitably fabulous destination

BEST FOR...

TOASTING CHRISTMAS WITH FRIENDS: NIGHTJAR Recently voted second best bar in the world, this slice of speakeasy glamour on the fringe of Shoreditch is all-seated, with a buzzy convivial vibe helped along by live jazz. Its Pot & Ketel vodka and ginger concoction serves six to eight and is served in a steaming copper kettle, providing an exciting theatrical treat for you and friends.

barnightjar.com

BEST FOR...

A FESTIVE FLIGHT OF FANCY: NOBU BERKELEY ST The renowned Mayfair restaurant launches its very first flight of festive cocktails this November. Created by bar manager Flavio Carenzi, our favourite is The Norse Forest, which is vodka-based and complimented by Chambord, cranberry and lingonberry.

noburestaurants.com

BEST FOR...

POST-OFFICE-PARTY ALL-NIGHTER: OPIUM A hidden dim sum and cocktail parlour in the heart of Chinatown, behind a green door on Gerrard Street. Food’s served all evening, making Opium an ideal late-night pit stop for Soho revellers.

opiumchinatown.com

BEST FOR...

A KISS UNDER THE MISTLETOE: 69 COLEBROOKE ROW The award-winning outpost of Tony Conigliaro, known for pushing the boundaries of drinks, aroma and flavour. Tucked away in Angel, with dim lighting and cosy seating, it’s the perfect place to share a Christmas cocktail with a loved one.

69colebrookerow.com

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THE ULTIMATE HOTEL BAR

Old school is undeniably the best school when it comes to getting into the festive spirit – or just away from the Christmas crowds. The refreshment experience at the Dorchester strives to be the one by which all other watering holes are judged, explains its bar manager When all’s said and done, you can never beat an old school five-star hotel bar for getting you in the mood come December.

Pull up a stool, and let The Bar at the Dorchester’s manager Giuliano Morandin (pictured above) divulge how he and his team manage to do it best, winning Best Bartender Award from the UK Bartenders Guild for three years running “Working with the same group for 15 years, in a bar as enchanting as this one, creates an energetic, zestful atmosphere.

The Bar at The Dorchester would not have the reputation it does today if it was not for my talented and innovative team.

“No one day is ever the same and you never know who will walk in. From beautiful supermodels to wealthy clients, it is our duty to create a special but different experience for each guest. I have noticed there is a younger, ‘hip’ professional crowd that comes in now. People are no longer intimidated to walk into a five-star hotel, which is great!

“I like to think that The Bar at The Dorchester sets the bar trends in London. For example, once we decided to resurrect the Old Tom Gin and a variety of bitters and soon found that many other bars in London had started incorporating bitters into their menus too. On the other hand, if we see a trend emerging, we will always try to put a Dorchester twist on it, keeping our finger on the pulse of the drinking scene in London.

“I also think it is very important to work closely with the brand ambassadors and come up with creative ideas to offer our guests unique experiences, such as the Louis XIII Cognac Flight. It gives our guests the rare opportunity to taste each of the Louis XIII rarecask expressions alongside each other, served in engraved Louis XIII crystal glasses.

“The Dorchester Bar is a perfect blend of a luxurious and classic environment with a fun and lively atmosphere – a mix that is hard to pull off. We never say no and we have fun with our guests. Seeing guests leaving The Bar with a smile, or returning on a regular basis gives us a warm feeling inside – we must have done a good job!”

Role model: “Harry Johnson, legendary bartender born in 1845” Favourite drink: “If I win the lottery: Louis XIII Rare Cask 42,6! Or just a classic margarita or daiquiri…”

dorchestercollection.com

- C h r i st m as D r i n ks-

STIR THINGS UP AT HOME

Renowned drinks writer Neil Ridley, one half of Caskstrength.net, author of ‘Let Me Tell You About Whisky’ and the forthcoming ‘Spirits Explorers’ reveals three of his own festive concoctions, guaranteed to warm the cockles and hearts of any houseguest (above the age of 18, mind)

FESTIVE FANDANGO

3RD DIMENSION MANHATTAN

• 2 measures H

by Hine cognac • ½ measure honey • 1½ measures of quality apple juice • 2 dashes of Bitter Truth, Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters (or Angostura)

• 50ml 3D Whisky* • 3 dashes of Master Of Malt Christmas Bitters • 25ml Punt e Mes sweet vermouth

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled flute, topping up with champagne and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Add ingredients into a mixing glass with ice, stir for 30 seconds, strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a slice of orange zest or three cocktail cherries on a cocktail stick.

Serve with a pair of 3D glasses and a cracker hat to complete the zaniness.

*3D Whisky – the ‘D’ in Caskstrength.net’s ongoing ‘A–Z of Whisky’ series of blended malts – is available from masterofmalt.com priced at £49.99 (3D glasses are included)

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HART PEAT • 25ml Lagavulin Distillers Edition whisky • 25ml freshly squeezed blood orange juice • 12.5ml cherry brandy (either De Kuyper or Cherry Heering) • 20ml Antica Formula sweet vermouth • 2 bar spoons of egg white Dash of Juniper bitters (or gin) This is a hearty play on the classic Blood and Sand.

Shake contents with ice until the mixture is superbly frothy. Strain into a chilled goblet and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Pairs very well with venison, believe it or not!

