Luxury Insider

Chinese luxury lifestyle brand Shanghai Tang returned as title sponsor of last weekend's Women's International Polo 2007, organized by the Singapore Polo Club. In addition to sponsoring the tournament, Shanghai Tang has also specially designed jerseys for the female polo players. Read more >>

Baume & Mercier's latest variation of its Riviera XXL Magnum collection draws semblance to its red gold chronograph cousin. Featuring the dodecagonal (12-sided shape) case characteristic of all models in the Riviera sporty collection, the red gold now forms a thin frame circumventing the watch dial, secured by four symmetrically aligned screws to the 43-mm matte-black PVD coated case and bezel. Côtes de Genève motif decorates the anthracite surround on the two chronograph counters and gleams alluringly against the black dial base. A vertical opening on the caseback reveals the mechanism and oscillating weight.


www.baume-et-mercier.com

If this car doesn’t take your breath away, nothing else would. Ferrari’s latest FXX Evoluzione is a further extension of its FXX program which the Italian marque started in June 2005. The prototype FXX has now been further improved in terms of its handling and performance – a result of Ferrari’s collaboration with its “client test drivers” and seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher. Read more >>

As Chopard’s new Chopardissimo collection shows, luxury can be fresh and playful too. Featuring rose and white gold pieces, this collection focuses on clean lines that make for wearable everyday jewellery. Read more >>

Perhaps the slimmest LCD TV ever made, Samsung unveiled its 1 cm-thick 40-inch Full HD LCD TV at FPD International 2007, one of the world’s largest trade shows dedicated to flat panel displays, which took place in Yokohama, Japan last week from October 24-26. This new display is one of the latest innovations from the South Korean electronics giant and is set to usher in a new generation of large-screen TVs. Having the same profile as 10-20 inch LCDs designed for desktop monitors, its bezel has been significantly reduced by more than half from the conventional 30 mm. It uses an LED backlight which reproduces 92 percent of the NTSC standard for color saturation. And the best part is, it also consumes less power – a mere 90 watts or less.




www.samsung.com

If you open a bottle of champagne or cabernet with Sveid’s corkscrew, it would not be the cork or the bottle of fine wine you must be careful not to damage. Made of aviation titanium and the fingertip lever of 18k gold, which can be cast in platinum upon request, this corkscrew from Belgian company Sveid, comprises 52 pieces, and features a lead cap cutter as well. Read more >>

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (RRMC)’s offerings at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show may not be breakthroughs in technology as we have seen with the Audi metroproject Quattro concept study in a recent post. However, the luxury carmaker has identified a growing trend – the demand for bespoke content, especially in China, Japan and Australia, key markets of the British luxury carmaker for bespoke content. To this end, Rolls Royce has decked out its recently launched Phantom Drophead Coupe and Phantom Extended Wheelbase (EWB) models with seashell and black interiors, a door mounted drinks cabinet and front-rear camera system. New options include a visually stunning Starlight Headlining feature - an award-winning night sky effect used for the first time in a production car.




www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

Breitling has opened a new store-in-store boutique at Sincere Watch Limited’s Suntec City outlet in Singapore. Decked in Breitling’s signature colors of yellow and black, the boutique store features some of the latest timepieces showcased at this year’s Basel World Watch Fair, as well as familiar classics like the Navitimer and Windrider collections. Read more >>

Audi will unveil the metroproject quattro, a concept hybrid car for the sub-compact segment at the Tokyo Motor Show, which runs from 24 October to 11 November. The car is powered by a 1.4 liter four-cylinder TFSI engine designed and race-track proven by Audi. Read more >>

Goldarths Review has set up a Swiss editorial bureau in Neuchâtel, in the heart of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Headed by Ron DeCorte, the Swiss bureau represents our continuing effort to provide more comprehensive coverage on the luxury watch industry. Ron, a master watchmaker himself, had been Technical Editor (Horology) of Goldarths Review since July 2006.

Chopard’s L.U.C. “Mark III” Classic cuts an elegant and understated statement of luxury. Powered by a self-winding L.U.C 3.96 caliber, this stainless steel timepiece is an entry model in the L.U.C collection. It features double barrels, that was first employed in the models in the L.U.C “Twin”® range, giving it a 65-hour power reserve.

www.chopard.com

Singapore President S R Nathan will lend his signature to 149 limited edition sets of the Montblanc Meisterstück fountain pens for a worthy cause. He joins 148 other personalities from such diverse backgrounds as politics, culture, business, sports and entertainment, in supporting Montblanc's and Unicef's "The Power To Write" campaign. For every pen sold, Montblanc International will donate US$149 to support Unicef's global literacy programmes. Part of the local sales proceeds will also go in aid of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore.

www.montblanc.com

Alfred Dunhill has launched its latest collection of writing instruments, leather goods and accessories, which the company calls ‘Sentryman’. A distinctive feature that runs throughout the entire collection of writing instruments is the design of the pen cap, which was inspired by the tops of Britain’s classic postboxes. Read more >>

Recent trends in product design these days seem to suggest that "gloss is sleek". In this issue of Luxe-Tech Selections, we go behind the veneer of these products to find out what makes them so deliciously irresistible.

