The Roland Garros 2017, better known as the French Open, will have its trophies cased in lush Louis Vuitton trunks this year. The French brand has created the trunks that will encase the Suzanne Lenglen Cup—for the women’s champion and the Musketeers’ Cup—for the men’s champion—at this year’s French Open. With a completely monogrammed canvas and terracotta-colored interiors, the trunks also sport the signature brass corners with brass lock, with the iconic ‘V’ mark on the front. Notably, the trophies themselves have been manufactured by the Maison Mellerio, the world’s oldest jeweller and goldsmith.
At the Artcurial auction house in Paris, Auguste Rodin’s white marble sculpture of the mythical Ethiopian princess “Andromede” sold for $4.1 million. The selling price topped the estimated price of well above the top estimated price of approximately $1.4 million. The masterpiece was created in 1886-1887 and depicts the daughter of Ethiopian King Cepheus nude and asleep on a rock. In 1888, Rodin presented the work to Carlos Morla Vicuna, a Chilean diplomat living in Paris at the time, as a gift. The sculpture is one of five carvings Rodin created of the subject, especially renowned for the contrast between Andromede’s smooth finish and the virtually untouched roughness of the jutting slab of rock.
Bvlgari defines its Goldea Roman Night fragrance as an “olfactory ode to the mysterious evenings in the Eternal City”. The sensual chypre-floral musk, set with mulberry and black peony top notes, reveals a patchouli heart, studded with jasmine and tuberose. The luxe brand has roped in supermodel Bella Hadid as the face of the Goldea Roman Night campaign. Housed in a black eclipse-inspired bottle, the fragrance is inspired by the idea of a mysterious goddess of the night, in the eternal city of Rome.
The limited edition Alien Nation watch is perhaps the most incredible design you’d ever have feasted your eyes on—even better if you have an alien/UFO fetish. Limited to just four pieces, each a little different from the other, these timepieces from MB&F are based on the Horological Machine No.6, one of the brand’s most radical designs. The HM6 Alien Nation is a sandwich construction of two sapphire crystal plates that show off the entire complex workings from any angle. The tourbillon’s dome has a retractable four-bladed cover that can be closed to protect it from UV light. It also has the exclusive 3-D engine developed by David Candaux, plus 496 components & 68 jewels—and it’s quite the feat of craftsmanship, featuring six tiny aliens handcarved from solid white gold, who appear to pilot the spaceship! The captain sits up front and the rest of the five sit inside the case—apparently doing all sorts of tasks. The miniature aliens are created by engraver Olivier Kuhn and are crafted with such meticulous care, every detail is incredible, such as the necks—thinner than a single grain of sand—taking 34 hours each to complete! Each of the four MB&F HM6 Alien Nation machines glow from within in turquoise, green, purple, or blue and are accented with SuperLuminova. Before you can even draw in your breath, you must know all 4 of these watches have been purchased by a collector in advance—at the price of $500,000 each. Nothing too much for out-of-this-world creations!
Porsche’s upcoming 911 GT2 RS is expected to be one powerful, speedy devil, with more than 640 horsepower at its command with 750 Nm of torque. It will use the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat six from the 911 Turbo S, but cranked up for the necessary increase in power. To aid the engine, Porsche will introduce a water injection system similar to the one used in the BMW M4 GTS. The engine also gets beefed-up internals, larger turbochargers, and a titanium exhaust. Like before, it will send all that power just to the rear wheels, though only through Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission. Weighing just under 1450 kilograms, the 911 GT2 RS makes use of lightweight materials like Gorilla Glass, titanium and carbon fibre. The car is supposed to be just months away from production stage and expected to cost well over $200,000.
Lexus already had a vast following in India and now that it’s entered the market officially, it’s here to stay
The luxury car buyer in India never had it so good with a wide array of choices and now you can add one more as Japanese luxury car giant, Lexus has set up shop in India. The luxury car brand, owned by Toyota, has already a vast clientele in India with its SUV range being particularly popular with the jet set. Now officially here, Lexus wants to distinguish itself from others with a fresh take on what luxury should be with its hybrid focused line-up and claim to deliver exceptional customer service. There are currently three cars on sale- the ES300h, RX450h and LX450d with dealerships in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Bangalore. While prices are premium, albeit due to being fully imported from Japan, the car-maker has got a favourable response for its SUVs. Of all the cars, the rakish RX450h is the most attention grabbing.