Gavin Gardiner Limited ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Auctioneers of Fine Modern and Vintage Sporting Guns, Ries and Accessories

Forthcoming Auction: 11th December at Sotheby's London On View: Sotheby's 34-35 New Bond Street London W1A 2AA 10th December 9am to 4.30pm 11th December 9am to 1pm Auction at 2pm Catalogue ÂŁ17 by post

Tel 01798 875300 or 07831 645551 www. gavingardiner.com

- C h r i st m as D r i n ks-

TURKEY AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS

Allow the aptly named Alistair Viner of Hedonism Wines, Mayfair’s extraordinary emporium of oenophilia, to select a bottle or two for every course of your seasonal feast

THE APERITIF

THE RED

THE PORT

Les Vignes aux Gamins Blanc de Blancs 2002, Thienot Not one of the betterknown houses, this champagne comes from a tiny one-and-a-half acre plot on the edge of Avize.

All-chardonnay, this wine is rich and concentrated with a hint of biscuit and nuts on the finish. A great way to kick of the festivities.

Bonnes Mares 2006, Drouhin-Laroze This family-run, 11-hectare estate has vines in some of the most sought-after and prestigious vineyards in the Côte d’Or. The Bonnes Mares shows much weight and power with lots of dark red fruit on the palate. With its wonderful structure, it will be appealing to those who usually plump for bordeaux at Christmas.

Vintage 1963, Grahams Being 2013 I had to choose an anniversary port from one of the greatest vintages ever. This wine is still showing amazing freshness and – dare one say it – ’youth’, even though it is 50 years old. With hints of mint, cinnamon and spice it is both complex and at the same time elegant with a long and slightly spicy finish

THE WHITE Chardonnay Castel Ringberg 2010, Elena Walch From high altitude vineyards in the heart of the Alto Adige in northern Italy, this wine comes from one single estate.

Made in a very traditional way and aged both in French oak and in the bottle before release, this wine has wonderful purity and freshness with a harmonious and almost creamy finish.

THE PUDDING Aszu 6 Puttonyos 1999, Szepsy Tokaji Coming from the world’s first classified wine region in 1772, this wine is a perfect match for the Christmas pudding.

With wonderful dried apricots and a hint of marmalade on the palate, the freshness from the natural acidity is perfect to balance the richness of the dark dessert.

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THE TURKEY SANDWICH Crossroads Field Blend 2009, Rudd Oakville Estate This wine contains a complete mix of grapes, all coming from the same vineyard close to St Helena in the heart of the Napa Valley. Given its make up of grenache, syrah, zinfandel, counoise and mourvedre, it creates a medley of flavours to accompany many intricate designs of the classic leftover turkey sandwich. hedonism.co.uk

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THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Tough laws govern the creation of malt whisky.

Scotland requires every malt whisky to age a minimum of three years

A WEE DRAM?

Time to think about which whiskies to get in, and you could a lot worse than allow Diageo to hold your hand with its carefully curated ‘Special Releases’ annual release. Here’s 2013’s clutch of super-rare and exquisite single malts

LAGAVULIN 37 YEAR OLD Famous for its signature smoky flavour, created by the malted barley and peaty water from which it is crafted, this will be the oldest Lagavulin ever released by Diageo, making the whisky very special indeed.

51% ABV, £1,950

TALISKER 27 YEAR OLD A precious malt from the legendary distillery – the only distillery on the Isle of Skye – this is wonderfully classic in style and as sophisticated as its peers but with an extra ‘chilled’ self-assurance and even an edge of darkness.

A malt that lives life to the full and doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s also ever-soslightly edgy, with suggestions of a volcanic heritage.

56.1% ABV, £475

CARDHU 21 YEAR OLD The Cardhu distillery is one of the oldest, most revered distilleries in Speyside.

Bottled in 1991, this unique batch was aged in ex-bourbon casks, giving a luxurious vanilla sweetness in the rich malt. Clean and precisely structured, delicate on the nose, yet also robust, assured and unusually spicy.

52% ABV, £160

THE SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN 28 YEAROLD This is the first time The Singleton of Dufftown has launched a Special Release.

A wonderfully appetising, fullflavoured and mature malt, made subtle by long ageing, yet retaining its malty/nutty distillery character.

52.3% ABV, £235

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AND FOR THE NON-WHISKY DRINKING HONOURED GUEST...

If you or your guests’ tastes run more to ultrapremium Russian vodka, then Stolichnaya Elit is a liquor cabinet must-have.

Representing the zenith of Stoli’s distillation technique, it uses a patented ‘freezefiltration’ method – where the liquid is chilled to exactly minus 18˚c to increase its density, so it can be passed through ion-charged filters to capture any impurities – producing an awesome vodka which is consistently voted as the highest rated spirit in the world by the Beverage Testing Institute. stoli.com

Breakfast At Tiffany’s Colazione Da Tiffany (1961) Italian 79 x 55 in. (201 x 140 cm) Style A Art By: Ercole Brini (1913-1989) Bullitt (1968) Italian 79 x 55 in. (201 x 140 cm) Art By: Renato Ferrini (1932-1973) Goldfinger (1964) British 30 x 40 in. (76 x 102 cm) Style A Art By: Robert Brownjohn (1925 - 1970)

Tel: +44 (0)7970 846 703 www.reelposter.com info@reelposter.com By appointment only in central London. Exhibiting at

15-19 January

ORIGINAL VINTAGE FILM POSTERS

here come the mods

REBIRTH OF CO0L: Twisted's take on the Land Rover Defender presses all the right buttons

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Words – Alex Doak

The world of high-end car modification has bred all manner of outlandish Defenders, Cayennes, 6 Series… and now watches, believe it or not.

Tempus asks what next for pimped-up boy’s toys?