First introduced by London's prominent chef Gordon Ramsay, the concept of the chef's table has been hailed as the ultimate in exclusive dining. Joanne Collings takes us behind the scenes.

Fusing Chinese heritage-inspired décor and traditional Oriental cuisine with a contemporary twist, Hutong restaurant is a cultural amalgamation of the old and new. In our continuing series on the finest restaurants of the world, we showcase this new dining concept.

Tucked away in a cove on a private island in the Great Barrier Reef, Hayman Island Resort is a haven for diving enthusiasts and those wishing for an exclusive getaway in pristine settings. Here’s a glimpse of this tropical paradise.

The Enzo Ferrari became the signature flagship of the Italian marque from the day it was first launched. Today, it is still considered one of the seminal supercars of all time. Our motoring expert Ian Kuah gets behind the wheel and tells us why.

Italian haute joaillerie house Bulgari showcases its collection of vintage, high jewellery and complicated watches to Singapore in a week-long exhibition beginning 18 October. Read more >>

Imagine bottles of perfume shaped like miniature objects d’art. That’s what the perfume makers at Parfums MDCI Paris have done to their exclusive collection of fragrances. Featuring the creative works of celebrated perfumers like Pierre Bourdon, Francis Kurkdjian and exciting talent Stéphanie Bakouche, their fragrances not only smell good, but also look exquisite as well.Read more >>

The House of Breguet has added a new jewellery version to its Les Jardins Du Petit Trianon – Les Groseilliers Haute Joaillerie collection. Inspired by the redcurrant bushes (after which this collection is named) in the gardens of the Petit Trianon, an exclusive getaway of Queen Maire-Antoinette of France, first pieces of this collection sparkled with cascading geysers of white gold set with diamonds, pink sapphires and rubies. For this new version, Breguet has chosen to retain the same knotted ribbon theme but this time using only diamonds in a set of ring, pendant and earrings.


www.breguet.com/

Designed for an UAE commission, Giancarlo Zema Design Group’s semi-submerged hotel resort looks like it could have been modeled after the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga from the Star Wars movie. Nicknamed the Amphibious 1000, this resort comprises a land and sea section, hence the name, and fans out into the sea. But unlike the Palm Islands of Dubai, the layout takes the form of a concentric circular pattern. Read more >>

When Beijing’s new international airport terminal opens its doors in early 2008, it would not only enter the record books as the world’s largest airport but also possibly the most luxurious and technological advanced. Occupying more than a million square meters, approximately the size of 235 football fields, the new terminal is bigger than Heathrow’s current terminals combined.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) took delivery of the Airbus 380 yesterday. And as of this writing, the world’s biggest passenger jet in civil aviation history would have landed at Singapore’s Changi International Airport after its inaugural 13-hour flight from Toulouse, France.

Nestled in a secluded location at the northernmost tip of Hamilton island in the Great Barrier Reef, qualia is Australia’s newest addition to the premium spectrum of luxury getaways. Overlooking the Coral Sea, the resort’s 60 one-bedroom pavilions are luxuriously appointed, and some incorporate private sun decks and plunge pools.

Located in the West Wing of the luxuriously appointed Emirate Palace in Abu Dhabi, the Anantara Spa is an oasis of wellness and rejuvenation. The interiors are Moroccan-inspired, with mosaic walls, domes and archways, and wooden furnishings. The seven treatment rooms comprise Jacuzzi tubs, steam shower and grooming areas, a traditional Thai massage room and a Vichy Shower room with heated marble.

Set your mood with this three-in-one dazzler called the Magic Hour from the Piaget Limelight Collection. The elliptical bezel, adorned with 36 diamonds, rotates above a round dial decorated with fine guilloche patterns.

This candy-bar shaped mp3 player from Bang & Olufsen may not have iPod’s stylish good looks but audiophiles would embrace the music quality from the BeoSound 6.

Acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest swimming pool, the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile, easily draws eyeballs with its seemingly endless stretch of crystal-clear blue water.

In 2006, Dutch designer Michiel van den Brink presented his design of the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which was featured in our article on The Fine Art Of Coachbuilding in March 2007. This year, his company Vandenbrink Design has embarked on an ambitious project to turn his designs into reality.

