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LAND

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AIR

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#SQUAD

november 2018, volume 42, number 11

W A T C H E S

A N D

J E W E L R Y

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Game Time Watches and sneakers that share style DNA, from an Omega and Z Zegna pairing to a Cartier and Jimmy Choo matchup.

BY PAIGE REDDINGER PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN NORRIS STYLING BY SOPHIE LENG

136

Make It New Vacheron Constantin launches Fiftysix, an elegant, everyday collection that breaks new ground.

BY JAMES D. MALCOLMSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILL ANDERSON

142

The New School Four gems who are rocking the jewelry industry.

Artfully.

BY JILL NEWMAN

150

The Afterglow We may wilt after a whirl of social engagements and rendezvous, but these jewels never lose their luster.

PHOTO BY KEVIN NORRIS

BY JILL NEWMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BURTON

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

31

ADRENALINE AS AN ART FORM Pushing Lexus LC performance to its most extreme requires a fanatical belief in the power of engineering and craftsmanship. This has resulted in a completely revised chassis with a lower center of gravity. Engine components forged of titanium for greater strength. Laser welding for increased rigidity. Carbon fiber for lighter, yet stronger, body panels. Because if you want to craft extreme performance, you have to take extreme measures.

LC 500 5.0-LITER V8 ENGINE 10-SPEED DIRECT-SHIFT TRANSMISSION 471 HP*

Options shown. *Ratings achieved using the required premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher. If premium fuel is not used, performance will decrease. Š2018 Lexus

lexus.com/LC | #LexusLC

Features 162

170

178

190

194

207

Second Coming

Here Come the Fraudbusters

Private Eyes

The Secret Society of Traveling Tailors

From Dust to Dust

What’s Cookin’

NICK DIMBLEBY

British automaker Jaguar Land Rover unveiled three clasics in its Reborn series—and Robb Report was first in the queue to drive them all.

BY ERIN BAKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK DIMBLEBY

The luxury industry is fighting fakes with high-tech solutions like synthetic DNA and homing devices in your shellfish.

BY MARK ELLWOOD

Dozens of art collectors are choosing to create their own personal art museums. But such ventures are not without risk.

BY JULIE L. BELCOVE

A group of international menswear experts hold private consults across the United States.

Here’s how to find them.

BY SIMON CROMPTON

The Explorers Club treks to the Gobi Desert to track down dinosaur bones à la adventurer Roy Champman Adrews. We tag along.

As open-concept floor plans put the kitchen front and center in the home, brands serve up increasingly creative products and interiors.

BY ARIANNE NARDO

BY JASON H. HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN DRAPER

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

33

BOLG GOLD COLLECTION | robertocoin.com

Departm THE

40 CONTRIBUTORS

GOODS

7 78

59

44 ED I T O R ’S LE T T E R

47

VEL TRAV

FOOD & DRINK

An innocent llove nest and of-piste skki chalets.

Let’s talk turkey and o Kobe beeff over a glass of Cab bernet.

66

AG E N DA

82 8

YLE STY

A curated list of to-dos

ART & DE SIGN

neakers, and Cashmere, sn custom denim.

50 T H E DUE L

A broma ance, artful furniture, an nd pianos that new tune. play a n

4 74

Killer watch vs. iPhone XS

CHE S WATC

52

Urwerk’s on a rolll and Zenith ggears up.

OB JE C T IF IE D

74

The Venom F5

56

81

DREAM MACHINES

GENIUS AT WORK

ON T H E W E B

Cross-border skiing?

88 THE ANSWERS

Alexander Gilkes

240 T H E D E C ID E R

Watch storage by personality

110

91

WHEELS

HOW IT’S MADE

A better Bugatti, a Q&A with John Hennessey about his hypercar, and high-tech takes on paint.

Louis Vuitton trunks

100

WATER Heesen hints at how superyachts are constructed, we ask about asymmetric design, and our Q&A with Moran Yacht & Ships’ Sergey Chernetsky.

104

TECH Dan D’Agostino’s remarkable monoblock amplifier, exclusive electrostatic headphones, and Lamborghini’s massage lounger.

108

WINGS

GUT TER CREDITS WATCH: KEVIN NORRIS

The latest HondaJet lands in style; a Q&A with JetSuite president Stephanie Chung.

FIELD NOTES 94

117

E SSAYS Aston Martin’s IPO, Irish whiskey, the only blazer you’ll ever need, “it” watches, estate planning, and fly-fishing.

THE BUSINESS

235

C OVE R ILLUSTR ATI O N BY

Mads Berg

104

Tifany’s turnaround; the rise and fall of flying first class; a Q&A with Starwood exec Barry Sternlicht.

RRO OBBBBRREEPPO ORRT. T.CCO OM M

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Contributors

David Coggins

40

NOVEMBER 2018

Julie L. Belcove

Celyn

Ball & Albanese

Mark Ellwood

Julie L. Belcove (“Private Eyes,” page 178) has written extensively about art and culture. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Financial Times, WSJ., and Architectural Digest, among many other publications. She created W magazine’s annual Art Issue and has profiled hundreds of contemporary artists. A graduate of Harvard University, she is based in New York City.

For more than 10 years, Celyn (Field Notes, page 117) has worked as a director for Nexus productions. As an editorial illustrator, he has collaborated with newspaper publications internationally.

After graduating from Central St. Martins, he worked on the groundbreaking and award-winning BBC2 satire Monkey Dust. Though he started his career as an animator and motion director, he always returns to the craft of hand-drawn art on paper.

He believes that sketchbook work, doodles, and illustration should never be completely separate pursuits.

Wendy Ball and Dara Albanese (The Answers, page 88) are a Brooklyn-based photography duo who have shot worldwide destinations, stunning private homes, and some of today’s most inspiring makers and shakers for clients such as Dwell, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and CB2. They share an obsession for strong design and, no matter the subject, aim to capture honest moments with compositions that are carefully crafted.

Born in Britain but New York based, writer Mark Ellwood (“Here Come the Fraudbusters,” page 170) has lived out of a suitcase for most of his life. His editorial explorations have included interviewing the world’s oldest supermodel, chronicling the nightclub scene in Mozambique, and devoting a weekend to perusing menswear stores in Tokyo in search of something large enough to fit his frame. Author of Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World, Ellwood also contributes to Condé Nast Traveler, Departures, and Bloomberg Businessweek.

DAVID COGGINS: MICHAEL WILLIAMS; JULIE L. BELCOVE: JENNIFER LIVINGSTON

David Coggins, who writes the fishing column for the magazine (“Spring Creeks and Smart Trout,” page 119), is the author of Men and Manners and the New York Times bestseller Men and Style. He has contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times.

He lives in Manhattan but is often found fly-fishing in the Catskills, in Montana, or near his family cabin in Wisconsin.

He’s looking forward to bonefishing on Long Island in the Bahamas next month.

CALIBER RM 07-01

RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES ASPEN • BAL HARBOUR • BEVERLY HILLS • BUENOS AIRES • LAS VEGAS • MIAMI • NEW YORK • ST. BARTH • TORONTO

Welcome to the issue. This month we turn our focus to two natural, but rather different, bedfellows—watches and jewelry.

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NOVEMBER 2018

Alongside our watches and jewelry coverage we have a diverse range of features, from which I want to flag up two excellent pieces of storytelling. The first is on the rising trend of private art museums, by Julie Belcove, who gained access to some of the leading, and more reclusive, collectors from across the country. The second is a very diferent, but no less in-depth, examination of the luxury industry’s attempt to counter a multibillion-dollar global network of fakers and fraudsters, by Mark Ellwood. The ingenious, and occasionally comic, methods that are used to secure the bags, paintings, and watches at the highest end of the scale make for riveting reading.

Lastly, in our new business-of-luxury section at the back, we examine how Tifany turned its fortunes around, thanks in part at least to a hip-hop soundtrack and a $1,000 pencil holder. As ever, send me your thoughts at feedback@robbreport.com.

Paul Croughton Editor in Chief

JOSHUA SCOT T

The last watch I bought was not actually for me. It was for my son, but inspired by my father. He’s had the same quartz Casio for as long as I can remember; he’ll happily tell you it’s not been serviced in 40 years and cost a fraction of any of mine, etc. As you can tell, watches don’t get him excited—Italian sports cars, on the other hand...

Anyway, as I grew into watch appreciation in my late 20s I became increasingly aware that at no time was I likely to have that touching moment when my father takes of the old Rolex or Patek that he’s worn for years and, dewy eyed, bestows it on me—at which point he’d repeat the story about how his father gave it to him and...

Never going to happen. So I thought I should make my own tradition, hence buying my son a timepiece, which I shall wear for now so that he will grow to recognize and love it, until he reaches 21. Then, during a dignified ceremony, I shall pass it down to him.

He’s just turned one, so I’ve got a little while with it in my collection. And no, that doesn’t prove that I bought it for myself.

One of my many obsessions is Omega Speedmasters, so I picked him out a Moonwatch, with pretty much the finest heritage of any chronograph on this or any other planet. I had to track down one from 2006 with the original hesalite crystal and an open caseback, as I have a hunch that seeing the beating heart of this machine will be what turns him into a budding watch geek like his father.

But it shows that, for many of us, watches and jewelry are far more than tools or decorations. They have a provenance and a history and are products of hundreds of hours of painstaking human endeavor. More importantly, they are often imbued with meaning at the moment of ownership—whether that’s a Chanel necklace a woman buys herself for being appointed CEO or a Richard Mille for her husband on a landmark birthday. There’s something about change, it seems, that drives us to mark the occasion.

What that means for us here at Robb Report I’ll leave you to decide, as we’ve been through some changes ourselves. We’ve refreshed some of the sections in the magazine, retired some others, and introduced new ones. So, for instance, we’ve created a section called the Goods because it’s full of them: Some highlights in this issue include a fantastic new guesthouse in Rome that used to be Pope Innocent X’s private baroque chambers; the finest cashmere on the market; a warning that most Kobe beef is not what it seems; and a spotlight on some young artists it will pay to investigate now before others do.

After a quick spin around our new Q&A, called the Answers, you’ll pull up at a section named Dream Machines—pages and pages of the best cars, bikes, jets, yachts, and tech in the world.

And some self-healing paint. Seriously. It’s on page 95 on the new Kawasaki bike, and it’s one of my favorite stories in the issue.

Speaking of favorites, we asked a few of our most treasured writers what’s getting them bent out of shape this month, which is how you’ll find columns on Aston Martin’s IPO and financial advice about estate planning rubbing shoulders with an ode to Irish whiskey and a rant about the pre-owned watch business.

THE W SERIES OF YACHTS

W 1 1 2 | 34 M

W125 | 38M

W130 | 40M

W164 | 50M

B U I L T I N A M E R I C A. DESIGNED

FOR THE WORLD

S T A G E.

Advanced technologies, world-class design, exceptional service. For over 50 years Westport has been producing luxury motor yachts of superior performance. Based on proven hull platforms and fitted with contemporary interiors that suit your lifestyle, each yacht in the Westport series combines supreme performance and engineering with head-turning style and elegance.

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HANDCRAFTED IN THE USA

Agenda CUTTING THROUGH THE CLUTTER

ERIK MADIG AN HECK

GAZE

In the Interest of Full Exposure

Head to the Grand Palais in the City of Light for the Paris Photo fair, the year’s most significant artphotography show. View and acquire works from 167 galleries around the globe that will ofer the best of the best in the medium, such as this striking chromogenic print, Honeycomb (2015), by Minnesota native and fashion photographer Erik Madigan Heck from the Christophe Guye Galerie. New this year at the show is Curiosa, a section devoted to erotic imagery that explores fantasy and fetish.

E

NOVEMBER 8–11 PARISPHOTO.COM

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

47

Agenda

BID

Scotch Gold Want to set a record?

Get your bid in to Christie’s London for a hand-painted bottle of a Macallan 60-year-old, distilled in 1926 and released in 1986. This whisky could be the first to go over $1.3 million.

NOVEMBER 28–29 CHRISTIES.COM

LOGO MOJO No one knows the power of a logo better than Louis Vuitton.

And this month, the house is letting you swap in your initials for its iconic Ls and Vs. The Now Yours program marks the first time that the brand’s men’s clothing and shoes—not just its bags and suitcases—can be customized. You’ll be able to pop into your nearest boutique and give your high-school varsity jacket a serious upgrade by adding playful, personalized patches to Louis Vuitton’s version. And while you’re at it, you can emblazon a collegiate cardigan or pair of the brand’s signature Run Away sneakers with your monogram. Eight weeks later, the chic exercise in personal branding will arrive at your door.

E

STARTING NOVEMBER 1 LOUISVUITTON.COM

ACQUIRE

Land Grab Online bids begin for the Playa Vista Isle estate in Hillsboro Beach, Fla., appraised for $159 million.

The only ocean-to-Intracoastal Waterway estate ofers both oceanfront beach and deepwater docks. Final bids conclude on November 15 at the live auction, in collaboration with One Sotheby’s International reality.

NOVEMBER 12 CONCIERGEAUCTIONS.COM

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NOVEMBER 2018

EAT

FEAST OF THE SEVEN CULTURES Around Christmastime, Italian Americans traditionally indulge in a celebration brought over from the Old World: the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

Usually, a cavalcade of seafood and pasta ensues, but chef Chris Cosentino wanted to mix things up a bit. He’s getting other cultures involved for seven separate nights of feasting by inviting some of the country’s best chefs to his Napa Valley restaurant, Acacia House, to cook one-night-only tasting menus. Each chef will prepare a dinner that expresses the country they represent. The series kicks of with James Beard Award–winning chef Alon Shaya of Saba in New Orleans cooking the Israeli cuisine that made him famous.

In the ensuing weeks, he’ll be followed

by Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde in Chicago preparing Italian, Ludo Lefebvre of LA’s Trois Mec serving French fare, Girl and the Goat’s Stephanie Izard tackling German, Cosentino cooking Portuguese, Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish creating Mexican, and Avec’s Paul Kahan exploring the flavors of Spain. Reserve tickets now at opentable.com for $125 with an optional beverage pairing for $95.

E

NOVEMBER 29–DECEMBER 20

FEAST: CURTIS CAMERON

CUSTOMIZE

armanicasa.com

Miami, 10 NE 39th Street, Miami Design District, Tel 305 573 4331 Los Angeles, Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, Suite G 170, Tel 310 358 0901 New York, Decoration & Design Building, 979 Third Avenue, Suite 1424, Tel 212 334 1271

Agenda

Two methods of telling time—one pure old-school, the other a little more recent. But how to decide?

Below, our (almost) unbiased purchasing notes.

A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split

Apple iPhone XS

VS.

B IRTHPL AC E Glashütte,

Cupertino,

Germany

California

S HELF LIFE

September

Forever

as long as they don’t release the next one sooner

as long as it’s serviced

POWER

55

20 + 12

hours

hours talk time

hours Internet use

C HARG E TIME

1–2

20–50

hours

seconds

PRODUCTION TIME

9

1

months

every minute

AVAIL AB ILIT Y

100 0 worldwide

No cap PR IC E

for the 512 GB version

RESALE VALUE In a year, half of what you paid

Will steadily appreciate for decades

PER KS yes from passing watch geeks for life. No work Wide ey

Wide eyes from passing children for the first four hours.

emails, group texts, or monthly service-provider plan.

Instant access nearly everywhere to work emails, group texts, and more.

TECHNICAL FEAT S The world’s first triple rattrapante chronograph, allowing the wearer to “split” hours, minutes, and seconds for timing intervals, which is, you know, vital.

World’s first seven-nanometer A12 Bionic smart chip and glass back for wireless charging, plus: Super Retina display . . . Faster Face ID . . . Dual-camera system . . . Larger and deeper pixels . . . Email . . . Messaging . . . Music . . . Weather reports . . . Internet . . . Activity tracker . . . Recording device . . .

Television . . . Movie screen . . . GPS . . . Compass . . . Calculator . . .

FaceTime . . . Alarm clock . . . Stopwatch . . . Timer . . . World

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NOVEMBER 2018

clock . . . Calendar . . . Notes . . . Photo albums . . . Flashlight . . .

Airdrop . . . Book reader . . . Live photos . . . Oh, and you can call people from it.

TIM COOK AND IPHONE FACTORY: SHUT TERSTOCK

$1,349

Elsa Hosk

Brilliant Pocket Watch Pendant

Flagship Boutique 48 East 57th Street N e w Yo r k 2 1 2 . 7 1 9 . 5 8 8 7 jacobandco.com

Agenda

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NOVEMBER 2018

OBJECTIFIED

Back at It Hennessey Performance Engineering will soon try again for a speed record, with the $1.6 million Venom F5. It has the sexiest rear we’ve seen in a while, but can it break 300 mph? We ask the man behind the machine on page 93.

On the Web

Instagram @robbreport

Facebook Facebook.com/robbreport

Twitter @robbreport

Your Guide to Private Racetrack Clubs in the Unite States From coast to coast, members-only motorsports facilities are vying for pole position. robbreport.com/racetrackguide

Smoke Knack

Out of Bounds he newest privilege on Forget cross-country; cross-border skiing—that is, crossing international lines via skis—is th the slopes. Here, five ways to make it happen. robbreport.com/crossborderskiing

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NOVEMBER 2018

RACETRACK: JAMIE BERG ANDI; SKIING: P. MAILLET-CONTOZ

In Gran Patrón Smoky, aged tequila revives a technique to take on a scotch-like smokiness. robbreport.com/ smokytequila

Récital 22 Grand Récital 5-patent timepiece developed and manufactured in-house.

Limited edition of 60 movements. 5-year international warranty.

Hours around the hand-painted hemispherical Earth. Retrograde minutes. :LJVUKZ VU [OL KV\ISL MHJL Å`PUN [V\YIPSSVU +V\ISL MHJL KH[L Tri-dimensional precision moon phase. 9-day power reserve.

Retrograde perpetual calendar on the reverse side.

7 3 , ( : , = 0 : 0 ; < : (; ) 6= , ; * 6 4

NEW YORK, NY *,33050 1,>,33,9: I CHICAGO, IL .,5,=( :,(3 - 6 < 5 + 0 5 . 4 , 4 ) , 9 6 - ; / , 8 < ( 3 0 ; @ - 3 , < 9 0 , 9 * , 9 ; 0 - 0 *(; 0 6 5 ( 5 + 7( 9 ; 5 , 9 6 - ; / , - 6 < 5 +(; 0 6 5 / 0 . / / 6 9 6 3 6 . @

T R AV E L b

|

STYLE

|

WA T C H E S

|

FOOD + DRINK

|

ART + DESIGN

The Goods THIS MONTH’S W H O , W H AT, AND WEAR

When in Rome

DIVINE NIGHTS IF THE CENTURIES-OLD

GIOVANNI DE SANDRE

rumors are to be believed, Pope Innocent X wasn’t quite as holy as his name would suggest. The head of the Catholic Church during the mid-1600s kept a rather impious secret in his elaborate chambers inside Rome’s Sant’Agnese in Agone. Her name was Olimpia Maidalchini.

Their tryst was hardly unknown. Maidalchini was the pope’s widowed sister-in-law, and though he ushered her in and out of his quarters through a discreet inner passage from the church, his bestowal of the title Princess of San Martino (meaningless though it was) upon his mistress was all the confirmation anyone needed of their little afair. h Does the pope sleep alone? Not in this frescoed love nest.

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

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The Goods | T R AV E L

But who could blame Innocent (despite his name)? His baroque apartment was the quintessential love nest. The 26-foothigh ceilings, the balcony overlooking Piazza Navona, the richly veined marble and elaborate frescoes—it would be a cardinal sin not to share such a singular hideaway. Evidently, more than 300 years later, that sentiment still stands: As of September, the former papal lair has been reborn as the most extravagant place to sleep (hopefully not alone) in all of Rome.

At Holy Deer San Lorenzo City Lodge

cashmere textiles, and contemporary furniture in velvet, leather, and silk. Still, the stamp of papal authority is ever present, most notably in the framed bas-reliefs depicting biblical scenes over the bed (an appropriate choice of location, all things considered).

Such adherence to history could have easily become a hindrance, but the Barbinis, who also own an exclusive-use chalet in the Dolomites and a charter yacht in the Mediterranean, are well-versed in the language of modern luxury. They’ve added a

Way Of-Piste

OF YOUR OWN For the subset of experienced skiers for whom first-tracks access has become a base-level requirement, there’s a new thrill on the slopes: exclusive tracks. New chalets, hotels, and residences are giving powder hounds full run of the mountain all day, every day. Here, four new ski retreats where you won’t have to share. JEN MURPHY

(sanlorenzolodges .com)—the $11,560-pernight retreat that hoteliers Stefano and Giorgia Barbini have molded from Innocent’s landmarked apartment—the pope would surely recognize his Francesco Allegrini frescoes and Rouge Languedoc marble doorways, both of which have been restored by local artisans. Not so familiar would be the handblown Murano chandeliers,

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NOVEMBER 2018

chef’s kitchen clad in green marble, a hot tub lined with more than 300,000 handmade tiles, and a library filled with fashion tomes (a nod to Giorgia’s grandfather Gaetano Savini, who founded the Italian fashion house Brioni). There’s also a music room and a rare wine collection, the latter of which we’re certain old not-so-Innocent would have found adequately stocked. Sara Magro

Sheldon Chalet

Chalet Hibou

It doesn’t get any more secluded than this five-room lodge, perched 10 miles from the summit of Denali in Alaska. Ski straight out the front door over mile-thick glaciers, or hop a helicopter to carve down steep, powder-coated descents in the nearby Tordrillo Mountains. Then come home to oysters and Champagne with views of the Northern Lights. sheldonchalet.com

The adventure experts at Eleven Experience give skiers special access to countless of-piste sites with their new Chalet Hibou, a seven-room property set in the tiny French Alps hamlet of Le Miroir. Choose from 900-plus miles of trails, plus heli-runs that average more than 3,000 feet. elevenexperience.com

HOLY DEER: GIOVANNI DE SANDRE; SHELDON CHALET, MAIN PHOTO: CHRIS BURK ARD; SHELDON CHALET, SMALL PHOTO: JEFF SCHULTZ; JACKET: ST YLING BY CHARLES W. BUMG ARDNER, PHOTO BY JOSHUA SCOT T

The stamp of papal authority is ever present, most notably in the framed bas-reliefs depicting biblical scenes over the bed.

This Ski Jacket Could Save Yourr Life

Ultima Crans-Montana Chalets Ultima’s two new chalet buyouts carve an exclusive niche into Switzerland’s famed Crans-Montana ski resort, with guides who lead guests to hidden slopes and a helicopter at the ready for of-piste adventures.

You won’t have to share your après either: The chalets come with a private cinema, spa, and chef. ultimacollection.com

Cimarron Mountain Club Don’t just own the mountain—literally own the mountain. Southwest Colorado’s new 1,750-acre Cimarron Mountain Club gives its members private access to 60-plus runs and more than 200 square miles of heli-ski terrain. Membership, which starts at $2.2 million and includes a 35-acre home site, is limited to only 13 spots. cimarronmountainclub.com

Outerwear brand Templa (tem la projects.com) doesn’t just w t to keep you warm on the slope it wants abel’s new to keep you alive, too. The la line of ski jackets using Rec o Rescue System technology is built to t not only er—deep withstand extreme weathe e usual—but powder, heavy snow...the also survive dangerous s narios like avalanches and acciden , thanks to a at can transm built-in search signal tha life-saving information to t mountain rescue teams. PAIGE R DINGER

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

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The Goods | T R AV E L

A Manor of Time

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER starting to sound like the boy who cried wolf. The American businessman first announced the grand opening of his English country resort— an 18th-century Hampshire manse called Heckfield Place (heckfieldplace.com)— in 2012. But the year came and went, and the elegant retreat he promised never materialized. News followed of a 2013 opening and then another in 2015.

G E R A L D C H A N WA S

By 2016, the old Georgian landmark was starting to sound like the hotel that never was.

Behind the manor’s faded red-brick facade, the situation was hardly better.

Chan was working his way through hundreds of permits and millions of dollars.

High-profile partnerships with big-name chefs and prominent interior designers were dissolving left and right. A revolving

door of general managers spun around and around.

Until at last, the finicky owner took a shine to Ben Thompson, a young protégé from the London-based interiors firm Studioilse who had exactly zero commissions to his name. Initially hired to design only the hotel’s pub, Thompson ran away with the entire project. Nearly three years later, and 16 years after Chan first signed the h

Designer Ben Thompson took Heckfield Place from long-delayed disaster to countryside success.

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NOVEMBER 2018

A celebration of time Kalpagraphe Manufactured entirely in Switzerland parmigiani.com

BOUTIQUE P Design District 140 N.E. 39th Street, PC #108 Miami FL 33137, United States T. +1 786 615-9656

FLIGHT PATTERNS There’s more than one way around the world. Here are four new private-jet itineraries, each with its own global perspective.

V TCS World Travel’s Northern Summer 23 days 14,432 miles tcsworldtravel.com

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NOVEMBER 2018

NATIRAR

BAHA MAR

PINK SANDS CLUB

THE DREAM

To turn a 33,000-square-foot Tudor-style mansion in New Jersey into the next Broadmoor

To create a 1,000-acre luxury beachfront development in Nassau, Bahamas

To build the Caribbean’s most luxurious resort on the little-known island of Canouan

To build the tallest hotel on the Las Vegas strip

THE DELAY

15 years and counting

12 years

8 years, give or take

13 years and counting

THE PLAYERS

Richard Branson, AOL founder Steve Case, Miraval Resorts

Export-Import Bank of China, Hong Kong conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, Nassau-based BMD Holdings, Ltd.

Irish financier Dermot Desmond, SwissItalian banker Antonio Saladino, Italian investor Andres Pignataro

Casino-resort developer Fontainebleau Las Vegas and nearly every major bank you’ve ever heard of

New Jersey developer Bob Wojtowicz can court ’em—he just can’t seem to keep ’em.

Branson signed on in 2003; Case and Miraval took his place in 2013.

Three years later, all deals were dead.

What started as a $1.6 billion project in 2005 turned into a $4.2 billion disaster.

In 2015, the nearly complete project filed for bankruptcy. A year later, Chow Tai Fook emerged as the owner.

Big egos took down Pink Sands, which stalled due to lawsuits between Desmond and Saladino and failed under Pignataro. It opened in 2016, only to seek new management a year later.

Fontainebleau proved a scrappy fighter in the 2008 recession: After suing all of its lenders for more money, the company declared bankruptcy in 2009.

The site has remained dormant ever since.

HOW NOT TO BUILD A HOTEL Heckfield isn’t alone.

Sometimes all the money in the world can’t create a decent hotel.

Here’s four more as proof.

THE REALITY

deed, Heckfield Place finally opened in September.

It was worth the wait. With Thompson at the design helm, Chan has created a country escape that is neither conventionally classic nor overtly rustic. Though the requisite antiques and the owner’s private collection of British art lend a sense of old English elegance, the scene is anything but old-fashioned Hampshire.

Thompson’s preference for the contemporary prevails in the 45 guest rooms— particularly the Long Room, a balconied suite where the cocktail cabinet is lined in leather and the bed is dressed in Rivolta Carmignani. (The room’s $13,000-pernight rate, however, appears to be little more than a ploy to recoup some of the many millions lost on the project throughout the years.)

Chan’s aesthetic vision realized, the owner also assembled a skilled team in general manager Olivia Richli (an Aman alum) and culinary director Skye Gyngell (formerly of London’s Michelin-starred Petersham Nurseries Café). Gyngell has taken advantage of Heckfield’s 438 acres to dream up a chef’s garden that’s central to the two restaurants’ “field-to-fork” ethos of using hyper-local ingredients that taste so good they need little augmentation.