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IF YOU HAPPEN to live in the suburbs, or anywhere in the West Country for that matter, you’re forgiven for wrinkling your nose at the merest mention of ‘modified cars’. But we’re not here to talk souped-up Citroën Saxos or blacked-out Nissan Skylines. In fact, should you be closer to Macclesfield or Buckhurst Hill, even the likes of Overfinch, Revere and Khan, with their shiny alloys, blinging bodykit and fat tailpipes don’t come into it.

If you’ve heard of Brabus or AMG, you’ll know what we mean – genuine, certified upgrades that give you a better-performing car, not just a prettier one (pretty being a matter of opinion, of course). But even with Mercedes’ two biggest tuning houses, the scope for personalisation is necessarily limited. So where do you go for some performance-enhanced premium wheels, without entrusting your pride and joy to a greasemonkey in Enfield with a Performance VW calendar hanging in the workshop?

Someone like Charlie Fawcett, perhaps. He began adding performance modifications to Land Rover Defenders for off-road competitions years ago up in Thirsk, Yorkshire. Realising that, without specialist knowledge, successful tuning was out of reach for all but the most extreme enthusiasts, he began sourcing, designing and manufacturing performance parts that would significantly boost power, torque and driveability without requiring major modifications to the standard Land Rover engine or mechanics. And so, ‘Twisted’ was born, offering a simple yet effective menu of Airflo Intercoolers, Tornado Exhausts and Hurricane Power Upgrades.

Today, Twisted is one of the most prestigious bowing to fashion and replacing Land Rover’s names in Land Rover tuning and styling, and is coveted bonnet badge with their own, Bespoke famed for being able to bring rural workhorse certainly feel the weight of their responsibility Defenders into the realms of GTi performance. when adding to these legendary vehicles.

So much so, Fawcett has found himself going “The original Land Rover shape is now 50 years full circle, with Twisted’s Retro line, paying old and ‘iconic’ really is the only word to describe homage to the classic looks of Rover’s original the Land Rover’s original design,” comments 1948 ‘Series One’.

Simon Rhodes, Bespoke’s International Indeed, the Defender is a and Special Projects Manager. perennially popular choice for high- SNAKE “We’re not trying to redesign a CHARMS: grade modification – as are its cousins, (above): The classic. The original product wouldn’t the Range Rover and Range Rover iconic Serpenti have endured for as long as it has, Sport. One firm offering the full suite by Bulgari gets if that were needed… is Bespoke, whose Harrogate facility a brilliant MAD “However, we are able to knock makeover turns out just one-offs or occasionally a few rough edges off the standard limited-editions. Refreshingly, despite article to great effect; we attend to

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www OldRacingCar co uk

01692 538 007 07831 379 111

rkent@oldracingcar co uk

300 SLR This is a very rare hand-built recreation of one of the most iconic racing cars in the world - the Mercedes 300 SLR. Modelled on the 1955 Mille Miglia-winning car of Stirling Moss, the all-aluminium body is absolutely correct, with dimensions taken from the original car (now in the Mercedes Museum) and comes with wrap round sports screen, leather seats and detachable head fairings, to create the quintessential 1950s GT. £POA

XK Speedster This genuinely unique, bespoke built Jaguar XK Speedster is the only one of its kind in the world. It is the result of three year's research and development and a meticulous build programme. Its combines 1950s retro styling with 21st century performance, and features a hand-crafted all-aluminium body; bespoke-built chassis by an ex-Formula One specialist; and an uprated XK 4.7 litre engine by a renowned race specialist, producing over 320 bhp. Classic & Sportscar declared it to be 'the ultimate road going sports-racer' with 'astonishing acceleration' and 'excellent roadholding and balance' while Jaguar Driver magazine said it was both 'glorious and breathtaking', having ' the power, looks and bold presence to please all of the senses… ' One of only one. £POA

330 GTO RHD

Jaguar XKSS

Aston Martin DB3S/R

Ferrari 250 GT Europa

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the areas that even the most vehement of Land Rovers fanatics accept warrant improvement – a little more comfort, quiet and performance, whilst not detracting from the core purpose and ruggedness of the vehicle!”

Similarly respectful, but with the benefit of factory approval is Germany’s AC Schnitzer, who were even officially distributed by the common object of their affections, BMW (and now, by familial association, Mini).

“AC Schnitzer have a 25-year history working with BMW, which started with its founding brothers tweaking and racing BMWs abroad,” says Lorcan Parnell, of UK importer Rossiters in Norfolk.

“Rather than dwelling on the looks, AC Schnitzer’s approach is very much prompted by performance – beyond the spec of BMW’s own ‘Performance’ line, and even Alpina’s. We’re here for those who are looking to buy a 6 Series, say, but to whom the standard spec isn’t quite ticking all the boxes. We either sell parts, or complete converted cars – all oriented about seven product groups; sports suspension, wheel alloys, engine tuning and upgrades, individual brakes, interiors, aerodynamics and exhaust.”

While the main points of focus for AC Schnitzer are performance and suspension, there is certainly an AC Schnitzer ‘look’, as Parnell attests: “Slightly nose-down, lower to the ground, and what’s known as ‘aggressive offset wheels’ – wheels with a wider track that fill the arches.”

The AC Schnitzer approach is an effective, but relatively subtle solution to getting that extra-special car just for you. But what about a watch as well? A Rolex, say, that no one else around that boardroom table is likely to be wearing? AC Schnitzer have been quick to realise this, and now, when you’re signing on that dotted line at Rossiters, you have the option to tick a box that gets you an Explorer II with a dial matched exactly in colour scheme to your new set of wheels, as well as a bang-on-trend PVDblackened steel case. A clever option realised in partnership with fellow German outfit BLAKEN, it’s the horological equivalent of getting that ACS 6-Series, with, sure enough, performance-enhancing scratchproofness.

