Monthly Archives: November 2008

Million dollar motorcycles

Chicara Nagata’s award-winning motorcycles are literally unparalleled. They are not just motorcycles, but masterpieces.

Probably that is why three of them are featured in an exhibit at New York’s Ippodo Gallery and the Contemporary Asian Art Fair. The bikes are as meticulously crafted as they are stunningly detailed, blending vintage parts with modern design to create motorcycles that are simultaneously retro and futuristic.

Chicara’s art is his expression of gratefulness to the very machines that almost killed him, and to the people who saved him when a motorcycle accident nearly killed him at the age of 16. Thus was born a graphic designer who soon took on to become a mobike builder.

He has built 13 bikes so far. Nagata won the grand prize in the 2006 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building for Chicara Art I, a sleek retro-ride powered by a 1939 Harley-Davidson U motor.

Other than the antique Harley Davidson engines, the 500 parts used in his every motorcycle- including the frames, the suspension components and even the throttle assemblies and hand controls – are designed and made by Nagata.

The three bikes at Ippodo gallery are priced at $ 1 million each.

AsiaSpa Awards 2008

Launched in 2005 to give recognition to exceptional spas in the Asia region, the AsiaSpa Awards have become a highly anticipated annual event.

Shining a spotlight on the outstanding efforts of individuals and companies within the industry, they are a reflection of Asia’s increasingly sophisticated spa culture.

From an initial 19 categories in the inaugural year, the categories have been increased over the years to 26, including new additions such as Spa Design of the Year, Men’s Product of the Year, and Socially Responsible Spa of the Year, in response to increasing eco and community awareness.
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Veuve Clicquot Opens Champagne Bar at Harrods

Veuve Clicquot is opening its first champagne bar and boutique at London’s Harrods store.

The Veuve Clicquot boutique is located on the first floor alongside international luxury fashion labels. There is also a lounge area with gray and yellow tones and glass topped tables for a more quiet place to contemplate money spent.

It will stock the full range of Veuve Clicquot Cuvees, from Yellow Label and Veuve Clicquot Rose to Vintages and La Grande Dame. All are available by the glass and by the bottle. Prices start from £13.00 ($20.00) per flute.
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Tiffany Diamond Phones sell out in 3 days

Tiffany Diamond Phones

The world economy is entering a new great depression, but there are still some people willing to splash out on diamond-encrusted mobile telephones in Japan.

Japan’s Softbank Mobile said Friday that its eight limited-edition phones, each studded with 537 diamonds from Tiffany and Co., sold out in just three days.

The phone, designed by the luxury New York jeweller, went on sale for about 13 million yen each (134,000 dollars) on November 1.
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Most Expensive Bottled Water at Selfridges

Forget the $100 water bottle from the super-glam bottled water brand Fillico Beverly Hills. This time, one company has just launched the world’s most expensive bottle of water which costs £1,000 ($1,571) despite the global credit crisis.

Made using the natural spring water filtered through the geologically famed Wenlock edge, in the heart of the Shropshire countryside, the pricey bottles are encrusted with over 6,500 Swarovski Crystals.

Only six of the specialist “bling” bottles have been made, each of them taking over a week to produce.
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Ferrari unveils Scuderia Spider 16M

While all eyes and focus were on another historical feat as British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 Drivers Championship, becoming the first black and youngest ever winner of the sport, Ferrari quietly celebrated their 16th Constructors title with the announcing of their Ferrari F430 16M.

By Ferrari’s accounts this will be the fastest open-top car ever from the Italian sports car giant, gaining a number of weight advantages over the regular F430.
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The world first diamond car key

A diamond-studded Bentley continental car key from Alexander Amosu is just what you need to drive others crazy. The key is handset with 101 Diamonds on the Bentley famous wings with a total of 1.09 carats using Colour F, VS1 and “only” cost £5,000 (approximately $7,900).

The keys makes an excellent gift for anyone who owns a Bentley car or anyone thinking of buying one as a gift for Christmas. Amosu has already created other luxury cars keys including Lamborghini, Mercedes and Ferrari!

Angels Tears Diamond Encrusted iPhone 3G

Diamond jewellers, De Vere’s of London have unveiled their beautiful diamond encrusted iPhone 3G, the “Angels Tears”.

This stunning Art Deco inspired Apple iPhone has been created by De Vere’s founder Philip De Vere in memory of his mother who died of cancer.

A number of examples are being sold to raise money for the research and treatment of women’s cancers. They are available for a limited time at £2499 (USD$4000).

“I wanted to create a damned sexy and desirable iPhone, capable of giving anyone’s thumbs an orgasm”. Philip De Vere said.
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MasterCard to issue diamond-studded cards

diamond Royale MasterCard

We have earlier introduced you to some of the very exclusive cards, including the American Express Black Card, and the diamond-studded Royale MasterCard for Dubai’s elites.

Now, MasterCard and Kazkommertsbank, the second largest bank in Kazakhstan, together are bringing a MasterCard credit card festooned with gold and diamonds.