And then there are the excesses—the underground cinema, the private trainers, the insider events featuring directors, artists, and politicos—all unnecessary yet utterly appreciated, and certainly more evidence of Chan’s mad-genius hotelier style. And with just a few months of successful operation under his belt, the owner is already promising another new opening: An expansive spa with a barbershop and a pool is slated to open at Heckfield next summer. You never know—it might even be on time. Sally Shalam

THE DRAMA

The Goods | T R AV E L

This year, Pendry Hotels became the latest prospector to stake its claim, announcing a spring 2020 opening. The saga continues.

After sitting dormant for a year, Baha Mar opened in 2017.

Mandarin Oriental proved second tries can be fruitful in July when it reflagged the resort to much fanfare.

FONTAINEBLEAU LAS VEGAS

In February, developer Steve Witkof and Marriott International snapped up the project with a new vision. The Drew is slated to open in 2020. Stay tuned.

O Abercrombie & Kent’s Cultural Treasures 23 days 18,420 miles abercrombiekent.com

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MIRRORED FORCE RESONANCE GUILLOCHÉ DIAL

MANUFACTURE CALIBRE ARF15 16½’’’

JUPITER 561.747.4449

WELLINGTON 561.798.0777

NAPLES 239.649.7200

The Goods

STYLE

True Blue

YOUR FAVORITE JEANS—BUT BETTER of denim in our wardrobes, it’s surprising how rarely we come across a truly great pair of jeans. But with the U.S. arrival of Atelier Notify (ateliernotify.com)—Paris’s sartorial expert on bespoke denim—the perpetual quest for indigo perfection takes an interesting new turn. The GIVEN THE UBIQUITY

studio, which this fall opens outposts at Neiman Marcus’s NYC and Beverly Hills locations, doesn’t just tailor jeans to fit; it can create almost any conceivable type of wash, weight, and texture.

Jeans, in fact, are anything but basic, says Maurice Ohayon, who applied his tailoring savoir faire The jeans of your dreams are born at Atelier Notify's cavernous workshop in Paris.

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to denim when he started Atelier Notify in 2003.

What began as a small workshop experimenting with ways to improve and individualize denim has since grown into a bespoke business that makes custom jeans in every shape, color, and style imaginable (plus leather pants and jackets).

Lavish embroidery? Yep. Specially designed pockets?

Not a problem. Braided leather trim along the sides of your pants? Sure, if that's your thing.

“We give classic items, like a denim jacket or shirt, a sense of modernity,” says Ohayon, who learned his passion for tailoring from his mother (a menswear tailor herself ). Most clients, including a roster of celebrities and royalty, initially visit Atelier Notify’s Paris or Milan shop for a single item that exists only in their minds. But once they experience the custom fit, there's no turning back, says Ohayon.

Like Atelier Notify’s European shops, the denim experience at Neiman Marcus begins with some crucial decisions: Which wash, weight, and finish speaks to you? Are you a zipper or a button-fly guy?

What's your rivet style?

Then, after a tailor measures you six ways from Sunday, your file is of to the Milan workshop, where a pattern is created and the garment is sewn. Four to six weeks and a local in-store fitting later, you're sporting the jeans of your dreams.

But for the real blues bufs among us, only a visit to Onayon's Milan flagship will do. The sprawling laboratory is like the Disneyland of denim: There, giant machines wash cloth with stones to achieve the perfect level of softness, and rows of colors and styles endlessly inspire. Though it's easy to get carried away, we suggest, as always, to keep your look clean and classic. And, please, leave the acid wash to Kanye. Jill Newman

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Styling Notes The writer, left, and below, warm-weather styling proves the Shacket is a yearround option.

Blurred Lines

HOW TO WEAR A SHIRT JJACKET M U C H A S W E D I S L I K E th he modern habit for conjoining two perfectly descriptiv ve words to create anotherr, we’ll join in anyway and d say you need to be aware of the “shacket.” Otherwise kno own as an overshirt, it’s been bubbling under long enou ugh on the menswear scene fo or it to be less a trend and more evidence of the line betweeen casual and formal wear growing ever more blurred d.

Both designer behemoths, such as Brioni and Zegna, and a plethora of independent brands—see Ring Jacket, Drake’s, Caruso, and P Johnson—are producing versions we can get behind.

The shirt jacket as we know it today has its origins in the French, late-19thcentury bleu de travail or

om o Shackets fro Massimo Alb ba in corduroy (rig ght, $835) and Ralph R Lauren in de enim (top, $590)

work jacket worn by laborers to protect their civilian clothes underneath. It was made from hard-wearing canvas with a boxy cut and was blue in color because indigo dye was cheap in this pre-jeans era. Though its origins are functional, the modern equivalent is designed firmly with the city slicker in mind in refined fabrics like corduroy, suede, and velvet. It’s taken of partially because it ofers an alternative to a tailored sports coat or blazer in smart-casual contexts, and partially because its relaxed looks are modern and understated.

The way to wear it is without too much respect: Throw it on, stuf the pockets, and run out the door. I wear mine—a gray corduroy travail jacket from French brand Arpenteur (arpenteur .fr)—over merino roll-necks or flannel shirts paired with high-waisted trousers and penny loafers. The contrast between a work jacket (made from a luxurious fabric) and tailored trousers feels contemporary, and it slips easily from a fast-paced day in the oice to a smart evening out. It works equally hard on weekends, too.

Simply swap your tailored trousers for tan chinos or jeans on dress-down days.

Its uses needn’t stop there. Choose yours wisely, and it’ll work in more formal oices. Find one in plush corduroy or brushed cotton and treat it like an unstructured blazer; layer it over an oxford button-down shirt with a textured tie and fl flanneel trousers for a look that’ss so of-the-moment it’s prractically got its own Instaagram feed. Try one and you’lll almost certainly want anotther, and before you w it you’ll be living in know m—which is the point. them The T shirt jacket is designed to make your life easy. It’s versatile, cool, d easy to wear. In short, and ere’s no excuse not to experiment with one this wiinter. Aleks Cvetkovic

JAMIE FERGUSON (ALEKS CVETKOVIC WEARING THE GREY CORD WORK JACKET BY ARPENTEUR); CLAUDIO LAVENIA /GET T Y

The Goods | S T Y L E

L U X U R Y R E S O R T + 2 0 B E S P O K E R E S I D E N C E S | O N LY 3 R E M A I N A V A I L A B L E | N A P A L U X U R Y L I V I N G . C O M / R O B B | 7 0 7 . 6 3 7 . 6 1 2 3

The Goods | S T Y L E

Graduation Day Loro Piana’s baby cashmere is all grown up.

This year, the Italian house celebrates the 10th anniversary of its ultra-luxe fabric made from the thin fibers found underneath the fleece of Mongolia’s Capra hircus baby goats. Mountain herders can only source the fibers one month per year, resulting in just 4,400 pounds of the precious fabric per season—and not nearly enough of these impossibly soft sweaters to go around. ($1,695–$2,325; loropiana.com)

Styling Notes

Bring Out the Cashmere It’s time to add more fiber to your wardrobe.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

JOSHUA SCOTT STYLING BY

CHARLES W. BUMGARDNER

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@martinkatzjewels Moval Diamond in 18k rose gold accented with 198 intense pink diamonds

M A R T I N K AT Z . C O M 310.276.7200 B E V E R LY H I L L S BERGDORF GOODMAN N E W YO R K

The Goods | S T Y L E

To Dye For Nestled in the hills of Biella in the northern Italian town of Trivero lies Ermenegildo Zegna’s sprawling Lanificio Zegna wool mill, where the label has been crafting fabrics for 108 years.

Its latest invention is Oasi Cashmere, which is sustainably dyed using natural colors extracted from flowers, herbs, wood, leaves, and roots. Just in time for fall, the innovation is the secret sauce in Zegna’s new collection of versatile and vibrant sweaters. ($1,095–$1,395; zegna.com) Paige Reddinger

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Pro Tip

CHOOSING A QUALITY CASHMERE Long and thin fibers are the key to soft yet durable cashmere that doesn’t pill. Look for fibers that are around 40 mm long and 15 microns wide to ensure top quality. You can also assess your cashmere’s worth with a touch test: Move your hand over the fabric to see if the fibers roll up. If they do, the cashmere may be made from lower-quality fibers that wear more quickly.

OPEN THE DOOR TO

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ON-DEMAND CHARTER

AIRCRAFT MANAGEMENT

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The Goods

WATCHES

sit down and compose yourselves. What you’re witnessing is the UR-111C (urwerk .com), not the end of all you hold dear. With its flowing modernist lines, the new wristwatch is a departure for the avant-garde brand, eschewing its well-known orbital satellite system for a totally new display that’s full of surprises.

Chief among them: the absence of a traditional crown. In its place, a triple roller on the front edge of the watch displays hours and minutes on the sides, while a helixshaped roller in the center moves a linear and retrograde minutes

U R W E R K LOYA L I S T S ,

Urwerk Loses Its Crown

HOLY ROLLER BEARING!

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NOVEMBER 2018

display. An additional digital seconds display on the top is both magnified and slightly distorted by some clever fiber optics.

So far, the new indicators have incited all sorts of obsessive tactile play, which has long been a goal for Urwerk. Perhaps most pleasing, however, is the sinuous manner in which the UR-111C ($135,000) fits on the wrist. It’s a refreshing break from the sometimes aggressive lines and angles of previous models, and one that shows the brand’s ability to stretch its own design vocabulary into daring new territory. James D. Malcolmson

Available at fine jewelers across the USA toddreed.com

The Goods | WA T C H E S

Zenith Hits the Road

ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME chronograph looks pretty damn cool on 400 pounds of titanium. In September, the Swiss watchmaker unveiled its latest pilot’s watch, the Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Ton Up Black (zenith-watches.com, $7,100), amid a stream of leather and exhaust at the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, a worldwide motorcycle rally that spans hundreds of cities and draws thousands of bikers. As the name implies, the event is no gathering of hogs on hogs: Organized by Movember (aka the charity that convinces guys to grow hideous mustaches every fall), the fundraiser is a sartorial afair of well-dressed dudes on polished rides that raises millions for men’s health.

The engine-roaring scene couldn’t have been more appropriate given the Type 20’s ZENITH’S NEW

Two versions of the Pilot Type 20 Chronograph Ton Up Black; the brown strap is a limited edition for top fund-raisers at the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride.

Second Time Around Talk about ROI. Rolex prices have been skyrocketing at auction lately,, and this month, two impossible-to-get timepieces are expected to prove just how fast they can fatten your wallet. On November 10 and 11, Phillips’s Geneva Watch Auction (phillips.com) will offer a Rolex ch “Pepsi” GMT Master II in steel (shown), which sold for $9,250 in Marc and is already estimated to fetch $22,000. Also appreciating at an accelerated rate is a Rolex “Rainbow” Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph d Daytona in Everose gold that retailed earlier this year for $96,000 and now carries a starting estimate of $150,000. —P.R.

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on. Named inspiratio for the To on Up Boys, a 950s British gangg off 19 who got their greasers w name byy driving “a ng for going ton” (slan over 100 mph), the new timeepiece is bold

in black leather, featuring Zenith’s El Primero automatic 4069 caliber a with w hours and minutes u in the center of a black dial and a central b chronograph hand and c 30-minute counter 3 at a three o’clock. Oversize s white SuperLuminova Arabic L numerals and white n hands on a black dial in h a 45 mm stainless-steel case make it easy to c read when you have your hands on the handlebars. And for those extra-long rides on the open road, the chronograph comes with 50 hours of power reserve. Paige Reddinger

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Right now, you can live in this luxurious private community with legendary Disney service featuring custom homes from $2 million. Welcome home to where the magic is endless.

Golden Oak Realty | 407.939.5713 | DisneyGoldenOak.com/Inspired Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, RI WKLV SURSHUW\ 7KLV GRHV QRW FRQVWLWXWH DQ Rij HU WR VHOO RU D VROLFLWDWLRQ WR EX\ UHDO HVWDWH WR 5HVLGHQWV RI DQ\ VWDWH RU MXULVGLFWLRQ ZKHUH SURKLELWHG E\ ODZ RU ZKHUH SULRU UHJLVWUDWLRQ LV UHTXLUHG EXW KDV QRW \HW EHHQ IXOı OOHG )RU 1< 5HVLGHQWV 7+( &203/(7( 2))(5,1* 7(506 )25 7+( 6$/( 2) /276 $5( ,1 7+( &36 $33/,&$7,216 $9$,/$%/( )520 2))(525 *2/'(1 2$. '(9(/230(17 //& ),/( 126 &3 3KDVHV DQG DQG &3 3KDVH

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The Goods | WA T C H E S

Q&A a few watches north of $500,000. It leaves everyone sick to their stomach.

Which watches are waning in popularity at auction?

I don’t see any bubbles bursting unless there’s a major global economic recession, but I do think some things are definitely fading out with the newer generation of buyers. One example would be yellow-gold Patek Philippe watches—particularly dress watches. The younger buyers and collectors across all ages are increasingly interested in white-metal watches, especially steel and sports watches.

Eric Wind The watch specialist and owner of Wind Vintage gives us the latest intel on secondhand collecting.

What is the biggest mistake new watch collectors make?

New collectors often feel that what they’re buying is something they’re going to keep forever, but, in fact, part of the collecting arc is that as you become more refined in your taste, you’re likely to sell the watches you buy at the beginning. Many people take a serious loss on their early watches because they buy them from obscure places or from dealers who won’t take a watch back in trade or buy it back.

You consult clients on what to buy— and what not to buy. Do they ever ignore your advice?

It happens from time to time when a collector is emotionally attached to a watch but the watch has serious issues. What’s more common is that someone has asked me to evaluate their collection, and I find watches that they thought were gems that turned out to be duds. That’s always a tough thing to share with someone. I’ve had to do it for

Does this apply to seasoned collectors?

Yes. In the case of the Patek Philippe ref.

2499—which for many collectors is considered the quintessential watch—the amount of people who see that as a watch they really need to have in their collection is getting smaller. More people would rather spend the same amount of money on a rare Rolex Daytona. In many cases, people will spend $700,000 on a Rolex Paul Newman Panda Daytona instead.

What timepieces are hot at Wind Vintage right now?

Vintage Rolex is very liquid and has the most interest from collectors at the moment. And Omega Speedmasters have really taken of in recent months.

What do you think will be the next Speedmaster in the secondhand market?

The Heuer Carrera is one where there’s a lot more interest in the vintage designs.

Also, the Breitling Navitimer—the vintage models are very undervalued except for a few rare ones. I think the new ownership and leadership of Breitling is trying to bring out their heritage, so I’m expecting a bump in those prices. Paige Reddinger

Kobe’s Big Quandary

Most Wanted 1952 Breitling Navitimer

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1967 Omega Speedmaster Professional

WHERE’S THE BEEF?

The Goods

FOOD & DRINK

market to exist. Sellers might be uninformed themselves and not sure how to diferentiate between Japanese beef varieties (all Kobe beef is considered wagyu, or Japanese cattle, but not all wagyu breeds are classified as Kobe).

Or, they are intentionally misleading consumers—something that, apparently, isn’t so hard to do.

“I could give guests another Japanese beef and tell them it’s Kobe, and I guarantee you 95 percent of them would have absolutely no clue,” says David Schlosser, chef of Shibumi, the only restaurant in Los Angeles certified to sell Kobe. Schlosser doesn’t do that. He imports eight pounds of Kobe per week and charges $152 per four-ounce serving. He only serves it one way: lightly salted and cooked mediumrare, so diners can taste it “clean.”

“ I could give guests another Japanese beef and tell them it’s Kobe, and I guarantee you 95 percent of them would have absolutely no clue.”

—David Schlosser, Shibumi

a sliver of Kobe beef, it literally melts on your tongue. The Japanese steak is speckled with unusually high levels of unsaturated fatty acids that dissolve at temperatures lower than your body and fill your mouth with the rich flavor of butter. And it’s the promise of this sensation that draws diners to steak houses around the world. The only problem? Many of them aren’t even selling Kobe.

The Kobe Beef Association, based in Japan, only certifies about 5,000 heads of cattle per year as Kobe and then tracks the

ILLUSTRATION: JOEL KIMMEL

W H E N YO U E AT

meat’s movement around the globe. The strict certification process requires that the beef comes from Tajima-gyu cows, a pure breed whose lineage traces back to the 1600s. The cows also must be born, raised, and slaughtered in the Hyogo Prefecture, and the beef must pass strict marbling standards.

For years, restaurants and distributors that are not licensed to serve Kobe have claimed to ofer it. The fabled beef is not being sold under the table; Kobe is too rare and tracked too closely for a black

Kobe or not Kobe, that is the question.

Turn the page to find out.

“I’m honored to serve it,” he says. “I lived in Japan for four years, and I never saw Kobe. The rest of the whole world wants it. Just think about London, Hong Kong, and Singapore...all these cities that can aford this stuf. So to actually have it is pretty serious.”

As of September, only 32 restaurants in the U.S. are certified to sell Kobe beef.

Those restaurants include 212 Steakhouse in New York, Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse in Dallas, and Cut by Wolfgang Puck in Las Vegas. Japanese producers are lobbying for a geographic indication label—the same kind that Champagne has—to distinguish it from other beef. And the Kobe Beef Association has attempted to take legal action against the restaurants and distributors that falsely advertise their beef as Kobe. But so far, says Schlosser, these eforts have been unsuccessful.

“The Japanese have secrets to maintaining the cattle that they’re not exposing,” he says. “You need to hold on to your IP, and the Japanese do that very well.”

The restaurants can prove the provenance of their Kobe by showing their certificate of authenticity, which includes a 10-digit ID number that traces the cow’s lineage. And if you’re paying upward of $600 per pound, it may be worth boning up on your Japanese so you can read the certificate before biting into your next savory steak. Alyson Sheppard

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

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The Goods | F O O D & D R I N K

Gobble Up

HERITAGE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

all those buzzwords you thought made your turkey better—free range, organic, antibiotic free—are really just a bunch of baloney.

Most likely, your wholesome holiday dinner is still genetically engineered. “Even if you’re buying from a local farmer who says they let them run around on grass, 90 percent of those farmers are still buying them from the very same place Butterball does,” says Frank Reese of Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch (heritagefoods.com).

IT TURNS OUT

That’s not the case on Reese’s farm. He raises heritage turkeys and preserves the remaining breeds that existed before factory farming altered the turkey forever. And you’ll taste the diference: Heritage meat is darker, richer, and more flavorful because the birds grow more slowly—in other words, naturally—making their muscles healthier and more nutrient dense. Now if only those canned cranberries came with the same guarantees.

Jeremy Repanich

Pressing Matters ers

RED ALERT

3,614% The price appreciation for a bottle of Yamazaki

50 Year Old from its 2005 price of $9,500 to the record-breaking $343,318 it fetched at auction in August 2018.

Kobe answer: That beautifully marbled cut from online meat purveryor Crowd Cow is top-grade A5 wagyu—but Kobe it is not.

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version of the red carpet is a collection of highly allocated, hard-to-get Cabernet Sauvignon stars. We’ve got our glasses at the ready for the bold and beautiful new releases, like Lokoya’s (lokoya.com) foursome of mountain-grown Cabernets, each of which ofers a study in the region’s microclimates and varied terroir, from the porous soil of Diamond Mountain to the cool and wet terraces of Spring Mountain. This year’s 2015 vintages— which weathered a challenging growing season with grace—are especially full of backbone: The Mt. Veeder ($395), for instance, brings the wine’s signature blueberry notes to the fore with new vigor. All those tight tannins can WA L K I N G N A PA VA L L E Y ’ S

ILLUSTRATION: JOEL KIMMEL

How Much?

F O O D & D R I N K | The Goods

obscure the flavors if you sip too soon (decant for two to six hours first), but they also lend the wine the structure it needs to age for the next 15 to 25 years.

Another gift of the 2015 harvest is Stones Wine’s No. 3 Cabernet Sauvignon (stoneswine.com). Made from grapes from the Tench vineyard in Oakville— just steps from great wine estates like Screaming Eagle and Gargiulo

Vineyards—the red starts with plenty of provenance and gets even better thanks to the winery’s meticulous methods in pruning to concentrate flavors. The low yield is worth it: No. 3 ($450) strikes an elegant balance between black and blue fruit and smooth tannins. You’ll want the pair and a spare allocation—this one will be good for 20 more holiday seasons to come. Janice O’Leary

Four More New-Release Napa Wines of Note

Q&A

Matt Hofmann Westland Distillery’s man of the wood shares his latest creation.

1

2

3

4

ZD Wines Abacus XX Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley This defiant Cab contains bits of 26 diferent ZD Reserve vintages, creating a complex swirl of old and new. ($2,025 for a three-bottle pack; zdwines.com)

Amici Cellars 2015 Beckstofer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Napa’s historic To Kalon always delivers great concentration in its wines, and this earth-driven version from Amici is no exception. ($195; amicicellars.com)

Ehlers Estate 2015 Portrait St. Helena, Napa Valley This new Bordeaux-style blend finds a lovely, restrained balance of earthy undertones layered with mocha and hints of purple flowers. ($75; ehlersestate.com)

Odette Estate 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District, Napa Valley Mouth filling, rich, and almost cordial-like, this Cab is grounded by crushed rock and lifted by beautiful floral aromas. ($600 for a two-bottle pack; odetteestate.com)

While the rest of us have been settling down into the jobs of real life, Matt Hofmann has been chasing pipe dreams—though, technically, the cofounder of Seattle’s Westland Distillery (westland distillery.com) is nurturing a dream that’s more pot still than pipe. At just 29 years old, the master distiller has already created single-malt whiskeys that rival the legendary drams of Scotland. His latest liquid masterpiece—our favorite rendition yet—is Garryana 2018: Edition 3|1 ($150), the third in a series of whiskies aged in Quercus garryana (Garry oak), a rare species of white oak indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Here, Hofmann explains the method behind his new release. Dan Dunn Why Garry oak?

The type of wood used to age whiskey has been static for a long time, and I was thrilled by the prospect of contributing something new and authentic to this centuries-old industry—particularly something so evocative of the Pacific Northwest. When we decided to try it, we

knew we were taking a big risk. There was no proof of concept. The flavor was so robust, we weren’t sure it would work.

So you were the first to use Garry-oak barrels?

No. Some winemakers had experimented with it but found it to be too powerful and abandoned it. And while we weren’t the first to use Garry oak in whiskey making, to the best of my knowledge we were the first to release a whiskey matured entirely in Garry oak. Others, for instance, have added Garry-oak wood chips to whiskey in stainless tanks. We fill only into full-size casks.

How does Garry oak difer from the white oak grown on America’s East Coast and used to age bourbon?

It’s much more intense [and] decadent.

Instead of caramel, you get molasses. Instead of cinnamon, cloves.

Garry oak imparts lots of dark fruit flavor, as well. In the 2018 Garryana, there are dark honeycomb and cereal notes, blueberry ice cream, [and] a bit of savoriness, too.

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

81

The Goods

ART & DESIGN La Boite Concept LD 120 high-fidelity speaker $2,000 laboiteconcept.com

De Intuïtiefabriek Hover vanity Startingg at $4,800 deintuitiefabriek.nl

Nendo for Valerie Objects Skeleton cutlery $160 for a set off four valerie-objects.com

Back in Black

DARK ARTS Given design’s current love affair with hyper-saturation, a journey into the striking absence of color feels like a welcome reprieve. Black will never let you down: It goes with everything, and it’s always in style. That anti-hue, that rebel of the color wheel, looks just as good on the wall as it does on the floor; it works in glossy or matte, in the bedroom or at the dinner table. No, we’re not suggesting you drench every surface of your home with it. Just consider it a much-needed antidote to millennial pink. ARIANNE NARDO

B Boca do Lobo D Diamond Watch Winder $ $2,710 b bocadolobo.com VANIT Y: RUUD PEIJNENBURG; CUTLERY: AKIHIRO YOSHIDA

Kallista Grid Faucet with Cube Handles $6,695 kallista.com

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NOVEMBER 2018

The Goods | A R T & D E S I G N

Reinier Bosch’s Dew bench

Salon’s Next Generation

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH L I K E E V E RY T H I N G E LS E these days, it appears Salon Art + Design (thesalonny .com) is making a play for millennials.

This month, the interiors fair—which has long held a reputation for midcenturymodern classics by old-guard luminaries like Jean Prouvé and Gio Ponti—is bringing a younger demographic of talent to its Park Avenue Armory show. Case in point: 38-year-old Dutch designer Reinier Bosch, whose high-polished Melting Series pieces look like beautiful puddles

of precious metal. His elegant Dew bench dripping in bronze (shown above) is bound to be a highlight, as is the work of Alex Chinneck, who brings his beguiling sculpture to the show in the form of Growing Up Gets Me Down, a sinuous wooden grandfather clock that looks like a relic from Alice’s Wonderland. Both artists—thirty-somethings with impressive résumés—are headlining for the Netherlands’ Priveekollektie Contemporary Art | Design, one of dozens of galleries

at the show focusing on fresh talent. Other hot arrivals include the Southern Guild’s Rich Mnisi—whose Nwa-Mulamula series is as personal as it is progressive—and Heller Gallery’s Pamela Sabroso and Alison Siegel, the duo behind a collection of vaguely anatomical vases that are just the right amount of young and reckless.

Of course, you’ll still find a Prouvé or two at the show—it might just look a little stufy given the new company.

Angela M. H. Schuster

Rich Mnisi

Alex Chinneck

Nwa-Mulamula Chaise

Growing Up Gets Me Down

Pamela Sabroso and Alison Siegel Teardrop Extrusion vase

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Adam Hoets Southern Flame Mandala

ILLUSTRATION: JOEL KIMMEL

THE YOUNG ONES TO WATCH

A R T & D E S I G N | The Goods

Q&A

Nathaniel Kahn Meet the filmmaker who’s exposing the art world’s big money problem.

It’s no secret that the art world has become a demimonde for a privileged few who think little of dropping millions on blue-chip works regardless of their actual value. But what is a secret is how this rarefied ecosystem—with its seemingly arbitrary and sky’sthe-limit valuations—actually works. Director Nathaniel Kahn’s latest film, The Price of Everything, attempts to make sense of the artcommodity hysteria through a series of characters, from the struggling artist to the billionaire collector to the jaded art critic. Here, Kahn gives us a preview of his exposé, which airs on HBO on November 12.

Angela M. H. Schuster

What drew you to the subject of art versus commerce?

For me, the art world seems to encapsulate something that’s happening in our entire society, which is, quite frankly, terrifying, and that is that everything has a price now. As Chicago collector Stefan Edlis says in the film, taking his cues from Oscar Wilde, “There are a lot of people out there who know the price of everything and the value of

nothing.” Growing up in a family of artists, I saw that the relationship between art and money was so often an unhappy one. And in recent years, that relationship has been completely upended with art coming to be seen as an investment class.

Unfortunately, most of the artists whose works currently command such high prices rarely profit from the trade in their creative genius.

I wanted to tell their story as much as anything.

How Many?

17

The number of paintings

throughout history that have crossed the $100 million mark at auction, adjusted for today’s dollars.

Artists seem to have difficult relationships with money.

Absolutely. Take Larry Poons, for example. He had quite a career in the 1960s and 1970s but had seemingly vanished from the scene.

He was disgusted by what he was witnessing in the market, although he has continued to create this incredible body of work. It just so happens during our filming he was amid a major comeback. As he told us, “If I had been successful at that time, I don’t know if I would be alive today.”

You weave together multiple narratives in the film to illustrate your point.

