Theatre review: Oppenheimer play is an explosive hit April 9, 2015 Vaudeville Theatre | ★★★★★ Tom Morton-Smith’s brilliant new play for the RSC begins at a smoke-filled fundraiser for the anti-fascist forces fighting Franco in far away Spain. Jazz is playing, and everyone dances – everyone except for Robert Oppenheimer (John Heffernan pictured above), who stands at the centre of things, martini in hand, smiling. In [...]
Something for the weekend April 9, 2015 EAT! THE DUCK AND RICE As you might have guessed from the name, Wagamama founder Alan Yau’s latest venture combines two British favourites: Chinese food and a traditional pub. Head down to Soho for a pint and some prawn crackers. 90 Berwick Street, visit theduckandrice.com SIP! WHISKY WEEKENDER Do you like whisky? Of course you [...]
It’s a TI: Collectors are clamouring for The Watch Gallery and Hublot’s ultra-exclusive titanium timepiece April 8, 2015 The Swiss have certainly been making their presence felt in London of late. Within the last 36 months, Bond Street and Mount Street have experienced a veritable Helvetian takeover, with (deep breath) Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breitling, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Parmigiani, Richard Mille and Vacheron Constantin opening mono-brand boutiques in the capital. All in tasteful shades [...]
Patek Philippe rolls into London town April 8, 2015 Should you be embarrassingly ignorant about Geneva’s pre-eminent watchmaker, despite the ubiquitous ads reminding you of their precious wares being worthy of several generations, not just yours, then a visit to its forthcoming mega-exhibition this May should change that for good. From 27 May, Patek Philippe will be taking over Chelsea’s Saatchi Gallery as part [...]
What’s ticking? Watch News April 8, 2015 New brand at Harrods gets hearts ticking IT’S been a long road, but independent watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin is finally selling his own brand of exquisitely crafted, classically styled dress watches back in his homeland. Made on the outskirts of Geneva in his Swiss atelier, which he founded in 2002, Speake-Marin watches are, as of this [...]
Dashing chaps: Jaguar’s design guru, Ian Callum has teamed up with the boys from Bremont April 8, 2015 As a watch enthusiast who’s also lucky enough to be a watch-industry insider, one tends to get blasé about meeting the legends of the trade – something that’s par for the course when it comes to doing the rounds at that annual extravaganza of all things horological, the Baselworld watch and jewellery trade fair. So, [...]
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service April 8, 2015 Bond is back for the 24th time this winter in the hotly anticipated SPECTRE – directed by Skyfall’s helmsman Sam Mendes, the ever-craggier Daniel Craig reprising the lead role, and Omega duly donned; a bang-on-target product placement commemorated by a new Aqua Terra Seamaster, limited to 10,007 pieces (left; £4,630). After all, as our timeline [...]
Apple Watch beware: Switzerland is unleashing a wave of smart tech at the high end April 8, 2015 “An expensive watch is a piece of art, part of eternity,” professed LVMH’s bumptious watch chief and erstwhile industry spokesman Jean-Claude Biver on CNN in February. “Because,” he explained, “a watch that is made by hand can be repaired in a thousand years. A technological watch will be obsolete in probably five.” That may be, [...]
The basel curveball April 8, 2015 Smartwatches were inevitable; it’s Patek’s pilot watch that surprised EVERY year at the Baselworld trade fair, there is something – usually controversial – on everyone’s lips. The fact it was Patek Philippe this March is controversy enough, before you even consider the watch in question. For while Patek is far from predictable, this ultra-classical grande [...]
Three’s a trend April 8, 2015 The Baselworld watch and jewellery fair was bigger than ever this March, with over 150,000 visitors thronging this indoor city of gleaming brand pavilions, conducting billions of euros of business in 10 short days and setting the watch trends for the year to come. But in among the pizzazz, there was some rare subtlety and [...]