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It’s a watch that looks like Spiderman mixed with the Terminator. Plus 18 carats of white gold and hundreds of precision cut 34.5 carat black diamonds. In total there are 322 diamonds on the case, 179 on the bezel, and ‘only’ 30 on the clasp at the end. All black diamond. All extremely rare and thus the name ‘black caviar’. Crazy caviar.
For one million dollars, the watch’s conception remained in the Hublot tradition of an ‘all black’ watch. Hublot believes this watch symbolises “the fusion between watchmaking and jewellery, between tradition and technology, and between glittering and invisibility.” The watch took over 2000 hours of work, from the initial design concept to the ‘mysterious,’ almost magical process of cutting and placing together all the fine diamonds.
Hublot has been the watchmaker to royal families and celebrities the world over. Since its debut in 1980 with the innovative gold Hublot watch fitted with a natural rubber strap, Hublot has been at the forefront of prestige and luxury.
The late Severin Wunderman was the mastermind behind the Gucci Watch Franchise, and had been a legend in the watch world for all his luxurious designs. A tour through his estate will give you an intimate idea of just what a fabulous eye for colors, detail and design the man had.
Aside from Gucci watches, Wunderman bought the Swiss watch brand, Corum. You can see where the passion for skull imagery in Corum watches may have come from, when you have a look at Wunderman’s skull-filled library.
The home is furnished with decadence and exquisite materials, with a lot of animal prints, antiques and precious fine art paintings. There is so much detail in every piece of furniture, from the fine-carved fireplaces to the many exquisitely hung chandeliers.
The London estate is now listed at £10.5million (down from original asking price of £15.5 million). There are 8 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, plus 9 reception rooms.
Wunderman passed away at the age of 69 this past summer.
Fashion designer Randolph Duke has placed his award-winning and Architectural Digest cover home on the market for $8.25 million.Winner of the American Institute of Architects’ Best Residential Design Award in 2007, this three and a half bath home features push-button electric glass walls, an ornate outdoor chandelier, and has an ambience that leaves you feeling as if you were floating above the city.
The kitchen is state of the art, with seamless quartz floors, rift oak and plaster walls, mirrored finishes and chiselled granite countertops. Designed by XTEN Architecture, there is a pool made of mirrored glass tiles, as well as a meditation-yoga garden. The estate is made up of modern lines and angles, which are zen-like and yet homely.
Duke has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America and E! as a fashion commentator and dressed many stars such as Angelina Jolie, Hilary Swank and Marcia Gay Harden.
The home is currently listed with Brett Lawyer from Sotheby’s International Realty on Sunset Strip.
(Above-left: Concept of LV Ginza flagship store; right: LV Paris flagship store)
Seems to be a lot of cancellations happening in the fashion world this week. Louis Vuitton has just announced that due to the global economic crisis, they will not be opening a flagship store in Tokyo’s 5th Avenue equivalent district, Ginza.
Originally the planned 12-floor, 130,000 square foot store was to be such a glorious marvel in the East that would be rivaling its Paris sister store.
Despite the fact that Louis Vuitton will not be operating from the premises of this 12-floor retail building, however, the construction company Hulic Co. says that they will continue completion and invite other luxury retailers to come in.
Reality for Louis Vuitton is that Japan’s not as hot a market as it used to be, and this year they are even slashing prices in the area for the Christmas season. There was a seven percent decrease in sales for the year by September 30 for Louis Vuitton in Japan.
Having just won the award for Best Lobby from the 11th edition of the European Hotel Design Awards, the Trianon Palace Versailles is certainly one of the most beautiful hotels to be staying in when in France.
The award-winning lobby itself features a Murano glass structure from Andromeda. It is a custom-made creation with knit element, created by Karim Rashid with conception by Michela Vianello, Art Director of Andromeda.
It was also announced that the hotel is to be a opened as Waldorf-Astoria Collection hotel early next year, “signalling the French debut of the luxury brand in one of the country’s most historic locations.”
The estate itself was originally built in 1909 by architect Reni Sergent, who also designed the Plaza Athene in Paris. It features royal gardens and now has the elegant mix of historic splendor and luxurious modern-yet-antique-inspired interiors.
“Trianon Palace Versailles is a spectacular hotel that has deservedly gained a reputation as one of France’s leading luxury retreats,” said Patrick Fitzgibbon, Senior Vice President of Development for Hilton Hotels Corporation in Europe & Africa.