That was perhaps our greatest challenge. We felt we needed to track so many strands of our story simultaneously. We needed to show how an auction of postwar and contemporary art is put together and follow [visual artist] George Condo throughout the creation of a painting. And then of course there was the more macro timeline of how the market launched on its current trajectory. For instance, we tracked the escalation in value of Jasper Johns’s Target (1961), which commanded $125,000 at the [notorious] Robert Scull sale at Sotheby’s in 1973.

Edlis wound up buying that painting for $10 million in 1997; it is probably worth 10 times that today.

State of the Art

HERE WE GO AGAIN . . .

November without Christie’s (christies.com) working the art world into a frenzy. This year, the heated speculation is over David Hockney’s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), which the auction house has estimated to sell for $80 million at its November 15 evening sale of postwar and contemporary art—potentially making it the most expensive artwork ever sold by a living artist.

There’s no doubt Hockney is having a moment. Over the past year, the 81-year-old artist’s retrospective hit the Tate Britain, the Centre Pompidou, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But is the buzz enough to justify Portrait’s extraordinary estimate—or is it just another stunt to keep the art world in a permanent state of hysteria? Last year’s IT WOULDN’ T BE

equivalent was the unforgettable case of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which Christie’s theatrically dubbed “the last da Vinci” and slapped with a $100 million estimate. The gambit paid of in the end: The piece sold for more than four times that much.

Whether the auction house’s latest show pony will have the same fate is somewhat less likely. Though Portrait is indeed remarkable, its estimate is staggering given Hockney’s own personal best to date: Earlier this year, his Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica sold for $28.5 million at Sotheby’s New York. The realization of Christie’s high hopes would nearly triple that figure. The art world, no doubt, is already rubbing its collective hands together at the prospect. A.M. H.S

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

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The Goods | A R T & D E S I G N

The Kelly-Calder Connection

ABSTRACT ALLIES

Black Beast (1940), Alexander Calder

been more artistically fruitful than that of Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly. For more than 20 years, the American artists were close friends; though Calder was 25 years Kelly’s senior, the two men influenced each other’s art for decades.

“Their work has the most incredible dialogue,” says Swiss dealer Dominique Lévy. “It is a connection about space, abstraction, and the sublime.”

That connection is the focus of Calder/Kelly, a new exhibition at New York’s Lévy Gorvy gallery (levygorvy.com) that juxtaposes Calder’s sculptures with Kelly’s largescale paintings. Both men were known to venture into the territory of the other: Kelly’s hard-edge paintings mirror the abstract shapes for which Calder was best known, while Calder’s folded sheets of metal feature nods to Kelly’s own minimalist style. The show, which opens November 9, will include almost 50 works from the artists and personal correspondence that gives more insight into their longtime friendship. A.M.H.S

NO BROMANCE HAS

Black Blue (1959), Ellsworth Kelly

HIGH NOTES

Trading up the classic piano Vintage Feel

86

Pure Intentions

If the Marzipan Pianette looks straight out of a Wes Anderson flick, that might be because actor Jason Schwartzman was involved in its whimsical design.

Custom-made in collaboration with LA-based studio Wall for Apricots (wallforapricots.com), the upright is a 1970s Hohner Clavinet keyboard inside a glossy, sherbet-colored shell. $9,200

Germany’s 200-year-old Sauter Piano Manufaktur (sauter-pianos.de) pivoted hard in producing its ultramodern Pure Basic. The Peter Maly–designed model reads like an essay on the sins of excess, shunning the standard curves and polished sheen of the brand’s grand pianos in favor of a cubist form plated in chrome. $30,000 Arianne Nardo

NOVEMBER 2018

BLACK BLUE : ELLSWORTH KELLY FOUNDATION; BLACK BEAST :

Candy Crush

TOM POWEL; WALL FOR APRICOTS PIANO: DAN ARNOLD

Roland’s (roland.com) midcentury-modern Kiyola F10 piano is analog outside and digital inside. Handcrafted by Japanese furniture designer Karimoku, the solid walnut keyboard comes with Bluetooth technology to connect with any speaker or app yet fits in with your Eames and Panton chairs. $4,299

This is not an offering or solicitation in any jurisdiction where prohibited by law or where prior registration is required but has not been obtained.

Limited or its ailiates (Four Seasons). The developer, a company owned by Thor Urbana, GFA and Inmobilia, uses the Four Seasons trademarks and tradenames under a license from Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts B.V.

The structures, materials and recreational features and amenities described and depicted herein are based upon current development plans, which are subject to change without notice.

The marks “FOUR SEASONS,” “FOUR SEASONS HOTELS AND RESORTS,” any combination thereof and the Tree Design are registered trademarks of Four Seasons Hotels Limited in Canada and U.S.A. and of Four Seasons Hotels (Barbados) Ltd. elsewhere.

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Caye Chapel Belize are not owned, developed or sold by Four Seasons Hotels

The Answers with . . .

ALEXANDER GILKES Alexander Gilkes, cofounder of the pioneering online auction platform Paddle8, has hammered in more than $1 billion worth of art over the course of his career, having honed his powers of persuasion under the tutelage of Simon de Pury at Phillips. Earlier this year, the Eton-educated, New York–based Gilkes, 39, was named co-CEO of Native SA, a publicly traded Swiss company that recently became a strategic investor in Paddle8. Robb Report met with Gilkes at Paddle8’s new headquarters on Norfolk Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to talk art, personal style, and bicoastal living.

BY ANGELA M. H. SCHUSTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BALL & ALBANESE

What have you done recently for the first time?

I went on an amazing trip to Mexico City with the team that opened Soho House. In addition to numerous artist-studio visits, we went to the Barragán stables and home.1 I’ve never been to more cocktail parties where insects were served as a canapé—fried locusts and different types of grilled worms. I am sure it’s the first place I’ve had the tequila worm.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

2.

Transcendental Meditation was introduced in the mid-1950s

by Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

1.

Architect Luis Barragán’s 1968 ranch, Cuadra San Cristóbal, is now a gallery.

When I am in New York I tend to get up at 6:30 and immediately dive into e-mails. I try to do TM [transcendental meditation]2 for 15 minutes before walking down to Cha Cha Matcha in my neighborhood, where I order a ginger-turmeric hemp-milk latte, with double ginger, double matcha. I know it sounds very pretentious, but it tastes damn good and wakes me up.

How often do you train?

I see a trainer at the SoHo Strength Lab, usually for an hour, three times a week. I’m also a regular SoulCycle visitor.

Where do you get your clothes?

If I find an item of clothing I like, I tend to buy it in multiples. Australian tailor Patrick Johnson3 just nailed this shape of pencil trousers, so I had him make them up for me in diferent colors. My girlfriend [Maria Sharapova] has friends at Nike, so I get a bit of stuf from them.

Sports apparel has never been a feature of my wardrobe, but there’s a lot of that now.

Personal talismans?

4.

The use of a gavel can be traced to the forging of payment agreements in medieval England.

I am never without my gavel,4 which I bought from an antique shop in Burford, in the Cotswolds.

3.

P Johnson deals in relaxed, custom tailoring from its stores in New York, London, and Australia.

Are you wearing a watch?

Yes. It’s a Girard-Perregaux 1966 rose-gold chronograph.

Wine of choice?

When it comes to the grape, I remain loyal to Krug Champagne,5 having worked there for a bit. My favorite white is Cervaro della Sala, a classic Chardonnay from Antinori that is sharp, crisp, dry, and aromatic with notes of elderflower, apricot, and dried, stewed fruit. As for a red, I’d say Château Canon, a classic Bordeaux with great strength and great depth. The vineyard is run by a former Krug colleague; they’re now winning awards.

5.

A single bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée contains more than 120 diferent wines drawn from 10 or more vintages.

Favorite apps?

I read the New York Times digest on my app every day. I recently discovered a great app, Mosaic, which allows you to put together beautiful photo albums with ease. If I’ve been away for a weekend with friends and taken photos, I simply send them of, and a beautifully packaged photo album is delivered to their home.

What’s the most recent thing you have added to your collection?

6.

Wang Ningde’s lightworks are in the permanent collections of the LA County Museum of Art and the Red Mansion Foundation.

The last piece that I bought was a work by Wang Ningde,6 who had a great show at Bryce Wolkowitz in Chelsea. At first glance, it just looks like Morse code and lines. But when light shines through it, it reveals patterns and pictures. I thought it was very clever, very poetic, and a fun twist on use of material and use of light.

Sporting life?

Tennis is one of the few sports that I played as a child, and I was fortunate to have a court at a family home in the English countryside. While I enjoy the game, I haven’t dared demonstrate my skills to the ace.

Dylan or Bowie?

Bowie, always.

Do you have a particular hotel that you return to?

I tend to go to Le Sirenuse in Positano. It's run by very dear friends, and I’m always incredibly well looked after. The food, the rooms, the views—it’s pretty special.

And restaurant you’re into right now?

Bestia, it’s a great space. They’ve got a big garden in the old gallery district of LA. Another summer favorite is La Scoglio on the Amalfi Coast. Their yellow zucchini pasta is extraordinary.

What’s your dream car?

An open-topped Porsche Speedster 7 from the ’60s in a bottle green. Biscuit leather interior . . .

Read the second part of The Answers with Alexander Gilkes on robbreport.com

7.

Nice choice.

We can’t argue with that.

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at the top of their game possesses an uncommon combination of agility, power, and panache.

It’s why the likes of LeBron, Ronaldo, and Ali are legends recognized by a single name, one synonymous with peerless performance in their respective realms. This also holds true with automobiles, especially now that Bugatti (bugatti.com) has debuted the Divo.

A sibling to the paradigmshifting Chiron, the 1,500 hp Divo shares the same 16cylinder engine—with four turbochargers and 1,180 ft lbs of torque—mated to a sevenspeed direct-shift gearbox (DSG) dual-clutch transmission. The power train allows the car to crush zero to 62 mph in 2.4 seconds. But what truly makes the Divo diferent is how it handles. h

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A titan through the turns

JOHN W YCHERLEY

CORNERING THE MARKET The 1,500 hp Bugatti Divo redefines high-speed handling.

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“We wanted our next car to be more handling oriented, agile and nimble, and, at the end of the day, ofering more emotional performance.” fixed front difuser flaps, a decrease in the amount of insulation, and lighter wheels.

Also bolstering the latest Bugatti’s maneuverability is a newly developed chassis and adjusted steering and suspension settings fine-tuned for greater responsiveness. It’s for this reason, though, that the cutting-edge coupe’s top speed is limited to a more reasonable 236 mph as compared to the Chiron’s 261.

To complement the vehicle’s enhanced engineering, its coachbuilding team focused on the French marque’s mantra of “form follows performance.” The body style remains true to the brand’s definitive

design language, first formulated by Ettore Bugatti beginning in 1909, while introducing a new vocabulary of visual cues.

“It has Bugatti’s three distinctive signs: the horseshoe [front grille], the centerline [elevated spine that runs fore to aft], and the signature line [at the flanks],” says Winkelmann. “But then there are much larger air intakes, a big front spoiler, a big NACA duct, a rear wing that is 23 percent bigger than the one on the Chiron, and a new difusor which increases cooling and downforce for the car.”

All of the high-tech touches have paid of. At Italy’s Nardò handling circuit, the

GUT TER CREDITS

“The Chiron is known for longitudinal performance combined with a high level of comfort and luxury,” says Bugatti’s president, Stephan Winkelmann. “We wanted our next car to be more handling oriented, agile and nimble, and, at the end of the day, ofering more emotional performance and a complete new design—but still very recognizable. This is the result.”

A car created for cornering, the Divo can push lateral acceleration to 1.6 gs and generate 1,005 pounds of downforce— that’s 198 pounds more than the Chiron.

Yet the Divo’s overall weight is 77 pounds less. Mass-reducing measures include

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Divo recently beat the Chiron’s lap time by eight seconds. Its track attack is a fitting tribute to Albert Divo, the eponymous driver who competed under Bugatti’s banner. While behind the wheel of a Type 35B, he won the treacherous Targa Florio endurance race in 1928 and 1929.

The Divo will have an extremely limited production run of only 40, and each one has already been sold for approximately $5.8 million. But then, Bugattis were never meant for the bourgeois. Still, a waiting list does exist, and the marque’s head of sales, Hendrik Malinowski, is taking names. Contact him at hendrik .malinowski@bugatti.com. Viju Mathew

Ride on an Icon

DUCATI DREAMIN’ T H E 2 0 1 9 D U C AT I Scrambler Icon (ducatiusa.com) isn’t the fastest, scariest, or most technologically advanced motorcycle on the market today. Far from it. You’re getting an air-cooled, 803 cc L-twin—the kind of motor Ducati has been producing since way back.

What you’re buying is an image, the dream of open trails, bars in random desert towns, and the carefree two-wheel lifestyle we all wish we had. The 73 hp, six-speed Ducati Scrambler Icon is an escape vehicle—an escape not just from your immediate surroundings but from the constraints of the mind. You’re buying a better time.

Ducati produces the fastest motorcycles on the planet, so it’s a joy to see the relaxed, almost surf-culture aspect of the brand shine through as it provides a connection from user to machine that inspires the dream. The Scrambler Icon, priced at $9,395, will be available to preorder in the States by the end of the year. Peter Jackson

BUG AT TI: MA X EAREY; DUCATI: CALLO ALBANESE; ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

Q&A

John Hennessey The founder of Hennessey Performance Engineering on breaking barriers.

At 300 mph, John Hennessey’s Venom F5 (venomf5.com) will cover the length of a football field in less than a second. To punch it to that speed, his $1.6 million hypercar gets a new 7.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 delivering 1,600 hp. But can the famed Texas tuner beat Koenigsegg to surpass the current production-car speed record of 277.87 mph?

“Heck yeah,” says the force behind Hennessey Performance Engineering. Here’s why. Howard Walker 1 How confident are you that the Venom F5 can reach 300 mph?

Totally. With 1,600 hp, we know we have the power to achieve it. We also have the right aero, and we feel good about the Michelin tires

we’re using. Remember, our Venom GT did 270.49 mph with 1,244 hp.

2 What’s your timetable?

We’ll have a drivable prototype to show customers by the middle of next year. And around that time we’ll start finding out how fast the car will go. The target is to pull in some meaningful numbers by the end of 2019.

3 Do you plan to be behind the wheel for the Venom F5’s record attempt?

My wife, five kids, employees, customers, and bankers all say to stay out of the car and use a pro. Would I love to drive the car to 300 mph?

Without a doubt. I took our Venom GT to 243 mph and it was amazing.

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A Zero-Emissions Missile The Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow’s power train and appearance are both electric.

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Mercedes-Benz (mbusa.com) employed the most advanced technology of the time to build the 12-cylinder W 125 Rekordwagen, which reached a top speed of 268.9 mph the following year with Rudolf Caracciola behind the wheel. Nicknamed the Silver Arrow, the 736 hp racer was both functional and beautiful.

In that spirit, the marque recently unveiled the EQ Silver Arrow concept, an all-electric single-seater that is both

I N 1 9 3 7,

an homage to its record-breaking predecessor and a glimpse of things to come.

“We created a new legend of the Silver Arrow for the next century,” says Mercedes-Benz chief design oicer Gorden Wagener, who presented the concept car during this year’s Monterey Car Week. Like its inspiration, the show car employs a pure design and clean lines. But instead of metal, the body of the EQ Silver Arrow concept is made from carbon fiber, beset by

W H E E L S | Dream Machines

Superior Surfaces

THIS PAINT DOES WHAT ? is about as interesting as watching it dry, right? Well...not anymore. Just as technology is changing how cars are built and driven, so too is it transforming the skin that coats them.

Advances range from pigments that change color or deter heat to particles that can repair themselves when scratched— and manufacturers are racing to find the perfect formulas that will outshine the competition.

“It’s a really exciting time at the moment, and we as designers are thinking about what’s next,” says Claudia Braun, senior manager of color and trim at Mercedes-Benz. Braun says one of the hottest trends is to use tinted clear coats, or to incorporate metallic flakes into the clear coat, which gives exterior colors more pop. “In the past, we would bring the flakes only into the base coat, but with this [technique] you can have a little more brightness and something a little more special.” On the Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver TA L K I N G A B O U T PA I N T

“It’s a really exciting time at the moment, and we as designers are thinking about what’s next.”

—Claudia Braun, Mercedes-Benz

massive, multi-spoke wheels trimmed in rose gold. Alubeam Silver paint, with the appearance of liquid metal, was created by Claudia Braun—the Mercedes-Benz senior manager of color and trim—and her team.

The look was achieved by using particles that flex and fit the body of the car like a metallic skin (read more, right, about the latest in automotive paint technology).

In the cockpit, Saddle Brown leather and pinstriped walnut contrast with brushed aluminum trim, while a large

panoramic screen projects a 3-D image of the driver’s surroundings.

Mercedes-Benz believes the powertrain configuration of the future is electric, and so the concept gets its juice from electric motors that make 738 hp and a battery pack that helps achieve a range of more than 250 miles. And while the Silver Arrow may be just for show, many of the car’s design elements are reflected on the newly revealed EQC, the brand’s first all-electric crossover. Laura Burstein

Arrow concept (left), shown during this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Braun and her team created a paint that looks like liquid metal. “The particles are very thin and flat; I can best describe it like they organized themselves on the shape of the car like a mural, creating this metallic skin that emphasizes the design more than any other paint or finish.”

At Infiniti, the brand’s Dynamic Sunstone Red color is created by layering a red-tinted clear coat on top of a copperbased color, which is applied using a combination of mechanical and manual techniques. A dedicated paint booth was created to allow Infiniti’s paint specialists extra precision to control the thickness and quality of the coating.

As climates get hotter, carmakers are increasingly looking to cooling paint technologies to keep occupants comfortable and improve vehicle eiciency. “Heatreducing pigments are going to be really important, especially for the luxury market,” says Kristen Keenan, founder and

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design director for Trichromatic Studio, a color, material, and finish design house.

She cites new pigments from paint supplier BASF, which can be added to both exterior and interior paints to reduce heat buildup by up to 50 percent. Keenan says these pigments have been used for some time in the construction industry and are now beginning to find their way into automotive. Braun says her team at Mercedes-Benz is also working on paints that contain special cooling pigments, which the company hopes to ofer on its production vehicles within two years.

Heat reduction can also be achieved through the application process itself.

Ferrari, in partnership with supplier PPG Industries, has begun using a new “low cure” paint system with a specially formulated clear coat that allows vehicles to be baked at a much lower temperature than before. Not only is the new paint more eicient, but it’s also reportedly more scratch and water resistant.

VOLVO BRINGS THE FIGHT TO FLIGHT Could the Swedish marque’s latest concept car curtail regional aviation?

VO LVO R E C E N T LY T E A S E D T R AV E L E R S with its 360c electric-vehicle concept

(volvocars.com), a self-driving sanctuary on wheels that promises to take the sting out of the commercial-airline alternative for trips of around 200 miles. But how might this autonomous option stack up against more exclusive forms of airborne transport? We weigh the pros and cons of staying grounded. Marco della Cava

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Private Jet Vertical Takeoff and Landing Craft

Advances aren’t limited to just cars.

Kawasaki claims it has developed a paint for its 2019 Ninja H2 motorcycle that is “self-healing.” A special top coat is made with microscopic segments that work like a chemical spring, creating a trampoline efect that absorbs impacts and allows scratches to repair themselves in as little as 10 minutes or, in more extreme cases, up to a week. “This is hugely significant, because on a bike you’re definitely getting more rocks and gravel spraying along the road,” says Keenan.

While these futuristic advances take their time—Braun says paints are tested for up to five years before being approved—there are impressive innovations coming soon. Braun and her team are working on digital printing techniques that can apply graphics straight onto a vehicle without the need for airbrushing, as well as color-changing paint.

“This is interesting for us as designers because we are thinking about a lot of switchable things. This would be great for the customer to have an individual car and then be able to switch the color.”

Anyone want to watch that paint dry now? Laura Burstein

Volvo 360c

Kawasaki hypes “self-healing” paint on its 2019 Ninja H2.

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Forget the usual airport hassles, and enjoy door-to-door service. Your cabin can be set up for a virtual meeting, and onboard Wi-Fi means every bit of the drive can be put to work. Or you can just take a fully reclined nap.

In a word, traic. In most urban corridors gridlock is a given, which means arrival times are up in the air.

Accidents could also present a roadblock, especially if you’re traveling alone.

The fastest way between two points, with almost no chance of delays but for radical weather changes.

Pampered service and a spacious environment provide a distinctive and dependable way to erase distance.

Cost is high on the list. And even with the burgeoning fractional jet programs available today, there’s still a limit to how fast you can be wheels up.

Various VTOL concepts, including Uber Elevate, feature takeofs and landings from atop skyscrapers in city centers. That means no slogs from the office to a jet-charter center—just hit the penthouse button on the elevator and you’re of.

With unmanned drones still the subject of regulator debate, it’s unclear what rules will govern a passenger-size version to prevent the skies from becoming a flying-machine free-for-all.

DRESS WITHOUT LIMITS

www.robertsclub.com concierge@robertsclub.com +1 (929) 920 4790 EXCLUSIVE MENSWEAR CLUB

P R O M O T I O N

in focus Architect: Roberta Giordano Sorisi, Italy Photography: Villa Infernetto

SKY-FRAME sky-frame.com Sky-Frame is the leading international supplier of frameless sliding window systems. The large, flush-fitted glass panels eliminate the boundary between the indoors and outdoors creating free-flowing living spaces.

LUGANO DIAMONDS luganodiamonds.com A Collector’s Dream – Lugano Diamonds Blue Diamond Cuff. This architectural wonder is gorgeous as a cuff and equally stunning as a ring. A nine carat radiant cut blue diamond shines, surrounded by five carats of pink, yellow and blue diamonds and 33 carats of collection VS diamonds.

OCEANCO builtbyoceanco.com Oceanco specializes in building bespoke yachts—each Oceanco epitomizes the owner’s perfect yacht. Three of their groundbreaking superyachts include Jubilee, the largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands at the time of her launch; Black Pearl, the largest 3-masted sailing yacht in the world; and DAR, with a revolutionary use of glass to enhance her exterior styling.

Images are top to bottom.

Dream Machines

WATER Piecing it together

Does It Click?

M O S T G R E AT S H O T S of

HEESEN: DICK HOLTHUIS

superyachts show them in their natural habitat of deepblue waters moored of some tropical atoll. So it was with some surprise that we found ourselves captivated by a very diferent image released by Dutch yacht-builder Heesen (heesenyachts.com). It depicts the linking of a superstructure and its hull for the forthcoming 164-foot Project Triton.

The hull is floating in the water at Heesen’s shipyard in Oss, while two large cranes lift the bare aluminum superstructure from a barge and suspend

it over the water. Other images in the series show how it is gently dropped inside the edges of the hull. The two sections will eventually be welded together (so, no, it doesn’t click into place— shame). A Heesen spokesperson said the yard can join the two pieces either in the build shed or on the water.

The second in Heesen’s 50-meter Steel Class line, with an exterior by Cliford Denn and interior by Reymond Langton, Triton will have a range of 3,800 nautical miles at 12 knots. Its delivery date is February 25, 2020. Geri Ward

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Design Debate

UNEVEN KEEL Sanlorenzo (sanlorenzoyacht.com) made waves at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September with the launch of its new SL102 Asymmetric yacht design.

Attempting to rethink the well-established layout of a yacht by keeping the deck only on the starboard side, and carrying the portside deck on the roof of the structure, the aim of this asymmetrical configuration is to recover around 108 square feet of interior space. But will it actually work? And is it structurally sound?

“Yes, absolutely!” says British designer and engineer Cliford Denn, who even suggests pushing the design further to go “full beam on the other side” as long as fendering, cleaning, and crew-circulation issues are dealt with. “This would resolve asymmetry, which might be a visual issue for some,” he explains. “It would be for me, but everyone is diferent. I would suggest going more to town on the asymmetry and not try to hide it.”

However, Dutch naval architect Perry Van Oossanen challenges the idea that the SL102’s asymmetric layout is new at all. “Most boats are asymmetric to some extent,” he says. “A boat we currently have under construction has an asymmetric main-deck layout, so, yes, it is certainly viable, but you have to look carefully at the transverse weight distribution and possibly correct some static list with ballast.”

Van Oossanen also shares Denn’s thoughts regarding full beam. “I understand the benefit of making the saloon asymmetric, but I wonder why the owner’s stateroom is not full beam,” he questions. “It would be quite easy to add stairs on starboard to go up over the owner’s stateroom and increase its size, and this would really give a boat of this length more space than a standard symmetric layout.”

I TA L I A N S H I P B U I L D E R

The asymmetric configuration is clear when viewing head-on (top).

Unobstructed views are created by the full-beam saloon (bottom).

From a historical perspective and with an eye toward client reception, Yachtzoo broker Guy Marchal says, “Yes, I loved the design, but there were other asymmetrical designs in the past, such as [Turquoise Yachts’ 2008 launch] Kinta. So it is not unusual in a sense, but they did it properly and enhanced the concept. The SL102 is fantastic in my opinion. I saw the yacht in Cannes, and I believe that Sanlorenzo understood what a client expects from a yacht.”

Julia Zaltzman

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New to Charter

Serving Two Masters New charter yacht Sands takes the stress out of who gets the biggest suite.

for sunning, a couple of cocktail tables, and a wide U-shaped settee—did anyone say sundowners?

Inside, you can take in the modern and minimalist Italian aesthetic, created

by Maiora’s in-house design team, GP Yachts. White walls and ceilings and light-hued neutral furniture benefit from a pop of color thanks to artwork placed throughout the yacht. Dark pillows contrast with the many sofas inside and out.

For tech-heads or teenagers, Sands ofers up a movie and music library and an entertainment system controlled by iPads, as well as ultra-high-definition 4K televisions throughout.

Explore your surroundings via the Williams Jet Tenders Sportjet 520, Seabobs, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, or snorkeling, scuba, and fishing gear. A beach deck at water level makes access to aquatic activities easy and provides another good space for sunbathing.

Based on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Sands cruises the Western Mediterranean year-round. Rates start at $126,655 per week, excluding VAT and expenses.

A&BPHOTODESIGN

T H E S L E E K A N D silver 118-foot motor yacht Sands was launched from the Italy-based Maiora shipyard this year, joining Camper & Nicholsons’s (camper andnicholsons.com) charter fleet in July.

What makes this a fun—and possibly even savvy—choice are its two VIP staterooms on the main deck where a single master suite would normally be found. This of course means no haggling over who gets the master cabin—with two identical main-deck staterooms, everyone wins. Everyone who gets a stateroom, that is.

For those who don’t make the cut, two double cabins and two twins reside belowdecks, meaning you and 11 friends or family members can vacation together while being catered to by five crew.

With potential strong-arming set aside, you can spend more time using the yacht’s shaded top-deck bar, TV, long sofa, and dining table for 12. Or you can head to the four sun loungers for some vitamin D. The aft main-deck bar and seating area ofer up a reprieve as well.

The forepeak features the largest of the yacht’s outdoor deck spaces, with pads

Danielle Cutler Staterooms aside, most guests head to the top deck or relax in the saloon.

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Q&A

Sergey Chernetsky Moran Yacht & Ship’s superyacht broker Sergey Chernetsky shines some light on the Russian yachting market.

In the late 1990s, the megayacht industry saw an influx of owners from Russia. Can we expect to see that level of activity from the Russian market again?

Russia and the countries of the former USSR remain the most important market in yachting. In 2018, out of the six megayachts built by one of the largest European shipyards, two are owned by people of Russian heritage.

In 2017, Moran managed the construction of its Russian client’s 74-meter Aurora. How much activity on the Russian market has Moran seen recently?

