Monthly Archives: January 2012

Richard Mille RM 56 Felipe Massa

Richard Mille RM 56 Felipe Massa SAPPHIRE

Richard Mille RM 56 Felipe Massa

The Richard Mille RM 56 Felipe Massa SAPPHIRE, with manual-wind tourbillon movement, is completely encased in sapphire crystal.

This unreal watch that bears the name of Ferrari F1 Star Felipe Massa will have a limited production of five units.

Mille says it takes 1,000 hours to machine the case — another 430 hours to grind and 350 to finally finish!
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Royal Salute Golden Jubilee Cup

Royal Salute continues to bring top-flight polo to Asia

Royal Salute Golden Jubilee Cup

Royal Salute, the world’s leading luxury Scotch whisky, marked its third year as title sponsor of the Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup.

As one of the most prestigious polo events, the largest and most international crowd ever watched the impressive Central Academy team win the 10-goal tournament.

The annual New Year’s Eve Procession, lead by His Highness the Maharaja of Jodhpur, marked the end of the five-day event.
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D&G Hong Kong

Dolce & Gabbana says sorry to Hong Kong

D&G Hong Kong

Dolce & Gabbana on Wednesday apologised to the people of Hong Kong for allegedly discriminating against them in favour of wealthy mainland shoppers.

The company’s flagship Hong Kong store has been the focus of protests and online rage after reports that a security guard told locals they were not allowed to take photographs but mainlanders and foreigners were.

Locals accused the fashion house of “mainlandism” and started a Facebook page protesting against the store’s abuse of their rights.
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shark fin soup

Shangri-La joins fight against shark fin soup

shark fin soup

Luxury hotel chain Shangri-La will stop serving shark fin at its 72 properties, as the campaign to protect the marine predators gains ground among Chinese consumers.

The Hong Kong-based group said it would cease serving shark fin in all of its restaurants as well as accepting new orders for shark fin products in banqueting with immediate effect, under a “sustainable seafood policy”.

Shark fin soup is viewed by many Asians as a rare delicacy and is traditionally served at wedding parties and business banquets in Hong Kong.
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“Roberto Cavalli by Franck Muller” watch collection

Roberto Cavalli Franck Muller

Roberto Cavalli has teamed up with Swiss haute horlogerie brand Franck Muller for the “Roberto Cavalli by Franck Muller” watch collection.

WWD reports January 16 that the timepieces will be available in Cavalli boutiques, as well as Franck Muller stores and selected retailers.

Available for men and women, prices for the timekeepers will begin at around €1,250, although there will also be more luxurious items retailing at €6,000.
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Champagne Perrier Jouët

Perrier Jouët Blason Rosé NV Flute Set

Perrier Jouet Blason Rose NV Flute Set

Champagne Perrier-Jouët presents the exquisite Blason Rosé NV gift set, for those looking to impress a loved one this Valentines Day.

This prestigious gift set contains two bespoke Champagne Flutes along with a 750ml bottle of Perrier Jouët’s exquisite Blason Rose Champagne.

This champagne combines hints of rose petal, brioche and strawberry on the nose whilst the palate is silky, smooth, refined and delightfully harmonious.
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Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon Dragon Pocketwatch

Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon Dragon Pocketwatch

Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon Dragon Pocketwatch

Piaget launches is releasing a huge line of high-end year of the Dragon themed timepieces for the Chinese market.

The Dragon is one of the most ancient and sacred Chinese totems, symbolising at once the identity of the nation and the highest achievements of Chinese civilisation.

One of the timepiece is this Altiplano Tourbillon Dragon Pocket watch. The pocket watch will have a square case and tourbillon movement.
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo

Audemars Piguet redesigned the Royal Oak Jumbo in celebration of its 40th Anniversary.

The “AP” logo has been moved from the 12 o’clock position back down to 6 o’clock, and the tapisserie is also smaller, just like it was on the original.

As well, this watch will retain the reference 15202 despite the cosmetic changes, and it will only be available with a historically inspired blueish grey dial.
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BMW M5 Logo

BMW to launch M Performance sub-brand

BMW M5 Logo

German luxury automaker BMW will launch a new range of M Performance Automobiles during the Geneva Auto Show in March.

These models are intended to bridge the gap between the full-fledged M models, such as the M3 or M5, and the lesser standard models with current sport packages.