Lexus ES300h saloon
A big departure from the sober Japanese styling theme, the RX450h stands out from other SUVs and looks unlike anything else out there. The mix of sharp creases and curves sure get your attention plus there is the triple L-shape-LED headlamps with 18 individual LEDs no less. The sporty stance is enhanced by blacked-out C-pillars, which have a floating-roof effect. The party piece though is what is underneath that hood with a petrol 3.5-liter V6 being combined together with an electric motor making 308 hp. In similar vein there is also the ES300h luxury saloon with a total output of 200 bhp. Unlike the aggressively styled RX, the ES follows a simpler luxury saloon design but you cannot miss the bold styling details like the big Lexus signature grille.
Lexus LX-450d luxury SUV
If talking about big then it is best to introduce the humungous LX450d. This is the flagship product in the Lexus range and also packs in an engine as big as itself with a 4.5 litre V8 diesel engine mated to a four-wheel drive automatic transmission. It is currently the only non-hybrid in the range and is a luxury SUV that will take you off the beaten path with utter nonchalance. Thus while there are only three product offerings, Lexus plans to expand and bring in more from its international portfolio. So yes, Lexus is finally here and it means business.
Vogue eyewear Spring Summer Collection 2017 is here. Framing both clean-cut design with edgy, fresh shapes and feminine DNA, Vogue Eyewear invites women to see the world from their own perspective. Combining classic aesthetics with contemporary design, the range presents a playful palette of materials, colors and décor executions. Starting with the trendy, exposed structures and metal minimalism of Light & Shine, the collection evolves through the designer elegance of Casual Chic and luminous layers and crystals of the Timeless collection to create a palette that suits every style.
Hublot has partnered with Paris-based leather footwear brand Berluti to create the Fusion Chronograph Berluti Scritto watch, which is an aesthetic marvel in itself. The new watches use Berluti’s distinctive patinated leathers for the straps as well as the dials, creating the startling effect of the strap continuing right through the watch. The watch comes in two variants, one in 18k King Gold with a brown leather strap, and the other in black ceramic with a black leather strap, with 45 mm case diameter. The case design includes all the features of the non-limited edition Classic Fusion Chronograph watches: H-shaped screws, integrated lugs, and differing finishes on the case. Water resistant upto 50m, both variants are made using Berluti’s Venezia leather, with the specific hues achieved through a special tanning technique. Additionally, the dial’s leather is specially treated to remove all moisture before it is cased, and the dial’s Hublot logo, as well as the hour markers, are all embossed onto the leather. The watches will be limited to just 250 pieces each, and while the King Gold version will be priced at $36,700, the Black ceramic is pegged lower a $16,700.
Luxury watchmaker Zenith’s elegant and feminine Elite Lady Moonphase comes in a vibrant, rainbow avatar, in a host of colours namely yellow, apple green, turquoise and red. With its ultra-thin 33 mm-diameter case, the watch comes with diamond-set bezel and stainless steel case, and is water-resistant to 50 metres—plus fitted with a fluted crown enabling smooth moon-phase adjustments. The watches come with specific coloured alligator leather straps featuring protective rubber lining and secured by a stainless-steel pin buckle. The dials sport matching coloured lacquer to complete the rainbow look. The movement is the ultra-thin automatic Elite Calibre 692 bearing the inimitable Zenith signature, operating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and comprising 195 parts – while measuring an exceptionally slim 3.97 mm, and it powers indications of the hours, minutes, small seconds and moon phase. The exhibition case-back provides a chance to admire the mechanism powered by an oscillating weight adorned with a “Côtes de Genève” motif.
The 2017 BMW 5 Series is going to be launched in India on 29 June, expected to be priced between Rs 52-65 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). For the Indian market, BMW plans to offer three engine options, all paired with eight-speed automatic gearboxes. There will be two diesel engine options – a 190hp, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder unit in the 520d and the larger and more powerful 265hp, 3.0-litre, inline-six under the hood of the 530d. The 530i will be the one with the petrol engine option, with a 252hp 2.0-litre unit. The new BMW 5-series is also expected to be offered with gizmos such as gesture control for the iDrive system, adaptive dampers and a remote parking function, depending on the variant. The standard kit, though, is expected to include multiple zone climate control, electric adjust front seats, LED headlamps and a host of safety systems.