We had the best year in the company’s 30-year history in 2017, closing with sales of a 115-meter Lürssen,

a 109-meter Lürssen, and Feadship’s 55-meter Madsummer and 50-meter Wabi Sabi. We’re currently managing the construction of two 100-meter-plus Lürssens and another two 90-meterplus yachts. The Russian market is still very much a priority for us.

Andrey Melnichenko’s motor yacht A (above) and

sailing yacht A showed that the boundaries of yacht design can still be pushed, and Alisher Usmanov’s Dilbar is speculated to be the largest yacht by gross tonnage in the world. Is bigger still better in Russia?

Today’s trend is less about mega-size and more about “smart” yachting, such as the 116-meter explorer Ulysses

and the 140-meter [expedition yacht] Rev, designed to clean the ocean of plastic waste but still maintaining the highest level of finish and quality. Lürssen and Oceanco’s decision to focus their interest on the 60-meter market shows that owners are no longer screaming about size but comfort and function instead.

Julia Zaltzman

TECH A monoblock masterpiece

TOTALLY AMPED history of success in the audiophile industry, some manufacturers decide to release a statement piece that represents a culmination of all their expertise. These transcend mere equipment and venture into the realm of art. Case in point is Dan D’Agostino Audio (dandagostino .com), which recently announced its largest, most over-the-top reference power amplifier ever: the D’Agostino Relentless, a monoblock amplifier.

Because it’s a mono amp, the Relentless is sold in pairs for a combined price of $250,000. Each amp can seamlessly drive up to 6,000 watts into two ohms, where ohms measures the electical resistance of the speaker. Most high-end speakers have a resistance of four ohms or less. This huge power is capable of driving any speaker on the market. This does not mean the amps are meant to just play loud music. Rather, amplifiers of this nature are designed to reproduce contrasts in music as perfectly

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as possible. For example, picture a flute playing a quiet passage, followed by the entire orchestra playing fortissimo; that transition from quiet to loud is demanding for any amp to reproduce accurately. The Relentless monoblocks can do it with ease.

The amp is designed to carry a perfect audio signal, and without the circuitry tricks of other amps, such as global negative feedback. Each has a heat-dissipating disclosure that houses a 5.5-kilowatt transformer and a 600,000-microfarad capacitor bank to ensure there is no shortage of power when the music demands it.

The signature D’Agostino power meter displays the amount of output.

The chassis is machined from copper and aluminum, designed to eliminate heat even at maximum system output.

The power meter adjusts based on the input signal, so it will be readable even during very quiet passages of music.

Dan D’Agostino has been developing amplifiers for nearly 40 years, and his designs are respected throughout the audio community and beyond. Considering his massive success, it is only fitting that he release massive amplifiers that are possibly among the greatest in history.

Alexander Lamascus

ILLUSTRATION: JOEL KIMMEL

AFTER BUILDING A

Dream Machines | T E C H

For the electrostatic fanatic

habit of enjoying music through headphones has, for today’s younger generation, become the preferred method of turning on, tuning in, and dropping out. But serious listeners have always appreciated the fidelity aforded by small transducers firing directly into the ears, eliminating all sorts of frequency anomalies caused by speaker/room interactions and rendering piles of expensive, space-consuming electronic gear redundant.

Like a voice in the wilderness, the Japanese audio company Stax (staxaudio.com)—begun in 1938—has been championing personal listening since 1959, when founder Naotake Hayashi developed his SR-1 Earspeakers, the world’s first electrostatic

THE ONCE-ESOTERIC

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headphones. Stax calls its devices earspeakers, a clue to how seriously it takes music reproduction. The current flagship, the SR-009S ($4,550), is best compared to the finest loudspeaker systems. Yes, they are that good.

Unlike high-mass dynamic drivers, electrostatic transducers employ a Mylar diaphragm coated with electroconductive material suspended between two parallel, perforated electrodes. With a fluctuating audio signal, the featherweight diaphragm moves back and forth by the repulsion and attraction of electrostatic forces. Music is reproduced with an uncanny speed and transparency that breathes life into recorded instruments and voices, creating a genuine suspension of disbelief. h

P H O T O G R A P H Y BY J O S H U A S C O T T, S T Y L I N G BY C H A R L E S W. B U M G A R D N E R

LISTEN UP

Dream Machines | T E C H

The original SR-009 was introduced in 2011. The successor SR-009S looks the same but features improvements like gold-plated electrodes, whose minuscule perforations are carefully etched to remove sharp edges that can cause microdifraction anomalies and blur sound, while resonance within the metal body has been further reduced. The net result is substantial bass response rivaling the best dynamic headphones, but with a midrange lucidity and sky-high treble extension that puts Stax in another league altogether.

When powered by the new Stax SRMD10 amp/DAC, p/ , one arrives at the most exclusive portable personal listening system imaginable. Robert Ross

WINGS High-Altitude Honda

ELITE FLEET

Developed by South Korean health-care company Bodyfriend (bodyfriend.com) and Italian marque Automobili Lamborghini, the LBF-750 massage chair employs autobody scanning to measure stress, tailoring 23 automatic programs that provide a fullbody massage using rollers and heating.

The chair also offers brain massage modes that use binaural beats to heighten theta brain waves and massaging neck cushions to increase bloodflow to the head.

Priced at $30,000, the LFB750 is upholstered in tan or black leather. And the headrest’s embossed Lamborghini crest is a reminder that even the most bullish performers need quiet time. R.R.

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and myriad motorcycles are all that come to mind at the mention of Honda, it’s time to raise your awareness. Honda Aircraft has delivered the first HondaJet Elite (hondajetelit)—a premier version of its seven-seat light jet—to a U.S. customer.

The original twin-turbofan HondaJet has sold well, with some 85 delivered since 2015. The unique placement of the engines on pylons sprouting up from the wings and the streamlined, dolphin-like shape of the nose make it instantly recognizable. But the aircraft is also fast,

I F C O M PA C T C A R S

capable, and—for a jet—economical.

I was flown in, and then flew, the previous HondaJet HA-420 not long after it was certified. It shone for, among other things, the lightness and quietness of the cabin and, from the pilot’s seat, the sophistication of its integrated flight, navigation, and control systems. The Elite is stronger on both counts.

Changes to the inlets of the Honda/ General Electric turbofans have made it less noisy for those in the two-tone leather luxury of the Elite’s cabin. And optional extra protection against mishandling, built

ILLUSTRATION: JOEL KIMMEL

Bull Sit

W I N G S | Dream Machines

Q&A

Stephanie Chung JetSuite’s new commanderin-chief, Stephanie Chung, is a catalyst for change in private-jet charter.

The HondaJet Elite features a quieter cabin and more sophisticated avionics than the first HondaJet model.

It’s not an exaggeration to call Stephanie Chung, the new president of private-jet charter company JetSuite, an aviation lifer.

Born on an air force base, she has spent the last three decades in the commercial- and private-aviation industries, and she is still climbing.

M.D. Seaton

into the faster and more capable avionics system, makes it safer when cruising at a top speed of roughly 486 mph. Other improvements for the Elite include a range increase of 17 percent, which now allows a maximum single-hop distance of 1,437 nautical miles.

According to Honda Aircraft chief executive Michimasa Fujino, a global network of dealers provide full service, from selling the $5.25 million Elite to organizing pilot training to providing maintenance. Just another example of Honda being helpful. Rohit Jaggi

JetSuite has noted that you’re the first African American of any gender to lead a major privateaviation company.

Is that significant to you?

It is so significant that I try not to let it overwhelm me.

You wake up one morning and find out you’re going to make history—I am extremely humbled.

I hope my appointment will open the doors for other people, whether women or minorities, to look at aviation and not only to become a pilot or a flight attendant.

Under your leadership, will JetSuite specifically

target women passengers?

We have not created a program specifically for women just yet, but we know the buying power of the female market. So we would be crazy not to acknowledge it and start to speak to it. Whether they’re signing on the dotted line or they’re behind the scenes making the decision on which flight provider to choose for their family, women have a lot of buying power in private aviation.

Before your career in private aviation, you taught “neuroscience selling.”

What is that?

You would classify neuroscience selling as a sales process, especially for those who sell really highticket items. But what the program really does is help people understand what the brain is doing during that process. When you’re aware of that, it changes how you communicate and connect with people.

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Genius at Work

CASE STUDY Louis Vuittonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ingenious trunks make passions portable.

BY J I L L N E W M A N P H O T O G R A P H Y BY R O B B R I C E

Motivated by great explorers, a

sense of curiosity, and boundless imagination, Louis Vuitton transformed the art of travel with novel ideas like the trunk-bed for explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, a tea trunk for the Maharajah of Baroda, and more recently, a musical trunk for a DJ. The one prerequisite: Every item must be portable so there are no boundaries on where you can take your treasure chest. In 1859, Vuitton established his workshop and home in the village of Asnières-sur-Seine, several miles up the famed river from Paris, where today an expanded atelier continues to create ingenious trunks and hard luggage. Under the watchful eye of fifth-generation family member Patrick Louis Vuitton, who oversees the fabrication of every special order from concept to completion, about 300 to 350 bespoke commissions are produced a year.

Each is handmade using largely the same techniques Louis Vuitton pioneered with his original creations.

It takes between four and six months to complete an order, but as these bits of kit are known to last a century or more, it’s probably worth the wait.

1 LEFT

Solid Foundation

It starts with the humblest material: wood. The iconic trunks and hard-sided luggage are made from three types: strong and sturdy poplar for the frame, light yet resistant African okoume for the body and lid, and lightweight, supple beechwood for decorative details.

2 B E LOW

Case by Case

Skilled carpenters build the frames in the woodshop, each cut, nailed, and finished to the specific measurements of the custom order, from small cases designed to hold an iPhone to large standing trunks that house everything from suits and dresses to dozens of pairs of shoes.

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Genius at Work

5

Locked and Loaded

Georges Vuitton developed the brand’s multi-tumbler brass lock in 1890, and it’s still used today.

Each case comes with a personalized lock number and key, which can be used across all the client’s Louis Vuitton items.

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3 LEFT

4 AB OVE

Made to Measure

Lasting Legacy

The unconventional hinges are made from two pieces of cotton that are stitched together and then glued to the inside of the frame, just as in the original Louis Vuitton trunks from the 1850s.

An international status symbol, the famous interlocking LV monogram canvas material was designed in 1896 by Louis Vuitton’s son, Georges. Covering the frames with monogram canvas is a particularly painstaking task because the LV pattern must be perfectly aligned over every seam and join.

Style & Substance NIKOS KOULIS’S impeccably crafted jewelry reflects today’s desire for easy-going elegance.

Haute couture denim, cotton tees paired with satin skirts — fashion of late has embraced a sense of easy, effortless chic. It’s a slyly subversive style that makes for endlessly wearable pieces, and it’s precisely the attitude that Nikos Koulis channels in his Lingerie collection. The award-winning Greek designer has redefined the look of fine jewelry since he first launched 12 years ago, using precious gems and traditional goldsmithing techniques to create exceptional jewels that aren’t just reserved for special occasions. Lingerie, whose name refers to the way Koulis’s designs capture the second-skin comfort of the very best underpinnings, is the epitome of Koulis’s signature style: exquisitely crafted, quietly luxurious, and unmistakably modern.

The new collection combines the sleek, architectural lines Koulis is best known for with soft, sensual finishes. Lustrous polished gold boules catch the light from every angle, illuminating the face in sculptural drop earrings and elegant rivière necklaces. The rich 18-karat gold is punctuated with graphic pops of black enamel and an array of expertly cut diamonds, including tapered-baguettes and round-brilliants. In several pieces, smooth gold surfaces are studded with reverse-set diamonds, whose spiked points lend a subtly rebellious edge. Despite the complex handwork required to create them, the pieces all exude a fuss-free glamour that allows the woman wearing them to truly shine.

N I KO S K O U L I S . C O M

I N PA RT N E R S H I P W I T H N I K O S K O U L I S

Genius at Work

6 BE LOW

Simple Solutions

The cases are prepped with durable adhesive before the fabric is inserted.

7 A B OV E , B E LOW

Endurance Test

The cases move from one specialist to the next, including the expert who performs the ďŹ nal interior ďŹ tting. One of the last steps is protecting the edges of the luggage with strips of lozine, a water-resistant and rot-proof composite material that gives a watertight seal and guarantees hardiness against the elements.

Then every inch is inspected before the piece leaves the workshop. This inspector spotted an errant silver stud, which was changed to match the gold stud.

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Ben Oliver

Dan Dunn

James D. Malcolmson

David Coggins

Paul Sullivan

Mark Cho

on cars, p. 117

on spirits, p. 118

on watches, p. 119

on fishing, p. 119

on wealth, p. 120

on fashion, p. 122

Field Notes

BEN OLIVER

Can Aston Martin Copy Ferrari?

Does the British carmaker have the brand power to succeed at going public?

CARS

F

or as long as they’ve both existed, Ferrari and Aston Martin have done battle on racetracks and in auction rooms, and competed for space on the driveways of the wealthy and the bedroom walls of the teenaged. Now their rivalry has a new arena: the global stock markets. Ferrari listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2015, and Aston Martin has just made its long-awaited IPO—in London, of course.

For once, Aston will be happy to sit

in Ferrari’s slipstream. Prior to the Italian firm’s IPO, analysts tried to value it as they would a conventional carmaker.

They decried the insistence of Ferrari’s late CEO Sergio Marchionne that it should be treated as a luxury-goods business and attract that sector’s vastly higher valuation multiples. They described the initial ofer price as wild, but investors ignored them and listened to Marchionne. The shares have gone on to rise by up to 150 percent, running ahead of a doubling in profit.

Aston’s Kuwaiti and Italian privateequity owners will be hoping the market views their business the same way, but investors might be wise to pay more attention to the analysts this time.

Ferrari is simply one of the world’s greatest brands, but unlike Hermès or Prada, it is indelibly associated with one product—fast cars—and its logo can’t be applied to other goods as easily as Hermès’s can to bags and scarves and watches. Its use on other products, from teddy bears to theme parks, risks looking tacky or exploitative.

In preparation for its flotation, Aston has been working hard to prove that it too is a “portable” luxury brand that can

be associated with other products and create new revenue streams, but it has hit the same problem as Ferrari.

We’ve seen the AM37 powerboat, the Aston Martin Residences condo in Miami, the Project Neptune mini submarine, and even the Volante Vision flying car concept. In the first three examples, Aston has simply applied its name and some design veneer to another company’s product, leaving both aficionados and investors unconvinced, at best.

The real impact of Ferrari’s brand power can be seen in its pricing. Its desirability means it can charge almost at will, which in turn makes it an extremely profitable business by the often-dismal standards of the auto industry, and that desirability will keep it healthy in tough times. Waiting lists for Ferrari’s core 488 model are long. They may shorten in a downturn, but deliveries won’t alter much. The company’s sales were barely afected by the financial crisis. Some of its skyhigh valuation is driven by passion, but some more rational institutional investors see it—perhaps surprisingly—as a defensive stock. h

Illustrations by CELYN

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Field Notes

The same cannot be said of Aston Martin. Like many of the British aristocrats it serves, Aston’s blue-blooded image is at odds with its financial precariousness. It has been bankrupt seven times and has changed hands more often than an old dollar bill. Its sales halved in the financial crisis and have only begun to recover. But it does have a credible plan to finally acquire the scale it needs to be stable. CEO Andy Palmer quit as Nissan’s global No. 3 to lead Aston in October 2014. He knows that the global market for exotic two-seat sports cars is too small and too static to provide that scale, so his Second Century plan calls for a massively expanded seven-model lineup comprising SUVs, sedans, a mid-engine supercar—and electric drivetrains. Sales are planned to reach 140,000 by 2023, from around 64,00 this year.

There’s risk here, of course, but not from a dilution of the brand. Porsche’s core sports cars are better engineered as a result of its very profitable expansion into SUVs, and no less desirable. But Aston Martin is trying to do it all at once. It competes with marques that benefit from the largesse and economies of scale of the big automotive groups that own them, while Aston goes it alone. It will build types of cars it hasn’t made before in its new factory in Wales and with a new workforce, but must maintain superpremium quality and a hand-built feel.

Not easy.

Developing those new cars is stretching Aston’s balance sheet, and we’ve yet to see or drive them. The new cars that have been launched under the Second Century plan—chiefly the new DB11 and Vantage—have been ecstatically received, but they’re two-door sports cars of the type Aston has always made.

Sensible investors might have preferred to wait a little longer for an Aston IPO, until they had test-driven the new DBX SUV due next year and seen how the business rides out Brexit and a couple more years of aggressive expansion. But the brand priced its ofer at $24.68 per share, valuing the business at $5.6 billion—at the lower end of the range it first suggested. That figure still seems hard to justify, but so did Ferrari’s initial valuation, to anyone rational. If you’d followed your heart rather than your head back then, you might now be selling Ferrari stock to buy one of its cars with your profit.

Ben Oliver is an award-winning automotive journalist, consultant, and speechwriter based in the UK.

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DAN DUNN

Open Up a Bottle of Pure Joy Until recently, the Irish whiskey industry was on the loor.

Now it’s been reborn.

SPIRITS

T

hough it sounds chipper enough, the expression “the luck of the Irish” should only ever be spoken with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Luck is to the Irish what winning is to the Cleveland Browns.

Between famine, oppression, and civil war, the Irish put the “less” in blessed and the “dip” in serendipity.

Want proof? Take whiskey. The Irish practically invented the stuf—the word whiskey comes from a Gaelic phrase (uisce beathadh, “water of life”). But if you look at the 20 best-selling whiskey brands in the United States, only one is from Ireland. And yes, it’s Jameson.

How is it that one of the finest spirits you can buy is barely bought here at all?

There are reasons, of course. Up through the 1800s, Ireland had thousands of distilleries and controlled around 70 percent of the world whiskey market. Then came the 1900s, though, a century with a decided anti-Irish bias.

Between U.S. Prohibition and a trade war with England, Irish whiskey was very nearly wiped out. By the 1970s, there were but a handful of distilleries left, and their output accounted for less than one percent of the world’s supply.

But things change. In the 1980s, John

Teeling opened the first new distillery in Ireland in more than a century, and then in 2015 his sons opened Dublin’s first new distillery in 125 years. Since then, the tide has slowly begun to turn green again. Existing distilleries expanded, new ones opened, and the world began to fall back in love with Irish whiskey. And with good reason.

Made with a blend of malted and unmalted barley with two or three go-rounds in single pot stills, Irish whiskeys tend toward a lighter, smoother, sweeter flavor profile than what you generally get in scotches or bourbons. It’s what the industry calls “approachable.” And with global demand for whiskey at an all-time high, there’s never been a better time to be approachable.

Over the past decade, Irish whiskey exports have leapt 300 percent. That’s nowhere near enough to bring Ireland back up to Scotland or the United States’ prodigious output, but thankfully Ireland doesn’t care. Success breeds success, and a host of smaller producers are popping up all over the Emerald Isle, making it an ideal hunting ground for collectors.

For what Ireland lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality.

More and more distilleries are experimenting with unusual production and aging methods. Green Spot, for instance, recently introduced an expression called Château Léoville Barton that is finished in Grand Cru Bordeaux wine casks, imparting a luxurious creaminess and a bit of honey sweetness. Irish Distillers, which produces Jameson and Powers, among others, launched its Method and Madness range with an unprecedented 28-year-old single-pot-still whiskey matured in Ruby Port pipes that is both dense and delicious.

OF THE 20 BESTSELLING WHISKEY BRANDS IN THE UNITED STATES, ONLY ONE IS FROM IRELAND. HOW IS IT THAT ONE OF THE FINEST SPIRITS YOU CAN BUY IS BARELY BOUGHT HERE AT ALL? And at the deep end of the market, you have a number of options to explore.

Redbreast Dream Cask 32-Year-Old, Knappogue Castle 1951, and Midleton Very Rare 30th Anniversary Pearl

Edition are coveted collectibles all. None of those precious bottles are easy to come by, but that’s all part of the adventure. I’d wish you luck, but as an Irish American myself, I know better. I’ll take Irish whiskey over Irish luck any day of the week.

Dan Dunn is the author of American Wino: A Tale of Reds, Whites, and One Man’s Blues.

JAMES D. MALCOLMSON

Hands Off Our Holy Grail Tight control of stock by the gatekeepers is fueling our desire for coveted pieces.

WATCHES

T

he record, as it stands, is approximately four and a half minutes. That’s the amount of time a collector, just introduced by telephone, took to ask me if I, or anyone else I knew, could help him secure a 5711. The experience, which feels not unlike being hit on, is a sign of the times.

Collectors’ appetites have been whipped up by a small handful of “it” models— like Patek Philippe’s 5711 Nautilus—and without any mores to regulate the frenzy, well, why not skip the foreplay?

The exchange, like so many things in the watch world, was primarily (but not completely) engineered in Switzerland. For years the financial performance of new watches was an issue that simmered out of sight among a far less interconnected community of collectors. Manufacturers could mask

the efects of supply and demand by dumping unwanted product in foreign markets and lay issues like discounting at the feet of retailers they labeled as unscrupulous. One can imagine their horror two years ago as the oversupply of watches from shrinking markets in Russia and China played out like a lowspeed train wreck on trading sites like jomashop.com where discounts fluctuated live like a 1929 ticker tape.

This is the background to many months of extraordinary activity in the watch industry. Over the last 18 months, we have seen massive traic and record price increases in vintage watches, and a similar jump in new initiatives and sales in the pre-owned market. All of a sudden, value retention has become the defining issue across a broad swathe of the watch-buying public. It’s bad news for companies that were once content to imply that their watches were an investment without ever having to demonstrate performance.

The ones that can, such as Patek Philippe and Rolex, have been quick to seize the initiative by exerting ironclad control over their production and distribution in ways the group-owned brands cannot. In visiting the highly restricted inner sanctum of Rolex’s New York oice late last year, one authorized dealer (who requested anonymity) was struck by the levels of stock in the company’s Kardex storage, which were the lowest he had ever seen. With demand spiking thanks to the auction of the Paul Newman Daytona, and a number of well-planned and relevant product refreshes, the company is keeping an astute and firm hand on the tap.

Thus, certain companies are the authors of the “it” watch phenomenon.

The movement has gained traction as pecuniary-minded collectors (along with quite a few dealers) learn that hunting down these pieces is not only profitable but also fun, in a punishing sort of way. Rather than give your gains to some grinning auctioneer, why not experience a little thrill of the chase in pursuing these hard-to-get models? It’s a new twist on an age-old collector’s psychology, with all the spoils shareable on Instagram.

The reality, of course, is not quite so easy. Authorized dealers, who now have to vet an enormous number of calls from around the country, are directing almost all of these pieces to strategic customers. The few pieces that do make it into other channels, you can be sure, are fully marked up.

Many of the watch companies ofer muted complaints about the diiculties the extra demand has imposed on their

WHY NOT EXPERIENCE A LITTLE THRILL OF THE CHASE IN PURSUING THESE HARD-TO-GET MODELS? networks while doing nothing to change the market conditions that imposed them. And why should they? The added prestige is something every watch executive team will soon be required to produce. And since it appeals to our very basic emotions, this little mutation to our culture is likely to be with us a long time.

James D. Malcolmson is Robb Report’s horology editor and the editor of Robb Report Watch Collector.

DAVID COGGINS

Spring Creeks and Smart Trout The life pursuit of the perfect ish can lead to small moments of enlightenment.

FISHING

P

aradise Valley is not a retirement community or an eccentric television show. It’s the scenic setting where the Yellowstone River flows beside green pastures between the Absaroka and Gallatin mountains. It’s worth the drive down

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Field Notes

Highway 89, from Livingston, Mont., all the way to Gardiner to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, which remains one of the United States’ truly great places.

But if you drive too fast you’ll miss the white-gated entrance to DePuy Spring Creek, the angling mecca. The punctuation and pronunciation are diicult (duh-pew), and the fishing is just as hard. That’s because DePuy is a spring creek, with vivid, clear water that runs cold all year long. These streams— Silver Creek south of Ketchum, Ida., is another—derive their water from underground springs and are filled with large, educated trout. You can see them, they can certainly see you, and they prefer to ignore you in ways that feel downright insulting.

This is technical fishing, both thrilling and slightly alarming to those who make the pilgrimage. Walk right up to the water, and fish will dart away from the bank. It requires a stealthy approach—slowly creep up to the water like a supplicant before a monarch. This summer I was using the Orvis Helios 3F 5-weight 9-foot rod—it’s accurate, responsive, and good for delicate presentations. That’s important because you’re working with incredibly fine tackle—a 6x leader or smaller—so your fly creates the most minimal disturbance when it lands. Drift the fly in sync with the current—any drag or inadvertent splash will upset the whole endeavor.

This is everything you’ve learned over

I WAS DOING MY PART, TACTICALLY SPEAKING, THOUGH THAT STILL MEANT I MIGHT LOSE A FISH. YOU CAN DO WHAT’S RIGHT AND STILL NOT SUCCEED. the years; now just try to stay calm, which is hard because enormous fish are everywhere you look.

Returning to any great water, you recall past triumphs and devastations.

But you’re also measuring yourself against your last visit. Has your casting improved? Do you mend line well? Are your tactics more refined? You have to have faith that, yes, they are indeed. You also know that when you catch a trout and land it, you’ve approached the high level of this endeavor and etch those fish in your memory.

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At DePuy in August, I knew I had my work cut out since it was late in the season and the fish have seen a lot of flies. I recall losing fish here in a startling variety of ways. I’ve tried to bring them in too aggressively, and they broke of those fine leaders. When I tried to be patient and ease them in, they ran and broke me of downstream (one that bolted in a rainstorm was, I swear, the largest trout I’ve ever had on a line, not that I expect you to believe that). But bit by bit you do improve.

You can’t make fish do what they don’t want to do. This trip I had a sunny day, and hoppers weren’t working; the trout were active but not taking dry flies.

They seemed to be eating midges. Now midges are about the most nondescript bugs there are, barely more than a small hook wrapped in string. I’ve always resisted midges since you can barely see them and, in some way, they seem so improbable. But trout eat midges all day long, so I’ve experimented with them more this year—even a stubborn angler can learn.

I drifted the midge through the feeding fish and quickly had a hit. A fat rainbow jumped and flashed his metallic sides. Glory on the spring creek! Praise to the midge! I steadily retrieved the fish, like a competent angler who’s read Nick Lyons’s wonderful book Spring Creek—I was ready for my angling PhD. Then, what’s this? The line went suddenly slack. I succumbed to that sudden, hollow feeling. In my torrent of self-congratulation the trout made one last dive and broke free. I smiled the smile of one wronged by the injustices of the universe but with only himself to blame.

The next trout, however, came quickly. My heart raced, but everything aligned, and I landed it. It was a healthy cutthroat, with the wonderful rose-andgold color those lovely fish are known for. I needed nothing more in the world.

I drank a beer. My sense of enlightenment was strained, however, when I lost the next fish. But it was restored when I landed a meaty rainbow. There was a pattern here. I was doing my part, tactically speaking, though that still meant I might lose a fish. You can do what’s right and still not succeed. Every angler knows this, but the pang when you lose a good fish never goes away.

This balance between triumph and pain is a reminder that on spring creeks, as everywhere else, improvement gets you in the game while teaching you how much more you have to learn.

David Coggins is the author of Men and Manners. He lives in New York City.

PAUL SULLIVAN

RIW—Rest in Wealth It’s no longer enough to have a will—it’s time to get estate planning.

WEALTH

Y

ou’d imagine that stars of the caliber of Aretha Franklin and Prince would have access to the very best things in life. And that would include financial advisors. But while we know about the Queen of Soul’s insistence on being paid in cash for her shows and Prince’s vast Paisley Park estate and other homes that were valued in the tens of millions, it appears that neither had the right people looking after their money. Both died without wills to direct their fortunes.