In another show of its affluence and ascendance into football’s elite under Russian billionaire Roman Abramovic’s riches, Chelsea Football Club has enlisted celebrated Italian designer Giorgio Armani to create a new look for its Directors’ Suite at its Stamford Bridge stadium in West London. Comprising a Bar and Dining Suite, the Armani/Lounge would serve as the meeting place for the Chelsea Board of Directors and for hosting VIP guests. All furnishings in the lounge hail from the Armani/Casa home interiors collection.

Unsatisfied with the movie experience at the theatres in town? Goldmund offers a solution to turn your room into an ultra luxurious home theater, regardless of the room’s décor and size.

Panerai has released its first official Manifattura tourbillon watch, the Panerai Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT. Housing an exclusive P.2005 caliber movement, Panerai created the movement and watch entirely in-house.

Following the arrival of the new M3 Coupé, BMW has announced details of the four-door M3 Sedan (or M3 Saloon in the UK), which comes with a powerful 4-liter (3,999 cc) V-8 light-alloy engine that shells out 420hp to the wheels at 8,300rpm, and a maximum torque of 400Nm at 3,900rpm.

If this design concept by art directors Tino Schaedler and Michael J Brown takes off, the Strato Cruiser Airship would make traveling in a Zeppelin popular again.

As a tribute to the brand's founder, William Baume, Baume & Mercier has created an exclusive collection of timepieces in limited, numbered editions. Embellished with retrograde complications, the William Baume Collection is a re-interpretation of the classical models in the Hampton and Classima Executives series.

French Chef Christophe Bacquie will return to The Cliff restaurant at the Sentosa Resort & Spa in Singapore as a guest chef for the second time come 6-11 November, to showcase his brand of contemporary Mediterranean fare. Bacquie was awarded his second Michelin star for Restaurant L'Alivu at the Hotel La Villa in his native Corsica in France after just two years at the helm. Guests can savor a delectable spread of Bacquie's specialties, including Grilled Half Lobster with guacamole, green lemon and melon gazpacho seasoned with espelette chillies, wild seabass served with golden chanterelles, and "Grenaille de Noirmoutier" potatoes and roasted chicken jus, to name a few.

www.thesentosa.com

In an unusual partnership, the House of Hermès, more renowned for setting fashion trends than accomplishing engineering feats, has inked a deal with Eurocopter to redesign the company’s fleet of EC 135 helicopters. Designed to enhance the experience of business travel, this new project codenamed l’Hélicoptère par Hermès, will see Hermès designer Gabriele Pezzini collaborating with the engineers from Eurocopter.

After almost a year of renovations, Jaeger-LeCoultre inaugurated its Heritage Gallery on the eve of the company’s 175th anniversary on 4 October. Housed in the original workshop in which founder Antoine LeCoultre crafted his first timepieces in 1833, the gallery is a showcase of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s much venerated watchmaking history, with more than 300 current and historical timepieces, and watch movements on display.

At the gala dinner to celebrate the grand opening of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s newly refurbished Heritage Gallery, the company also unveiled a platinum Limited Edition of the Master Grand Tourbillon, presented with a stone recovered during renovation work of Antonie LeCoultre’s original workshop in the Gallery’s makeover. Featuring a sunburst dial with a 24-hour subdial at the 12 o’clock position, (which can be used to read off a second time-zone), this black edition of the Master Grand Tourbillon will be limited to 300 production pieces.

www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

The revised BMW 6 Series Coupé and Convertible goes on sale this weekend, featuring the German marque’s EfficientDynamics technology to increase performance, improve fuel consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Huate couture meets high-tech in the Giorgio Armani–Samsung luxury mobile phone, the first in a series of collaborations between the two companies to develop portable and home consumer electronics products. First unveiled during Milan Women’s Fashion Week at the Armani/Teatro in end September this year, the phone is only as big as your credit card, and a mere 10.5 mm in thickness. Giorgio Armani was responsible for the design aesthetic of the phone while Samsung provided the technological know-how. Luxury phones will be developed for both the signature Giorgio Armani and lifestyle Emporio Armani brands. Other products in the offing include a designer LCD television, under the home interiors lifestyle brand, Armani/Casa, to be launched in January 2008.


www.hermes.com

www.samsung.com

Inspired by Saab’s classic Black Turbos of the 1970s and ‘80s, Saab has launched a limited edition of 2,000 in the new 9-3 range, aptly named the Turbo X. First showcased at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, this sporty-looking all-wheel drive (which Saab calls XWD) features eLSD – an electronically controlled, rear limited slip differential that splits power between the front and rear wheel, and between the rear wheels. At the heart of this sleek jet-black sedan is a 2.8 liter V6 engine with 400Nm, capable of delivering 280 hp at 5,500 rpm. First deliveries are expected in the second quarter of 2008.



