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Wednesday, August 31, 2022
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Northern Allure — GuocoLand’s Lentor Modern
GuocoLand Lentor Modern. Image: GuocoLand.
The future of Lentor will be transformed with Lentor Modern’s integrated mixed-use development that’s touted to provide residential living, F&B, retail, supermarket, and childcare facilities. Developer GuocoLand will proudly erect three steely, modern buildings where some 605 homes will provide havens for future individuals, couples, and families.
Situated next to Lentor MRT on the Thomson-East Coast Line, the tranquil precinct will offer some vibrancy once it is completed in 2026. Designed by ADDP Architects with landscapes sculpted by Ortus Design, each well-appointed home will be kitted out in high-quality Smeg devices while Hansgrohe and Roca provide luxurious sanitary wares. Being the first private condominium launch in Lentor precinct will afford a sense of modern, luxury lifestyle for future homeowners. The architecture is poised to be timeless and classic, yet efficient and flexible to create layouts for hybrid work, play, and entertaining scenarios. Accessibility to nature with a strong focus on wellness is no exception in any of GuocoLand’s “Modern” residential series. There will be shared amenities to cater to social activities, thereby allowing families and couples to bond better. The one thing that will attract future homeowners to Lentor Modern is the elevated level of convenience and connectivity by being directly linked to an integrated shopping mall and MRT station.
Water-based activities ensconced in nature-scapes abound at Lentor Modern. Image: GuocoLand.
Nature Bound
Well-sculpted gardens ensure nature is all around you at Lentor Modern. Image: GuocoLand.
Get set to have an adventure every weekend as families can partake in exploring nature enclaves in the nearby Hillock and Linear Parks in the future. The connectivity continues through green respites such as Lower Pierce Reservoir Park, Upper Pierce Reservoir Park, Thomson Nature Park, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Lower Seletar Reservoir Park, and Upper Seletar Reservoir Park. The landscape architects at Ortus Design will also include a stream on the site of the project. History and hiking buffs would attest there was a nearby freshwater stream in the precinct. The 200-metre winding stream in Lentor Modern’s landscape design means amenities such as gardens, pavilions and outdoor wellness zones will allow residents to keep fit, recharge or relax while taking in the verdant views and idyllic scenery.
Sophisticated Features
Lentor Modern is directly above Lentor MRT. Image: GuocoLand.
Weekends or off days for families will never be the same again as these individuals will get to enjoy water-based activities on Level 4 which includes a 50-metre and a 25-metre Lap Pool; a Leisure Pool, Spa Pool, and Jacuzzi Alcove; two signature lawns; a tennis court; a Grand Clubhouse (with two function rooms, Business Lounge, Games Room and Dance Studio); indoor and outdoor gyms; as well as multiple dining and entertainment spaces and pavilions. Residents can even use the specially-designed glamping tents to sleep under the stars while the Allotment Garden will allow farming junkies to dabble in some farm-to-table experience by growing their favourite fruits and vegetables in the community planters. Furthermore, at level 14 of each of the three residential buildings is a Sky Club where individuals can do a bout of exercise, relax with a book, meditate on their own, partake in some entertaining at the two dining rooms or even catch up on work in the conducive and naturally ventilated work zones. The air-conditioned Club Lounge will offer work/study spaces where individuals can hold private calls, and meetings, or conduct private study groups or even tuition classes. On the other hand, the Business Lounge in the Grand Clubhouse will accommodate private booths for hot-desking, and informal meetings, or hold a meeting for up to six persons.
Living Luxe
The Flex Room configuration in all 2- to 4-bedroom units of Lentor Modern. Image: GuocoLand.
Unique to the residential configuration of Lentor Modern is the versatile Flex Room which is offered in all 2- to 4-bedroom units. The Flex Room can be converted into a nursery, study space, walk-in wardrobe, playroom, small guest bedroom, or workshop space for budding entrepreneurs. The second key highlight of the property is the “One Lift Ride Lifestyle” — owners can literally take the lift from their condominium straight down to the integrated mall were the spoils of F&B and retail options, as well as a 12,000-sq-ft supermarket beckons. Lentor Modern’s sophisticated living proposition will definitely set the bar high in the sleepy, verdant north of Singapore.
To discover more properties from GuocoLand, click here.
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Best Places In Leeds For Travellers
If you are planning to spend your holidays in Leeds or Manchester, you are going to need a list of the best places to visit. With this in mind, we’ve pointed out some of the most interesting things in Leeds for you to see. But let us warn you in advance: the choice is going to be tough because this city has so many great places, and you will need to look at the details to make up your mind.
Here are some places in Leeds that you should visit:
Briggate
Briggate was built in 1897 and it is another place you should visit. We believe that this place is ideal for people who like architecture, old buildings and unique attractions of this kind. There are a lot of boutiques here that will keep you busy and make you want to buy something as soon as possible. Try to enjoy and focus on the architecture, the impressive overall design, and the details that are present all around this place.
We must add that here you can enjoy Queen Victoria Street. A fun fact here is that this is the biggest expanse of glass anywhere in Europe so it may be a valuable place to visit.
The Royal Armouries Museum
Besides that this is one of the most exciting places to visit in England, there are a few other reasons why you should see The Royal Armouries Museum:
- This is a museum of armour and weapons and we all like that
- Here you can see over 8,500 objects that were used all over the world which makes things even more appealing
- The museum also hosts six galleries, and every one of them is impressive. Some of the items exhibited here are over 3,000 years old, so you will want to check them out
One of the most impressive details here is that the museum has weapons and armour used in the “Lord of The Rings” movie. Of course, these are replicas but they truly sound and look impressive. Live demonstrations are a thing here as well and these just make all the things even better.
