Savoy Hotel is a unique London treat February 6, 2011 IT was with much trepidation that we turned off the Strand into the short lane towards the Savoy’s entrance, the only road in Britain where one drives on the right. It all looked familiar: the landmark Art Deco sign, the shiny Rolls-Royces, the uniformed staff. But as soon as we climbed out of our car, [...]
HISTORY IN reverse February 3, 2011 THE ESSENTIALS of what makes a mechanical watch tick have barely changed in 400 years. Back then, it was the British who were leading the way in the world of cogs, escapements and balance wheels, and the thread of that history can still be found in many watches produced today. We’ve covered that on page [...]
RULE BRITANNIA… with more than a little help from the Swiss February 3, 2011 ONE of the most striking timepieces produced by a watch company in the past year hasn’t been a watch at all, but a mechanical ship’s clock. Nor was it just the advanced technology behind the clock or the £40,000 price-tag that grabbed the attention. It was the fact that every inch of it, down to [...]
GLOSSARY February 3, 2011 Automatic A mechanical watch in which an interior system winds it automatically, removing the need for hand winding. Bezel The top part of the watch case, sealing the crystal over the face. Calibre The specific type of watch movement. Chronograph A watch complication with a stop-watch function. Complication Functions in addition to time keeping. Crown [...]
Wonder WATCHES February 3, 2011 IWC Portugueiser worn By: Smooth operators FOUNDED in the 19th century by an American but based in Schafhausen, Switzerland, the International Watch Company makes several “families” of watches, including handsome pilot’s watches, its Aquatimer divers’ watches and the elegant group known as the Portugueisers. First produced in the 1930s following a request from a Portuguese [...]
Fast times February 3, 2011 FOR racing drivers, people assume it’s what you’ve got parked on your driveway that counts, but it’s what you’ve got on your wrist as well,” says Mark Blundell, the former F1 ace who took an epic fourth place at the weekend’s Rolex 24-hour race at Daytona. He has over 20 high-end watches. “There’s a lot [...]
A shirt that you can full back on February 3, 2011 FOR all that the modern rubgy pro is the kind of lean, pumped-up bulldozer who would grind his amateur era predecessors into the dust, I’d argue the classic image of rugby is still JPR Williams in full flight, socks around his ankles, sideburns at full mutton chop, and shirt billowing as much as his hair. [...]
HOW TO GET DRESSED February 3, 2011 FOUNDERS OF ROUS ILAND MEMBERS’ BOUTIQUE Q.I have a winter ball coming up. The dress code is full length. I’m quite short and worried I can’t carry it off. A.Take your cue from actresses on the red carpet this awards season, who are working all the tricks in the book. If you are confident about [...]
FASHION NEWS IN BRIEF February 3, 2011 LOTUS LAUNCHES FASHION BRAND Brit supercar company Lotus is launching a new lifestyle concept, Lotus Originals with a range of clothing and accessories reflecting the spirit of its cars. Lotus Originals launches online at www.lotusoriginals.com on 23 February. BEAUTY ON A BUDGET FROM TESCO The supermarket giant is trialling a beauty salon scheme in two [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND February 3, 2011 FILM BRIGHTON ROCK Remake of the classic 1930s film based on the book by Graham Greene. Hot stuff. NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU An anthology of love stories in the Big Apple. With Natalie Portman. A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN A woman dying of cancer finds the threat of falling in love is scarier than [...]