www.saab.com

Lexus has launched its specialty IS-F sports sedan with a Neiman Marcus "Special Build" edition for Christmas, limited to just 50 collectible pieces. Like their hybrid LS600h model, the IS-F Special Build Sedan is expected to sell out within a matter of hours, if not minutes, as has been the case in the past with other Neiman Marcus specials. With its pumped-up body, a massive 5.0-liter V8 engine, and 8-speed automatic, the IS-F is meant as an alternative if not a direct rival to Audi’s RS4 and Mercedes-Benz’s C63AMG, if not BMW’s forthcoming M3 sedan.

www.lexus.com

Pierre Corthay’s bespoke shoes have become one of the most highly regarded brands in the premier lines of luxury men’s accessories. The Parisian atelier has already collaborated with major French fashion houses such as Christian Dior and Lanvin, and more recently, partnered with renowned Japanese fashion designer, Yohji Yamamoto. Get a glimpse into the seductive appeal of Pierre Corthay’s creations.

Once a delicacy enjoyed only by aristocrats, caviar, the preserved roe of sturgeon, is now accessible to anyone who appreciates this exquisite ingredient. Find out what makes caviar the "ultimate luxury food".

Designed in a partnership between legendary piano makers Steinway & Sons and hi-fi maestro Peter Lyngdorf of TacT Millennium fame, the Steinway Lyngdorf Model D delivers pitch perfect music quality – a true luxury for every music lover.

With today’s oft-deconstructionist attitude to men’s wear, the sartorial craft of bespeaking a suit seems a tad anachronistic. Yet, to wear a suit is to wear something borne of centuries of evolution. Besides conferring upon the wearer a discreet mark of individuality, the detailing on your bespoke suit also constitutes a subtle nod to traditions from more elegant times.

Built at the turn of the 20th century, and overlooking the Arabian Sea, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower is a majestic hotel with a rich heritage. Discover the magic that surrounds this magnificent jewel.

Motorcycle racing fans would be smacking their lips at the new BMW HP2 Sport Boxer, which is based on the R1200S Sports Boxer. Equipped with a Boxer engine with double overhead camshaft, which delivers 128hp at 8,750rpm and 115Nm of torque at 6,000rpm, the new HP2 packs a powerful punch. And weight-shaving features such as the use of carbon fiber components, from the fairing to the rear seat unit means that the HP2 Sport’s power to weight ratio is truly impressive.



To further enhance its track credentials, BMW Motorrad has thrown in a quickshifter that allows swift gear changes through the six-speed transmission without taking the gas off the throttle or fiddling with the clutch. Add to that a Moto-GP-style dashboard, forged aluminum wheels, Brembo brakes and Öhlins suspension, this Beemer is ready to blaze the track – though you would have to wait till 2008 to wrap your body around one.

www.bmw-motorrad.com

Regarded as one of the oldest chateaus in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, the Chateau Haut Brion has a knack of producing the finest Bordeaux wines of the Graves region, including this 1982 classic. Edwin Soon finds out the secrets behind the Haut Brion’s success.

Montblanc is launching a new women’s collection of Hobo bags and purses this summer. Made of calf leather with quilted seams in the shape of the Montblanc star, the Montblanc "Starisma Alcina" collection comes in the colors of onyx, ivory and seasonal limited editions of 300 in gold, silver. A third limited edition in the Autumn/Winter collection 2007/08 features a cut-out version of the quilted Montblanc star in soft Italian goat suede and calf trimming leather. The collection will be extended every six months with new designs.



www.montblanc.com

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore was named the inaugural recipient of the "Global Brand Forum Brand Icon of the Year" Award at the recently concluded Global Brand Forum 2007, held in Singapore. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the area of global branding. In association with Corum Swiss Timepieces, the official timekeepers of the forum, Corum President Michael Wunderman presented Al Gore with a Romulus timepiece.

www.corum.ch

The Manero Tribute to MaBu from Carl F. Bucherer is built from an original, restored watch movement dating back to the 1950s. With its vintage Valjoux movement, the watch is a fitting tribute to Max Bucherer, who was Carl F.’s brother. The 40mm diameter case is made of rose gold, the dial of solid sterling silver, and the watch is limited to just 100 pieces.

www.carl-f-bucherer.com

After weeks of waiting, Bang & Olufsen’s Serenata mobile phone made in conjunction with Samsung has been revealed. Touted as a combination phone and a music player, Serenata has a smooth, pebble-inspired that complements both brands neatly. The quad-band phone is not light on features, either, with 3G capability, a 2.26” TFT screen of 240x240 resolution, as well as 4 gigabytes of memory space for music. Though we have yet to experience it firsthand, the user interface looks tactile and attractive, if a little unintuitive given its unique rotary operation wheel. Overall, Serenata is looking like a very unusual and strangely appealing new handset.