The idea is to deliver more engaging, highly sporty vehicles without the full price premium of an M model, or the drawbacks of harsher ride qualities.
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Costa Concordia cruiseship

Huge size of cruise liners a safety risk

Costa Concordia cruiseship

Luxury liner Costa Concordia may be big enough to house swimming pools and restaurants, but its very size might have complicated evacuation and rescue efforts,.

“What jumps out at me is the size of this liner,” said Jacques Loiseau, chairman of the French Association of Ship Captains.

The association had regularly tried to draw attention to the dangers posed by the tendency towards ships of such a vast scale, he said.
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savoy

Fairmont Teams with Abbey Road Studios

savoy

Luxury hotel chain Fairmont has partnered with Abbey Road Studios, the iconic recording studio made famous by the Beatles.

Guests at the hotel chain will be offered exclusive experiences at Abbey Road, which famously featured on the front of the 1969 Beatles album of the same name.

They will be able to enjoy ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experiences ranging from behind-the-scenes studio visits to recording their own songs at the studios.
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A panda climbs a tree

World’s most expensive tea grown in panda poo

A panda climbs a tree

Chinese entrepreneur An Yanshi is convinced he has found the key ingredient to produce the world’s most expensive tea — panda poo.

An has purchased 11 tonnes of excrement from a panda breeding centre to fertilise a tea crop in the mountains of Sichuan province, home to the black and white bears.

He will harvest the first batch of tea leaves this spring and it will be the “world’s most expensive tea” at almost 220,000 yuan ($35,000) for 500 grams (18 ounces).
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Hermès Arceau Marqueterie de Paille watch

Hermès Arceau Marqueterie de Paille

Hermès Arceau Marqueterie de Paille watch

Hermès honours the ancient art of straw marquetry, a form of expertise that has become extremely rare, with these two beautifully dialed watches.

Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures.

Presented for the first time on a watch dial, the Hermès Arceau Marqueterie de Paille watches reflect a highly complex miniaturisation of the marquetry technique.
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Ogou river Gabon

Amanresorts to build luxury resorts in Gabon

Ogou river Gabon

Singapore-based chain Amanresorts has signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Gabon to build six hotels and lodges in the west African country.

The first phase includes the construction of a luxury hotel in the capital Libreville, another on the nearby island of Phare de Ngombe in the Pongara national park, and a luxury camp resort in the southern park of Loango.

Lee White, the head of Gabon’s national parks, said the construction cost would be more than a million dollars per room, but did not disclose a total figure.
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Rolls-Royce Phantom Thailand

Rolls-Royce eyes Thailand, Vietnam

Rolls-Royce Phantom Thailand

Ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce is looking to expand into Thailand and Vietnam after it posted record sales in 2011 with Asia its fastest-growing market.

The automaker announced Monday sales jumped 31 percent to 3,538 vehicles last year, and was the highest-ever annual total in the company’s 107-year history.

The surging sales were driven by demand from China and the U.S. with 47% year-over-year growth in Asia-Pacific, 17% in North America and 23% in the Middle East.
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MB&F MAD Gallery

MB&F opens its M.A.D gallery in Geneva

MB&F MAD Gallery Geneva

MB&F’s M.A.D.Gallery is now open in Geneva on Rue Verdaine, a stone’s throw from their offices and atelier in the heart of the city’s old town.

MB&F created the Gallery in order to situate their “Machines” in an appropriate context and along the way they have discovered kindred spirits in the world of kinetic art.

Inside the gallery, not only will you find the complete range of MB&F’s Horological Machines and new Legacy Machine No.1, but you’ll also have the pleasure of discovering discovering “Mechanical Art Devices” from around the world.
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Dragon Chinese New Year

Top 10 Gifts for the Chinese Luxury Consumer 2012

Dragon Chinese New Year

Gift-giving has long been an integral part of life in mainland China and now a new survey has lifted the lid on just what it is the country’s rich have been handing out.

The “Top 10 Gifts for the Chinese Luxury Consumer 2012” was compiled by Hurun Report and looked at what China’s wealthy liked to give to their friends.

The timing of the report is perfect, too, as the Chinese New Year period is traditionally the time when gifts are given to friends, family and business associates.
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Taj Mahal

World Travel Awards 2012

Taj Mahal

‘Incredible’ India has been voted the world’s leading destination at this year’s World Travel Awards ceremony, held January 11 in Qatar.

India saw off competition from London, New York, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney to take the award, the most prestigious handed out at the event.

Etihad Airways was judged world’s leading airline, seeing off a host of competitors including KLM, British Aiways, Singapore Airlines, Qatar and Virgin Atlantic.
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