Known as the “Diamond”, the card has a 0.02-carat gem embedded in its centre and a picture of a peacock for female cardholders and a winged horse for men.
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Mega mall opens in Dubai

Even though the economy is grim, big malls are opening around the world. We recently mentioned the opening of the Westfield Mall in London and now the Dubai Mall has officially opened boasting the largest number of retailers in the world.

As we mentioned earlier this year, the mall boasts a gold souk, a 10-million litre (2.2 million gallon) aquarium and an Olympic-size ice rink in addition to rows and rows of stores.

The mall is situated at the foot of Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower), already the tallest building on earth at around 700 meters (2,300 feet) and still under construction.
The mall is scheduled to house branches of some of the world’s best known retail chains, such as Marks and Spencer, Galeries Lafayette and even Bloomingdales, which has never before had stores outside the United States.
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Mobil Travel Guide unveils highest mobil five-star rated destination in history

Mobil Travel Guide, the originators of the prestigious Star ratings and certifications program, today awarded Hong Kong & Macau with the most Mobil Five-Star rated hotels and spas in the company’s 50-year history. The unveiling of the esteemed properties that made Mobil Travel Guide’s coveted Star ratings list coincides with the brand’s release of their second international guide, Mobil Travel Guide: Hong Kong & Macau.

The brand awarded five new Mobil Five-Star hotels and three new Mobil Five-Star spas in Hong Kong and Macau to the coveted Mobil Travel Guide Five-Star list, a list that consists of only sixty-nine properties globally. The newest Mobil Travel Guide Five-Star properties in Hong Kong and Macau include: The Peninsula Hong Kong, the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, The Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, the Wynn Macau, The Mandarin Spa, The Peninsula Spa by ESPA and the Spa at Wynn Macau.

Mandarin Oriental – Hong Kong

The honours were presented by Mobil Travel Guide and the Hong Kong Tourism Board at the prestigious ceremony at The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong on November 6. Key leaders in Hong Kong’s tourism market, including many of the region’s top hoteliers and government officials, welcomed the brand to the local market.

Mobil Travel Guide and Mobil Travel Guide’s Star ratings system was launched in 1958 after the introduction of the United States’ first interstate highway network. The Mobil Travel Guide book series was created to provide Star ratings that would advise travelers on where to stay and dine. Launched with just one guidebook, the U.S. Southwest, the company has grown to publish more than 40 titles covering properties around the world.

Luxury Mercedes Pedal Car

Christmas is coming. You may say: “it’s November! Why are you talking about Christmas already?”, and of course you’re right , but if you want to buy something special for your kids, you can’t wait until last moment.

Mercedes has unveiled an exclusive range of gifts for the upcoming festivities, like this cute Bobby Benz SLK AMG pedal car, for little fans of Lewis Hamilton.

This mini car, manufactured by toy maker BIG, is a special edition in white with production limited to 1,000 units and resembles the distinctive shape of its big brother on the roads, with a sports steering wheel which echo the aluminum counterparts on the original and two circular instruments.
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Chanel Menswear for Fantastic Man #8

Scott Schuman, more commonly known as the creator of the popular fashion blog “The Sartorialist”, has been commissioned by Fantastic Man magazine to photograph Chanel’s latest Menswear collection.

The Concept of the shoot is all about real people, or more like, real men in Chanel – these photographs from Fantastic Man’s Issue #8 definitely reflect Schuman’s style in photography.

New Vertu Ferrari Ascent Ti Collection unveiled

Vertu have launched in Hong Kong a new collection of Ascent Ti phones inspired by Ferrari’s cars. The Ferrari Ascent Ti collection consists of three phones directly inspired by Ferrari and named after their respective colors; a limited edition phone called the Nero and two special edition phones named Rosso and Giallo.

The Nero phone is an all black Ascent Ti made of titanium coated with scratch proof PVD with a red sapphire crystal pillow. The Rosso and Giallo phones are red and yellow receptively and feature PVD coated battery covers and keys, they feature ceramic pillows. The battery cover of all three phones has been redesigned to resemble the hood of a Ferrari and features a three dimensional Cavallino on the battery cover as well as a smaller one on the front.

The phones feature Ferrari inspired themes as well as ring tones featuring Ferrari engine sounds, only 2,009 examples of the Vertu Ferrari Ascent Ti Nero will be made. They sell HKD 70,000 HKD each ($6000)

$110,000 Solid Aluminum Speakers

KEF, renowned British manufacturer of audiophile-quality speakers, has unveiled MUON, a distinctively new loudspeaker that features audio innovation and a cutting-edge, ultra-modern design. The central aim of the MUON project was to create the ultimate in sound technology and design innovation.

The MUON loudspeaker is made from super-formed aluminum, which uses a similar molding process to vacuum forming. Malleable sheets of heated aluminum were used to achieve otherwise impossible shapes. The eventual form of the loudspeaker was the result of a careful convergence between Ross Lovegrove’s design aesthetics and the physics of sound. The process by which it was conceived meant that, in effect, Ross Lovegrove was sculpting the sound by ‘skinning’ the technology with purposeful form.