Last but not least, the museum is home to real armour Henry VIII wore!
Victoria Gate Casino
Victoria Gate Casino has been known as one of its kind places, and a must-see point of interest for any tourist. The place is big — around 4,645 square feet — and there is room inside for 1,400 people.
Of course, casinos are becoming more and more obsolete. Today, you can just pick an online operator and use your mobile phone to gamble. But a real, old-fashioned, classy casino with traditions is something different, and any tourist should visit one.
A restaurant called V Restaurant is a thing here and is known for delicious meals. In addition, you can also find a champagne room and all sorts of other places here.
The casino is best known for poker and some of the best games and tournaments are held here. Of course, if you like table games of other kinds you can play them. Cash games are available as well so you can find almost anything you want. The casino is also loaded with slots if that is your thing.
In general, this place is a nice choice to visit if you want to have some fun, see the interesting design, and gamble. Don’t forget to follow general dress-code rules, as you might not be allowed to enter the casino otherwise.
The Headrow
The Headrow is simply one of the places you have to visit, and you should do it as soon as you arrive. It is a place that combines modern tech trends and old English architecture, so there is a lot to see for you here.
First of all, here you can see Leeds Town Hall. It was opened in 1858 and was used as a template for many other buildings of the same kind and purpose. It is truly one of a kind building that deserves your attention. This is also located within half a mile of a pedestrian-friendly area.
Here you get a lot more. The area is loaded with shopping, civic, and a lot of cultural attractions. In other words, this is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Leeds so make sure to include it on your list.
If you want, even more, you will get it. There is a Grand Theatre located here and you can enjoy the opera house like no other.
St. John the Evangelist’s Church
St. John the Evangelist’s Church is old. It was built in 1634 and is the oldest in the city. The interior is still old and looks like nothing you have ever seen. Stalls, pulpit, and rood screens are just some of the things you will want to find here.
The church is located at 23 New Briggate, Leeds and it deserves your attention. If you like old things or you just want to see something special, make sure to come here. As we have mentioned, the interior is the key element here. It also has two naves, which makes it special and one of a kind.
The Final Word
If you are coming to Leeds and you want to know which places are the best for you and deserve your full attention, now you have the answer. We have listed the top five places in the city that are more than just popular and will remain popular for as long as possible. Try to visit all of them if you can and take tons of photos. You will enjoy it today and later when you look at the photos.
For more travel reads, click here.
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Nuvolari Lenard-Designed Luxury Hybrid Water Taxi Secures Approval
Thunder, the first unit of the 14-seat luxury hybrid water taxi designed by Venice-based studio Nuvolari Lenard, has “obtained complete approval by the classification bodies” after a test period of about a year.
Carlo Nuvolari and Dan Lenard designed the hybrid venetian water taxi
Built at Cantieri Vizianello in Venice, the 9.2m luxury water taxi was conceived by Carlo Nuvolari and Dan Lenard, who organised a forum at last year’s Venice Boat Show to discuss potential designs for a hybrid luxury watercraft that could help solve the city’s pollution problem.
“As Venetians, Dan and I feel a strong connection with the city and have experienced first-hand the damage that is being caused to its delicate structures, through air and noise pollution as well as physical erosion,” Nuvolari said.
“We felt that it was crucial to address the problems facing our beautiful hometown, and that Nuvolari Lenard was well placed to lead the charge in finding a solution.”
- READ MORE: Luxury Submarine Hotel
The 14-seat water taxi features great comfort, luxurious finishes and elegant design
The new luxury water taxi is focused on the use of green technology and uses a hybrid engine that combines electric propulsion, for use within Venice’s low-speed waterways, and diesel propulsion, for higher speeds to and from the airport. Cantieri Vizianello developed the mechanical and electronic coupling system.
“Diesel-electric hybrid propulsion seemed to be the most efficient solution for Venice’s particular requirements,” Nuvolari said.
“Short battery life is a common concern for many hybrid propulsion systems. However, in Venice, the water taxis make regular trips to the airport in open water where they travel at higher speeds using diesel, which gives the batteries time to recharge, even if not completely, for when the vessel returns to the low-speed confines of the city’s waterways. In these areas, it will only draw on the stored electric power.”
- READ MORE: 5 Unique Experiences for the Intrepid Travel
The water taxi features a mix of wood and modern technology including hybrid power
Nuvolari Lenard has received a request for the water taxi to be used as a limousine tender for a superyacht client, but is also hoping the design will eventually be mass produced and set an example within Venice.
“We hope that this progressive model for transportation in the city will change the mindset of the historically conservative transport companies in Venice,” he said.
“Although the technology on board is ultra-modern, we made every effort to respect the stylistic heritage of the classic water taxis for which Venice is famous, and so the new designs use traditional wooden materials with some modernisation.
“Nuvolari Lenard is very proud to be doing something for Venice, as it is so close to our hearts and a stunning place that we want to help preserve for future generations.”
For more yacht reads, click here.
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Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Yachts to Debut at the 2022 Cannes Yachting Festival
Boat show season kicks off next month with the arrival of the Cannes Yachting Festival. The annual event — which takes place from 6-11 September — is set to host one of the biggest selections of world debuts seen in recent years. Founded in 1977, it remains a prestigious event for yacht connoisseurs. This year, there are scheduled to be more than 400 motorboats on show, including 135 world premiers, with the visitor attendance expected to hit a record high.
Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic and supply chain chaos, shipyards have continued to roll out the finest superyachts against all odds, and potential owners are keen to catch the first glimpse of the latest launches from the world’s top shipyards. Here are some boats making world premieres in the French Riviera.
Sanlorenzo SP110
The SP110 is the first in Sanlorenzo’s “Smart Performance” range, representing the shipyard’s entry into the sports yacht market. Featuring a jet-propulsion system, split-level interior and radical design, it’s bound to be a game-changer in the sports yacht category. Besides this, the SP110 is also notable for its top speed of 40 knots, making it the fastest Sanlorenzo to date.
The SP110 is one of two Sanlorenzo boats debuting at Cannes this year. The other is the third model in the shipyard’s semi-displacement SD fleet, the 79-foot SD90.
Aquila 54
The new power catamaran model, Aquila 54, is a mega yacht vessel. Sporting a 25-foot, 2-inch beam, the Aquila 54 power catamaran is not lacking when it comes to room for long-distance cruising and entertaining. Elegant and dynamic, “The list of standard features aboard the 54 will impress anyone familiar with vessels of this size,” said Aquila President Lex Raas.
With large outdoor and interior spaces, including a vast beach club, cockpit bar and full-beam master suite, the Aquila 54 has established itself to be one of the world’s best-selling power catamarans.
Fairline Phantom 65
Sporting a majestic profile and sculpted lines, the Fairline Phantom 65 is a boat that focuses on great liveability of the exterior spaces. Based on the technical platform of its Targa 65, the new model marries the streamlined proportions of the Targa series with the generous interior volume of its Squadron. The final design includes sleek lines, large hull windows and a deep-set flybridge for gracious outdoor living.
The designer, Alberto Mancini designed the 65-ft tri-deck with flexibility in mind, it consists of a wraparound galley, oak flooring and a sunroof that bathes the interior in natural light. As the Phantom name suggests, the boat backs up its sporty looks with two engine options — twin Caterpillar C18-1150s with a 31-knot top end, or the Caterpillar C32-1622s with an estimated top end of 35 knots.
Gulf Craft Majesty 120
The new 37-metre tri-deck Majesty 120 is the result of design and engineering work that began in early 2019. Designed by Cristiano Gatto Design Studio, it boasts an impressive 8.1 metre beam and could accommodate up to ten guests in five staterooms and seven crew members.
Stretching over three decks, its stand-out features include a jacuzzi, beach club and vast sundeck. In addition, the Majesty 120 is the first model of the series to feature fully electric-powered onboard equipment, producing much less noise pollution and demanding less maintenance.
Azimut 30 Metri Magellano
In early January, the Italian builder, Azimut, launched the first Magellano 30 Metri, the flagship of the Magellano series, at its shipyard in Viareggio. As the moniker suggests, the superyacht spans 30 metres from tip to tail, featuring a mould-breaking interior by artist and architect Vincenzo De Cotiis along with an exterior by Dutch naval architect Ken Freivokh.
Complete with sleek, modern lines, the 30 Metri sports cast glazed surfaces and teak louvres, which have become signatures of the series. Equipped with more than 750 square feet of glass, the superyacht was designed to be at one with its surroundings, with the Italian builder claiming that seafarers will have a view of both the sky and the sea from every point on the yacht.
The vessel sports a second-generation Dual Mode hull that ensures stability even in tough seas while reducing fuel consumption by 15 per cent compared to a traditional hard-chine planing hull.
Sunreef 70 Power
With the optimised engines and propellers and very performant, marine hulls — as well as solar panels and wind propelled alternators — the expedition version of the Sunreef 70 Power will be able to navigate far with relatively low fuel consumption and reach the range of 8,000 nautical miles while cruising at eight knots, which is certainly an incredible quality for long travels in the most remote spots of the world.
First released in January of 2022, the Sunreef 70 Power is designed for yachtsmen with a predilection for lengthy global voyages. Slightly smaller than her sister, the Sunreef 80, the yacht comes with accommodation for up to 12 guests and features an extensive flybridge, a large main salon and plenty of exterior spaces in the cockpit for guests to enjoy the warm climate.
- READ MORE: Sunreef 80 Eco Showcases Green Luxury
Baglietto Dom 133 “Attitude”
Baglietto announced the launch of the first unit in its all-new 42 metre DOM 133 series back in May. Named Attitude, it was sold by Camper & Nicholsons and marks the first of at least five units currently sold and under construction at the Carrara Shipyard.
Attitude’s exterior design was crafted by Stefano Vafiadis, with interiors by Ezequiel Farca. Its design is defined as a flexible, split-level beach club with an infinity pool, with the pool’s floor able to be raised or lowered to increase the use of space in the cockpit as needed. Other highlights include a U-shaped seating area down on the swim platform, a second pool placed on the sundeck and an interior layout that is designed to enhance the flow between the interior and exterior with the help of floor-to-ceiling windows. Equipped with a pair of Caterpillar C32 engines, it delivers a top speed of 17 knots.
Attitude hit the water at Marina Di Carrara before being moved to La Spezia to complete outfitting, where it’ll be making its international debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival this September.