“Both quality watches and cars represent a luxury for the buyer which should reflect his

Satisfying the needs of watch collectors to whom the invalidated warranty from a Swiss factory means nothing - 133 -

character, so individually customised models such as those produced by us and ACS are always popular. Whereas BLAKEN has specialised in Rolex watches, AC Schnitzer has concentrated on BMW and MINI models,” says Hendrik Jürgens, founder and MD of BLAKEN. “ We can create the right counterpart on the wrist for every model of car", adds Rainer Vogel, Managing Director of AC Schnitzer.

“In this way, connoisseurs of cars and watches have two complementary luxury models which attract attention both on the road and on the wrist.”

Blaken aren’t the only ones pimping-up Rolexes. In fact, there’s now a wealth of custom shops satisfying the needs of watch collectors to whom the invalidated warranty from a factory in Switzerland means nothing – the fact they have a wellexecuted, genuinely personalisable version of a Rolex, or even Audemars Piguet or Patek Philippe (the luxury watch brands who still manufacture steel cases susceptible to the PVD coating process, in other words) is the only thing that matters.

Principal to the UK is the Bamford Watch Department – all that’s left of the JCB dynasty’s short-lived Bamford & Sons boutique venture, and run by the Bamford family’s scion, George. “We are proud to be the first company to personalise a range of steel, luxury sports watches,” he says. “We work independently from the major watch brands much in the same way as Brabus might customise a Mercedes Benz. If you can imagine it then we can create it!”

One of the things that sets Bamford apart is the fact they have a well-located ‘Watch Den’, by appointment only, in the heart of Knightsbridge – “an environment that wasn’t about selling, but was about client relationships and furthering our passion for watches.”

Not only does BWD simply coat brand-new, deconstructed Rolexes, Pateks and Audemars by particle vapour deposition of a thin layer of metal, but they’ve also entered into a relationship with British artist Marc Quinn, offering something beyond a mere facelift – the Red Ocean Orbit (Pacific) Milgauss, to be precise.

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“This features BWD’s brand new grey Carbon Nano Vapour coating,” Bamford says, proudly.

“We knew that we had to launch it on this watch, as the colour of the case harks back to some of Marc’s recent sculptures, while the colour of the dial invokes some of Marc’s newest pieces, perfectly fusing past, present and future in one striking timepiece.”

And if black or grey PVD doesn’t quite cut it? Then Frenchmen ‘MAD’ – available in the UK at Frost of London – are your men. A similar blackening effect as BWD and Blaken is applied to all manner of pieces, even the iconic Serpenti from Bulgari that winds around your wrist, but instead of the notoriously scratchable layer, MAD have called upon the best craftsmen a mastery of the DLC coating process.

‘Diamond Like Carbon’, is the generic name for an alloy developed in a vacuum. With ionizing radiation similar to PVD’s, the alloy is deposited in micro-layers, by combining the structure of carbon graphite to that of diamond. This advanced technology results in an unalterable treatment that is normally only in the prestige automotive and aerospace industries.

HOT CREATIONS: MAD Designs can ensure your luxury watch is truly unique

For the ultimate in horological modif ication, you need to seek out another bunch of Germans But for the ultimate in horological modification, you can forget your PVD or DLC. You need to seek out another bunch of Germans, whose Platinum collection only ever deals with supremely complicated movements created at some point prior to 1900. Which isn’t to say Grieb & Benzinger are totally independent from Switzerland – far from it; the beating hearts of their watches are all Swiss mechanical movements.

However, it’s what they do to these movements that sets them apart.

Those destined for their Platinum collection first land on Hermann Grieb’s workbench with as many as 140 years of history and regal provenance. Via closely guarded industry sources, Grieb has accumulated a select stock of highly technical and beautifully crafted vintage ‘complications’ from grande maisons such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, all dating between 1880 and 1930. Highly technical, but poorly looked-after specimens that have lurked in various archives and collections, ripe for refurb, Grieb & Benzinger style.

Once refurbished, it’s what happens next that sets Grieb & Benzinger apart from anyone else in watchmaking. For, just 25 miles northwest of Grafenau in Germany’s ‘Gold Town’ of Pforzheim, Jochen Benzinger is custodian of a second workshop and quite possibly the world’s most valuable collection of 19th-century engine-turning machines. It is with these and countless other handheld tools that Benzinger transforms every one of Grieb’s immaculate movements into a work of art: guilloché patterns and ornate engraving on all visible surfaces,

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TIME MACHINES: Grieb & Benzinger take Swiss watch customisation to the next level

followed by open-working or ‘skeletonisation’ of all the bridges and plates that hold together the gearing. The work involved is painstaking, but the result – once Grieb has reassembled the parts – is dazzling; a delicate, luminescent spider’s web of whirring clockwork.

No more than 10 Platinum pieces are made

by Grieb & Benzinger every year, owing to the tremendous number of man-hours required to restore the movement, incorporate extra functions such as a moonphase or date according to the client’s wishes, then disassemble the whole thing and decorate each and every part. Their latest magnum opus, ‘Blue Danube’, which is based on a minute-repeating, split-seconds chronograph made for Tiffany New York by Patek Philippe in 1890 had 1,000 hours lavished upon it. Which goes some way to explaining its considerable pricetag of €650,000.

Go crazy – it’s what makes our world interesting.