The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini is another example. While he had a will when he died unexpectedly five years ago, he did not establish a trust. That oversight opened up his personal financial life at death in a way he likely would have never approved while still with us.

How open? Well, through his will we know he gave his assistant $200,000, his nieces $500,000 each, and he took care of friends—though some got $50,000 while one got $200,000. His son got his clothing and jewelry, and his wife received the rest of his personal items.

If the financial decisions of celebrities seem far removed from our daily lives, I have news for you. Only 60 percent of Americans have a will. And no will means that at death the state determines how property gets split, with a premium placed on equal division. If you have a collection of watches, cars, or wine, the state will total it up and distribute it equally. It won’t consider which children or friends might want

Field Notes

some of the items, which should be sold, and which ones might have thought about donating to your alma mater.

Now, while I’d like to make certain assumptions that if you’re reading this column, chances are you care about the many aspects of your wealth, Prince and Aretha show that wealth succession planning might not be sexy, but it’s vitally important and easily overlooked.

Without a will in New York, for example, “If you have minor children the court is going to appoint a guardian,” says Patricia C. Marcin, a partner at law firm Farrell Fritz. And guardians aren’t free. That comes out of a child’s inheritance. And if the state divvies up your assets, there is no nuance. So, if like Aretha you have a special-needs child, an inheritance might cause that child to lose any state-funded support, such as Medicaid.

So what do you do? Set up a full estate plan, not just a quick will, for starters. There are a half dozen crucial elements for you, including a will, a revocable trust, and documents naming a health-care proxy and assigning power of attorney. They take time to set up, and the costs start at several thousand dollars. But all of this, while not diicult, requires, well, that you pay attention.

Let’s assume that you can focus and you succeed in putting an estate plan in place. Now comes the subtle part: keeping your will updated. Jefrey Geida, a director at LA estate-planning law firm Weinstock Manion, advises clients to review their wills and trusts annually, around tax time. “I want them to make sure the guardians of their kids are people they still talk to,” he said.

PRINCE AND ARETHA SHOW THAT WEALTH SUCCESSION PLANNING MIGHT NOT BE SEXY, BUT IT’S VITALLY IMPORTANT AND EASILY OVERLOOKED. Bill Sanderson, co-chair of the private wealth services group at McGuire Woods, says people need to find an adviser they can trust to check in with them. It’s a role he often fills, and he understands why. “When I talk to my clients who have developed a retail business or a real estate empire, they’re pouring all of their energy and passion into it. The last thing you’re

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thinking about is, are my estate documents in order?”

So let’s put the next deal to one side and do the unsexy thing. Your kids will thank you one day.

Paul Sullivan is the author of The Thin Green Line: The Money Secrets of the Super Wealthy and the Wealth Matters columnist for the New York Times.

MARK CHO

If You Buy Just One Blazer... ...Make sure it’s navy cashmere. It’s the go-anywhere jacket of your dreams.

FASHION

D

espite being around tailoring for a long time, I always kept a certain distance from cashmere. I felt like it was something to be earned when you were a little older, wiser, and more accomplished.

I eventually gave up waiting to become that person in my thirties. I had opened two menswear stores, and the whole operation had not burned down yet, and so I indulged, commissioning a navy cashmere blazer from one of my tailors.

To my surprise, there was not much fuss or fanfare around this momentous occasion; apparently, it was just in my head.

The first thing you notice with a cashmere blazer is how soft it is. This is because cashmere is made from the underhair of the Kashmir goat, a breed concentrated in China and Mongolia.

This type of goat has a double fleece—an external fleece of longer, coarser hairs and an underhair that is much, much finer, perfect for milestone-marking consumer purchases. The second thing

you notice is how warm it is. Cashmere fiber has significant crimp; it naturally wants to fold itself into a zigzag pattern at a microscopic level. When you put a lot of these fibers together as you make fiber into yarn and yarn into cloth, it creates a lot of air pockets within. This allows for cashmere to be an excellent insulator, trapping much more of your body’s heat than other materials.

As a blazer, cashmere is quietly eye-catching. While it is soft, it is not as hairy as flannel. Good suiting wool should have a definite springiness to it, but cashmere cloth has a gentler return, more pliant than crisp. In terms of colors, navy is the obvious first choice for a blazer. Since cashmere has a natural luster, darker-colored cashmere cloths have a seductive richness to them, dark blues and navies benefiting the most.

When picking cashmere, it is important to focus on the “body” of the cloth.

A soft, smooth touch will come naturally with use. A little heft to the cloth is more important, because it suggests that the cloth has been made of a substantial amount of cashmere rather than as little as possible while still retaining the 100 percent cashmere tag. Over time, a heavier cashmere will be sturdier, pilling less on its surface and bagging less at the elbows.

A good cashmere blazer can go with you anywhere. It ages well with use. Its softness allows it to mold to your body, so the “old cashmere sweater” comparison is apt. As a regular traveler to colder cities, I find the extra warmth cashmere provides very practical, often making the diference between carrying a heavy overcoat on the road or not. In terms of pairings, a navy cashmere blazer runs a wide gamut but stops short of the most formal occasions. At its dressiest, I love to wear it with flannel trousers, a white button-down shirt, and a crisp grenadine tie as a contrast to the soft textures of the jacket and trousers. However, it’s just as at home with a simple roll-neck and a pair of jeans and loafers—the weekend-gentleman look.

In my limited record of making good life choices, having a cashmere blazer ranks high. My trusty navy cashmere blazer has been with me for years now, and thanks to the magic of tailoring and subsequent waistline-related alterations, I continue to enjoy its company. What I thought would be an unnecessary indulgence ended up being a beloved piece, worth every penny.

Mark Cho is an entrepreneur and the cofounder of menswear emporium the Armoury (in New York and Hong Kong) and the owner of Drake’s.

BR-X1 R.S.18 CHRONOGRAPH The BR-X1 R.S.18 embodies the perfect combination of Bell & Ross’ expertise in the world of extreme watches and haute horlogerie. It is an instrument with an innovative design created for racing drivers, produced at a limited edition of 250 pieces. The lightweight case is protected by a “belt” made from microblasted titanium and rubber, which serves as a shield. The colours of the openworked dial have been chosen to make the values easier to read: yellow for the tachymeter and red for the chrono minutes display. The skeleton chronograph movement is an exceptional mechanism, combining haute horlogerie and precision · Bell & Ross Inc. +1.888.307.7887 · e-boutique: www.bellross.com

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Richard Mille’s RM11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph ($184,00, richardmille.com) has an indestructible Carbon TPT and Orange Quartz TPT case built for sporting adventures. Its racy orange accents and white indices team up nicely with the design on Nike’s EXP-X14 SE ($130, nike.com).

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G A M E T I M E

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Game Time

The splashy green dial on Glashütte’s Original Sixties timepiece ($7,500, glashuette-original .com) undergoes an elaborate process to achieve its vibrant hue and splattered design, mimicked here by the marble-print pattern of Adidas Originals’ NMD_R1 Primeknit sneakers ($170, mrporter.com).

Game Time

Audemars Piguetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stainless-steel Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin ($24,700, audemarspiguet.com) displays a wafflepatterned dial that shares a discreet graphic aesthetic with the mesh HypoSkin upper on New Balanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fresh Foam Zante v4 sneakers ($100, newbalance.com). Wear as a pair.

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Game Time

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Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch Chronograph CK 2998 Limited Edition ($6,500, omegawatches.com) is based on the 1959 original, worn by astronaut Wally Schirra during the Mercury Sigma 7 mission, and was recently updated with black subdials, a white pulsometer scale, and a perforated leather strap.

While Z Zegna’s Techmerino Socks Sneakers ($525, zegna .us) aren’t equipped for space travel, their mesh sock interior and dotted stretch laces are a perfect partner to the Speedy here on Earth.

Patek Philippe’s stainless-steel Aquanaut ref. 5968A ($43,770, patekphilippe.com) is one of the sportier timepieces in the esteemed 179year-old watchmaker’s collection. Its gridpatterned dial and orange rubber strap sync with Prada’s tangerinecolored Cloudbust sneakers ($745, prada .com) in a graphic fabric pattern.

Game Time

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FROM LEFT: Vacheron

Constantin Fiftysix Selfwinding in stainless steel; Fiftysix Tourbillon in rose gold; Fiftysix Complete Calendar in rose gold.

By JA M E S D. MALCOLMSON Photography by WILL ANDERSON

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Vacheron Constantin

MAKE steps into the future

IT with a contemporary

NEW watch debut.

Make It New

he word new can be a loaded one when you work at the world’s oldest continually operating watch company.

From left: Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Selfwinding movement in stainless steel and Fiftysix Complete Calendar in rose gold with Geneva Seal.

There was very little talk of newness at the recent launch of Vacheron Constantin’s Fiftysix collection held over a two-day period in London. There was a good deal of talk from company executives about tradition and the historical roots behind the design of the watch (a hint of protesting too much), which did not disguise the fact that many of the executives are new, as is the scope of the Fiftysix watch project and the reason behind it. Fiftysix, in fact, is an important transformational milestone for the company, whether Vacheron Constantin execs want to admit it or not.

The trouble is younger buyers continue to favor sporty models over formal dress watches, making traditional a much less positive adjective for watchmakers.

With some of Vacheron Constantin’s most recognizable designs tied to the shrinking dress-watch category, one can imagine the pressure in company product meetings to find a model to stem the demographic tide. Enter the Fiftysix.

“We realized we didn’t have a classic, elegant round watch that could be worn every day,” explains Laurent Perves, Vacheron Constantin’s chief marketing oicer and a key member of the company’s product development team. “Such a watch should correspond to a modern lifestyle where you wear your watch during the week but also with your jeans when you go out for a drink.”

Both Perves and Vacheron CEO Louis Ferla represent a new generation of management at Vacheron Constantin,

one that is increasingly corporatized like many of the brands controlled by ownership groups like Richemont. In contrast to the period of former artistic director Christian Selmoni, who now heads up the heritage department, the product-development committees are large entities with input from a variety of trained experts. And while a large amount of market analysis undoubtedly went into the creation of Fiftysix, the company took an atypical look inward.

“We asked ourselves which period in history fitted the objectives of the watch,” explains Perves. “As we looked in the archives with Christian and the team, we thought the ’50s seemed to be a good match because they were a golden age for Vacheron. Our bicentennial was in 1955.

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Make It New

It was a very creative period with the rise of automatic movements and Luminova.”

The designers found a starting place in Reference 6073 from 1956, a relatively straightforward round design, which like many Vacheron Constantins of the era possessed flamboyantly designed lugs— in this case, the tips of the company’s Maltese Cross angled inward to hold the strap. The designers then shifted to both the 1940s and the 1960s to extract twotone dials from watches of that period.

That said, Fiftysix is not a vintageinspired collection or even a vintageinspired mash-up. The Maltese Cross from the 6073 has been ghosted away to little more than a line, and the sector dial and numerals, while vintage in shape, are colored and finished in modern fashion.

If you look closely, a subtle box crystal—a vintage detail that is once again popular in watches—can be detected. In other respects, Fiftysix is a very modern collection, rounded where it counts for comfort and sized at 40 and 41 mm to fit a wider variety of customers.

Vacheron Constantin Reference 6073 from 1956.

APPROACHABIL LITY may ay be the most sterling quaality off Fitysix ix.

The designers have sccrupulously avoided dramatic tou uches that could narrow its appeeal.

In fact, approachability may be the most sterling quality of Fiftysix. The designers have scrupulously avoided dramatic touches that could narrow its appeal. It is also adapted to a wide variety of complications and priced aggressively for the brand. The rose-gold Fiftysix Tourbillon with peripheral rotor is just $113,000, one of the brand’s lowest prices to date for such a complication. Vacheron has been able to ofer a self-winding model in steel for less than $12,000 through the use of a supplied movement without the Geneva Seal hallmark.

Each model has an excellence of finish on case, movement, and dial, which is probably the most important thing

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peoplle expect from Vacheron Constantin.

As is ccustomaryy for the brand, movement finish h qualityy increases with the level of comp plication, but the simpler models will not sufer in comparison unless it is made with a loupe. The brand has created a sense of contemporary classicism, particularly with the complete calendar model, with its perfectly proportioned display windows that evoke so many great watches of the 1950s.

“We wanted to find something that would exist in between our Patrimony and Overseas [sports] lines,” says style and heritage director Christian Selmoni.

“It’s a kind of relaxed way to wear a watch, which is not something so easy

to design. I think for manyy watch owners, fans, and collectors, this watch was unexpected.”

But as he took of f for another event, Selmoni left an unintended counterpoint to the Fiftysix by pulling out of his bag another Vacheron Constantin calendar watch, this one from the 1950s. It had a silvered dial and white-gold case with a set of gadroons, or decorations, around its outer edge and flamboyant reverse-teardrop lugs. It had the streamlined flair typical of the great industrial designer Raymond Loewy.

True, it wasn’t something most men would wear on the weekends or out for a drink, but it was art.

The

New School Just when you think there isn’t anything else to uncover, we present four innovative jewelry designers you’ve probably never heard of until now. You’re welcome .

BY

JILL NEWMAN

F From a remote beachfront workshop in Brisbane, with dolphins frolicking in view, identical twins David and Michael Robinson are creating extraordinary jewelry. These pieces reflect the level of ingenuity and craftsmanship that one expects to see coming out of a revered Paris workshop, or in the windows of a Place Vendôme maison.

But, in fact, “it’s just the two of us, no apprentices, squirreled away making the pieces that we want,” says David, acknowledging that their isolated lifestyle (they don’t even have cell phones) allows them to focus exclusively on their craft.

Relying on solar power and collected rainwater to operate their eco-friendly studio, the 40-year-old brothers make only about

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15 pieces a year, and they’re not looking to increase production.

“It’s a passion, not work,” David says. That passion is manifested in the remarkable handcraftsmanship that shapes their uniquely decorative pieces: A radiant cushion-cut yellow diamond is framed with tiny diamonds and set within a large golden-pearl ring; a cluster of rare pink conch pearls is surrounded by undulating platinum petals paved with pink diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and spinels on a jeweled leafy ring, each slender edge lightly dusted with diamonds or gemstones so it subtly sparkles from every angle.

It takes years of training to achieve this refined craftsmanship, and their schooling started as young boys when they lolled away their afternoons in their father’s jewelry shop in New Zealand. When the family moved to Europe where their father worked at Chaumet and Backes & Strauss, the twins learned about European craftsmanship. Returning to their native New Zealand, they made bridal jewelry for retail clients before moving to the more temperate Brisbane region four years ago to pursue their creative dream. For the first three years, they experimented, refined their craft, and created pieces without giving any thought of selling them.

Once they posted their creations on Instagram, they were promptly noticed by Natalie Betteridge, whose family owns Betteridge jewelry shops in Vail, Aspen, and Greenwich, Conn. Her team didn’t waste any time convincing the brothers to allow Betteridge to become the exclusive David Michael distributor in America.

“I was drawn to their use of color, which has a painterly quality, and the intricate details of each piece,” says Betteridge. Being handcrafted from start to finish, she says, gives the pieces

For a lucky few: The brothers produce only about 15 unique pieces a year.

David Michael BRISBANE

a “nuanced finish unlike anything else.”

Committed to a pure process, the duo has shunned technology: Every piece is forged from a bar or plate of gold that is rolled, hammered, and stretched; they cut and set the stones and finish everything by hand.

Michael says hand-forging the metal allows them to make it so fine that it essentially disappears and allows the stones to stand out.

Working side by side, often seven days a week, the brothers typically spend several weeks or months on a single piece. Their jewelry is largely inspired by the flora and fauna that surrounds them, each piece originating from a watercolor rendering painted by Michael. It takes them 200 to 300 hours on average to make a single design, and a recent creation, inspired by Michael’s love of 19th-century handpainted miniatures, was more than 400 hours in the making. He painstakingly painted an oil rendering of a koi fish on a slice of mother-of-pearl, covered it with a thin, portrait-cut aquamarine to create an illusion of the fish underwater, and surrounded it with green tsavorite foliage and rough gray diamond cubes that emulate cobblestones.

The masterpiece can be worn as a brooch or pendant necklace, and also comes with a small stand so that it can be exhibited. That’s just how they see their work.

Says Michael, “We don’t make products; we make art.” (betteridge.com)

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The New School

The stylish Lauren Khoo sits down at Casa Lever in New York in late September to discuss her new jewelry collection. “It’s about personal symbolism and romanticism,” she says, and then identifies the significance of her own jewelry. The two diamond tennis bracelets on her wrist belonged to her grandmother, the men’s rose-gold Rolex Daytona watch was a gift from her parents when she graduated from Brown University, and the matte-gold set of oval bangles on her other wrist are engraved with her grandfather’ss name and his grandfather favorite saying.

“I’m inspired by the Victorian era because so much off that jewelry was connected to sentimentality,” says the 32-year-old.

But that is as far as the connection to the Victorian era goes. Her contemporary designs are playful, like th the d i l f l lik mismatched ivy earrings (one is short, the other long) covered with deep-green tsavorite gems and inspired by the ever-present foliage during her four years in New England. Another pair of earrings features a cherryblossom design with pinksapphire and diamond petals closed in one silhouette and open in the other. The gummy-bear pendants in blue quartz, black onyx, or pavé diamonds look like her favorite candy. “My craftsmen didn’t understand what I wanted from the sketch so I brought them Haribo gummy bears, and they caught on fast,” fast, she says with a laugh.

Lauren X Khoo SINGAPORE

Passion play: Seriously crafted jewelry with a sense off playfulness.

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Her passion for jewelry began while obsserving her mother and her grandmother (part off Singapore’s Khoo familyy dynasty), who had a big jewelrryy collection.

“I noticed that my my mother and her friends wore the same handbags and jewelry from Cartier or Van Cleef— it was like a uniform,” she says off grow wingg up in Singapore. “I wanted to create bespoke jewelry so women could d express their individuallity.”

To that end, she unveiled her recent collection in Singapore, where women can preview her original designs.

Each piece is custom made to a client’s specifications,

includingg sizee, stones, and other modifications. “Every piece should cconnect to a woman’s storyy, whether it’s a certain stone or a symbol,” she says. The engraved gold bracelets are aamong her most popular designs.

Her latest collection explores puttiing pearls in a modern conteext by pairing h diamonds tinyy orbs with which appear in Cosmos—w bursts. “When like large starb of pearls, they people think o think off Barbaara Bush or the old-fashioned Flintstones’ [o ut pearls are necklaces], bu beautiful and feminine, and I want to reignite the conversation.”” (laurenx khoo.com)

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The New School

Move over: Gusky wants to be the next bigg French jewelry house.

mi, I’m “Growing up in Miam obsessed with color,” says David Gusky, who speent nearly three years searching workshops across Eurrope ods of to uncover new metho applying color in jeweelry.

Rather than turn to biig olor, gemstones for bold co Gusky decided ceramic was the optimum alternatiive mitless because it ofered a lim ng color palette—including his custom-made mintgreen and lemon-yellow— and was sturdier than enamel or gold.

His search ended in Paris, where he found a team of artisans who worked with him to develop an arduous method to integrate gold and ceramic colors in stylized, everyday designs. Each piece starts with a block of 18-karat gold, from which craftsmen extrude his signature arch shapes.

They then apply layers of hand-lacquered ceramic inside the crevices, and it’s

A certain ring: His ceramic jewelry comes in 16 custom colors.

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hand-polished to create a flush flush, smooth finish finish.

The skillful process takes between six to eight weeks to make a single piece.

“The sleek ceramic finishes reminded me of the vintage cars that I grew up restoring with my father,” says the 30-yearold entrepreneur. “This is more similar to how watch cases are crafted with a level of precision that can’t be achieved with traditional jewelry casting, which requires heating and can make the metal porous.”

Five years ago he opened a salon on Rue de la Paix

Davidor PARIS

with neighb bors like Cartier and Van Cleeef & Arpels, as well as h his own workshop employingg about 40 craftsmen workin ng on the ceramic collection aand a series off one-of-a-kind jewelry designs.

His sign nature Arch motiff is infl fluenced by both the clean lin nes of Art Deco design and Italy’s Palladian villas. “I waas moved by the shape off thee arch because it reminds me m of something romantic,” says Gusky, who spent a lot o of time traveling in Italyy with h his parents who were jewelry manufacturers. “W When I looked through arcchways, I always saw someth hing incredible—a

window to another place.”

He even translated the shape into his own proprietary diamond cut, the Davidor Arch Cut, applied to the signature designs.

Gusky’s latest series, L’Arc Deco, features ruby, sapphire, and diamond Arch Cut stones set in platinum jewelry.

The ceramic designs, though, are quickly becoming a collectible among his Paris clients, he says, with women buying two or three at a time. “Women want to wear their jewelry every day and have fun with it, and the ceramic jewelry is pretty much indestructible.” (davidor.com)

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The AFTERGLOW The week was a whirlwindâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;hot dates, exclusive parties . . . sore heads.

Only the jewels kept their sparkle throughout.

BY

JILL NEWMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

DAVID BURTON

Harry Winston (harrywinston.com) diamond Lariat necklace set in platinum; Arunashi (arunashi.com) titanium earrings with 42 carats of rubellites and diamond accents. Armed eye mask

by Maggie Wu Studio; Agent Provocateur slip.

M O N D AY:

S AV E V E N I C E B A L L

Mask needed well beyond the party.

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Jacob & Co. (jacoband co.com) High Jewelry Collection bracelet with 52 carats of diamonds and 57 carats of sapphires.

Oscar de la Renta clutch; Woven rug. RIGHT: Chopard (chopard.com) pear-shaped kunzite-anddiamond earrings from the Haute Joaillerie Collection.

Alexandre Vaulthier dress.

T U E S D AY:

C H A M PA G N E W I T H M A R K

Too much bubbly, never made it to dinner. . . .

The Afterglow

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The Afterglow

Graf (grafdiamonds .com) Rhythm bracelet with 35 carats of diamonds and 17 carats of rubies; Arunashi (arunashi.com) titanium ring with a 20.55-carat rubellite and diamonds. Oscar de la Renta shoe; Lalique 100 Points by James Suckling Champagne glass; Frette bedding. LEFT: DeBeers (debeers.com) Soothing Lotus necklace with 227 rough and polished diamonds (159.46 total carats) set in white, yellow, and rose gold.

Ochre table; Rafe New York minaudière.

W E D N E S D AY:

S OT H E BY â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S E V E N I N G AU CT I O N

Triumph! Captured the prize lot.

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The Afterglow

Chanel (800.550.0005) Fine Jewelry bracelet in diamond, onyx, and gold with a yellowdiamond center stone from the CafĂŠ Society collection; Graf (grafdiamonds.com) white-and-yellow-diamond Crossover ring. Prabal Gurung gown; Frette bedding.

T H U R S D AY:

L I B R A RY L I O N S G A L A B E N E F I T

Everyone had their eyes on my jewels.

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FROM TOP LEFT:

Assael earrings of angel-skin coral, bicolor tourmaline, and spinel, available at Neiman Marcus (neimanmarcus .com); Larkspur & Hawk (larkspurandhawk.com) rivière necklaces and earrings in white quartz, colored foil, and rosegold-washed sterling

silver; Sidney Garber (sidneygarber.com) diamond ring and long knot earrings, and aquamarineand-diamond ring; Roberto Coin (us.robertocoin.com) diamond-and-sapphire necklace; Graziela Paraiba (grazielagems.com) tourmaline-and-diamond necklace. Tom Ford lipstick; Aerin shagreen tray.

The Afterglow

FROM LEFT: Martin

Katz (martinkatz.com) pink-red-ruby ring with colored stones; James de Givenchy for Taffin (tain .com) blue-and-purplesapphire ring set in pink ceramic, oxidized silver, and rose gold; Nam Cho ring with chalcedony, sapphire, and diamond in a blackenedgold setting, available at Mitchells (mitchellstores .com). Marchesa gown; Oscar de la Renta bag.

F R I D AY:

D R I N K S W I T H D A P H N E AT B E M E L M A N S B A R

Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need the third martini.

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The Afterglow

S AT U R D AY:

D A N C I N G AT P R I M O ’ S

Fun, but it’s Netflix and bed for me tomorrow.

Saboo Fine Jewels Zambian-emeraldand-diamond earrings available at Moda Operandi (modaoperandi.com); Jemma Wynne diamond and gold necklaces, available at Bergdorf Goodman (bergdorfgoodman.com).

Eberjey slip.

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Hueb (hueb.com) diamondand-tanzanite ring and bracelet. Tom Ford lipstick and compact; Miss K lamp

by Flos; Sheared sheepskin rug from Design Within Reach; Judith Leiber clutch.

STYLISTS: Charles W.

Bumgardner (set) and Alex Badia MARKET EDITORS: Arianne Nardo (home); Emily Mercer and Andrew Shang (clothing); Thomas Waller (accessories); Victor Vaughns (fashion assistant) MODEL: Alexis Randock, Parts Models HAIR: Bennett Grey MAKEUP: Amanda Wilson, Opus Beauty PHOTOGRAPHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ASSISTANTS: Eric Benavides

and Chad Meyer

Second Three venerated old beauties from Jaguar Land Rover have been reborn for a lucky few.

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Coming

BY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

ERIN BAKER

NICK DIMB

BY

The rest of you had better join the queue.

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CLASS

I

S

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E

Jaguar E-Type 1961–1974

O OTHER PART of England

is more quintessentially English than the verdant furrows and brows of the South Downs that sweep the British coastline. In their expansive lap sits the magnificent country estate of Goodwood, home to the Duke and Duchess of Richmond.

If you burrowed into Goodwood’s chalk-and-flint earth, the sediment would no doubt release into the salty air echoes of Elgar, cream teas, Churchill, cricket . . . centuries of keenly British traditions, with manicured parkland and velvet golf courses.

Ingrained, too, in the soul of the estate is a rich seam of British automotive heritage. Just after World

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War II—in 1948, to be exact—Freddie March, the current duke’s grandfather, opened the Goodwood motor circuit for world-class racing. That same year, the very first Land Rover was unveiled to the world.

It’s no small wonder, then, that the most British of car brands, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), took advantage of this September’s Goodwood Revival, which celebrates the circuit’s heyday of 1948 to 1966, to launch the three icons in its Reborn “new classics” series: the Land Rover Series I, Range Rover, and Jaguar E-Type. The JLR Reborn Series is a clever move that capitalizes on the growing appetite worldwide for “new” classic cars, meaning either continuation models—for example, built new from scratch but to the original blueprints, with the original chassis numbers and original production processes (see the Jaguar XKSS, Aston Martin DB4 GT, and the planned Jaguar D-Type, all worth more than $1.3 million)—or restored from donor cars in poor condition, using

Second Coming

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CLASS

models, for example. A lot of private memories go into these requests, such as the customer who wanted Land Rover to source and restore a particular Series I built in 1949 and exported to Botswana in May of that year. While Land Rover couldn’t track the very same car, it did find another from the same period.

The company has taken a diferent approach to each of its Reborn models. First up, the one that started it all: the Land Rover Series I, or simply the Land Rover, as it was known when launched in 1948 (“Series I” was a retrospective badge that came out with the Series II). Twenty-five examples of the Series I Reborn were announced in 2016; the team now has orders for 80. It will cost you close to $125,000 depending on how you spec the car, which wheelbase it is, and how old it is.

Robb Report was given rare access and got behind the wheel of a 1949 80-inch wheelbase Series I for a spin around Goodwood and those picture-postcard lanes. Although there’s a keen sense of history brought back to life in uncanny fashion when you climb aboard and smell the gas, oil, and hot metal, this is frankly not an easy car to drive—history is all too present in the lack of power steering, for a start.