Wellcraft 355
After more than six decades of building boats, Wellcraft has unveiled a new model and a new approach with the 355. The company says it’s broadening its offerings with the new Euro-style boat that’s built for adventures. The 50-knot sport cruiser can withstand any weather thanks to the dual-reinforced hull by world-renowned Michael Peters Yacht Design, offering stability and control through the roughest conditions.
Wellcraft teamed up with the renowned yacht designer, Pawel Denert and Camillo Garroni to create a spacious wheelhouse with a fully equipped galley. One of the most extraordinary features of the Wellcraft 355 is the connection between the wheelhouse and the aft: simply open the top-hinged window and entrance door and it creates a seamless feel of an indoor-outdoor space.
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Rolls-Royce Clinched the Gold Award at the 2022 IAI Advertisement Awards
Rolls-Royce has already advanced well beyond the automobile industry and dominating the luxury sector, and introducing a fresh image of Rolls-Royce to the younger generation of the Chinese market through inspiring, educating and enhancing lives via emotive experiences.
Through new cross-industry collaborations and omnichannel campaigns both online and offline, Rolls-Royce’s “Infinite Time in This Space” campaign successfully resonated with a broad range of audiences, especially the younger generation. This helped to expand the prestigious brand’s horizon and diversified its impression.
As one of the pinnacle luxury brands with over 100 years of history, Rolls-Royce never stops playing the leading role. The brand perfectly combines its digital platform, innovative technology, creative marketing approach and immersive omnichannel experience to be the benchmark for not only auto brands but also all the luxury brands on how to engage the younger generation. Doing so, it helps to reshape the luxury sector’s image in the new era and for its efforts, Roll-Royces won the gold mental in the IAI Advertisement Awards 2022.
Over the years, Rolls-Royce has earned praises for being at the forefront of being innovative and is ambitious with crafting excellent marketing and communication strategies. It has utilised all the potential opportunities in the market to continuously interact with its audiences and clientele, and the result is high sales growth in China.
On 16 April, 2021, Rolls-Royce launched a new collection, the Phantom Tempus. Limited to 20 models worldwide, the car is inspired by the concepts of time and celestial objects. A pop-up was organised in Shanghai to promote brand awareness and it amplified Rolls-Royce’s reach to more dynamic groups in society. Located in a mysterious Space Station along the prosperous business district of Plaza66, the event space tells the bespoke story behind the masterpiece while further appealing to the theme of space and time.
The “Tempus — Infinite Time in This Space” offline experiential campaign was further elevated with a partnership with China’s top electronic music agency, “Fever Family”. Taking this opportunity, Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Tempus directly engages with the auditory senses of on-lookers through music as the brand believes that of all the art forms, music can effectively affect human emotions. The arrangement and superposition of sound waves with various rhythms create the music, which is in perfect synchronicity with the pulsar signal’s electromagnetic wave rhythm.
A testament to the ingenuity of Rolls-Royce, the campaign was widely covered through diversified channels and leverage a matrix of various media platforms. Going with a two-pronged approach, the online and offline events were held simultaneously, and these initiatives effectively increased the audience’s awareness of brand activities and greatly expanded the publicity of the events.
During the event, more than 5,000 people engaged with the space capsule. The official reading volume has reached more than 3.8 million, and the number of fans on WeChat and Weibo platform increased by 900 per cent for that time period last year. The electronic music album launched concurrently on various music platforms also saw more than 80,000 subscribers. Lastly, it only took one minute that two Phantom Tempus deals were sealed online by the first two clients followed by many more.
For more car reads, click here.
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LUXUO Travels: Cruising Along on a 48m Croatian Superyacht, Freedom (Part 2)
The sun deck is Freedom’s winning card, an adult’s playground with world-beating views. The raised jacuzzi at the aft end is a firm favourite, especially since being surrounded by sunpads following the refit.
Otherwise, the deck is dominated by a remarkably long U-shaped arrangement of sofas, with space for up to 20 people to sit within reach of one of four coffee tables along the centre line. To port is the staircase from the upper deck, two sun loungers and a hanging chair, while to starboard is another hanging chair and six sun loungers.
All the seats and sun loungers have a forward view of a well-stocked bar, which can become a social hub before dinner and even livelier afterwards when the two huge speakers come into play.
There’s more fun up ahead. The air-conditioned gym offers sea views forward and to both sides, and a good range of equipment including a treadmill, exercise bike and rowing machine, as well as free weights and more.
In front of the gym is the pool, which is about 5m wide and has a forward-facing bench seat inside and a feature ‘tap’ to port. Even with 20 or so guests on this deck alone, there’s enough space and activities for people to have as much or as little company as they want.
Furthermore, the layout is flexible enough to have a ‘zen’ theme as a health and wellbeing area for yoga, fitness and smoothies, or as a lively entertainment venue for sunbathing, swimming, music and cocktails. In fact, Freedom even has a fifth level, with a large roof deck above accessible by ladder and used to carry the two tenders (4.8m and 6m) and two jetskis, which can be deployed by a crane.
That’s not all. The full menu of water toys includes an electric foil board, motorised surfboard, Seabob, several paddleboards, kayak, wakeboard, waterskis, inflatables and huge waterslide. And thanks to the amazing crew, you’ll find many of these in the water before you even dive off the back of Freedom after anchoring.
Island Attractions
Goolets’ wide range of seven-day itineraries for Freedom or their other CA yachts include starting and finishing in Split, and a one-way route from Split to Dubrovnik. This year it even has two-week and three-week charter bookings for groups wanting more of Freedom and Croatia.