AC Schnitzer is imported exclusively in the UK by Rossiters, rossiters.co.uk bamfordwatchdepartment.com bespokecars.co.uk blaken.com grieb-benzinger.com MAD is stocked exclusively in the UK by Frost of London, frostoflondon.co.uk twistedperformance.co.uk

‘improving the iconic’

If you desire a car that gets your adrenaline pumping before getting behind the wheel, that wins admiring looks and turns heads, you want BESPOKE. While staying loyal to an original marque, we know you want exterior styling far removed from mass production, with luxurious interior styling specific to your tastes.

We understand your car must be a one-off creation, unlike any other and exclusive to you.

bespokecars.co.uk Saltergate Business Park, Burley Bank Road, Harrogate, HG3 2BX info@bespokecars.co.uk 01423 888 888

- M oto r i n g -

electric dreams

Words – Kyle Fortune

A futureproofed, future classic that’s worth more than its hefty pricetag

Price

€111,000

Performance

0-62MPH (0-100KM/H) 12.7 SECONDS

Top speed 99MPH

Engine

800CC TWO-CYLINDER TDI WITH ELECTRIC PLUG-IN HYBRID

Transmission

7-SPEED DSG AUTOMATIC, REAR-WHEEL DRIVE

Construction

CARBON FIBRE/STEEL

The editor’s brief here is simple: find the latest and greatest cars to put on these pages. That usually translates to some sort of supercar, with extraordinary performance, rarity and looks that’s matched with a preposterous price tag.

The VW XL1 fulfils all of these criteria, albeit in a slightly differing fashion.

Performance here isn’t about lunarshot warp-speed pace, instead it’s related to the XL1’s economy. The vision of VW’s CEO Dr Ferdinand Piëch, a man who’s not afraid to push his engineering staff to extremes, the XL1 is the result of his goal to create a 1.0 litre car. Specifically 1.0l/100km, or 282.5mpg if you’re in the UK, the XL1 actually betters that – its actual homologated 0.9l/km fuel consumption figure translating to 313mpg and CO2 emissions of just 21g/km. To put that into perspective, the most economical Volkswagen Golf manages 88.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 85g/km.

To achieve that the XL1 features a build that’s pure hypercar in its specification – specially developed

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Michelin tyres, a mid-mounted engine built extensively of magnesium, carbon fibre reinforced plastic construction, a two-seater layout with fixed back bucket seats and gull-wing doors, a shape honed after countless hours in the wind tunnel, carbon ceramic brakes and a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission.

The engine is a two-cylinder TDI turbodiesel with a plug-in hybrid module that allows up to 30 miles of electric only running. It’ll reach 62mph (100km/h) in a respectable 12.7 seconds, the thrill in driving it being not about the speed, but the distance you can travel on so little fuel.

That it’s built with the loving, exacting quality that match those of the standards of the supercar industry only adds to its appeal, as does the limited number Volkswagen will build. Just 250 will be made, 50 of which VW is keeping for itself. At €111,000 it’s not cheap, but then one VW insider quipped that you’re getting a car that’s worth a lot more than you pay for it. What’s more you’ll be driving the future, right now.

info@ecuriebertelli.com www.ecuriebertelli.com

Tel: +44 (0)1234 240024 Fax: +44 (0)1234 240054

Only 600 Aston Martins were produced before 1940. Only 450 survive, which makes all pre-1940 Astons rare and highly sought after. No more than fifty of each of the four main models were built by the works. Some of the rarest and most valuable were made in single figure numbers. Ecurie Bertelli Ltd. exists to supply expertise for all pre-1940 Aston Martins, including a huge inventory of new spare parts made from original works drawings, service, race and rally preparation and car sales. Andy Bell has worked in the business since 1976 when it was started by Nick Mason. Andy has raced and rallied pre-1940 Astons all over the world and is recognised as the leading authority on these cars.

TWO OF THE BEST ASTON MARTINS AVAILABLE IN THE WORLD

1934 1.5 litre MK11 short chassis Fresh restoration to the highest standards. This MK11 drives like a new car. Steel crank and rod engine by Archers of Dunmow, chassis work by Ecurie Bertelli Ltd. Stripped in the 1950’s by the previous owner and stored for 50 years by the present retired garage owner, who rescued it and eventually undertool the restoration. Very few MK11s have been restored to this standard. 50 miles since completion. Genuinely a ‘must be seen’ car, it really is exceptional in every detail.

Price £225,000

1939 Aston Martin ‘Brooklands’ Speed Model Restored by Andy Bell ten years ago, much raced by him including at Laguna Seca, Goodwood and shown at Pebble in 2007. This is the last pre-war Factory racer, a narrow chassis Speed Model built by the works to run at Brooklands and is the lightest and fastest un-supercharged pre-war Aston. Many magazine articles (including Vintage Racecar) huge history file, two second places this year in AMOC events, road legal and Mille Miglia eligible. Ready to race and rally.

Price £475,000

Contact Andy Bell for further details of these two cars and others in our current inventory info@ecuriebertelli.com

Classic, Sports, Race Private Treaty Sales

- -h hot otels els- -

Words -– Jay Jay Boisvert Words Boisvert

All about ME Meet the West End’s super-stylish new kid on the block WHEN IT COMES to hotels in the capital, I’ve been lucky enough to bed down in some of the best rooms in town.

From old school chintz to new school cool, rough luxe (never again) and marvellously minimalist, my impromptu late nights in London have led to last-minute booking of a broad range of boltholes.