Unless you have well-developed biceps and calf muscles and have mastered the art of double declutching, you’re going to struggle. Reach inside the fabric roof

I C

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refurbished original parts and painted in original colors with interiors that mirror the original style and materials.

Fortuitously for the two marques, this global demand coincides with the increasing popularity of old Land Rovers (see the uproar over scrapping the Defender in 2016) and the enduring love of the E-Type. So JLR’s Classics division is now in the business of sourcing highly prized original examples of the Series I (1948 to 1958), Range Rover (1970 to present), and E-Type (1961 to 1974) and then painstakingly restoring them for private customers to brand-new condition, complete with warranty.

Unlike the aforementioned continuation cars, many of which will be retained simply as static art investments, customers of Reborn Series cars want the beauty of the original but with the comfort and reliability of modern engineering so they can use them on the road. It makes sense, but it comes at a cost: New classics either come in limited numbers or arrive on the market after the sourcing and restoration process, which takes roughly one to two years.

You also have the challenge of getting onto the order books in the first place; the company is inundated.

The nature of this sort of purchase means not many Reborn cars are bought and flipped for a quick profit in the manner of Porsche 911 special-edition

Land Rover Series I 1948–1958

Twenty-five examples of the Series I Reborn were announced in 2016; the team now has orders for 80.

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Second Coming

Range Rover 1970–present

This car has fared better aesthetically than I have, but then only one of us at 40 has had cosmetic attention and no kids.

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(an optional extra, along with doors, in 1949) to pull the door lever, climb aboard the green leather bench seat (no seat belts), turn the key, and blip the throttle to get the little 50 hp engine going.

With no power steering, a heavy metal clutch pedal, and a stif gearbox, you need all the energy you can muster to drive this thing at low speed. Out on the lanes, though, with the metal flap below the windscreen pushed open for air, the engine chugging happily in fourth gear, and the steering lighter at 40 mph, it’s a lovely thing. For of-roading, the simple low-ratio gearbox is engaged via a big red knob on a long lever, which will take the car right back to its agricultural roots.

I’m not one for utilitarian driving; however, my heart has always belonged to Land Rover’s luxury arm: the Range Rover. We were allowed behind the wheel of a pristine car from 1978, the year I was born.

This car has fared better aesthetically than I have, but then only one of us at 40 has had cosmetic attention and no kids.

You can spec your Range Rover Reborn with the original hose-out vinyl, but in the interest of

not sweating profusely, most customers choose the upgrade option of ’70s brushed nylon. You can have wing mirrors on the doors or in their original position on the hood, a classic modern radio fitted with DAB and a satnav touchscreen, or a cigarette lighter to charge your phone, and you can add headrests and rear seat belts to the bench seat—although both ruin the purity of the original lines. The interior palette is the original four shades of palomino (basically beige).

One customer wanted red carpets in the footwells and was politely told that, while it was possible, it might be better to go away and reconsider.

This is a relatively easy car to drive, with a synchromesh to blend gears and engine speed, a huge steering wheel, thin bodywork, and large windows for easy maneuvering. First gear was elusive on our example, but only because the car has so few miles on it that everything needs to settle in. No matter: The torque from the V-8 engine means the car pulls away smoothly in second. There’s a lockable diferential for of-roading, but this is a model whose peerless industrial design earned it a spot in the Louvre in Paris—we wouldn’t dream of coating it in mud.

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Second Coming

The E-Type is always an utter joy to drive, with that long nose sniffing the air, the glossy wooden steering wheel turning easily.

The three Reborn, with their contemporary counterparts.

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JLR is producing 15 original Range Rovers this year, at a cost of roughly $223,500 for the very early ones and $184,000 for later ones, and another 15 next year. All are sold. The brand will continue to source to order, however, and look for as many dry-climate donor cars as possible.

In the meantime, there’s always the option of a $387,900 Jaguar E-Type Reborn for the collection.

An initial 20 examples were announced two years ago, and the orders stretch into another year’s work already. If it sounds pricey, consider that you can easily pay more than $650,000 for an original E-Type at auction these days, and the Reborn one will come with brand-new engineering to match the Swinging Sixties vibe. There are plenty of variants to choose from: a coupe, a convertible, a 3.8- or 4.2-liter engine, and so on. You’ll have to wait 14 to 16 months for the finished article while the team fits new floors, sills, and kickboards, and X-rays the engine and gearbox to check that the chassis numbers haven’t been over-stamped—which would mean a dodgy provenance that’s best left alone. If it’s okay, there will be new pistons, valves, wiring loom, and gear sets.

Altogether, 3,000 work hours will be spent on the car before you receive it.

We piloted a 1966 pale-blue example around Goodwood’s lanes. The E-Type is always an utter joy to drive, with that long nose sniing the air, the glossy wooden steering wheel turning easily on the move, the smell of leather, carpet, and gas mixing with the floral hedgerows, and a sublime suspension setup that soaks up nasty jolts. The Reborn E-Type feels both wonderfully historic and also apposite today, which is in part credit to the Reborn engineers, but more so to the original spirit of this timeless car.

Indeed, it is the immortal spirit of all three cars that has made JLR’s job so much easier today. The two marques have been gifted with three enticing automotive stories that never tire with the retelling; three dreams that continue to ignite the desire in customers to be chosen custodians of a very precious history.

The cynical bystander might say that JLR has taken advantage of one more British love: queuing up.

Those waiting lists are getting longer by the month; we suggest you get in line now.

Here Come the Fraudbusters Counterfeit goods cost the luxury industry billions a year. Now they’re fighting back with radical technology—and some shellfish.

BY

MARK ELLWOOD ILLUSTRATION BY

CHARLES WILLIAMS

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On a remote Mongolian hillside, bells tinkle in the distance—a sign that a herd of cashmere-producing goats is nearby. A woman follows the noise, picking over the rocky terrain with a small canister tucked under an arm. In just minutes, she has crouched down and sprayed the underbelly of each animal, leaving no residue; indeed, there’s no evidence she was ever there.

Fast-forward a few months to a boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, where a sales associate passes a cashmere sweater over a scanner attached to the register. It displays the date and location that the cashmere was marked that morning in Mongolia along with the factory where the wool was processed and even the date the sweater arrived stateside. “We use synthetic DNA to guarantee the provenance and quality of the garment,” she tells a customer, ofering to play a video of its origins on that mountainside.

It’s futuristic, perhaps, but trials of this process—where premium raw materials are marked at the source with an indelible, invisible tracker—are already underway. It’s just one of the hightech ways the luxury sector is fighting back against the everincreasing boom in fakes.

Counterfeiting remains one of the world’s most lucrative ways to break the law. Already worth almost $500 billion annually, per the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, it’s predicted to reach a staggering $2.3 trillion by 2022; the World Customs Organization believes that seven percent of all global trade is in fakes. This surge is largely a by-product of the 2008 economic crisis when many consumers who had a healthy appetite for luxury goods had to tighten their belts—from cautious Americans to ruble-toting Russians who’ve seen their spending power torpedoed as the currency cratered.

It provided the perfect conditions for a boon in fakes. Simultaneously, supply chains have grown less reliable: Overseas, lower cost production with less scrupulous oversight allows leakage and extra shifts in the same factories. Added to this, the boom in e-commerce has created a new platform on which to sell those counterfeits, often unchecked.

Apparel brands alone spent $6.15 billion last year on their eforts to fight fraud, and other sectors, from art to wine, spent billions more. Much of that money was allocated to discreet new ways to protect their brand equity and reassure their loyal customers, like the science used in that cashmere sweater.

Entrupy’s anticounterfeiting hardware and smartphone app determine whether a product is authentic or “unidentified.”

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Stefano Ricci embeds radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips in its products to keep track of inventory.

New York–based Entrupy’s new anti-counterfeiting system relies entirely on AI via a handy little gizmo.

The company behind the DNA science is Stony Brook, N.Y.–based Applied DNA Sciences, which can apply its synthetic DNA molecules to almost any surface, says MeiLin Wan, vice president of textile sales for the firm. A unique sequence is created for each customer and is held in its database; against it any product can be subsequently tested.

Currently, the system involves swabbing a product with a Q-tip and then sequencing the solution in a machine or dabbing it onto a solution that will glow red if synthetic DNA is present. The firm aims, though, to create near-instant scanning, like the device in that futuristic Rodeo Drive boutique.

It’s virtually impossible, Wan explains, to remove, transfer, or replicate the DNA outside the firm’s labs, as the Department of Defense—another client—found firsthand. Its scientists tried, unsuccessfully, for more than a year to either re-engineer it or move the DNA to another surface. For firms in the luxury sector, Wan continues, the compelling use for this technology lies in policing and controlling supply chains.

Many luxury firms that use DNA tracking also safeguard their product with more analog methods like those developed

by OpSec Security, a British firm with oices across the world.

“We’re all chasing the silver bullet of authentication, and combining the physical and the digital gets us one step closer,” says Bill Patterson, OpSec’s vice president of global marketing. His firm ofers a series of near-invisible techniques for additional

T

reassurance, in the supply chain or at retail. Take any clothing item—a trench coat, perhaps—and look closer. The care tag might incorporate a seemingly random number sequence that is, in fact, a serial number, or a piece of fabric might be sewn into the seams that you can remove only if you know where to look, and unpick it in the right place.

Then there’s microthread, an ultrafine nylon or plastic twine sewn into the garment, featuring images or phrases that can be spotted only under a magnifying glass. It could be the brand’s logo or something more creative—an insulting phrase, for instance, like the high-fashion firm that chose to point out how only pirates and prostitutes loved counterfeit goods.

Of course, such technology is only watertight once the entire luxury sector adopts it as standard. Until then, verifying authenticity further down the supply chain is vital; the newest tool on this front is AI, or machine learning. New York–based Entrupy’s new anti-counterfeiting system relies entirely on AI via a handy little gizmo that the company’s Devin Battersby, Entrupy’s customer-support lead, demonstrated for Robb Report.

Entrupy’s hardware consists of a magnifying lens clamped to the back of a smartphone, which pairs with its own app. Battersby snaps it onto a handset before wielding the device over a pair of seemingly identical purses. The app prompts her to snap several pictures of specific angles—with the logo, fabric lining, exterior stitching, and the like—and she hits submit. The results for each bag are diferent, though. After a few seconds, the product is either deemed AUTHENTIC, complete with a check mark,

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A faux Rothko piece displayed at Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes at the Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Del.

or, sadly, flagged as UNIDENTIFIED. It’s Entrupy’s euphemism for a fake.

The system is ingeniously designed. Those images Battersby took were uploaded to Entrupy’s master database at a magnification of 260 times the naked eye. Its proprietary algorithms then cross-referenced them with its in-house archive of more than 50 million photos of some 60,000 unique items dating back 80 years. Near-instantly, then, it could ofer that verdict.

What’s more, the AI’s performance improves as it gains customers and data. Each scan adds momentum: When the firm first tested the system two years ago, its accuracy reached around 94 percent. Today, cofounder Vidyuth Srinivasan says it’s at 99.1 percent. He’s so confident in Entrupy’s system that there’s a money-back guarantee. “There’s a process to follow then, and if we’re proven incorrect at the end, we’ll happily buy the item of you, repaying you what you had to pay for it,” says Srinivasan.

So far, that’s happened just 20 times in the firm’s history; compare that with the $70 million worth of goods it has successfully authenticated.

It now has more than 300 paying customers (the device is leased for $299, and the monthly subscription service starts at $99). These include consignment stores as well as luxury online resellers, the booming sector featuring the likes of the RealReal or Material World. Entrupy launched with a focus on handbags, as these are the most commonly counterfeited items, but it will

soon expand to shoes and high-end sneakers. It’s harder for its technology to work on high-reflective surfaces without texture, though, so it can’t be applied to diamonds, glass, or porcelain.

Verifying the authenticity of timepieces requires an entirely different approach, as Vintage Caliber’s Simon Stern explains—one that sometimes involves a Geiger meter.

As one of Europe’s top secondhand watch dealers, Stern is fastidious in detecting fakes. Early luminous watches contain small amounts of radium to help them glow, a practice long outlawed for safety reasons, and Stern uses this as his first test. Swiping a basic Geiger counter over a timepiece that claims to date back earlier than the 1960s will verify the presence of true radioactivity, which was outlawed in manufacturing after that date.

Another technique requires that he shine a UV light over the dial in a darkened room. Radium is not only a durable element but also an aggressive one, degrading the sulfides that produce the glow over decades; the result is that timepieces’ luminescence dwindles as they age. “The lume should be very reactive but fade away immediately,” he notes. “If it stays luminous for minutes, that’s a clear indication of restoration or imitation.”

When Stern has doubts about non-luminous watches, there’s always non-destructive spectral analysis, which will break down the chemical content of the metal alloy used in a given timepiece or the paint compound used on the dial. Each is unique to a given manufacturer, of course, and so can be cross-checked

with a verified model. Indeed, manufacturers are so keen to stymie future fakes that they’re changing the raw materials they work with. Witness the rise of exotic, hard-to-source tantalumtungsten alloy, which is fiendishly hard to machine without expertise. Likewise, replicating Hublot’s ceramic and carbonfiber models is possible but too expensive to be cost-efective for the counterfeiters.

The potential windfall from a fake artwork, though, is sizeable enough to justify painstaking forgeries. It’s no wonder, then, that the art world is among the luxury sector’s most fake-prone fields.

See the downfall of New York’s storied, 165-year-old Knoedler gallery, which closed in 2011 amid a deluge of lawsuits over whether it knowingly, or inadvertently, sold millions of dollars’ worth of fake Rothkos and Jackson Pollocks. That $80 million scam, the largest in American history, was only unearthed thanks to the painstaking detective work of fraudbuster Jamie Martin.

Tasked with verifying one of the newly discovered Pollocks that Knoedler had touted as genuine, he used a stereomicroscope to spot that the signature was traced with a needle.

What’s more, the paint on the canvas included Red 170, a pigment that was only widely available years after Pollock died in a car crash. In the wake of this exposé, Martin’s expertise earned him a new role, as Sotheby’s in-house director of scientific research. Knoedler should have hired Martin before one of its unhappy buyers did, instead of trusting expertise alone—after all, if attribution is a human process, it’s all too vulnerable to our limitations. And that’s where Artendex believes it has the answer.

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AP/SHUT TERSTOCK

The potential windfall from a fake artwork is sizeable enough to justify painstaking forgeries.

TA L A M O

design damian williamson | quickship

Here Come the Fraudbusters

If only the walls of those galleries could talk, and if radiofrequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC) chips had existed hundreds of years ago, they just might.

These microchips can be discreetly embedded in almost anything and used for tracking and monitoring. Early adopters—including fashion brands Moncler, Ferragamo, and, most famously, Burberry—have been experimenting with them for some years.

When Burberry’s splashy London flagship opened six years ago, customers could wave garments tagged with RFID chips in front of screens to learn more about how they were made.

Stefano Ricci has taken this technology further: It started including RFID chips in its core items, mostly leather goods, four years ago. “It proved a great success in both speeding up the logistics process and making it safer and more accurate, since we could keep track of inventory,” says the firm’s CEO Niccolo Ricci.

Now, Ricci has moved to add NFC chips, the same technology used by the likes of Apple Pay, as well. These can be read using any contemporary smartphone—just wave it in front of a Riccibranded item with the right app installed, and there’s instant reassurance the product is genuine.

It’s the same technology that high-end Napa Valley winemaker Opus One has employed for 10 years. CEO David Pearson says he’s “very satisfied” with the results, as complaints of fakes have plummeted since the NFC began; they now remain at or near zero. Scanning the chips on Pearson’s bottles not only ofers

Food is not immune to fraud. These French oysters are etched with the Gillardeau logo and followed along their distribution route via a hidden tracking device.

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Another AI-powered start-up is Artendex, which collaborated with Netherlands-based Atelier on the Restoration & Research of Paintings project led by professor and AI expert Ahmed Elgammal. He says the challenge isn’t just the unreliability of human knowhow, but also that the techniques Martin employed share a common flaw. “The diferent technologies for detecting forgery in art attribution all depend on the physical property of the art: the canvas, the pigment, chemical analysis via X-ray,” Elgammal explains. Why not instead look at the strokes on the canvas, as unique to each artist as their signature?

Elgammal helped develop an algorithm to do just that. First, the system scanned 300 line drawings by the likes of Picasso, Matisse, and Schiele before a deep recurrent neural network began crawling over those same scans, learning the characteristics of each artist’s strokes. Then the team tested it using images it knew to be both fakes and authentic; in initial trials, Artendex’s AI had an 85 percent accuracy rate.

Now, looking to commercialize this service, Elgammal is working on refining the analysis of drawings via art-world partners supplying further samples for the master database. He also wants to move into other areas, like paintings, though the professor admits that it’s a dauntingly large undertaking to tackle. “It’s because the strokes are not necessarily visible; it all depends on the art movement. In impressionism, you see them very clearly, but in old masters, you can hardly see the strokes.”

A

reassurance but also launches a short video of the winemaker.

Opus One notes that actual scans each year remain rare. He likens his NFC process to a private security service in your home.

“People might drive by once or twice a night,” he says, “but it’s the sign in the yard saying you’re protected that [matters]. People know you’re watching.”

Then again, sometimes it’s useful to make security measures both evident and invisible, as Gillardeau found out. This familyrun fourth-generation firm from western France produces the world’s most prized oysters. Each year, 2,000 tons of its spéciales, plump and nutty, arrive in restaurants, often costing $11 each or more. Unsurprisingly, this makes Gillardeau’s products prone to counterfeiting and theft.

Four years ago, after a flood of such problems, the family invested millions in a laser that etches its signature logo onto every oyster without breaking the shell or afecting the taste. It also turned to Olivier Descoubes, a local entrepreneur who had watched the problems accelerate—one producer in Mont-SaintMichel, he learned, had lost 130 tons of bivalves.

Descoubes responded with a cunning, but simple, invention: a tracking device disguised in an empty oyster shell. Gillardeau invested heavily in his $185 gadgets so it could track those oysters from farm to table. Descoubes’s firms take empty Gillardeau shells and install a low-power homing beacon in each. “The hardest part was molding the resin to cover all the electronics so it’s waterproof,” he says. “But now we have a secure, robust product.”

With this and other tech, fraud will be reduced to just another easily spotted shell game.

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Descoubes’s firms take empty Gillardeau shells and install a low-power homing beacon in each, the seafood answer to a Trojan horse.

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Private Eyes Some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest art is found not in MoMA or the Met, but in the growing number of private museums run by our wealthiest collectors, despite the legal and financial challenges of operating them.

By Julie L. Belcove

On the grounds of Glenstone is Split-Rocker (2000) from Jef Koons. Flowering plants grow out of the stainless-steel structure and are kept alive by an internal irrigation system.

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ichard Serra’s 223-foot-long strip of weatherproof steel caresses a gentle hill at Glenstone, a temple to contemporary art in Maryland. Nearby is the spot Ellsworth Kelly chose to stand a 45-foot-tall stainless-steel totem at the edge of a pond like a beacon. British took the site-specific concept one step further, using earth excavated on-site to make the clay structures, including a giant, cracked boulder, that rest inside three stone cottages he built in the woods. But Michael Heizer may have one-upped them all with his two pieces. One, a pit of steel beams in a roofless room, is built directly into the foundation of architect Thomas Phifer’s new 240,000-square-foot Glenstone expansion, called the Pavilions. “You cannot remove it unless you

demolish it,” says Emily Wei Rales, who with her multibillionaire husband, Mitchell, erected the museum on the bucolic 230-acre estate.

For his other piece, Heizer proposed a 75-foot steel-lined trench in the ground, piled around with 2,200 cubic yards of soil and rock, which he said would force the steel walls to curve until they kissed at the midpoint. The structural engineer Glenstone hired said it couldn’t be done, the steel wouldn’t bend; but Heizer, famed for having spent decades digging up the Nevada desert to create his epic City, stood firm. The Raleses fired the engineer.

The resulting piece, Compression Line, behaves just as Heizer foretold.

CHARLES RAY: RON AMSTUTZ; ALL OTHERS: IWAN BA AN

The new Pavilions expansion to Glenstone, with Michael Heizer’s Compression Line.

Private Eyes

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: An installation of works by Charles Ray, and two artfully composed approaches to Glenstone.

The episode, which Rales estimates spanned 10 years from meeting Heizer to installing his artwork, is indicative of not only the couple’s unflagging support for the artists in their collection but also the degree to which some of their art is inextricably rooted in Glenstone itself. It is an apt metaphor for some collectors’ determination that their collections remain intact and under their control, which increasingly means founding their own museums. In 2016 the art-collector database Larry’s List identified some 317 private contemporary-art museums worldwide, a whopping 71 percent of which had opened since 2001. Miami led the pack with eight.

Glenstone obviously isn’t some hedge-fund mogul’s spare SoHo loft where he can show of his overpriced trinkets by young artists who have yet to stand the test of time. This is a deadly serious endeavor with a staf of 130 and a rigorous framework for collecting: The Raleses won’t even entertain buying work until the artist has exhibited for at least 15 years. It’s the kind

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of collection that major museums—the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art—would have been jockeying to receive. Eli and Edythe Broad, Ronald Lauder, and François Pinault are just some of the top collectors who, like the Raleses, have opted to create their own museums.

Their stated reasons for going it alone vary, but one thing is clear: There’s a fine line between ego and altruism.

“Our collection is well over 2,000 works,” says Eli Broad, one of the nation’s leading philanthropists. “I’ve been on museum boards. I’ve seen so many collectors give their collections, and maybe five or 10 percent of it is shown. The rest ends up in storage. That isn’t very satisfying to someone who’s spent decades building the collection and wants to share it with the broadest possible audience.”

Directors of established, public museums are, for the most part, pragmatic. “I would not be honest if I didn’t say, ‘Yeah, I would like Eli’s collection,’ ” says Adam Weinberg, director of the Whitney. But, he adds, putting the art in a private museum where the public can still view it is better than it ending up at auction.

Private museums are nothing new. The Whitney, the Menil, the Guggenheim, the Barnes, and the Frick are just a few public institutions that had their start thanks to the largesse of a single visionary founder.

What is new, however, is the rapid proliferation of institutions like these both in the United States and around the globe.

The pioneers in this generation of museum founders are Don and Mera Rubell, who snapped up future stars like Jef Koons and Keith Haring at the start of their careers. Eventually their reputations for talent spotting made the subsequent success of their artists an almost foregone conclusion; their clout ignited Miami even before Art Basel’s must-see art fair rolled into town. The Rubell Family Collection will more than double its space in 2019 when it moves from its home of 25 years, in a former Drug Enforcement Agency warehouse, to a new 100,000-square-foot building designed by art-world darling Annabelle Selldorf.

What all these collectors have in common—something skeptics can have trouble relating to—is an abiding love of art. Museum founders also tend to be control freaks. Many, like Andy Hall, are self-made billionaires and used to doing things their way. A longtime collector, Hall went into overdrive in response to a mild midlife crisis and the 9/11 attacks, deciding, much like Mitch Rales after a

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“I’VE SEEN SO MANY COLLECTORS GIVE THEIR COLLECTIONS, AND MAYBE FIVE OR 10 PERCENT OF IT IS SHOWN. THE REST ENDS UP IN STORAGE.” —ELI BROAD, PHILANTHROPIST

INTERIOR: RYAN MILLER; EX TERIOR: JACOB FISCHER

Private Eyes

The Broad’s collection includes one of the world’s largest groups of works by Jef Koons.

Architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro gave the Broad a fittingly iconic home.

near-death experience, that he wanted to leave behind a legacy that wasn’t just piles of money. “Maybe that was a narcissistic streak in me or a bit of vanity,” he says from Vermont, where the Hall Art Foundation exhibits on a former dairy farm.

The foundation also funds a long-term exhibition from the Halls’ Anselm Kiefer holdings at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and converted Schloss Derneburg, the onetime home of artist Georg Baselitz near Hanover, into a massive museum with multiple exhibitions on view simultaneously. Visitors may not wander—the castle is simply too vast, Hall says—but instead must book a guided tour of either two or five hours’ duration

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A gallery at the Brant Foundation.

“IT’S A SUBLIME FEELING. TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT IN WITHOUT BEING CROWDED

BY PEOPLE TAKING SELFIES IS SOMETHING PRETTY RARE TODAY.” — EMILY WEI RALES

GUT TER CREDITS

or a customized group appointment. The long tour, which is limited to 20 guests and costs about $87 each, provides lunch, cofee, and cake for a very civilized experience. “You can’t cherry-pick,” Hall says.

“You have to see the whole thing.” And the Halls aren’t finished: They’re currently renovating more buildings on the property and envision instituting a two-part visit.

Like the Raleses, the Halls collect in depth: “I always thought, if you’re going to own one work by a certain artist, why not own a dozen?” Hall says. He acknowledges that opening the museums has raised his and his wife Christine’s profile considerably. While gallerists used to act aloof at art fairs, “now we can’t walk down the aisle without being stopped by a dozen dealers,” he says. “We joke we should go in disguise.”

The art world seems to understand the impulse to create one’s own museum perfectly well; the political world, not so much. In 2015, Senate Finance Committee chairman Orrin Hatch launched an investigation of 11 private art foundations’ tax-exempt status, demanding to know how many hours they were open to the public and how many visitors they received. The responses varied wildly.

Rales, for one, found the investigation irritating, since she and her husband had diligently dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s, going so far as to ask for and receive IRS verification that Glenstone’s planned changes were proper. “It’s fine to be audited,” she adds, but she insists that the value of a museum cannot be reduced to attendance figures, particularly when part of an institution’s mission is to ofer a place of quiet contemplation. She laments that investigators never accepted their invitation to visit: “It’s a diicult story to tell verbally. You have to be here to experience certain moments, like if you’re sitting in a very beautifully designed, spacious room and you have a giant window looking out onto a beautiful hillside with these gorgeous honey locust trees. It’s a sublime feeling. To be able to take it in without being crowded by people taking selfies is something pretty rare today.”

Hall concurs, calling many of the world’s most popular museums, such as the Louvre and the Tate Modern, victims of their own success. Glenstone keeps the hordes away by enforcing a reservation-only admissions policy. Still, with the reopening this fall, the museum expects to accommodate 100,000 visitors annually. Admission is free and, Rales says, always will be.

To be sure, there are some sketchy examples out there. The website for Seven

BRANT FOUNDATION INTERIOR: STEFAN ALTENBURGER; EX TERIOR: CHRISTOPHER BURKE

Bridges, for instance—which claims to have a 100-piece-strong sculpture garden and two galleries in Greenwich, Conn.— does not list visitor information or even an address, just a phone number (calls were not returned) and a contact form that repeatedly resulted in an error message.

When financier Richard C. McKenzie Jr. opened it in 2012, he reportedly allowed just six to 10 visitors a day, one day a week.

Peter Brant, an art-world big shot as publisher of Art in America in addition to being a voracious collector—he was a teen when he started to buy Warhol— converted an enormous stone barn adjacent to the Greenwich Polo Club to house his Brant Foundation Art Study Center in 2009. Brant, like Hall, has said he felt the creative urge to curate. Twice a year he organizes shows featuring artists in his collection, like Karen Kilimnik and Urs Fischer, and toasts them with splashy, invitation-only opening parties.

Since being roundly criticized in the art press for ofering limited public access, the foundation’s activity seems to have stepped up, with programming including the occasional yoga or painting workshop (materials not included). A New York location, in the late artist Walter De Maria’s old studio, is slated to open in

March with an exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work filling the 7,000 square feet of display space.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Broad and the Neue Galerie New York, both vital, blockbuster-producing institutions that could easily be mistaken for public museums. The Neue, on a stretch of Fifth Avenue known as Museum Mile, is the passion project of cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, a repository for his exceptional collection of modern German and Austrian art in a landmark 1914 mansion that drew nearly 250,000 visitors in 2017.