A typical week-long round trip can include the islands of Brac, Vis, Hvar, Korcula and Pelješac, then stop at different parts of Hvar and Brac on the way back to Split or even nearby Trogir, just a half-hour drive away.
A Split-Dubrovnik route could also take in Brac, Hvar and Korcula before continuing to the likes of Mljet and Lopud on the way to Dubrovnik, about 112nm southeast of Split.
Brac is typically a first stop as it’s just 10nm south of Split and well worth a visit for Zlatni Rat, billed as Croatia’s most famous beach and otherwise known as the Golden Horn or Golden Cape.
Dock in the southern harbour town of Bol and it’s a 15-minute walk along a tree-covered promenade beside some exclusive homes to this iconic beach, a stunning spit of land that offers clear water on both sides and plenty of space for sunbathing, bars and restaurants. Other spots in Brac include the pretty fishing village of Milna in a protected harbour on the west coast.
Hvar is just south of Brac and its attractions include the quaint town of Jelsa on the north, but the island is most famous for the port town of Hvar on the west.
One of the most popular destinations for day trips from Split and busy during the summer, Hvar has an historic ‘old town’ and many visitors enjoy a walk up to the 16th-century Spanish Fortress for great views of the city.
It also has a beautiful waterfront packed with shops, restaurants and bars, while there are beach clubs and swimming spots within walking distance. Just off Hvar town are the Pakleni Islands, a chain of wooded islands where you can enjoy wonderful beaches or anchor in the bays to enjoy watersports in clear, protected waters.
Vis is the small island southwest of Hvar where they shot the 2018 hit Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, with Goolets staff saying Pierce Brosnan enjoyed it so much that he never wanted to leave. Nearby attractions include the Blue Cave to the west and Green Cave to the south.
Yachts typically berth at the town of Vis in a beautiful, protected bay in the northeast, and there’s an air of ‘time stands still’ in this postcard-perfect coastal town. On our penultimate day, we anchored just off Vis town for a fantastic few hours of swimming and trying to use every water toy on board Freedom.
Yachts can also visit the western port town of Komiza, where the Jastoreza restaurant doubled as the ‘Greek Taverna’ in the Mamma Mia sequel.
Korcula is the island south of Hvar and home to Korcula, a stunning historic fortified town described by Goolets as ‘one of the most breathtakingly beautiful towns imaginable’. Known as the birthplace of Marco Polo, it has themed shops and a museum in his honour, and offers another mesmerising on-land experience.
Goolets, the Super Host
These are just four of the Dalmatian islands and the options are almost endless. Goolets’ existing routes are all proven winners, but the company can tailor an itinerary for each charter, which also includes booking all restaurants and on-land activities, sometimes months in advance.
“In the last couple of years, Goolets has made an extra effort to integrate itself into the local communities and become close with all the service providers on all the islands and cities we visit,” says Ivan Ramljak, Goolets’ Country Manager for Croatia.
“We know the owners of the restaurants and the wineries, even the fishermen, so we go the extra mile to create a special occasion for the client.
“Sometimes a special meal for 35 people can be a two-month process to prepare the food, the tables and set-up, the music. We must consider the weather to know if it should be indoors or outdoors, or if it’s right season for the seafood. The clients appreciate this care and so do the restaurants.”
For each trip aboard Freedom, Goolets offers guests a private ‘concierge assistant’ who prepares daily suggestions on how to maximise the charter experience based around the structure of each group, whether it be families with young children, teenagers, active seniors, couples only, or mixed groups of all ages, which you’re likely to have in a group of 20 or so.
It’s an exciting time for Goolets, whose name is a ‘Google’-inspired twist on gulets, the classic wooden Turkish sailing craft, an equivalent of Indonesia’s phinisis.
The company started 17 years ago by focusing on gulets and chartering them in Turkey and later in Italy, Greece and Croatia, which has now become its leading market.
Goolets still operates many gulets, but has expanded and diversified to include many modern motor yachts in its CA fleet, which now numbers about 20 and ranges in size up to the 52m, 18 cabin Alfa Mario. Business is good overall and this year’s bookings on Goolets yachts in the Med even include a five-week multi-country trip and a nine-week journey through the Greek islands.
However, following its refit, Freedom is the company’s leading light and was quickly booked out for the season, which in Croatia usually runs from April through to October.
Her facilities, cuisine, crew and water toys make Freedom a match for most sub-50m yachts on the charter circuit. And from 2023, she’ll be available to charter from €100,000 per week, so you don’t need the bank account of a rock star, NBA legend or Microsoft founder to afford her.
This article first appeared on Yacht Style.
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Paul Allen, Microsoft’s Co-Founder to Sell US$1B Worth of Artworks at Christie’s
Aside from being known as one of the co-founders of Microsoft, Paul Allen is also an ardent art collector. His collection of artworks spanning from paints to sculptures is worth an estimated US$1 billion. The trove of masterpieces will be sold by Christie’s in November this year, which will likely be the most expensive ever sold in the industry, even beating out the sale of the court-ordered Macklowe collection held by Sotheby’s early this year at US$922 million.
