The art of theft: Why do thieves steal famous paintings when they’re so hard to sell? October 28, 2014 On a freezing Stockholm evening just before Christmas 2000, a group of six to eight Middle Eastern men put into action a plan they’d been working on for months. The group parked cars in the middle of the three central roads leading to the Swedish National Museum and set them ablaze. As fire engines [...]
The black tie dress watch: From classic Omega to definitive Cartier October 28, 2014 I suspect I’m not alone in greeting invitations advising a black tie dress code – the season being just about to kick off – with a weary groan. It’s not that I particularly object to it as a style, so much as the imposition: on the few occasions one wheels out the tux, it feels [...]
In the Salon October 28, 2014 Beauty and rarity at the Salon QP fine watch exhibition Jaeger-LeCoultre’s (deep breath) Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon is one of the most extraordinary wristwatches ever created, and also one of the rarest. It’ll be on show at the Saatchi Gallery next week as part of the SalonQP fine watch exhibition. Running from [...]
Women’s watches with complications have hit the market October 28, 2014 A grande complication on a watch, generally speaking, used to be the preserve of those timepieces on the male side of the display cabinet. They allowed men to show off how much they knew about watches while indulging in a little horological one upmanship (this despite the fact I have never met a man who [...]
What should you wear this winter? The classic British tailors embracing modern branding October 28, 2014 Compared to the world’s superbrands, the majority of London’s tailors aren’t exactly household names. Savile Row outfits have always had the product, but they tend to lack the branding. Compare this to the big American and Italian designers, who took the Savile Row template, sexed it up a bit and created some of the biggest [...]
Car review: Porsche Cayman and Boxster GTS October 27, 2014 Welcome to driving Nirvana. This week we have a pair of cars that deliver total vehicular enlightenment; it doesn’t matter whether you opt for the convertible Porsche Boxster GTS or the hardtop Cayman GTS coupé, both are simply sublime. With those three letters (which stand for “Gran Turismo Sport”) Porsche has injected attitude into the [...]
48 Hours in… Sydney October 24, 2014 Where to Stay Shangri-la, the Asian luxury hotel group that currently occupies The Shard, also has a home in Sydney, with breathtaking views over the harbour. Head on up to New York-inspired Blu Bar to look out over the city at night. Shangri-la.com What to Do Become a Sydney connoisseur by hopping into Richard [...]
Reviving an Aussie institution on the Great Barrier Reef October 24, 2014 Backpackers heading to Australia aspire to conquer the three Rs; Reef, Rocks, and Rock. Admittedly, it gets a bit repetitive towards the end, but if you follow the three Rs you’ll get a basic understanding of the country’s vast and extreme landscape, namely the Great Barrier Reef, The Rocks in Sydney and Ayers Rock. But [...]
Gilles Peterson interview coming up in Morning Wire Bespoke October 23, 2014 Legendary DJ Gilles Peterson caught up with Morning Wire Bespoke magazine last week to talk about how the shifting face of the music industry has changed the way he works, how he fancies opening a restaurant and what it’s like to record a radio station for Grand Theft Auto. Peterson was promoting the launch of [...]
Cartier to launch Harrods watch pop-up October 23, 2014 If you’re a City gent looking to treat yourself or someone on the prowl for something extra special for the man in your life, head over to Harrods from 25 October to 19 November. Fine jeweller and watchmaker Cartier has announced a pop-up on the ground floor of the iconic department store dedicated to its [...]