Paul Kutchinsky's ambition to create the world's largest jeweled egg was driven by a desire to showcase British craftsmanship on a global stage, competing with the legendary Faberge eggs.
The S100X Urushi Edition, also known as The Special One, is a limited edition desktop calculator designed using a century-old Japanese Urushi lacquer technique.
Casio's response to that question is its new S100X featuring a traditional Japanese hand-painted finish using sap from the lacquer tree, giving the calculator a glossy black finish with warm red highlights around the edges. It somehow looks even more luxurious than if Casio had simply gold-plated the S100X.
Off the Grain works out of Halifax in West Yorkshire, handcrafting every piece to order. Forget flat-pack or particleboard - here, it's all about real materials and genuine expertise. Skilled craftspeople cut, join, and finish each item by hand. You can pick your dimensions, wood, and finish, so the final piece fits your space instead of the other way around.
Your coding apprentice can build, at your direction, pretty much anything now. The task becomes more like conducting an orchestra than playing in it. Not all members of the orchestra want to conduct, but given that is where things are headed, I think we all need to consider it at least.
It's easier than ever to buy a suit. Mall mainstays like J.Crew make very good ones in a range of fits, with a seasonally rotating selection of new and interesting cloths. Affordable specialists like Suitsupply and Spier & Mackay offer impressive quality while pricing everything from two-button jackets to full-fledged tuxedos for far less than it seems they should be able to.
Recently, Beretta had a makeover; both the interior and its menu got spiffed up, and the changes are notable. From dark wood and leather to bright gold tones with cherry accents, huge, abstract murals, mod red wire-framed lamps, Beretta has a fresh, modern vibe that manages to feel welcoming to all ages, in no small part due to its staff.
Housed in a 45mm grade 2 titanium case with a black DLC finish, it features a fixed ceramic bezel engraved with a tachymeter scale-a direct reference to classic racing chronographs. The screw-down caseback carries special Formula 1 engraving, while the textured rubber strap reinforces its sporting intent.
When it comes to your wardrobe, it can be easy to define "bougie" as a piece of clothing that looks or feels expensive - and while the items on this list check those boxes, they're also so clever, you'll wonder how you ever did without them. Scroll on to shop for chic loungewear with extra functional features; trendy and practical fits for both day and night; and accessories that solve all sorts of fashion-related dilemmas.
Take the so-called "sector" or "scientific" dial. Organized into concentric "sectors" that divide the minute, hour and sometimes the subdivided seconds tracks into separate areas, they often (but not always) feature bisecting vertical and horizontal lines that create four equal quadrants. These aesthetically-distinctive dials originated on pocket watches in the early 20th century, carrying over the idea of the "railroad" minute track and merging it somewhat with the curvaceous, decorative geometry of the art deco movement.
Before glowing screens and silicon chips, engineers used slide rules to design skyscrapers and send people to the Moon. Calculation meant moving a physical object, not tapping an app, and there was a certain clarity in that, a feeling that your hands and brain were in the same loop. Some of that intelligence at the fingertips is worth bringing back in a world that defaults to calculators for everything, even quick conversions.
In 1952, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) - an American-founded non-profit and the world's largest aviation organization - approached Willy Breitling, scion of his family's eponymous watchmaking brand, to commission a timepiece for its members. Specifically, AOPA needed a chronograph that would allow its user to easily compute important information like speed, distance, fuel consumption and other calculations crucial to flying before the advent of flight computers.
These brands specialize in just that: pieces created by hand to your exacting designs and specifications, and never to be replicated. Maybe you're looking for top-of-the-range headphones to match your jet. Or could it be a suit for a pirate-esque get together? Or even an engraved signet ring, depicting a favored holiday destination in full color? For all of the above and more, here's who Elite Traveler recommends.
If you visit the Hermès website in search of a scarf or a handbag, you'll be greeted by a collection of whimsical sea creatures swimming across the screen. To navigate to the watch section, you'll click on an image of a watch flanked by an eel. To locate shoes, you'll click on a loafer with a pelican sitting inside it as if it were riding a boat.