KEF has also used its Acoustic Compliance Enhancement technology, which enables them to effectively double the available volume through adsorption of air molecules by activated carbon, or ‘magic dust’. The two additional bass drivers mounted on the back of MUON help to produce a remarkably clean and open sound by dealing with room effects. Finally, the 6mm thick, heavily damped aluminum shell provides a totally rigid structure that minimizes any sound-distorting vibrations.

Measuring 380mm in depth, 600mm in width, 2000mm in height and finally weighing a 115kgs. these ultra-exclusive speakers took about a week’s time to achieve their desired look and shape. They will be limited in production to just 100 pairs and will be sold in only 10 cities worldwide, including New York and Los Angeles and allegedly they sell for $110,000.

Cakewalk is the biggest yacht built in the USA since the 1930s

Derecktor shipyards is nearing completion on the Cakewalk superyacht for a private client, which at 281 ft. will be the largest luxury yacht built in the U.S. since the 1930s, and at 2,950 tons possibly the biggest ever built in the States when measured by volume.

The result of a collaboration between Derecktor, Azure Naval Architects of Holland, exterior designer Tim Heywood and interior designer by Liz Dalton, Cakewalk features a total of six decks, with the owners’ and guests’ accommodations representing half of that space, and a helipad and swimming platform aft.
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Bookshelves of the Rich and Famous

What if you had unlimited funds? A swimming pool filled with champagne? Pillows stuffed with genuine dodo down? What if you won the lottery, or an eccentric, distant and obscenely wealthy relative left you everything?

Well, for the book-lovers, AbeBooks is offering a chance to own 10 priceless and rare books including “An Atlas of England and Wales” from Christopher Saxton dated back to 1574, leading with a price tag of $750,000. The atlas was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I. Each map bears the Royal Arms as a symbol of her supervision and endorsement.

Any other treasure that you would add to your bookshelf? If you answered “Ptolemy’s first Atlas printed in Germany, from 10 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” (Cosmographia, pictured above), you’d be in for a bargain, at a cool $1,800,000.
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Christian Audigier creates a line of Customized Luxury Vehicles

The French fashion designer Christian Audigier might have taken over the fashion world, but he’s now trying his hand at the automotive world with his new venture: Christian Audigier Motoring, a line of customized vehicles inspired by first-class fashion and jet-set lifestyle

As an avid car enthusiast, Audigier wanted to bring the class and luxury he brought to the fashion industry to the automotive game by creating a custom vehicle based on the Cadillac Escalade.

The V-8, 4-wheel-drive, super luxury SUV has been completely redesigned from the ground up to appeal to the customer that enjoys a chauffer-driven experience. This state-of-the-art electronic integration coupled with truly innovative re-engineering and customization makes the Audigier VIF1 the flagship vehicle in the stable (pictures above and below).

Launched in 2008, CA Motoring will manufacture two lines of bespoke vehicles based on Audigier’s original hand-sketched designs. Customers are able to coordinate their particular wants, needs and desires into a custom-crafted bespoke vehicle with CA Motoring relationship managers.

“We awarded the Christian Audigier designer label vehicles as the ‘Publisher’s Choice’ in our November issue because of the originality and first-class style these vehicles have,” says Tom duPont, Founder and Publisher of the duPont REGISTRY. “We look for non-traditional vehicles that bridge the gap between luxury, design and fine automotive coachwork as demonstrated beautifully this month by Audigier’s new twist on the automobile.”

The Cost of Unlimited Heli Skiing? $80,000

It may be the most expensive Canadian ski pass on the books this season. Great Canadian Heli-Skiing have launched a new lift pass costing CDN$100,000 ($80,000). The exorbitantly priced Platinum Heli-Skiing Season Pass provides skiers with unlimited vertical access to some of the world’s best powder skiing between Golden and Revelstoke.

The pass is accompanied by a personal concierge to keep them up to date with the latest conditions and forecasts. Owners of the pass may ski on every day of the heli-skiing season if they wish, which runs from December 26th until March 28th. This includes even the peak season of February which is traditionally sold out long in advance. Regardless of any other bookings made, the owner of the pass will be guaranteed access to their desired skiing location by one of the company’s A-Star B2 Helicopters.

Great Canadian Heli-Skiing’s Greg Porter explained, « The Platinum Heli-Skiing Season Pass was designed for our more serious skier who felt a single heli-skiing holiday was simply not enough. This unique pass will make multiple heli-skiing holidays simpler for international visitors and single day trips an option for locals and Albertan skiers ».

Looking for something a little more affordable? Then you might be interested in a Bronze, Silver or Gold Season Pass, ranging from $13,000 for eight days to $70,000 for 48 days. These passes also allow you to book last minute and offer the flexibility of shorter duration trips but multiple visits during the same season.