Allen grew into prominence in the 1970s as a tech pioneer. He used his massive wealth for philanthropic causes, where he supported the movement to bring art closer to the people by loaning his artworks to major museums and galleries. His investment company Vulcan, also commissioned public art projects around the city and showcased local talents. In 2018, Allen passed on, whose cause of death was complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
According to The New York Times, “Among the highlights of the works from the Allen estate that will be for sale is Jasper Johns’ acrylic and paper collage “Small False Start” from 1960, estimated to bring more than US$50 million, and Paul Cézanne’s “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire” (1888-90), estimated at over US$100 million.” The lot for sale spans art-historical eras from Old Masters to Impressionists to modern and contemporary art.
The proceeds from the auction will go to charity as per Allen’s wish. In an article by ARTNews, Allen had always supported causes that will improve society’s quality of life. During his lifetime, he “distributed US$2 billion to causes related to medicine, the environment, and culture. Among his other endeavours in the culture space are his founding of Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in 2000 and the Seattle Art Fair in 2015.”
“It’s a major event for the art market and for the art world,” Guillaume Cerutti, the chief executive of Christie’s, said in a telephone interview. “The fact that it embraces five centuries of great art — from Botticelli to David Hockney, plus of course the very inspirational figure of Paul Allen, plus the fact that the sale is dedicated to philanthropy — we are really moved by this extraordinary project we are on. It’s something that’s very special.”
The art market remains resilient even as the global economy faces strong headwinds from rising inflation, supply chain disruptions and global political instability. A survey published by Art Basel and UBS reported that in 2021, the industry generated US$65.1 billion. Case in point of the continued interest in the market is Andy Warhol’s 1964 silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe’s face, “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn,” which fetched a price of US$195 million at an auction by Christie’s in New York.
This proves that art collecting continues to be a viable investment as it has a low correlation with the stock market and is not susceptible to global issues. Furthermore, diversification is always the mantra when it comes to wealth preservation and investing in the art world is perhaps the best way for both in the long run.
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Saturday, August 27, 2022
TAG Heuer Monaco Collection: The Paradoxical Superstar
Whatever you hear about watchmaking brands creating icons is just spin on the following fact: time makes icons of some tickers. One can no more set out to create icons than one can build virality into a social media post. This is why the great watches of the past are always revisited, or possibly recreated for the contemporary age. Traditionally watchmaking is in an interesting position as far as this goes, because it has faced numerous moments when it had to reinvent itself. This has the curious effect of making iconic timepieces from the last century symbols of rebirth. It also births synchronicity, as we discovered in the case of our cover subject, the TAG Heuer Monaco Special Edition.
You may have heard about this watch when it was revealed on the occasion of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix this year, but of course it is not a newcomer to the starting grid of high-performance timekeeping. The seasoned collectors amongst you will have immediately recognised this watch as the latest iteration of the legendary Dark Lord, but you will also have noted that the watch is no reissue. For the rest of you, the Monaco chronograph will certainly be recognisable — there is no watch like it in all of fine watchmaking, as we will demonstrate in this story.
First up though, as usual, for the proper details and specifications of this Special Edition, click here. This is where we typically get into the specifics about the cover watch itself. That said, any Monaco watch tells a powerful story, with peaks and troughs to suit the story of timekeeping itself, and the amplitudes of the various regulators that make the machines themselves tick. Now, we have made at least two very strong statements about the Monaco and we do intend on backing them up. Because this is not a story about the Dark Lord alone, we can afford to talk about the Monaco in general.
Left Field
Normally, we would leap immediately into the history of the watch, which we are admittedly chomping at the bit to do. There is a lot of history to the Monaco, and much to learn about its story; however, this does not reveal why the Monaco is unique, and uniquely deserving of this characterisation. Part of the answer lies in the name of the watch, which ranks amongst the coolest in all of watchmaking. To make it plain, there is only one Monaco watch.
Jack Heuer literally hit the jackpot with the name, which he decided on because of the Monaco Grand Prix — which we will delve into later —– not because of any association with the Principality itself. This is how TAG Heuer explained it on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the watch in 2019, with Jack telling the tale in a corporate video: “Monte-Carlo as a name was taken but Monaco was available and sounded pleasant. We agreed it would make for a good wristwatch name.” This explanation is extraordinarily prosaic and a little deflating, but such is the nature of facts in watchmaking. Nevertheless, having such a distinctive name for a distinctive watch was fortuitous, with observers today frequently referencing the city itself when talking about the watch, with all its connotations. In fact, we just did it ourselves.
To be sure, a name suffused with all sorts of symbolic meaning could be dangerous, but the Heuer Monaco was living on the edge even before it was named. This is plainly evident from the design elements you see in this contemporary Monaco Dark Lord Special Edition, even though both the original reference 1133B that debuted in 1969 and the first Dark Lord in 1975 too both sported aesthetic cues that were straight out of left field. We will get to this shortly, but the current design plays its part in making the Monaco a standout.
Today, TAG Heuer leans heavily into the story of its icons, and has a specific approach to updating them. We spoke with the brand’s Creative Director Guy Bove at Watches & Wonders Geneva about the Monaco in particular (although not the new Special Edition and the Purple Dial Limited Edition as those were revealed after the fair — Ed). “There are two ways to approach (the challenge of working with an existing design icon). You can go in and do whatever you want with the watch — which I’m not saying we would — or you can ask what we were trying to say with the original (and build on that). I’m in favour of the latter. Most of the time, you don’t have the opportunity to talk with people who worked on the original, but Jack is still very much in the picture,” said Bove.
Bove agrees with many published reports on the subject of chronograph and timepiece design at Heuer that Jack was all about legibility, and that central conceit informs the current look and feel of the Monaco. It is a watch that grabs your attention by the lapels, as it were, with its combination of squares and circles, but it applies this feature to deliver information as sharply and quickly as possible to your noggin.
