Construction begins on Europe’s tallest modular residential block November 8, 2016 Work has begun on Europe's tallest modular residential tower block, the latest innovation scheme to help combat London's housing crisis. The 26-storey tower will be built in Mapleton Crescent in Wandsworth, and is constructed entirely from modular units – compact flats assembled in factories before being installed with cranes. Read more: How innovation is transforming the property industry The 89-unit [...]
Auction house Sotheby’s reports $54.5m loss in last quarter November 7, 2016 Sotheby's reported a $54.5m (£43.5m) loss in the third quarter, compared to $17.9m (£14.4m) the same period a year ago. The auction house said that they expected the poor results, and put down the huge losses to changes in the dates of the summer art sales. The results The company posted a net loss of $54.5m, [...]
Lewis Hamilton on hanging out with Tom Cruise, getting advice from Kanye West and staying up late – then killing it on the track November 7, 2016 "I’m very much an outsider,” says Lewis Hamilton. We’re cruising around east London in the back of a pearlescent white Maybach, when I put it to him that he’s different to the other drivers in Formula One. He dresses differently, acts differently, hangs out with a different entourage; he’s the only driver who could be [...]
This Arizona town will let you play out your cowboy fantasy: Ride bulls, wear cool hats, walk into a saloon and have the music suddenly stop playing, the works November 4, 2016 They say “all sunshine makes a desert.” But in Arizona (299 sunny days per year; average temp 24 degrees celsius) I don’t hear anyone complaining. In fact, this state is booming, with capital Phoenix now one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US. Scottsdale, a wealthy destination town in the northeast of the [...]
Combine watch shopping with a drink at these boutique bars November 4, 2016 Why jostle with the hoi polloi when you could be enjoying a quiet drink while contemplating your latest purchase? Come Christmas shopping season, make sure you wind up at these London watch boutique bars, says Laura McCreddie-Doak. I dream of having a club; a place where I can go not just where everybody knows my [...]
What’s ticking? All the latest watch news from across London November 4, 2016 Salon selectives Last night, the doors of Chelsea’s Saatchi Gallery opened once again for the annual extravaganza that is SalonQP – back for an eighth year. What started as something of an insider’s showcase has become an integral part of the global watch-event calendar; for many brands a chance to premier their latest timepieces exclusively [...]
Watch brand Baume & Mercier celebrates the motor-racing legend Carroll Shelby November 4, 2016 Last year marked 50 years since Carroll Shelby’s invasion of Europe’s racing circuits, winning the World Manufacturer’s GT trophy with an all-American team for the very first time. He did this by importing British AC Ace coupés and fit them with Ford’s huge V8 engine – a combination with so much ‘bite’ that he dubbed [...]
Bremont celebrates magnificent men of 1934 November 4, 2016 It’s a tale of derring-do, pluck and grit that makes Biggles look positively timid. And the crying shame is that the 1934 “Macrobertson Trophy” air race is barely known beyond the yellowing pages of old Boy’s Own annuals. A situation that’s about to change, however, thanks to similarly plucky British pilot-watch brand, Bremont, whose latest [...]
Meet Mr Ibe, the engineering genius behind Casio’s iconic G-Shock November 4, 2016 It was 1983, the same year that Switzerland's poptastic Swatch hit the shelves, that Japan's own bit of cult plastic-fantastic was unveiled. Before then, if it wasn’t a diving watch, then your average timekeeper was born of a delicate disposition – a situation that, on damaging his father’s precious pocket watch, got a young engineer [...]
Patek Philippe’s Nautilus is four decades young, and proving as resilient as Captain Nemo’s own pioneering vessel November 4, 2016 Like Apple or Ferrari, the watch industry’s own gnomic leader, Patek Philippe, doesn’t “do” teasers. With such fanatical followers and peerless product, it doesn’t need to. However, this is the 40th-anniversary year of its sporty 70s icon the Nautilus, the brand has played its cards so close to its chest that it looked as though [...]