On permanent view: Klimt’s iconic portrait of a Viennese socialite, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907, aka “The Woman in Gold,” which became a potent symbol of Jewish heirs’ fight to reclaim art that the Nazis had looted from their families. After a protracted legal battle, Austria’s Galerie Belvedere returned the painting in 2006 to Bloch-Bauer’s niece, who sold it to Lauder for $135 million—at the time believed to be the highest price ever paid for a painting.

In Los Angeles, the Broad has attracted 2.4 million visitors in its first three years. Beyond the impressive numbers, its benefactor boasts that the average age of its audience is 33, 12 years younger than typical museumgoers. They’re drawn, he says, by free admission; the instantly iconic Diller Scofidio + Renfro building, with interior windows giving visitors peeks at the thousands of works in storage; and the use of knowledgeable stafers instead of security guards. There’s also the enviable collection, which counts the most works by Cindy Sherman and among the most by Koons (among others) in the world.

Showplaces like the Neue and the Broad don’t come cheap.

Broad, who is 85, is leaving his namesake museum an endowment in the hundreds of millions of dollars—more, he says, than any museum in Los Angeles except the Getty. But even for a collector with a much smaller scale in mind, annual operating

LEFT: The Brant

Foundation in Greenwich, Conn.

RIGHT: An installation at the Rubell Family Collection in Miami.

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Klimt’s renowned Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907, on display at the Neue Galerie.

HULYA KOLABAS

costs including security, upkeep, and insurance can easily top $1 million.

Even if that kind of cash requirement doesn’t pose a problem, the potential legal hazard of self-dealing might. Naive collectors sometimes think they can skirt the rules by putting their holdings into a foundation, taking the tax deduction, and then borrowing back artworks to hang in their houses. But that’s a serious no-no. Same goes for calling your suburban backyard a “sculpture garden.” A lawyer who works extensively with foundations—and who requested anonymity because she was not authorized by her firm to speak on these matters—says that the government also often looks askance at art foundations in close proximity to founders’ homes, which allow them to “walk across the street to look at their art with their morning cofee.” One version of the 2017 Republican tax bill would have clamped down on some of the flightier foundations with limited public access, but those regulations fell out before the final vote.

Another common practice that raises eyebrows but is legal, according to the lawyer, is creating a foundation but maintaining ownership of the bulk of the collection. The Halls, for example, have gifted a fraction of their roughly 6,000 artworks to their foundation. “I’m just not quite at the point in my life when I want to give away the rest of my art collection,” says Hall, who is 67, quickly adding, “If Christine and I are hit by a truck tomorrow, God forbid, the foundation would receive the vast majority of our collection.”

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Collectors can continue to enjoy the art in the privacy of their own homes, and when it is on loan to their foundations, the foundations can pick up carrying costs such as storage, transportation, and insurance. “You can have your cake and eat it, too,” says the lawyer. Adding to the ethics quandary: An extensive exhibition provenance often increases the value of an artwork, so collectors could profit from the foundation’s display of their personal property. Then again, they also profit from lending artworks to public museums. It’s probably no coincidence that the owner of Hockney’s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), reportedly British currency trader Joe Lewis, decided to put the 1972 canvas on the block this fall, just months after it appeared in a major Hockney retrospective at the Met. In the lead-up to the sale, Christie’s breathlessly predicted the painting would fetch the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by a living artist.

The Raleses, on the other hand, have already contributed most of their collection to Glenstone—which now has more than 1,300

An installation at the Hall Art Foundation’s Schloss Derneburg location.

“THE REAL TEST OF A PRIVATE MUSEUM IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS IN FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS, BUT IN 20, 30.”

—ADAM WEINBERG, WHITNEY MUSEUM

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works—keeping only a couple hundred pieces in their personal trove. Moreover, they have painstakingly mapped out Glenstone’s future beyond their lifetimes, including provisions that it continue acquiring works only by artists already in the collection and that their Charles Gwathmey–designed house on the estate will become part of the museum. There’s also an endowment, but Rales declined to put a figure on it.

“The real test of a private museum,” says the Whitney’s Weinberg, “is not what happens in five years, 10 years, but in 20, 30.” That museum struggled when it became clear the Whitney family could no longer foot the bills. “Somehow institutions become very expensive. You hire more staf. Your buildings age. I’m sure the Barnes thought it would be self-suicient.”

Long story short: It wasn’t.

The Raleses are determined that the spotlight shine on the artists, not them— hence the absence of their name from the museum’s. And don’t ever expect to see an oil painting of the founders in the entrance hall. Says Emily Rales, as if it were a mantra: “No portraits. No busts.”

HEINRICH HECHT

Private Eyes

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Some of the world’s finest bespoke artisans are on your doorstep—all you have to do is find them.

Here’s what you need to know.

By Simon Crompton

Pssst...

Have you heard of the SSTT? It’s a mysterious clan of menswear experts who are constantly on the move, providing a select few with the best shoes, suits, jackets, and shirts in the world.

So: Do you want in?

Don’t worry, this isn’t the next Marvel franchise. There is no secret society, no magic passwords. But what is true is that New Yorkers have direct access to more of the world’s great artisans than almost anywhere in the world, yet they might not even know it. Parisian tailors, English shoemakers, Neapolitan shirtmakers—they all

visit, trying to access discerning men in the world’s biggest economy.

Not in New York? No problem—the rest of the country is also well served.

Savile Row tailors will often split up to sweep the Northeast and South, with one visiting Boston and Chicago while another goes to D.C. and Dallas before meeting up again in Los Angeles.

What’s curious is that most of us haven’t heard about these artisans or the services they offer. They are restricted to a small coterie of guys who bought bespoke generationally, or enthusiasts who have sought h

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The Secret Society of Traveling Tailors

they can pop in anytime.” And bespoke doesn’t have them out. It all happens behind closed doors: in to mean suits, either: Thom Sweeney has just begun showrooms or in hotel suites. There is little advertisofering bespoke bomber jackets. ing, even online. Most new clients come from word So how do you get in on the action? Which artisans of mouth. are available in the States, and how does the process The relative paucity of bespoke tailors in the States work? In the table on the next page are listed some is largely Savile Row’s fault. Its big names have been of the tailoring mainstays and the newcomers, visiting for trunk shows since the 1960s, and if the best together with which cities they visit. You can get in in the world is regularly on ofer, it’s hard for local outtouch with them through their websites, and many fits to compete. will advertise trunk shows online and through social That regular flow has recently become a flood. media. Following the tailors you like on Instagram Not only are more English tailors coming, more often, would be a good start. but diferent types of artisans from other bespoke Appointments are booked, usually for an hour, and traditions are getting in on the act. Social media has tend to be in the same hotel or suite each time. The increased awareness of the makers and their work— exception is the growing number of makers setting up familiarizing a younger audience with soft Neapolishowrooms: Shoemakers Saint Crispin’s and Gaziano tan tailoring and razor-sharp Japanese shoemaking— & Girling both have permanent locations in the same and made it easier for artisans to communicate with building as Huntsman. customers.

Some artisans have also found it beneficial to group Shops like the Armoury in New York have together in the same space. Florentine shoemaker helped accelerate that process. A craft-oriented Stefano Bemer, for example, has a showroom on East menswear store that started in Hong Kong, it hosts 67th Street in New York, trunk shows from the which is shared by tailor likes of Florentine tailor Vestrucci. But the space Liverano & Liverano— also hosts visits from known for powerful yet shirtmaker Luca Avilightweight tailoring—and tabile, tailor Solito, and Neapolitan trouser maker trouser maker Ambrosi.

Pommella, which turns “We find having everypants into works of art one together creates a with its pick-stitching and great atmosphere,” says other handwork.

Stefano Bemer owner “I’m not really one for Tommaso Melani. “It fast fashion,” says Mark means customers can Cho, Armoury cofounder MARK CHO, THE ARMOURY browse other bespoke and Robb Report columnist work while they wait for (see page 122). “I love being their appointment or chat able to spend time with a with the other artisans.” real artisan, design something together carefully, and Personally, I’ve found a laid-back atmosphere is then slowly bring it to life. Someone like Antonio Livwelcome. Even a seasoned bespoke customer can feel erano is legendary in Italy because he embodies this stressed when trying to imagine how a windowpane approach. Having brought him to the U.S. market via check will look made into a full suit or trying to decide the Armoury, it is very satisfying to see him flourish.” whether to make the jacket a centimeter longer.

Among the English tailors, Huntsman and Thom Of course, it’s here that a personal relationship Sweeney have led the next stage of Savile Row expanwith the artisan is key. While new devotees of bespoke sion by being the first tailors to open up physical locawill often try a handful of tailors or shoemakers, they tions in New York. Huntsman opened a showroom usually settle down to one or two for that reason. on West 57th in 2016, which allowed customers to With the world’s best artisans on their doorstep, have consultations and pick cloth without having to Americans—and New Yorkers, in particular—have wait for a cutter to visit from London. And in 2017, a dizzying array to choose from. Among other shoeLuke Sweeney and Thom Whiddett opened their first makers alone, there is the traditional English style of international store in SoHo, which included a bespoke John Lobb, the French hyper-color of Berluti, and the cutter on-site. Although their expansion has centered more sober styles of George Cleverley. Waiting for an around ready-to-wear, they started as a bespoke operappointment might be the easy thing; the challenge ation, and it remains core to their ofering in London. will be deciding who gets to shape your look.

“We had built up a good following through our trunk shows, but since the new store has opened, the number of new bespoke customers has grown rapidly,” Simon Crompton is the founder of permanentstyle.com, and says Whiddett. “People in New York appreciate that one of the leading experts on the global bespoke market.

“I love being able to spend time with a real artisan, design something together carefully, and then slowly bring it to life.”

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The Tailors and Where They Travel To TAILOR

STYLE

U.S. CITIES

Henry Poole (UK) henrypoole.com

Traditional Savile Row

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Monterey (Calif.), New Orleans, New York, Palm Beach (Fla.), San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C.

Huntsman (UK) huntsmansavilerow.com

Structured shoulder line and long jacket

Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Anderson & Sheppard (UK) anderson-sheppard.co.uk

Softer English cut, draped chest

Chicago, New York, San Francisco

Richard Anderson (UK) richardandersonltd.com

Slightly lighter version of Huntsman

Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Norton & Sons (UK) nortonandsons.co.uk

Traditional English, country inspired

New York

Gieves & Hawkes (UK) gievesandhawkes.com

Strong and sharp, naval heritage

Los Angeles, New York

Richard James (UK) richard-james.com

Modern English cut, versatile

New York

Benson & Clegg (UK) bensonandclegg.com

Traditional English, structured cut

New York, Washington, D.C.

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury (UK) whitcombandshaftesbury.com

Softer draped cut

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Kent & Haste (UK) kenthaste.co.uk

Traditional English, structured cut

New York

Chittleborough & Morgan (UK) chittleboroughandmorgan.co.uk Stylized, big lapels and shoulders

New York

Michael Browne (UK) michaelbrowne.eu

Big and stylized, but versatile

New York

Steed (UK) steed.co.uk

Traditional English, structured cut

Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Steven Hitchcock (UK) thesavilerowtailor.co.uk

Softer English cut, draped chest

Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Kathryn Sargent (UK) kathrynsargent.com

Traditional English, structured cut

Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Edward Sexton (UK) edwardsexton.co.uk

Stylized, big lapels and shoulders

Los Angeles, New York

Maurice Sedwell (UK) savilerowtailor.com

Traditional English, idiosyncratic style points

New York, Washington, D.C.

Davies & Son (UK) daviesandson.com

Traditional English, structured cut

Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.

Dege & Skinner (UK) dege-skinner.co.uk

Traditional English, structured cut

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, San Francisco

Timothy Everest (UK) timothyeverest.co.uk

Modern, creative take on English tailoring

Los Angeles, New York

Dalcuore (Italy) sartoriadalcuore.com/en

Neapolitan cut, very soft and lightweight

New York

Caid (Japan) tailorcaid.com

Traditional American cut, more square and comfortable

New York

Pommella (Italy) pommellanapoli.com

Finely detailed trousers

New York

Ambrosi (Italy) ambrosi-napoli.tumblr.com

Finely detailed trousers

New York

Liverano & Liverano (Italy) liverano.com/en

Florentine cut, soft with a strong shoulder

New York

Sartoria Solito (Italy) sartoriasolito.it

Modern Neapolitan cut, soft and shorter

New York

Sartoria Formosa (Italy) sartoriaformosa.com/en

Neapolitan cut, very soft and lightweight

New York

Sartoria Vestrucci (Italy) sartoriavestrucci.com

Florentine cut but with greater softness

New York

Cifonelli (France) cifonelli.com

Lightweight, strong roped shoulder, creative

New York

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F R O M

D U S T

Robb Report joined members of the Explorers Club in the Gobi Desert to retrace a 1920s hunt for dinosaur bones.

“The terrain was rapidly becoming impassable for our cars because of the driting sand. . . .

The cars could go only a short distance under their own power; then everyone out, and with rope-bound canvas strips laid down in front, strain and push until the car had reached an area of harder sand. . . . We were exhausting our gasoline and men, wrecking the cars.”

—ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS, THIS BUSINE SS OF EXPLORING, PUBLISHED 1935

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T O

D U S T

By Jason H. Harper Photography by Ben Draper

he natural world has been conquered. There is no real adventure anymore. Gone are the great explorers of the 20th century like Roy Chapman Andrews, a man who scoured the Gobi Desert looking for dinosaur bones while facing desert storms and deadly bandits.

Tell that, however, to the six guys knee-deep in the sand behind our SUV, pushing. They’ve been out in the Mongolian desert for weeks on a similar mission, and, like Andrews, they’ve found fossils more than 70 million years old. Also like Andrews, those dinosaur finds have come at the price of stuck vehicles, injured team members, and constant vigilance against venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions.

In the battle of technology versus the Gobi, the Gobi always wins.

T

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195

From Dust to Dust

The Gobisaurus uncovered? The Explorers Club unearths caches of bones of mysterious origin.

The SUV rocks forward, and I give it a little gas—then I bury the throttle. The vehicle gains traction and leaps forward.

Two of the guys run to catch up and then throw themselves into the open rear doors, whooping merrily.

This is something that the team— Explorers Club members from Hong Kong—has learned about traversing the Gobi, even in a modern, all-wheel-drive SUV like our Infiniti QX60: Go slow and you’re dead. Instead, you’ve got to fly over loose sediment at speed, stopping only when you reach a stretch of hard dirt.

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So I keep our SUV at a steady 45 mph no matter what, sending it crashing over rocks and bushes and blasting through dry ravines.

But then we round a bluf, and I slam on the brakes. Before us is a vast wasteland of dunes; the road we’d been following obliterated. An epic sandstorm the night before had erased it and any signs of humanity.

We’re trying to head east, out of this desert bowl, to meet up with our support vehicles, six hours away. But this isn’t going to work. Surely we’ll turn around.

Then word comes over the radio. We’re going forward.

I take a breath. Our caravan of seven pickup trucks and SUVs has no outside support; nobody knows exactly where we are; and the satellite phones are spotty at best. We may be in some very real trouble out here. Our Gobi adventurer-in-arms, Roy Chapman Andrews, would surely have related. He would have just pushed on, too. Shrugging, I put the Infiniti back into drive, aim at the dunes, and gun it.

I’d never heard of Roy Chapman Andrews before this trip. RCA, as he

Isolation and frustration are constant companions when crossing the Gobi’s treacherous terrain.

was known, was both the director of the American Museum of Natural History and a president of the Explorers Club. He was famous in his era, embodying a bold American spirit that took him adventuring around the globe. (He was also the basis for Indiana Jones.)

Much of Andrews’s late 30s and early 40s were spent in Central Asia, hunting for fossilized bones. He theorized that the Gobi was full of them—an unproven idea— if only he could reach the vast swathes of desert. But at that time, travel by camel and cart were the norm.

RCA soon seized on what critics said was an insane idea: Explore the desert by motorcar. In The New Conquest of Central Asia, published in 1932, he wrote: “With motors we could go into the desert as soon as the heavy snows had disappeared, penetrate to the farthest reaches of Mongolia, and return before continued cold and snow set in. . . . We could travel about 100 miles in a day; that is, 10 times as far as a camel caravan.”

And so he sent out teams of camels far ahead of him, carrying supplies and cans of gasoline. Then his team set out in a

caravan of Dodges. “For travel in the Gobi, a car must be light, have a high clearance, great durability, a flexible chassis, and not less than a 28 horsepower engine. The Dodge Brothers cars fulfilled these specifications to the letter,” RCA later wrote.

A series of expeditions in the 1920s were a huge success, with RCA’s team discovering bones that still populate museums around the world. They found fossilized eggs, proving that dinosaurs were indeed a type of reptile. They also faced ambushes by bandits, desert storms, venomous snakes, and hungry wolves.

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From Dust to Dust

Camels were the original SUVs for exploring the Gobi.

Andrews even accidently shot himself in the leg. Who ever said adventuring was easy?

Which brings us to this trip nearly a century later, coined the Roy Chapman Andrews Centennial Expedition. It’s an operation dreamed up and assembled by the Explorers Club’s Hong Kong chapter, underwritten by Infiniti, and led by the Institute of Paleontology and Geology of Mongolian Academy of Sciences (IPG).

The team is relying on drones to map the Gobi’s diicult terrain and identify sites most likely to yield new finds. Two American scientists with deep knowledge of mapping were brought in to fly the drones and coordinate with the paleontologists. The results have been dramatic.

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The mapping and satellite data has led to vast new caches of bones, some of types that the paleontologists have never seen.

Precious hours are saved as the paleontologists and Explorers Club members can go directly to the most promising locations.

It’s all going extremely well until the sandstorm hits.

“A moment later the storm had swallowed up the tents, tearing madly at the blue cloth. Clinging to the poles, we tried to keep our frail shelters upright.

Blasts of gravel, like exploding shrapnel, brought bright blood to our faces. We could breathe only air thick with sand. . . .

Thus began a night which I shall long remember. . . . For sheer discomfort it was

one of the worst I have ever spent.”

—Roy Chapman Andrews, This Business of Exploring RCA’s account of a sudden sandstorm is a faithful recounting of our own experience. As the team tries to dismantle a large canvas tent in the wind, a heavy pole comes down and concusses one member of the Explorers Club. As the cook’s tent collapses, a scorpion—one of many lurking underneath the flattened shelter—stings another member. Both men have to be evacuated to a medical facility even as the sun drops, the wind tears apart the campsite, and all sightlines have vanished.

I had read RCA’s account of his dust storm before my trip, which is why, even

From Dust to Dust

A sandstorm leads to evacuations and impassable dunes.

as the wind slaps my face, the storm seems oddly familiar. This déjà vu derived from his writing has been a revelation throughout my days in the Gobi. Remarkably, even a century on, the landscape is almost exactly as RCA described it.

Andrews wrote about the sweeping blue grandeur of the Mongolian sky and the pure sunlight. The endless expanse of prairie. The warning flag of camel bones on the side of the trail. The hospitality of the Mongolian people and the comfort of their nomadic homes, the ger. The lack of roads and maps and the ability of the Mongolians to navigate through it anyhow. He was enamored by all of it.

Each one of those details remains true today. There are no fences, no telephone

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lines, no asphalt roads. No road signs. The land stretches out to, well, infinity. And the people are fantastic.

Andrews was fascinated by the speedy desert antelopes. He tried to catch them in his Dodge, driving 45 mph or more on the flat desert only to have one cross his path, going even faster. “[The antelope] was certainly doing 60 miles an hour. Can you imagine an animal not equipped with wings and having no gas tank, reaching such a speed?” he wrote.

To witness the same species of antelope on the Gobi plains going flat out past our Infiniti is yet another fitting detail in our grand reenactment. Much of the world has changed, but the Gobi simply doesn’t.

Our caravan through the dunes is

accompanied by a lifted pickup truck with huge tires and a winch, brought along to help recover any stuck vehicles. We continue on our route, and soon even that truck is sunk up to its axles in sand. Two lesser pickups have sufered a similar fate.

Though it’s not designed for hard-core of-roading, my Infiniti QX60 remains resilient and unstuck. The Mongolians stand around and mutter. This isn’t good.

Our leader, the director of the IPG, relents and gives the order: It’s time to turn around, out of the dunes, to find another way. We begin to dig the trucks out. We move them, one at a time, to firmer ground. It will take hours in the heat. Eventually we find another road, leading us to semicivilization before night

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From Dust to Dust

The road ahead is clear: More exploration of the Gobi is in order.

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NOVEMBER 2018

T H E E X P L O R E R ’ S WA Y Charles Lindbergh, the first person to cross the Atlantic on a solo flight, was a member.

So were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Like Roy Chapman Andrews, all belonged to the illustrious Explorers Club.

Founded in 1904 in New York City, the club today continues its stated goal to advance field research and preserve the instinct to explore. Almost every time there’s been a famous first in the last century, a club member has been there. There are chapters around the world.

But all institutions must continue to evolve. And the Hong Kong chapter, which formed in 2014 and conceived of the Gobi expedition, is intent on working inclusively with local cultures.

According to the chapter’s founder and chairman, Michael Barth, the group chooses “collaboration over conquest.”

Says Barth: “We wanted to create a more inclusive, innovative, and impactful approach to exploration—long-term developmental projects rather than one-of adventures.” To

that end, the club not only secured funding from Infiniti to bring along the drone/imaging scientists from the United States; it’s teaching members of the Mongolian Institute of Paleontology and Geology how to use the mapping technology for themselves. —J.H.H.

JOHN LINDSAY/AP/SHUT TERSTOCK

falls. The spirit of the combined team, however, remains upbeat. It is an adventure, after all.

Andrews would have related. One imagines he would have been thrilled to use the new drone technology, just as he used motorcars to aid his adventuring back in the day. The expedition has shown there are many years of digging and exploration to come. One wonders if even Andrews could have conceived of the vast numbers of dinosaur bones out here. Perhaps he did. At the end of an RCA report titled The Unfinished Task, he wrote, “We are more than ever convinced that Central Asia was the paleontological Garden of Eden. Future work will demonstrate whether we are right or wrong.”

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W Use Ge e ated User Generated London-based purveyor Arteim creates bespoke environments that deliberately shorten the distance between livingg and kitchen spaces. The company’s suite of artisan-made pieces carries traces off nostalgia—think glass vitrines sporting polishedgold metalwork, scullery tables, butler sinks with sleek material updates, and unique specialties such as charcuterie cabinets. The balance is in modern deployment for real life. The Oilcloth island from the Epoch collection, for example, doubles as a work surface and diningg table. It can feature any veined natural stone and metal, though Arteim’s embrace of eclecticism leaves room for more. arteim.com

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E Dark Impulse Belgian brand Obumex and French designer Bruno Moinard trample the strict minimalist code with a kitchen that resembles a piece of well-crafted furniture. Contrasting brushed-wood cabinetry and surfaces wave the banner for warm modernism, while Moinard’s disciplined geometric design is laced with copper. The resulting look is architectural, sophisticated, and not overly moody given the rich material choices. It’s an achievement for contemporary gourmands, and with precedent: Obumex has created kitchen projects with an impressive list of design notables, namely Joseph Dirand, Gilles & Boissier, and John Pawson.

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Cutting-edge kitchens value functionality and invisible superpowers. With Archetipo, Italian brand L’Ottocento recasts that model, creating a fully designed environment in a contemporary palette (rose and celadon light gray) that is a decorative culinary romp. Classic architectural elements, such as full-height wood-panel walls, conceal storage compartments and a host of essentials.

The lustrous center island—a collaboration with Italian agency makethatstudio—houses a sink and cooktop, while the chunky cylindrical base leaves room for a mod moment. moment The brand presents the full concept, which includes a cabinet and complementary furniture, as a cohesive living space. lottocento.it

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WHILE ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY continue to elevate yachting performance capabilities and advance onboard features, people remain the key determinants of the yachting lifestyle. The desire of passengers to have a closer connection with the sea compels the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top yacht makers to innovate ways of blurring the lines between ship and water. Even on smaller yachts, passengers want to feel like they are on a larger vessel, a challenge that shipbuilders have addressed by making superyachtgrade amenities available on ships of all sizes. And, of course, passengers demand memorable experiences, which today the yachting industry delivers in spades and with levels of ease and convenience never

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thought possible.

Photo courtesy of Oceanco.

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Sunseeker Life at sea comes with a bounty of romantic notions—the rhythmic drag and pull of waves on the hull, picturesque sunsets above endless horizons, fresh sceneries and adventures each day—but so many of these experiences are only as memorable as the vessels that make them possible. Brands such as Benetti, Azimut, Ferretti, Oceanco, Sunseeker, and Dominator are making remarkable technical strides to put passengers closer to the water than ever before. But while we want that adventure, we demand that the comforts and conveniences of home are right on board, too.

yachting lifestyle

Sunseeker is considered by many to be an industry trailblazer, with such versatile yachts as the Predator 50, a highly customizable 50-foot model that combines space, reinement, and power. Lending itself to both extended ventures

and impulsive joy rides, the Predator 50 features belowdecks accommodations for as many as six passengers and a social-friendly beach club, which is rare for a yacht this size. The beach club includes a barbecue grill, fold-down bench, outdoor shower, and hydraulic platform to easily launch the tender from the integrated garage.

Sunseeker’s new 74 Sport Yacht takes this sense of entertainment to a new level, while adding space and speed. Its lybridge affords open-air cruising and breathtaking views. Its main-deck bridge features a cleverly engineered cockpit with hydraulic drop-away doors that open the interior living area to the exterior deck space. As with every Sunseeker vessel, the Predator 50 and 74 Sport Yacht offer versatile layouts perfect for entertaining and soaking up the yachting lifestyle. Sunseeker.com

This is why shipbuilders, suppliers, and supporting organizations are constantly evolving to accommodate the changing needs of passengers at sea—and to provide these experiences more seamlessly—in order to deliver the lifestyle and freedom their clients crave.

The Italian shipyard Benetti has remained at the forefront of yachting innovation for decades.

At the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, Benetti unveiled six new yacht designs ranging from 135 to 223 feet, each featuring huge swaths of windows surrounding the interior living spaces to give passengers a clear line of sight to the sea from most of the interior spaces. The connection to the water extends to the exterior deck spaces.

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As one of the world’s preeminent builders of leisure yachts, Benetti constantly monitors yachting lifestyle trends, which evolve with new fashions, passenger needs, and how one lives aboard a yacht. According to the Benetti philosophy, a yacht is not only a means of transportation but also the most comfortable method of discovering the planet’s most beautiful and exclusive destinations.

Starting from this assumption, Benetti developed Oasis 135’, a 135-foot displacement yacht created in collaboration with the British design studio RWD. This new model, part of the Benetti Class product line, meets the needs of a modern owner who wants 360-degree access to the sea and seeks a comfortable and informal life on board, with a

yachting lifestyle

A D V E R T I S I N G S P E C I A L

Benetti balance of sport and relaxation.

For the interiors, the U.S. irm Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture DPC created an elegant and sophisticated yet informal design.

Understanding its customers’ lifestyle is the core of Benetti’s work, the company says. Each of its projects is the result of a careful study and in response to the needs of a speciic kind of owner. For example, Benetti created the Oasis 135-foot project in response to its clients’ desire for a maritime environment similar to that of a large loating loft, characterized by a continuity between external and internal areas.