A Passion For Racing
Fortunately, we too do not need to rely solely on our own words, opinions or interpretations of the past here. We begin somewhere close to the beginning (taking our cue from Bove), with the words of Jack Heuer himself, as he wrote in his autobiography “The Times of my Life” on the debut of the Monaco. “We immediately knew this was something special because until then square cases were used only for dress watches because it was impossible to make a square case fully water-resistant. We immediately took a liking to the special square shape and were able to negotiate a deal with Piquerez that secured us exclusive use of the case design for chronographs. The revolutionary square case would be the perfect housing for our avant-garde “Monaco” wrist chronograph.”
There is a lot to unpack there, and it is perhaps a strange place to begin this story, given that we have not established the significance of the Monaco and the chronograph calibre it sported, to say nothing of the casemaker and the matter of water-resistance. Jack’s words here are striking enough that we wanted to extract them and present them in this way. I found myself wondering out loud about Jack’s choice of words, and his emphasis on the instant delight he and his team at Heuer felt about the prospects of the Monaco in 1969. From the perspective of the 21st century — the book was published in 2013 — Jack’s words make easy sense, but the entire story itself was bittersweet. Again, the timing is crucial because 1969 was probably the last great year for mechanical watchmaking in the previous century. Arguably, the story of the great watches of 1969, which means every single chronograph and indeed mechanical watch, not just the Monaco, approaches the level of tragedy, when one considers how it all ended in the 1970s.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we must necessarily return to the magnetic figure of Jack Heuer, the great-grandson of Heuer founder Edouard. The story of the Monaco wrist chronograph is not only a tale of ambitious timekeeping, it is also the story of two ambitious men obsessed with motor racing. One is Jack, who loved fast cars and brought Heuer to Formula 1, and the other is Steve McQueen, who is without question the most significant character in the public story of the Monaco.
The Road to Iconic Status
Nick Foulkes, author, raconteur and watch specialist, called Jack a new type of man for a new age, and this seems a fair assessment when Jack was about to join the family business in the 1950s. A fourth-generation Heuer in the family business, Jack was the first to attend and graduate university. By all accounts, he was multilingual and as far from provincial as Geneva is from New York. It was in New York in 1959 that Jack made his mark for the Heuer firm, setting up the Heuer Time Corporation there to manage what he thought was an underdeveloped market for Heuer.
Prior to this, Jack had identified a variety of weaknesses in the business, which was run by his father and uncle, and he saw the American market as a vital opportunity for the family’s timekeeping business. Stopwatches were the backbone of the Heuer business, and the American market accounted for two-thirds of all Swiss stopwatch sales. By way of contrast, the Heuer share of the stopwatch market in the United States was a mere 2-3 per cent.
The plan, therefore, was simple — get on track in the American market by literally getting on track. While it is hard to imagine today, Heuer was not associated with professional racing or motorsports. Yes, it had the Autavia dashboard clock (from the 1930s) and thus some shared history with the automobile, but it was hardly a fixture at racetracks. This was something Jack himself noticed, as a racing enthusiast and driver himself. He saw the opportunity to get the drivers themselves into the act, and charted a course to make Heuer — and now TAG Heuer — the global leader in motorsports affiliation, if not outright involvement. This fed into the creation of Heuer icons such as the Carrera and the Autavia, which Jack shepherded to the peak of motorsports glory, with the help of Formula 1 champion Jo Siffert.
The Swiss driver proved to be an enthusiastic Heuer man, and he was also to prove instrumental in the story of the Monaco when he drew the attention of Steve McQueen. But first, the chronograph had to become automatic…
Ingenious and Cheeky
When considering something out of its own time, such as the Monaco, it is worth remembering that Heuer was not shooting for a driver’s watch. Here is where Jack’s avant-garde description comes into play, because the watch was really for people gunning for first place. In 1969, the Monaco was the world’s first automatic chronograph in a water-resistant square case. Thanks to Calibre 11, the watch also moved the crown to the left, which while quite the rebel move, was also echoed in all watches that used the new calibre.
The original Monaco was singularly distinctive, probably more so than was good for it, so the left-hand crown at that time was nothing special. The message of the positioning in all watches that used the Calibre 11, developed jointly by Heuer-Leonidas, Breitling, Hamilton-Buren and Dubois Depraz, was that you only needed to set the time with the crown — winding was utterly irrelevant. It was practical, if ingenious and cheeky.
By way of comparison, the crazy horizontal hour markers were much more provocative than the crown. They were crazy then and they remain so today — plenty of people have avoided the original reference 1133B just because of those markers, which only enhances the appeal now that more than 50 years of mileage have accrued. It is notable though that these have not made a comeback, including in the Special Editions and Limited Edition we have gathered to celebrate here.
To be clear though, the Monaco has not been in continuous production since 1969 or anything. Despite the Steve McQueen association, the Monaco was avant-garde but far from the sort of watch the public was looking for. Indeed, as noted in the book “Monaco — The Paradoxical Superstar”, the only reason McQueen had quite so many Monaco models to look at was that the Autavia and Carrera models were in short supply, due to being relatively popular. The Monaco was a prominent victim of the quartz crisis, with the Dark Lord model of 1975 being the last we would hear of the watch until 1998. In fact, by the time the Dark Lord debuted, Heuer and the Swiss watch trade were on the ropes, which is why so few Dark Lord models were made. Paradoxically, when the world began to rediscover its taste for mechanical watches (in the early 2000s, by common consensus), the Monaco was back in form, no pun intended, thanks to its timely reintroduction, as we shall see.
