The latest watch news from Swatch, Saint Laurent and more October 20, 2024 The latest goings-on in the world of haute horlogerie, from a back-to-the-future 1970s LED digital to Swatch’s new Mission on Earth range and an actually-futuristic LED analogue DIODE TO JOY In the early 1970s, Girard-Perregaux took it upon itself to develop (at huge cost) its own battery-powered movement, the Calibre 350. Appropriately, the 350 launched [...]
The reinvention of watch firm Hublot, from sci-fi artistry timepieces to sapphire and titanium October 19, 2024 Introducing brave new disciplines to Hublot’s universe is the sci-fi artistry of Daniel Arsham, reports Alex Doak This issue’s ‘Watching the Watchmen’ feature charts the 1990s multi-pronged reinvention of the ’luxury timepiece’ as we know it, and Hublot is a key player. Admittedly, its porthole case and rubber strap was a tough sell on launch [...]
New Porsche 911 GT3 revealed – including option of rear seats October 18, 2024 Say Guten Tag to the new 911 GT3. The most hardcore, track-focused version of Porsche’s iconic sports car has received a mid-life makeover, with revised aero, a shorter final-drive ratio and more lightweight parts. Plus the option of rear seats for the first time. The updated, fourth-generation GT3 – known as the 992.2 to Porsche [...]
Travel inspo – the top travel destinations for 2025 October 17, 2024 As travel continues to evolve for millennials and gen Z, some surprising gems are topping the list of must-go-to destinations for next year. This list, compiled by Amex Travel, offers some great inspiration for your next escape from an increasingly dark and dreary London, featuring everything from vibrant cities to secluded beaches and dramatic scenery. [...]
The Apprentice film review: A gloriously dark origin story for Trump October 17, 2024 As we near the US Presidential election, The Apprentice has attracted much controversy from one of the candidates. This early-days biopic of Donald Trump has been denounced by the 45th President, who sent a cease-and-desist letter causing the film to have trouble finding a distributor. But is it worth the fuss? Starting in the early [...]
Boris Johnson Unleashed: Puns, prose but too little punch October 17, 2024 Let’s face it: if you aren’t a Boris fan or someone inclined to read every political biography, it’s unlikely you will pick up this book. When I told my brother I was reading it, his response was: “Why would you want to relive that mess?!?”. My mother was more pointed: “I’m not reading anything by [...]
Hard Truths by Mike Leigh, London Film Festival review: I couldn’t bare the misery anymore October 17, 2024 Hard Truths by Mike Leigh, review and star rating: ★★★☆☆ As one of Britain’s greatest living film-makers, Mike Leigh launched the careers of British acting royalty, including Gary Oldman, Alison Steadman and Tim Roth. But goodness gracious me, he’s a right old misery guts. To mark the release of his new film Hard Truths, Vulture [...]
iPhone 16 Pro review: Amazing camera keeps Apple on top October 17, 2024 The iPhone 16 Pro is not a reinvention of the wheel, rather a polishing of that wheel to an absurd degree, tweaking this, fiddling with that, and in doing so ensuring Apple’s flagship handset remains the phone to buy as we rattle towards the end of 2024. There are two items of headline news for [...]
This trip to Languedoc turned me into a wine snob October 17, 2024 I’m not a wine guy. The oenophile subjects alcohol to a level of scrutiny that, to me, feels antithetical to the loosening joys of boozing. I enjoy wine. I prefer wine that tastes nice. But to theorise about it, to intellectualise it, to hold it to the light and inspect its colour, to soliliquise about [...]
The Duchess of Malfi review: Jodie Whittaker can’t save this October 17, 2024 Duchess of Malfi review and star rating: ★★ This overstimulating, overstated adaptation of Jacobean tragedy The Duchess of Malfi struggles to find true dramatic depth. Written by English dramatist John Webster around 1612, the revenge tragedy follows the titular Duchess who is widowed but remarries in secret, then has a baby with husband Antonio, who [...]