Playing a major role in the yacht’s design are spacious and inviting on-board spaces that provide either direct or visual contact with the sea. This close relationship with the environment is highlighted by the innovative arrangement of onboard spaces, such as the beach club with its ininity pool just forward of the swim platform aft. Benetti makes extensive use of external light with tall windows throughout the yacht. For the main deck, Benetti employed a number of technological solutions for structural design that allow the space to be entirely surrounded by large windows, eliminating any visual obstacles that would interrupt ocean views in order to provide a greater connection between the yacht’s interiors and the sea. BenettiYachts.it

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Azimut Yachts its size. A massive beach club covers the entire aft deck, which is centered around a 66-square-foot infinity pool.

Both the side bulwarks and the swim platform at the stern extend outward to expand this space, giving it the feel of a pool deck at a high-end resort.

Azimut Yachts, a sister brand of Benetti as part of the Azimut-Benetti Group, is making similar strides, but with somewhat smaller vessels, and making lengths fewer than 100 feet feel much larger. The new Azimut Grande 25 Metri, for example, utilizes a Carbon Tech superstructure and other elements made from this

yachting lifestyle

The Azimut Grande 25 Metri offers ample space for life in the open air and a design that presents a deep connection with the sea. The interior design by Achille Salvagni is elegant yet casual, while the exterior design

by Stefano Righini gives the yacht a

sleek, streamlined look with lines that seem sculpted by the wind.

Midway between charm and technology, the Grande 25 Metri features a Carbon Tech superstructure, roll-bar, hardtop, and transom. Despite considerable interior volumes, with a tender garage and separate crew passageways to maximize owner privacy, the boat’s contours remain light and sleek.

Inside the yacht, Azimut opens up the main deck by removing the typical separation of lounge and dining areas, resulting in one large and reined setting. On the lower deck, the yacht features four cabins.

Azimut decorates the interior with great care and personality— all highly customizable to suit owner preference.

The Azimut Grande 25 Metri boasts a top speed of 26 knots and a cruising speed of 20 knots. AzimutYachts.com

strong but lightweight material to maximize interior volume while maintaining dynamic stability. This gives the yacht, which is just 87 feet long, remarkably capacious interiors with open saloons and onboard living spaces, without the need for amidships structural support.

Ferretti Yachts is another leading Italian builder with a long history that maintains an innovative edge. In June, Ferretti Yachts celebrated its 50th anniversary in Venice, Italy. During the festivities, the brand debuted the Ferretti Yachts 670, whose profile is defined by large panels of windows to give passengers a continual view of the sea. A sweeping, uninterrupted window runs the length of the superstructure, giving the main deck an open feel, while the belowdecks, full-beam master suite is flanked on either side by large windows

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Oceanco designed into the hull. Additionally, the flybridge creates an unprecedented amount of exterior deck space for a 67-foot yacht.

Dutch shipyard Oceanco produces vessels designed to bring to life the dreams of their owners, no matter how grand. This world-class builder of custom superyachts in the 80- to 140-meter range prides itself on combining old-world craftmanship, new-world expertise, and tomorrow’s technology. Its unique and complex vessels defy convention and set new standards for the yachting industry.

Working with its in-house design team

yachting lifestyle

One of the world’s preeminent shipyards, Oceanco creates custom superyachts uniquely tailored to each owner’s lifestyle. The Dutch company’s team of designers and engineers closely collaborates with clients at the highest level to ensure

each yacht is a direct relection of the owner’s vision. At Oceanco, impossible simply means it probably hasn’t been tried. With a custom portfolio that remains unmatched, Oceanco goes above and beyond for its clients. The onboard features it has executed to date are unrivaled in the yachting world: a swimming pool that turns into a dance loor and helipad; a golf driving range; terrariums and aquariums; gyroscopic-stabilized pool tables; outdoor illuminated induction pole lighting; a yacht superstructure made almost entirely out of glass; and diamond-coated paint—just to name a few. Oceanco is also responsible for Aquijo, the world’s largest performance sailing ketch, and Black Pearl, the world’s largest and most environmentally advanced DynaRig sailing yacht.

At Oceanco, the only perfect yacht is one that exceeds every expectation of the owner. OceancoYacht.com

and innovative designers, Oceanco creates yachts that push the envelope of possibility. On board its vessels, Oceanco ofers golf driving ranges, aquariums, swimming pools that convert to dance floors, and other features that make the yachting experience more memorable than ever.

Step aboard a build of the British maker Sunseeker, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were on a considerably larger yacht. Take the new Predator 50, for example, whose versatile design makes the yacht perfect for both day cruising and overnight adventures. Its open spec includes a hardtop cockpit with a large retractable sunroof and a fold-down bulwark on the top deck that converts a bench to a large sun pad and opens the space to the sea.

Additionally, through its partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation,

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BARBARA 88.5m / 290ft

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CollectionSuites Sunseeker is working toward preserving the marine biosphere of Menorca, which is just one of Sunseeker’s projects with the charity.

Dominator Yachts has made a major splash in recent years with its Ilumen line. Ranging in length from 79 feet to 118 feet, the yachts are smaller than the most innovative superyachts, but they are packed with tech and born of innovation. For example, the hull construction employs post-cured glass and carbon fiber mixed with epoxy resin to make it lightweight but also extremely durable. On the superstructure, composite materials

yachting lifestyle

The world’s most prized possessions deserve a suite of their own.

CollectionSuites in Doral, Fla., is a sanctuary where local residents, yacht owners visiting the area, and elite collectors from around the world can keep their treasures in the utmost

luxury and security. Housed in a private enclave with more than 80,000 square feet of interior space, which has the look and feel of a luxury condominium complex, CollectionSuites is located close to the heart of Miami and yet secluded for enhanced privacy.

This premiere facility, which is ready for occupancy, boasts cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art security, and exceptional concierge services.

The property comprises 38 private units, ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 square feet, each designed to meet the modern collector’s lifestyle, with Italian ceramic loors, top-of-theline appliances, and contemporary concrete inishes. CollectionSuites also offers a mobile application that allows collectors to control their suite and monitor their assets at all times, so they can travel with conidence whether they are on the beach in Miami or halfway across the globe. Schedule a private tour at Collection-Suites.com.

enable a flexible design that makes the yachts feel spacious. It also allows for huge panels of glass running the length of the hull above and below deck, afording sweeping ocean views from most onboard spaces. Dominator— which customizes every yacht to meet its owner’s needs—launched the latest example of its Ilumen line, the 92-foot Cadet V, in June, with another example set to launch soon.

Westport Yachts is one of the largest builders in North America and specializes in motor yachts made from lightweight composite material. As a leading U.S. yacht builder, Westport consistently delivers yachts with customized interiors, letting owners determine their own definition of the yachting lifestyle. Westport ofers charter management services to help owners ofset costs and help others discover yachting.

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Ferretti Yachts 50th Anniversary With 11 offices across three continents, Burgess manages one of the world’s largest fleets of charter yachts. It also ofers world-class, new-build consultation and sales-brokerage services. Earlier this year, the World Superyacht Awards celebrated a number of yachts for which Burgess helped guide the design and construction.

These companies and yacht designers work together to help implement a lifestyle that mirrors what yacht owners experience at the world’s highest-end hotels, resorts, and residences. Of course, maintaining this lifestyle is an

yachting lifestyle

Since 1968, Ferretti Yachts has embodied timeless luxury, the most authentic Italian yachting tradition, characterized by innovative designs, production excellence, and technological expertise. Ferretti Yachts’ ongoing commitment to

reined details and unequaled onboard comfort maximize the functionality of its vessels.

Ferretti Yachts celebrated its 50th anniversary in Venice, Italy, in June, coloring the sky with smoke from Frecce Tricolori acrobatic aircraft and enlivening streets and canals with unique events and fabulous boats. The festivities began with a gala dinner at Palazzo Ducale, followed by hundreds of guests attending the Ferretti Yachts leet parade, sailing the waters of the San Marco basin. While the extraordinary Frecce Tricolori lew over the city, the Venetian Arsenal hosted 11 wonderful yachts, including the new Ferretti Yachts 670, making its world premiere. This lybridge vessel features space and amenities typical of much larger yachts—and takes Italian innovation to an even higher level, conirming Ferretti Yachts’ relentless pursuit of yachting excellence. Ferretti-Yachts.com

important part of life at sea. In today’s technology-driven world, taking a vacation can be enjoyed even more knowing that business and personal matters remain tended to. Satellite Wi-Fi, computer, and entertainment connectivity help passengers remain connected. When it comes to staying in shape at sea, Technogym is the undisputed leader of onboard exercise equipment. The Italian company conducts rigorous research to create exercise systems that maximize fitness results and complement stunning architecture and interior design. The systems utilize connected technology that allows users to race against themselves or others, track goals and progress, and browse the web during workouts. From free weights and treadmills to all-in-one multi-gym systems, Technogym equipment is the most-advanced and best-looking gear on the market, so it fits perfectly with contemporary yacht designs.

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Dominator Yachts While today’s best superyachts can feel like floating second homes, they do not necessarily ofer long-term storage for things like supercars, which some owners may want access to while ashore. In South Florida just outside Miami—a global yachting capital— CollectionSuites has built an innovative facility with units that serve as luxury accommodations for cars, art, fine wine, and other valuable items. The 38 private units at CollectionSuites feature beautiful contemporary designs, with world-class amenities and security to meet collectors’ needs.

Not far from Florida, on Nassau in the

yachting lifestyle

Ilumen, the groundbreaking line of customizable superyachts from Dominator, represents the illumination of big ideas. This approach to engineering conirms the company’s dedication to innovation, showcased in the

more than 150 yachts it has launched in its 17-year history.

Each Dominator yacht is a limited edition and completely customized for its owner. Entirely bespoke from the choice of the hull to the propulsion system to the design of internal spaces, every Dominator yacht its the owner like a glove.

The company’s use of cutting-edge technologies and materials—such as the Dominator High Performance Hull, made from post-cured glass and carbon iber mixed with epoxy resin; and lightweight but lexible structural designs—lends its yachts the feeling of a superyacht but in a more manageable size. Dominator’s Bespoke Team will meet prospective yacht owners anywhere in the world to help them realize and execute the most-demanding speciications and the biggest ideas.

DominatorYachts.com

Caribbean, Baha Mar is the embodiment of the yachting lifestyle on land. Though best known as a resort destination, Baha Mar is also home to stunning residences at the SLS and Rosewood hotels on site. These beautiful vacation properties—ranging from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom villas—put owners right in the middle of a global yachting hot spot, with VIP access to all of Baha Mar’s world-class amenities and services. Those include a Jack Nicklaus– designed golf course, some of the best culinary and nightlife destinations in the Caribbean, and Eternity, Baha Mar’s own 213-foot superyacht.

Spotlighting the best of the yachting lifestyle in South Florida is Informa Exhibitions, whose annual shows in Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Miami, and elsewhere bring in the yachting community from around the

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Burgess world. These shows are among the most-attended industry events, and showcase yachts, amenities, and services that represent the latest trends in yachting. They also ofer a great way for prospective owners and charter guests to explore the yachting lifestyle.

Similarly, the International Superyacht Society (ISS) is an industry community focused on building brand alliances and yachting excellence around the world. The annual ISS gatherings empower its members, which include shipyards, naval architects, designers, and

yachting lifestyle

Leading superyacht company Burgess delivers irst-class charter service and offers a portfolio of the inest yachts in the best cruising destinations around the world.

This spring, Burgess celebrated another successful year at the World

Superyacht Awards. Among the winning and nominated vessels to which Burgess contributed, the 240foot Hasna and 243-foot Cloud 9 were standouts. For Hasna, built by the Dutch shipyard Feadship, judges praised the yacht’s exquisite exterior lines and the practical layout of its decks. Highlight features include a 26-foot-long tiled ininity pool on the main deck aft, an extensive gym in the full-beam beach club, and an impressive cinema. Standout features for Cloud 9, built by Italy’s CRN shipyard, include its eight beautiful suites, indoor and outdoor cinemas, and a Teppanyaki bar on the sun deck. Cloud 9 is available for charter exclusively through Burgess for $875,000 per week in the Caribbean this winter and for €875,000 per week in the Mediterranean this summer. Cloud 9 is also listed for sale by Burgess for €84.5 million.

BurgessYachts.com

other industry leaders, to explore the innovations and technologies that push the boundaries of yachting and create memorable experiences for owners and passengers. Every year, the ISS Awards call attention to the yachts whose designers and builders push the boundaries of technology and design in order to satisfy clients (and potential clients).

“The experience of yachting has changed substantially over the last 20 years,” says ISS President AJ Anderson. “Yachts have doubled in size, and technology has provided new building techniques never thought possible. This has caused the direction of yacht design to focus on lifestyle by connecting the outside world to the inside with glass sides and wide-open terraces not considered possible in the past.”

Float on Cloud 9 FOR SALE, FOR CHARTER, FOR ADVENTURE Delivered in 2017 the spectacular 243ft (74m) superyacht CLOUD 9 combines impressive volume and exceptional comfort over five expansive decks. Her elegant Winch Design interior offers accommodation for 12 guests in eight beautiful suites. Special features include a swimming pool, beach club with espresso bar, jacuzzi and Teppanyaki bar on the sun deck, spa with massage area, indoor and outdoor cinemas, elevator, plenty of watertoys and a top notch crew of 22.

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Baha Mar

yachting lifestyle

Welcome to the new era of Bahamian glamour. The irst edition of Baha Mar Residences has just been released.

On the white sands of Cable Beach, Nassau, at glittering Baha Mar, SLS and Rosewood Residences offer turnkey

paradise in a world-leading inancial center.

An enviable choice of oneto six-bedroom residences and villas awaits. These highly acclaimed destination brands attract an international beau monde seeking sophistication and reinement, and sleek and chic surroundings—all less than an hour light from Florida, a short haul from key American and Latin American cities, and direct from Toronto and London.

Residential owners also gain VIP access to Baha Mar’s private island sanctuary; complimentary golf rounds at the Jack Nicklaus– designed Royal Blue; and VIP status at the Caribbean’s largest casino, numerous hip nightlife and dining venues; and membership to the anticipated Nexus Baha Mar.

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in focus BELGARD belgard.com Belgard paves the way for beautiful outdoor living and entertaining spaces. Since 1995, Belgard’s locally made and nationally backed products have transformed thousands of residential properties, creating beautiful patios, pool decks, outdoor kitchens, fire features and more.

JACOB & CO. jacobandco.com Jacob & Co.’s ability to combine 291 diamonds on the watch, totaling 20.58 carats in weight, with the technical sophistication synonymous with the Swiss House’s watchmaking reputation, renders the Epic X Chrono Baguette both a luxurious innovation in the category of sports watches as well as a true piece of horological art.

ULTIMATE WISH AT THE BACCARAT robbreport.com/ultimatewish “Ultimate Wish” is a new, extravagant, and one-of-akind series of holiday shopping experiences presented by Robb Report and Baccarat Hotel New York. Visit the hotel’s Petit Salon during select days in November and December to uncover unique, custom offerings from some of the globe’s preeminent luxury purveyors.

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The Business

Reed Krakof (left) and Alessandro Bogliolo (right)

Tiffany: Wall Street’s Holiday Git LED BY NEW MANAGEMENT, THE AMERICAN LUXURY BEHEMOTH IS RECAPTURING ITS SPARKLE.

By CHRISTINA BINKLEY

mere 44 seats grace the Blue Box Café at Tifany’s Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. On any given weekend, a digital queue forms as the café’s wait list fills with more than 2,500 mostly futile requests for seats on its signature robin’s-egg-blue leather banquettes and club chairs, where the prix-fixe menu includes truffled eggs and a club sandwich named for company founder Charles Lewis Tifany.

The move into culinary experiences is just one of a number of unexpected tactics the formerly staid luxury house (which turned 180 last year) is using to appeal to a modern luxury client—one who is more interested in creative individuality than aristocratic symbolism. It’s part of an aggressive transformation led by chief executive Alessandro Bogliolo and chief artistic oicer h

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Illustration by ISRAEL G. VARG AS

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Reed Krakof, whose symbiotic partnership has helped revitalize the tired behemoth.

The strategy is drawing applause from Wall Street, where some analysts discuss Tifany as though its shares were luxury goods themselves. “The stock is expensive but worth it in our view,” wrote Cowen analyst Oliver Chen in a recent report.

WALL STREET REWARDS TIFFANY’S OUT-OF-THE-BOX MOVES Stocks rise from October 2016 to 2018 $145 $140 $135 $130 $125

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$120 $115 $110 $105 $100 $95 $90 $85 $80 $75 $70

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“THE PACE OF CHANGE HAS BEEN AGGRESSIVE. IT’S RADICAL WITH RESPECT TO TIFFANY’S PAST.”

several years the storied brand relied heavily on its classic diamond engagement ring and lower-priced sterling-silver business to fuel its bottom line. Over time that was eroded as formerly reliable clients sought out more contemporary designs from emerging luxury brands.

The change is apparent in everything from product to advertising, and especially in its surprising marketing initiatives.

Seeking its modern-day Audrey Hepburn for a street-culture-obsessed era, Tifany dressed the actor Elle Fanning in torn jeans and a robin’s-egg-blue hoodie and filmed a music video to launch its new Paper Flowers jewelry collection. Fanning gazes into a Tifany store window and dissolves into a street-dance fantasy in which A$AP Ferg raps a remix of “Moon River”—the song from the iconic movie Breakfast at Tifany’s.

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Cracked Ice is just one of the experimental new designs attracting a broader audience.

ogliolo says he expected Wall Street to punish him when he announced earlier this year that he would invest profits into developing high-jewelry pieces and on an expensive redesign of stores, including a $250 million remodel of the Fifth Avenue flagship. Rather than balk at the spending, investors sent Tifany’s stock up 20 percent in a single day in May. Bogliolo is attempting to solve today’s retail riddle: how to make stores appealing when it’s so easy to shop

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online. To entice clients, many locations have implemented engraving stations where shoppers can customize purchases, and playful pop-up shops have opened in hip locations like the Grove in Los Angeles where almost every item can be personalized. Yet it remains to be seen if Tifany can keep the successes coming steadily enough to justify investors’ current exuberance. The stock price dipped from its year high of $141.64 in August when some analysts questioned how much of the earnings improvement was due to tax cuts. Stocks are currently trading around $125.

Krakof, who is credited with transforming the traditional American leathergoods brand Coach into a powerhouse (and taking it from a $500 million to a $4 billion business), swiftly countered Tifany’s staid image with an irreverent streak, launching an Everyday Objects collection. Not everyone was enamoured with this concept, though, which included a $1,000 pencil-holder soup can in sterling silver that was widely—and hilariously—ridiculed. “Normal people price: $0 because who buys tin cans???” panned one blog.

Still, Krakof insists, “The world of luxury has gotten so much more playful; people wear trainers and a diamond bracelet and a backpack.”

Key to the new strategy is the relationship forged by Bogliolo and Krakof, whose temperaments appear complementary. Krakof, reserved and task focused, asserts, “I don’t even look at the stock price, to be honest with you.” He says Bogliolo’s social exuberance and relentless travel schedule have reinvigorated the company’s employees. “He

NECKLACE: GRANT CORNET T

s new, younger customers slip Tifany-brand gold and diamonds around their wrists, the company’s shares have risen nearly 39 percent in the past 12 months, bringing its market cap to a robust $15.4 billion. The performance on Wall Street was buoyed by revenues in the United States—roughly 45 percent of Tifany’s sales—and in Asia, where Chinese and Japanese clients helped send revenues up 13.4 percent for the six months ended in August. Profits were also helped by recent U.S. corporate tax cuts—something for which management isn’t responsible; they rose 38 percent to $287 million for the sixmonth period.

In an interview, Chen noted the speed with which Krakof and Bogliolo have shifted consumers’ perceptions of the brand. “The pace of change has been aggressive. It’s radical with respect to Tifany’s past.” Indeed, over the past

The Business

is very much with us every day. He’s in the design room; he’s in the stores,” says Krakof. “He’s visited 100 stores, and he’s not been here one year.”

“He is incorrect—it’s 111,” says Bogliolo with a chuckle, who joined the company in October 2017. “You cannot manage a brand by staying in your beautiful corporate oice.” ogliolo and Krakof meet every possible Friday, spending a few hours together reviewing product development, design, advertising, and other initiatives. “It’s a perfect combination between creative and business,” Bogliolo says.

Krakof’s array of new products is aimed at two vital customer groups: masses of millennials in their prime shopping years and very wealthy clients who buy one-of-a-kind high-jewelry pieces. The more youthful initiatives— personalized jewelry, a new minimalist engagement ring, and the irreverent Paper Flowers and Everyday Objects collections, along with an advertising campaign featuring Lady Gaga in 2017— have drawn new traic into Tifany stores and to its website.

The Blue Book high jewelry is a multipronged initiative. Krakof notes that creating each piece requires “radical” experimentation with design and materials, which in turn can trickle down into the more commercial designs. Tiffany recently experimented with a new technique of diamond cutting for its

Down to Business with

BARRY STERNLICHT

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“YOU CANNOT MANAGE A BRAND

BY STAYING IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL CORPORATE OFFICE.”

new Cracked Ice collection in high jewelry. “It will make its way into the core collection in a more commercial way,” Krakof says, possibly in the form of a similar efect in gold or silver or with colored stones.

There is also the much-needed halo efect on the brand, which had lost much of its luster with its focus on mall stores and afordable pieces. “It’s about the intrinsic value of elegance,” says Bogliolo.

“The values didn’t change; it’s the way we communicate the values.”

Barry Sternlicht has always been a stickler for details. Back in the late 1990s, as founder of W Hotels, he couldn’t help but insert himself into decisions that were, shall we say, below his pay grade. “People would say, ‘The CEO shouldn’t pick the towels or the fabrics,’” Sternlicht recalls. “And I was like, ‘You believe that. And we’ll just do what we do and see if it will be successful.’” Successful it was—and successful he has inarguably been: Two decades later, the 58-year-old hotelier is the founder, chairman, and CEO of the $60 billion investment firm Starwood Capital Group. And, as we learned one recent morning at the Baccarat Hotel in New York City, he’s still in the details. Here, the down-to-earth entrepreneur (along with his puppy, Tucker, in tow) shares all the little things that make him tick. —JACKIE CARADONIO

What time do you wake up in the morning?

6:30.

How many hours of sleep do you get per night?

Six or seven.

Cofee or tea?

Coffee.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to the office?

That’s easy: Check my emails.

What’s the one thing you have to do every day to stay sane?

I have to work out.

And also read. I read incessantly.

What’s your biggest pet peeve at work?

People who think they’re better at what they’re doing than they actually are.

What do you look for in an employee?

I’m looking for intellectual humility. I think when you’re successful, it’s very hard to stay humble. When

you’re in this mentality of “I’m so smart. I made all this money,” that’s usually when things go awry because you don’t know what you don’t know.

Email, phone, or text?

It depends on who I’m talking to. I actually prefer the phone, but it’s the least productive. Next would probably be email.

What’s one thing you’re not good at?

Getting rid of people.

I may get angry and frustrated, but I rarely fire anyone. I need to get better about that.

Another CEO once said to me, “You’re doing your whole organization a big disservice.” Because it all comes down to that one person who’s showing up at 11 and leaving at 3. That is the challenge of being a manager that I still could improve on.

Do you make to-do lists?

Yes, usually every Sunday night.

How long should a meeting last?

As long as they require, and never longer. They shouldn’t last hours. What do I need to know? What are the risks? What could go wrong? How could we get lucky? That’s all I need to know.

What’s the one adjustment everyone can make in their lives to be more successful?

I had a professor in business school who said, “Be careful where you set your goals, because you may achieve them.” You may not get there, but you’ll do a lot better than if you never had aspirations for yourself.

I also think you need to know yourself and what brings you joy and happiness. How do you define money? How do you define happiness?

Money brings choice, but it does not bring happiness. And sometimes too much choice is complicated.

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“IT’S ABOUT RIGHT-SIZING THE CABIN FOR THE TIMES.” —Yung Han Ng, Singapore Airlines

Grab a first-class seat while you can (this Emirates suite isn’t bad) because they are disappearing fast.

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ave you noticed that firstclass cabins are shrinking, and in some cases have disappeared entirely?

If you’re flying a domestic airline, you’ll be hard-pressed to book a firstclass seat on Delta, which eliminated international first class, or United, which is phasing out its first-class cabins on international travel. American Airlines announced it will soon ofer first class on only 20 of its Boeing 777-300ERs that fly to major financial centers, including London and Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific, British Airways, and Lufthansa are all reducing their proportion of first-class seats as they refresh their fleets with new Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s. Qatar Airways, often touted as the world’s most luxurious airline, is limiting first class to the eight-seat cabin on its 10 A380s.

Even mighty Emirates, the world’s largest international long-haul carrier (by passenger miles flown), is reducing first-class seats on numerous carriers and eliminating the first-class cabins entirely on 30 of its 777s and 15 of its A380s.

What’s behind the downshift? Money.

The economics of first class are ruinous to both the airlines and passengers. Each seat costs between $150,000 and $300,000 to develop and build, and caviar and Krug aren’t cheap. Despite the hefty ticket prices ($1,000 an hour, on average—up to 70 percent more than business-class seats), carriers say they barely break even.

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Turning Left May Soon Be a Thing of the Past WITH RISING COSTS AND DIMINISHING RETURNS, AIRLINES ARE ABOLISHING THEIR FIRST-CLASS CABINS.

By John Arlidge

Added to the economics, corporations are much more aware of perception, and many companies that used to fly their top executives first class have decided business class or economy is just fine. Shareholders won’t support such extravagance.

Wealthy leisure travelers are comparing new and improved business-cabin features—flat beds, direct aisle access, dining on demand, private-style suites—with first class and concluding that the higher fee isn’t worth it. Improved business class, in some cases, is contributing to the demise of first class.

Some airline bosses agree. Akbar Al Baker, group chief executive of Qatar Airways, says the airline’s new business-class Q Suite is better than first on many carriers. “After traveling in the Q Suite, do you really need to pay to fly first class?”

Only two airlines claim to make money in first and are raising their game (while discreetly cutting cabin size). Tim Clark, president of Emirates, just introduced private first-class suites that measure 40 square feet with floor-to-ceiling walls and sliding doors. They will soon be available on routes to most major financial centers where “demand remains very strong,” he says. “We have a very loyal customer base and we need to keep them interested in what we are doing. We will not eliminate first class on my watch.”

Singapore Airlines moved the Suites cabin from the lower deck to the upper on five of its A380s; at 50 square feet, those suites are the largest in the sky (the Residence notwithstanding). There are now only six of them in the cabin, half as many as in its previous incarnation, and four can be converted into vast double suites with a double bed. “It’s about right-sizing the cabin for the times,” says Yung Han Ng, Singapore Airlines’ vice president of product innovation.

Remember how you felt when you missed your chance to fly the Concorde before it disappeared from flight schedules? First class will likely continue to get harder to find, and it too may soon disappear altogether. Grab it while you can.

YOUR PATH TO ULTIMATE LUXURY

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Where You Keep Your Watches Reveals More Than You Think. . . .

HIGH-ROLLING COLLECTOR

MR. LOW MAINTENANCE

JUST GETTING STARTED

Is your collection worth $100,000 or more?

Do you own more than 10 watches?

Have you been stalking Robb Report Watch Collector for your first big purchase?

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Did you have to submit your tax return to buy your last watch?

You don’t seem all that low maintenance.

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Then you’re not really that serious.

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NO What should your watch say about you?

We can’t help you.

Best of luck.

Nothing. I can speak for myself.

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Ready to cash in on the ROI from that collectible Patek Philippe ref. 2499?

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Tube sock

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Does your impressive collection total one timepiece?

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Original manufacturer’s box

Everest travel roll

Orbita watch winder

Buben & Zörweg safe

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