CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 16, 2012 US Bank US Bank Global Corporate Trust Services has named Tom Cubitt, senior vice president, as leader of the bank’s European corporate trust business, based in London. Cubitt is responsible for US Bank’s securitisation and structured finance trust and agency business. The firm has also appointed Breige Tinnelly and Emma Hanley to run the London-based [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS February 16, 2012 ROLLS-ROYCE Investec rates the aerospace and defence giant “buy” with a target price of 850p. The broker has lifted its pre-tax profit forecasts by two per cent for this year, with defence and new acquisition Tognum more than offsetting lower profits at marine and energy. Investec now predicts pre-tax profit of £1.5bn in 2012. It [...]
TANK GOODNESS February 16, 2012 THE war machines which lumbered across the battlefields of World War One might seem odd inspiration for a watch seen as the last word in chic, but that’s supposedly how the Cartier Tank got its name. Louis Cartier, the original genius of wristwatch design, apparently saw some French Renault battle tanks and dreamed up the [...]
GMT WATCHES Time for travellers February 16, 2012 BEING an hour behind the rest of the Continent is probably rather proudly lodged in the British psyche – as is the fact that it’s actually they who are out from us, or rather from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), from where the world is divided into its 24 time zones. For a Brit, the fact [...]
It’s getting haute in here February 16, 2012 THE high-luxury watch world’s favourite device is the tourbillon – the word means “whirlwind” in French, and denotes a mechanism which mounts a watch’s escapement (the vibrating part regulating power from the mainspring) in a constantly rotating cage to counteract the effects of gravity on accuracy. Nowadays everyone and his brother puts these hypnotic gizmos [...]
Baume & Mercier: historic brand back on its game February 16, 2012 FOR a luxury watch brand with a history dating back to 1830, Baume & Mercier has been maintaining a curiously low profile for the past few years. Or rather had been until 2011, during which it had a bit of a break-out year. Suddenly there were interesting, charismatic pieces appearing again in its collection, and [...]
REACH for the SKIES February 16, 2012 THE meaning of value is hard to pin down. You’ve got perceived value versus actual value, for starters, and then the problem that one man’s tripe is another man’s caviar. One of the few things we can all agree on though, is that there is value in usefulness. Usefulness is reassuringly tangible. A car is [...]
The smooth, gliding beauty of Spring Drive February 16, 2012 GENERALLY speaking, for fans of fine watches there is a clear and even line to be drawn between mechanical and electronic watches. The one consists of an intricate system of cogs, gears, wheels and levers transforming power from the wound-up mainspring into regulated timekeeping, and is the product of craftsmanship, skillful engineering and deep tradition. [...]
The pick of the pilot watches February 16, 2012 1. Breguet – Type XXII, £13,300. www.breguet.com 2. Bremont – Solo, £2,550. www.bremont.com 3. Glycine – Airman SST Chronograph, £2,995. www.jurawatches.co.uk 4. Hamilton – Khaki Aviation X-Patrol, £1,350. www.hamiltonwatch.com 5. Bell & Ross – WW1 96 Grand Date, £2,500. www.bellross.com 6. Stowa Flieger with date, €580. www.stowa.de 7. IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Miramar, £9,750. [...]
The £10,000 question February 16, 2012 Robin Swithinbank Calibre magazine In the one-watch game, IWC is never far from front of mind and nor, particularly, is the blue Portuguese Automatic (£9,250). Powered by an in-house movement with a seven-day power reserve, it’s understated, stylish but above the whims of flash-in-the-pan fashion, and cooler than an Eskimo’s freezer. Maria Doulton TheJewelleryEditor.com I [...]