Avant-Garde Once More
That renewal of the model, which came under the guise of the transformed TAG Heuer firm, was a happy confluence of happenstance. TAG stands for Techniques d’Avant Garde, the name of the aviation-focused group that bought out Heuer in 1985. The avant-garde part of the name was a good fit with the Heuer ethos, and apparently a proper match for the Monaco, if one recalls Jack’s words. While one wonders if the avant-grade description of the Monaco drew the attention of the new owners at TAG Heuer, they did intend on celebrating the anniversary of the debut of the automatic chronograph. Perhaps this new generation at the brand had some idea of how important the Monaco would go on to be, because its return was no sure thing. Given the proven track record of the Carrera, for example, it is conceivable and logical to expect TAG Heuer to use that model for the anniversary. For whatever reason though, the Monaco returned to the fold, but under even newer leadership that would see Jack himself eventually back in the picture. It was just in time to capitalise on the renaissance in mechanical watchmaking.
LVMH got into the act on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Monaco, and the development of the world’s first automatic chronograph. TAG Heuer became the fast-beating heart of the LVMH watchmaking business in 1999, and the Monaco would get a new and permanent lease of life. This story does not have the space to get into the 69 and V4 models the debuted thanks to this renewed interest in the Monaco, but it is notable that the model has played host to some of the most innovative timekeeping moves at TAG Heuer. To be sure, the new Dark Lord-inspired Special Edition, the Monaco x Gulf Special Edition and the Monaco Purple Dial Limited Edition, do not feature such chronometric leaps, but they do allow us to up our enjoyment of this icon. See the relevant sidebars for more details.
While the watch was a marvel on its debut, the newly returned Monaco of the late 1990s would continue to showcase the technical mettle of the manufacture. When LVMH stepped in, this accelerated, and on some level it is not hard to understand why. The fact that the watch is not round immediately sets it up for the extraordinary. Where the round watch wants to conform, the square one has nothing to conform to. History sometimes loves such a watch, and the Monaco got a boost from a man who made a virtue of not confirming, no matter the cost.
Too Cool
The story is legendary today and you too, dear reader, probably have heard some version of it, and we shall build on what we mentioned a little earlier. As noted, all we really need to know is that McQueen was at the zenith of his career, and was preparing to make the movie he had dreamed of making for more than a decade. It was a movie that was more in the auteurist vein of Robert Bresson than the star-making Hollywood films that had catapulted McQueen to global prominence. After all, we all know Bullit and The Great Escape, but you would be hard-pressed to name even one Bresson film. It seems likely McQueen always knew Le Mans was going to be a very different movie, and that his star-power was going to help him make it.
To be as true to the subject of racing as possible, McQueen wanted to be a model racer. In other words, he was going to be a racing driver who happened to be the subject of a movie. As mentioned, he specifically stated that he wanted to look like Jo Siffert. With a Heuer patch on his overalls for the movie and a yen for racing himself, McQueen had a lock on Siffert’s look. Now he just needed the right watch.
Property master Don Nunley obliged the star with a selection of Swiss watches; Siffert himself wore an Autavia and McQueen knew this. On the day he was looking at the selection of watches, there happened to be more Monaco watches than anything else. Nevertheless, McQueen was reaching for another famous model from another brand that had made cosmic waves just a few years before. Nunley reminded McQueen that he would be unlikely to sport a Heuer badge on his overalls yet wear a different watch. The star agreed, and he went for the most eye-catching and completely different watch on the table: the Monaco reference 1133B.
Outrunning Time
Released in 1971, Le Mans ran 106 minutes, out of which the Monaco shared perhaps a minute, total (according to the book Monaco The Paradoxical Superstar). In the years to come though, the image of McQueen in his racing overalls, Heuer logo included, with his trusty Monaco on his wrist, became iconic. Needless to say, Le Mans was not a hit, and the Monaco was having a hard time finding fans too. Once more, a watch that is avant-garde cannot be for everyone but the fact that it was for McQueen makes it very sexy indeed. And the racing actor’s passions allowed TAG Heuer to bring all manner of racing associations into the fold, as you can see here.
Racing, or a passion for racing, informs the conclusion of this article, not only for all the reasons we have already outlined but because TAG Heuer itself debuted the Dark Lord-inspired model at the Monaco Grand Prix this year. Given the name of the watch, this was perhaps a fait accompli, but it is also telling in that the Monaco today has a sort of racing pedigree of its own. Not only has the watch outpaced its own teething problems, it also remains on the racetrack, so to speak, while many of its peers and suppliers have retired. This of course includes its own engine, the famous Calibre 11, but also the original casemaker, Piquerez. This means that the material foundations upon which the Monaco was built are defunct. We need not tell you that to continue to race time as the Monaco does, TAG Heuer had to find new resources.
Yes, the Monaco manages to exist as an automatic water-resistant chronograph in a square case, and it is also a sort of handsome embodiment of the Ship of Theseus. Even the caseback, which once bore the inscription Tool No 033, has been replaced by a version with an exhibition sapphire window. Yet despite all this, the Monaco remains the Monaco, so perhaps TAG Heuer is still trying to deliver on the original vision for the watch, as Bove said.
For more watch reads, click here.
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