Few, though, match up to the majesty that is the ME by Melia. Set in the heart of London’s West End, at the top of the Strand, it’s provided a much-needed modernist injection of style to an area better-known for tourist throngs and ageing chain hotels. From the moment you enter through the slick reception, walking past the wall of marble to the keycard-operated lifts, little butterflies of anticipation start to flicker in your stomach. In short, you just know the room is going to be something special.

And so it proved. It was fitting, perhaps, that my stay coincided with London Fashion Week, as this is one hip-as-hell hotel. Various sartorial exhibitions were dotted around the building and it’s testament to the hotel’s cutting edge aesthetic that they looked as if they could have been permanent exhibits. Our room – a Passion Suite, one of 16 suites in the hotel – was similarly stylish. With its panoramic views of London’s most famous sights, such as the London Eye, Big Ben, London Bridge

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and the River Thames from the bedroom, plus a separate lounge with dining area for two people and cool lighting effects – operated from a spaceship-esque motherboard that I spent a happy half hour fiddling with – this was a room built for fun.

Resisting the urge to call up a half dozen of my friends to tell them I had found us a place to party for the night, I opted instead to have a relaxing soak in a bathtub so big it took 30 minutes to fill. I know, Mr Rock and Roll, right?

If your pleasure seeking involves more than a tub full of complementary unguents, though, then head for the hotel’s signature steak restaurant STK – imagine a nightclub filled with good looking people and even better looking beef – or the rooftop Radio Bar, which offers some of the best night time views of London.

Beautifully constructed and finished, with surprises at every turn, this is a notable and welcome addition to London’s growing stable of luxury hotels. melia.com

Servicing • Sales • Restoration • Bodyshop

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Autofficina, formerly known Autofficina, formerly known as as Racing Racing Technologies Technologies now sq ft ft prestigious prestigious facility now operates operates from from aa 5,000 5,000 sq facility in in Chessington, Surrey.

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Our Our renowned renowned expertise expertise of of over over 50 50 years years have have seen seen many satisfied customers in the areas of servicing, many satisfied customers in the areas of servicing, restoration race marques. restorations& & racepreparation preparationofofItalian Italian marques.

Autofficina specialises in Ferrari, Lamborghini Autofficina specialises in Ferrari, Lamborghini&& Maserati Maserati products. products.

Feel Feel free free to to use use our our client client lounge lounge with with WiFi WiFi facility; facility; where where you you can can concentrate concentrate on on your your important important business business matters matters in in the the knowledge knowledge that that your your car car is is being your needs. being attended attended to to according according to to your needs.

Autofficina provides aa comprehensive comprehensiveportfolio portfolioof of Autofficina provides services including: services including: s SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS • scheduled maintenance & service requirements s FULL ENGINE RE BUILDS • full engine re-builds s TRIM ELECTRICAL WORK • trim & electrical work s RESTORATION • restoration s BESPOKE MODIlCATIONS • bespoke modifications s RE ENGINEERING PROJECTS • re-engineering projects s REMEDIAL WORK • remedial work s ON GOING MAINTENANCE PACKAGES • on-going maintenance packages s FULL VALETING DETAILING SERVICE • full valeting & detailing service

youare areinterested interested in in learning learning more more about about Autofficina Autofficina and and our our services, services, IfIf you pleasedo donot nothesitate hesitate to to contact contact Elias Elias Elia Elia or or one one of of the the Team.

Team. please Autofficina, Merlin Merlin House, House, Oakcroft Oakcroft Road, Road, Chessington, Chessington, Surrey Surrey KT9 KT9 1RH 1RH Autofficina, Tel:+44 +44(0)20 (0)208391 83910002 0002 Fax: Fax:+44 +44(0) (0)20 83917832 7832 info@autofficina.co.uk www.autofficina.co.uk Tel: 20 8391 www.autofficina.co.uk “Autofficina, judgedbyby results” "Autofficina,driven drivenwith with passion, passion, judged results"

- s u p eryac h ts -

Words – Isla McKechnie

LICENCE TO THRILL: Unleash your inner 007 with the vertiginous R200 Water Jetpack

P layt i m e Dip into Tony Stark’s toybox and supplement the luxury yacht with gung-ho gadgets and tidal transport befitting a super-wealthy superhero AS ANOTHER BOAT show season tapers off and the superyacht industry looks towards the busy Caribbean months, yacht aficionados are busying themselves with the bright new things in tenders and toys. As the charter fleet heads ever closer toward 1,000 yachts in the market, those yachts with a savvy marketing gameplan stock their garage with an arsenal of toys to help them stand out. Here, then, are the outstanding examples in innovation, fun and engineering, which will be the most sought-after yacht accessories of 2014.

There’s the jetpack, of course. Subject of much interest wherever it pops up, propelling its user along above water,

the Jetlev R200 Water Jetpack is a superhero dream brought to life. It’s the only water flight system approved for use by the US Coast Guard and, more importantly, is a total adrenalin rush for the user.

Strap in and take off for a personal flight experience which, at its maximum, climbs to eight and a half metres. Guests experience the sensation of weightlessness, levitating in the air, with no visible support from above or below and are able to use the jetpack to explore the coves and coastline around the yacht’s anchor site. Although recommended for strong, healthy people, the Jetpack requires very little physical input from the user. Buckle in and prepare to fly.

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- s u p eryac h ts -

WATER BABIES: Uboat Worx’ C-Explorer 2 (above) and the Maori37 (below)

Keeping guests entertained on the yacht is one thing, transporting them to the yacht is another altogether. Tenders which reflect the style of the mothership are firmly in vogue and increasingly used to set the tone of the charter from the outset. The Maori37 is sleek and hungry-looking, its bold lines etched out in blocks of charcoal, red and silver. At 11m in length, there’s room for two cabins and a bathroom.

