Luxury Lifestyle

For the second time in a row D&G have spread their magic in Claridge’s lobby by designing this year’s Claridge’s Christmas tree. Inspired by their childhood memories, the 8-meter-high tree’s design celebrates the “children of the world,” featuring a magical woodland theme. The theatrical creation includes a sprinkling of snow and groups of animated deer, rabbits and squirrels gathered at the tree’s base. The international focus comes in the form of more then 300 Italian glass baubles, hand painted with international flags to symbolize festive traditions from all over the world. Handmade over-sized ribbons representing different countries also adorn the branches. And the icing on the cake is a royal throne with a crown and a hand-made coat owned by a Norman king, symbolizing the Normans’ conquest of Southern Italy in Sicily in 1061. “Christmas is the happiest time of the year for children and we want to celebrate it with a tree that brings together al...

The  Apple Watch  is coming next year and Apple lovers everywhere can hardly wait.  Apple corporation seems to have claimed the leading edge with so many technological advancements, that it is no surprise they would introduce the world’s first computerized, customizable watch. One might be surprised they would introduce it so far in advance, since competitors will be following close behind. However, it is a traditional Apple preemptive move, to ensure the world they are still the first one out the gate, setting standards and developing practical products that everyone will want to use. Unlike the digital  watches  that took the sporting world by storm a couple decades ago, the Apple watch has three models and even the sportiest model can be worn as a casual-to-dressy accessory. It truly is an exciting new product. In fact, it contains so many functions and features, it is possibly the most innovative product to come along in over a decade. Three Different...

Founded:  London, England – 1905 Founder:  Mr. Hans Wilsdorf and Mr. Alfred Davis The History of Rolex 1905:  The Rolex, SA company was founded in London by Mr. Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Mr. Alfred Davis. So the original name of the company was naturally, Wilsdorf & Davis. The company imported Swiss movements and resold them to jewelers, who put their own names on the dials. 1908:  The trademark name “Rolex” was registered in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. No one seems to have an accurate recount of how the name Rolex ever came about, although one story claims it came from the French phrase “horlogerie exquise”, which means exquisite watch industry. 1912:  Wilsdorf & Davis moved out of London because of high taxes and export duties on silver and gold case metals. The owners wanted to keep the timepieces affordable, but it was becoming more difficult, so they relocated to the watch capital of the world, Geneva, Switzerland. 191...

Luxury timepieces might cost a small fortune, but they last a lifetime or until your taste changes. Today we’re going to feature some of the most exquisite men’s watches on the planet. Of course, luxury is in the eye of the beholder – but we selected an assortment of some of the most popular from a few of our famous timepiece designers and manufacturers. Of course, many of these are made in Switzerland – the land of precision and craftsmanship. So not only are they elegant, sophisticated and classy – they are also top-of-the-line timekeepers, as well.  The super luxury watches include even more engineering like the tourbillon and chronograph watches, but none are as complicated to work as they can be to read. The collections that the watchmakers come up with are extraordinary and are becoming more and more unique from the watches of years gone by. They are more high-tech, bejeweled and expensive – which is interesting in light of cell phones and digital clocks everywhere. Fe...

In the last couple of years, secret watches have become très chic and popular within the high jewelry category of women’s timepieces. From most women’s perspectives, all high-end bracelet watches are magnificent. Many, as you’ll see, are more about the diamonds than the practical aspects of telling time. Sure, the dial is always present, but unless you have an intricate eye for measurement, it’s not all that easy to read the precise time on one of these stunning pieces of jewelry. The word exquisite comes to mind when reviewing today’s selection of high-end bracelet watches. The craftsmanship involved in making a quality timepiece is one thing; the creativity necessary to overlay a detailed bracelet design in addition, takes extraordinary skill. Sometimes a jeweler and a watchmaker team up to create these types of pieces. Most of our favorite luxury watchmaking brands keep top designers on-staff – who know exactly how to simplify the process. The results are often limited-edition ...

Tourbillon was invented and introduced in the late 1700s by the Swiss watchmaker Arabraham-Louis Breguet, who noticed that his pocket watches were not keeping time accurately. As he later learned, the mechanisms within his pocket watch were effected by the force of gravity. From this, he developed a method to counter the gravitational pull and called this new mechanism tourbillon, which means “whirlwind” in French. Since then the tourbillon mechanism has become extremely popular, particularly in the most expensive watches. Find a vintage watch with this mechanism and you’ve found yourself an excellent investment, as they are quite rare. As watchmaking improved, so did the movements – so although the tourbillon mechanism is no longer necessary, it has become somewhat of a status symbol and is included more as a showpiece as a necessary element. Generally, you can see if a watch has a tourbillon because they are almost always showing through the face. They look like intricate mechan...

Trendsetting celebrities are the ones fans love to follow. They have the discretionary income, personal stylists to help and an eye for fashion. There are thousands of watches from which to select, so it is interesting to note the choices of our favorite rich and famous. Rather than go for the obvious, most-expensive watches they own, we decided to concentrate on their more casual watches. Actually, the selections include watches that are trendy, classy and can be worn for a variety of informal events. It’s unlikely we will see these models on the red carpet, but they are good-to-go for just about anywhere else. Millionaires and billionaires are people too and their tastes are often the same as their fans – although with higher price tags. Luxury wristwatches can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $25 million. It generally depends on the designer, manufacturer and how many and what quality of diamonds and gems are used. The mechanisms are intricate and it takes master craftspeople to make...