7 minute read
Heritage that breeds innovation
Next generation LUXURY GADGETS
The next generation of luxury gadgets has arrived. Designed to improve life’s function with elevated design form, and a personalised approach to style, these new wonder products will be on most-wanted lists near and far as we round out 2021. By Isla McKechnie
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SAMSUNG BALLIE
This personalised companion puts the cute factor into highly-functional robot tech, with a human-centric approach to personal care. The rolling ball is designed to help both you and your pets around the house using AI which brings your smart home together. From opening your blinds to gently wake you with morning light, to keeping your pup company while you’re out of the house, to setting the Roomba to work, and helping you perfect your yoga pose, Ballie is the companion robot we’ve been waiting on since the Jetsons.
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Emerge
Bang & Olufsen’s introduction earlier in the year of a slim, powerful home speaker, has perfected the balance between high sound quality and a speaker you’ll visually enjoy having in your home. Bibliophiles will appreciate the design of the Beosound Emerge, reminiscent of a book spine, with an elegantly-tapered, slender shape resulting in wide sound dispersion broad enough to fill a room. The sound is big and rich and the aesthetic has been crafted so you don’t feel obliged to hide your speakers. Available in a range of finishes including oak wood, or a high-grade aluminium Black Anthracite finish with a pearl-blasted grill, the Beosound Emerge is sure to become a fixture in many a stylish interior this year.
BOSCH VIRTUAL VISOR
Bosch’s engineers have taken on the 95-year-old design of the sun visor, adding a driver-facing camera, AI facial detection, and analysis and tracking software. Its new Virtual Visor changes the way drivers experience the road and, with the sun causing twice as many accidents as other weather conditions combined, brings a weighty safety component with it. The Virtual Visor uses intelligent algorithms to block the sun’s glare while leaving the view of the road clear ahead.
Bespoke lipstick has entered the ring. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Sur Mesure Powered by Perso - that’s its full name - is a bathroom counter-sized device which will whip up custom shades of lipstick designed to match the wearer’s skin tone, wardrobe, or mood of the day. Users download an app to use in conjunction with the device and can employ their phone camera to shade match to their outfit. Alternatively they can tap into advice from shade stylists on coordinating shades for them, and then press the button to dispense their custom match and apply with the accompanying brush.
(Photos © Yves Saint Laurent Beauté)
NORM GLASSES
Norm Glasses are the stuff of technology fantasy made-good. Sleek, comfortable eyewear that bring a fully-functioning computer to your glasses, Norm Glasses are designed for everyday, easy use. Features like making phone calls, taking photos and videos, navigation and watching and listening to media are brought to you in a hands-free, head-up display compatible with both Android and IOS phones. Norm Glasses are rain, splash and sweat resistant and respond to commands in variety of ways, including through voice, touch and head gestures. Available in clear or tinted, and with or without a prescription, this next generation technology is set to become a game-changer.
‘Why has no-one thought of this before?’ Was the most common reaction in the yachting world after we unveiled the BeachClub concept, closely followed by ‘wow’ and ‘what a great idea’. With three of these beauties now launched and another ‘in build’, more owners are enjoying this all-new take on spaciousness.
By Andrew Rogers
ENJOYING THE BEACHCLUB
SIDE OF LIFE
© Stuart Pearce
The genuinely innovative Van der Valk BeachClub was the product of several years of research and development and many years’ experience of working with clients to maximise their pleasure on the water. Developed in partnership with Ginton Naval Architects and designer Cor D. Rover, the goal was to not only give an unprecedented feeling of space but to offer owners and their guests far more space in reality. This was achieved by thinking outside the box to optimise both the exterior and interior volume. Our key to unlocking the beach side of life was to dispense with the engine room and install the propulsion system in the swimming platform area. This arrangement makes the most of the aft area of the vessel that is rarely used, freeing up a great deal of room for interior, and al fresco activities. The all-aluminium Van der Valk BeachClub therefore offers an amount of living space normally reserved for far bigger yachts, with all the options for customisation and personal finish preferences.
Proven in practice
This was the philosophy but like any revolution, proof was required in practice. That duly came with the line’s launch model, the BeachClub 600 Lucy Penguin. Winner of the prestigious World Yachts Trophies award at the 2019 Cannes show for ‘Most Innovative Yacht’ in the 45ft to 64 ft category, and a finalist in the European Powerboat of the Year Awards, Lucy Penguin now has her home port in Lake Michigan.
The second BeachClub was the 660 Flybridge Alvaro. Based in Palma, her outdoor spaces include a 17m² beach deck and sun lounge, a 17m² aft deck and a vast 25m² foredeck. As promised, these facilities did not come at the expense of Alvaro’s interior which has a main deck salon/wheelhouse spanning some 21m², and a lower deck lounge with a galley/dinette of 27m². Accommodations covering 44m² include a luxurious owners’ suite, two guest cabins and a crew cabin.
Next up was Dutch Falcon, another BeachClub 660 Flybridge that showcases the many choices clients have to create a unique yacht within the concept. The interior layout places a larger owner’s suite in a prime central location instead of the foreship, making even greater use of the available volume. The guests also have bigger cabins on the third BeachClub while the lounge offers panoramic views through giant slabs of glass.
Van der Valk’s craftsmen created a beach-style interior for Dutch Falcon where whitewashed oak is offset by high-gloss ‘piano black’ elements. All BeachClub owners get to choose these kinds of features along with the upholstery and other interior parts. Chic is the word here, and the same can be said for the yacht’s hard-shine planing hull which is finished in a standout Dolphin Blue metallic paint system.
Convertible options
The hull of the fourth BeachClub (a third 660 Flybridge) is now under construction, with Van der Valk also now offering the option of building a convertible model. You can choose between three or four roomy cabins (with six to eight berths) and two or three bathrooms. We certainly suggest placing a king-size bed in the owner’s suite, which benefits from panoramic views in the bathroom (as does one of the guest cabins). Other interior highlights include a crew cabin, a large galley with an American fridge and a day head for guests. You can opt for a garage for a five-person tender and, depending on your choice of propulsion, the yacht will have a top speed of around 37 knots. The special patented hull shape makes the BeachClub 660 Convertible a highly-seaworthy boat with superior levels of comfort even in high waves.