The Maori 37 has become a favourite choice for yachts that need a day tender with a bit of bite.

Dolvik’s D28 Classical Sport Cruiser is a tender that sits at the other end of the spectrum. Smooth steering under all conditions, these hand-built mahogany boats are the epitome of classic elegance with unprecedented performance and speed.

And then there’s U-Boat Worx’ C-Explorer 2: part submarine, part transport and all fun. This two-person submarine cruises at three knots below the surface and is just the vehicle to ensure the yacht’s guests have a truly immersive holiday. Pilot and passenger are perched on upright seats,

while cabin pressure and humidity are kept comfortable by the submersible’s air conditioning system. Guests will relish the ability to be able to explore what lies beneath.

From below, to above to alongside, this year’s most wanted toys and tenders provide looks, performance and experiential thrills to a yacht’s charter offering.

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Seeking perfection?

Luxury yacht charter made perfect

LONDON +44 20 7766 4299

I

MONACO +377 97 97 83 10

The 20-45m luxury yacht specialists

I

MIAMI +1 305 672 9400

PALMA I ATHENS I MUMBAI I TOKYO I MOSCOW

enquiries@osyachting.com

- T EC H N O LO GY -

Words – Alex Pell Stax SRM-009 For those looking for a revelatory audio sensation, here is sonic nirvana. As with loudspeakers, it’s rare to find headphones that employ electrostatic panels which, put simply, involves a thin membrane being vibrated as opposed to the use of conventional speaker-drivers that pump air in and out. Stax champions this esoteric technology due to the eerily expansive sound it conjures. Upmarket cans do benefit from buying a dedicated headphone amp – and posh brands tend to offer a matching model that typically doubles their cost. Stax refers to its own amps as energisers and the one recommended for this top-end model involves dropping £3,000 more. The reward is owning the finest private listening experience currently in production. £3,499, stax.co.jp

sonic

nirvana

When the time comes to sit down and savour music at home, investing in a pair of premium headphones enables you to unlock the magic lurking within your system

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1. Audio Technica ATH-W1000X One benefit of closed-back style cans is the strident bass compared to more open rivals. The housing is cherry wood but of such a high gloss they barely seem like wood. A fine option for home use. £629, audiotechnicashop.com 2. Grado GS1000i These look like a prop from a 1950’s sci-fi flick but are far from dated in performance terms. The foam pads mounted on small wooden housings help keep weight down and ensure comfort. The flipside is that sound leaks. That said, the sound is hugely musical and engaging. £999, grado.co.uk 3. Sennheiser Momentum As the name suggests, this is the only model here that could, in practical terms, be deployed with portable kit. That said, despite the current fashion for oversized cans, these comfy leather-and-steel behemoths are fairly chunky. On the upside, they deliver more than a taste of audiophile magic. £299, sennheiser.co.uk

1 5 4

2 3

4. Fostex TH-900 Fostex is better known for making studio equipment for audio engineers rather than as a purveyor of premium headphones. Nevertheless, the TH-900 is a truly enticing option. For instance, the cherry birch housings are all finished off using a traditional Japanese lacquer technique. This accomplished closed-back model deserves a proper audition. £1,199, fostexinternational.com 5. Audeze LCD-XC Audeze is another renowned headphone marque whose wares rely on a similarly exotic technique known as planar magnetics. This is akin to electrostatics (see Stax) except the panels are driven by magnetism rather than electrical charge. On a more pragmatic level, the firm specialises in open-backed designs that “leak”, whereas this is Audeze’s first closed model. The sound is astonishingly impressive, as is the craftsmanship, with earpieces in a choice of exotic woods. A treat for all the senses. £1,625, decentaudio.co.uk - 147 -

RACING GREEN CARS

1968/F Jaguar E-Type S1 4.2L FHC Extensively Refurbished, RR Velvet Green. £84,995

1999/S TVR Griffith 500 V8, 340 BHP, 350ft.lbs, 30,000 Miles. £25,995

1971/K Jaguar Beacham E-Type 4.2 V8 SC, 6 Speed Automatic, Ice Pearl White, 3,880 Miles. £145,000

1968/F Jaguar E-type S1 & half 4.2L 2+2 FHC, 98,000 Miles. £26,995

2004/04 TVR Tamora 3.6L Speed Six, Coral Red Pearl, 31,000 Miles, £19,995

2001/51 TVR Tuscan 4.0L Speed Six, Cascade Blue, 46,000 Miles, £19,995

website: www.racinggreencars.com email: kenm@racinggreencars.com tel: 01252 894790 mob: 07817270931

- T R AV EL -

Words – Sophie Dening

EXPERIENTIAL

I N S P I R AT I O N Looking for something more rewarding this holiday season?

Then check out our pick of the world’s most thrilling trips SPENDING your holidays lying around on a beach with a book and a big glass of something cold and alcoholic are all well and good, but today’s travellers seek something more. The current buzz is around the growth of experiential travel, about valuing the experiences you actually have over what you’re told you should being doing by someone else. More than the amenities and creature comforts, more than the ‘must-see’ tourist attractions and photos, the real-life experiences are the compelling factor for canny travellers. Read on to discover your own adventure…

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- T R AV EL -

ISLAND LIFE: Whether in Peter Island (above) or Khao Lak (below), discover your own private adventure

Peter Island, British Virgin Islands Grilling and smoking masterclass

Those looking to update their culinary credentials should head to Peter Island Resort & Spa for a winter break with a difference. The island’s new grilling and smoking classes, held once a week, teach guests the art of charcoal cooking and smoking, plus how to prepare and fillet fresh fish and lobster. The resulting delicacies will be served with produce from the island’s kitchen garden, freshly picked that day. peterisland.com

Khao Lak, Thailand Day in the life of a local

The Sarojin, a boutique hotel set on an 11km stretch of secluded white sand beach in Khao Lak, just a 55 minute drive north of Phuket Airport, can now take guests into the heart of the Thai community. During the ‘Day in the Life of a Local’ tour, guests will travel to Khao Lak’s rural areas and shadow a local fisherman, a Buddhist monk, an elephant mahout, a fruit farmer and a market seller as they go about their daily lives. From helping to catch fish to feeding and riding elephants, to attending prayers with local monks or cutting rubber trees for latex sap with a plantation worker, this is the perfect way to get a deeper insight into local culture. sarojin.com.

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Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA Snow sports and mountain climbing

The backcountry paradise that is Jackson Hole is a hot spot for winter sports enthusiasts, offering arguably the best off-piste experience in North America. What’s equally appealing, though, is its sense of remoteness, with the nearest city (Salt Lake City) four hours away, thus it attracts smaller crowds than the resorts of Utah and Colorado. And while the snow-based fun is second to none, visitors who like to push outside their comfort zone should challenge themselves with a spot of rock climbing and mountaineering in Grand Teton National Park.

After learning the fundamental skills, from knot-tying to climbing techniques, you’ll be ready to ascend an unlimited variety of rock faces suited to your level, whether you are a first-time climber or a more experienced mountaineer.

This experience can be booked by guests staying at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, a beautiful hotel in the heart of the region. fourseasons.com/jacksonhole

Venice, Italy Train as a glassblower

No trip to Venice is complete without a vaporetto ride to the island of Murano, where beautiful, colourful glass objects have been produced since the 13th century. While most visitors pop into the glass museum, and invariably get sidetracked by the touristy array of factories offering tours, the more knowledgeable traveller should head for the renowned local glass school – Scuola del Vetro Abate Zanetti.

Here visitors can not only see the legendary glassblowers in action, but also attend workshops in lampworking and glassworking. Depending on your proficiency, you’ll either leave with a beautiful piece of unique art or something that resembles an oversized paperweight.

While in Venice, stay at the fabulous Bauers Palladio Hotel & Spa, a classical building designed in the second half of the XVI century by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.

Sitting on a small island away from the hustle of St Marks Square, it offers beautiful gardens (a rarity in Venice) and breathtaking lagoon views. palladiohotelspa.com www.abatezanetti.it/en/

Antarctica Wildlife photography and expeditions

Even the most jaded of travellers can’t fail to be stirred by a 24-day sea voyage to the end of the earth. Guests onboard the luxurious Seabourn boat, taking the ‘Ultimate Antarctica and Patagonia’ cruise, set sail from Chile before cruising around Cape Horn, visiting Antarctica and then on to Buenos Aires. Zodiac boats will take guests on to ice shelves to see two-mile-long tabular icebergs, thousands of penguins, leopard seals and blue whales. If you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, then it doesn’t get much better than this. seabourn.co.uk

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Bangkok, Thailand Muay Thai training

Learn the ancient martial art of Muay Thai (aka Thai boxing) in its spiritual home of Bangkok.

Those travellers who don’t want fancy training in dusty backstreet gyms, though, can opt for a stay at the new art deco masterpiece that is the city’s Siam Hotel. Set in an unbeatable location on the Chao Phraya river, it includes the city’s only pool villas and is also the only hotel with a full size Muay Thai ring. Glove up and get involved, courtesy of some top-notch instructors. thesiamhotel.com

Sutherland, Scotland Bear Grylls Survival Academy

TO THE LIMITS: Get outside your comfort zone by taking up Thai boxing or learning the art of bushcraft

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Everyone’s favourite survivalist, Bear Grylls, has set up a six-day course in the Scottish Highlands, taking in bushcraft skills such as building shelters, foraging for grubs, hunting, trapping and knifework. Participants then embark on a 24 hour expedition to test their mettle. As you’d expect from such a rigorous trip, a reasonable amount of fitness is required.

After all that exertion, you’ll need somewhere to relax for a few days, and happily the Inver Lodge Hotel – situated on a bluff overlooking the picturesque Loch Inver – is just a short drive away.The recently refurbished luxury lodge offers a loch view from every room, fabulous fishing (trout and salmon) opportunities, deer stalking in season and a restaurant helmed by legendary French chef Albert Roux. beargryllssurvivalacademy.com www.inverlodge.com

Natural Phenomenon

Zbären Kreativküchen AG Bahnhofstrasse 26 . CH-3777 Saanenmöser . Telephone +41 33 744 33 77 design@zbaeren.ch . www.zbaeren.ch Official Dealer

Saanenmöser . Gstaad . Lenk

Official Dealer

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The persistence of memory His most famous work may have featured melting clocks, but surrealist painter Salvador Dalí preferred his watches to be solid gold – and made by Piaget. It was 1976 when he partnered with the Swiss watchmaker to create ‘Dalí d’Or’ – a collection of pieces including a ‘Gold Coin’ secret watch meticulously engraved with Dali’s painting and housing Piaget’s famous 9P ultra-thin movement. Piaget also made him some cufflinks, a pendant, money clipper and key chain – essential accessories for even the most out-there gentleman.

piaget.com

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