Luxist

Watch making behemoth Rolex is like the Google of the watch world. Why? Because they are powerful and ubiquitous with an industry watching them that both love and hate them. Love them for their timeless designs and high level of quality, and hate them for often epitomizing watch snobbery and sequestering themselves from the rest of the watch industry. Rolex's ongoing theme is to be totally vertically integrated - meaning they will (or already do) make each component of their watches themselves.

A few weeks from now will see the beginning of a massive new construction project whereby Rolex is adding a huge new complex to the manufacture site in Bienne, Switzerland. The goal of the project is to contain the entire watch movement making process to one building. Most of the parts distribution and much of the manufacturing process is totally automated by robotics. Other than just focusing on trivial matters like making watches, the new structure will include features for people too. There will be a waste water treatment plant, underground parking, a restaurant, and cafeterias. The new physical arm of Montres Rolex is scheduled to be completed in 2012. The meaning of all this is that Rolex is totally un-alarmed by the "crisis" that is effecting watch sales, and is using what is likely times of cheaper construction and labor to focus on the brand's future when they will be one step closer to further domination of the mainstream luxury watch world.

Via Europa Star.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Most wine is released the year it is ready but Smith-Madrone Winery has an interesting approach, it re-releases its older Rieslings. This year the winery is re-releasing its 2002 Riesling. Why re-release? The winery's founder and General Partner Stuart Smith says they do this because "we love how Rieslings age and develop and we want to give people the opportunity to taste what a moderately aged Riesling is like." He says that Rieslings age just as well as Cabernet Sauvignons and can age for 10, 15 or even 20 years adding depth and tonality to the flavor. The 2002 is available for $60 a bottle with a three bottle limit. If you posses a bit more patience, you can pick up the 2008 for $27 and cellar it yourself for a few years.

The Fendi Forever Bauletto Bag is a classy, colorful addition to any wardrobe.

This bag, with its gradient python and violet patent leather, is an absolute beauty. It's sheer frivolity is made wearable by its no-nonsense shape and zip-top with a padlock detail. This is almost the best high power work bag we've ever seen -- except that at 7 1/2"H x 9 4/5"W x 6 3/10"D, it's too small to carry much.

But that's okay, because if the bag were any larger, it might blind onlookers and cause car crashes.

This is a perfect bag to wear with anything from jeans to a little black dress (note the black in the python which would be accentuated). Violet, like green, is acceptable as a neutral these days, so you could really wear this with any color.

The Fendi Forever Bauletto Bag is available for pre-order from Neiman Marcus for $755.00.

Like her famous great-grandfather, Henri, Sophie Matisse is a painter and like her step-grandfather Marcel Duchamp she embraces a certain practicality. She's already worked on hand-painted perfume bottles. Now she has created a $16,000 chess set as part of the "The Art of the Game" exhibition. The exhibition will take place at Beyond the Border International Contemporary Art Fair San Diego, scheduled for September 2-4, 2009 at The Grand Del Mar. Five sets have been created each with its own design. Sophie Matisse is represented by Francis Nauman Fine Art in New York.

Yes, now even your injuries can be a chance to make a style statement. I'm not sure if these are sleazy or cool, but either way they are what they are: black leather band-aids. Made of pressed leather and said to "breathe better" than regular band-aids, they come in packs of three for $15.

Right now it appears there's only the one option of black, but if you give them your email they'll keep in touch with you on the availability of a Louis Vuitton pattern version.

Venerable perfume company Krigler has set up shop in the Plaza Hotel in New York City offering not just scents but also candles, scrubs, lotions and other body care items. The perfumes come in old-fashioned glass bottles with simple golden tops. The brand's most famous scent is Sparkling Diamond No. 22. The scent was created in Monte Carlo in 1922 and the original had a diamond in the bottle. Now the scent of champagne, strawberry, musk and coconut (it's actually more subtle and less fruity than that description makes it sound) comes in a bottle that has Swarovksi crystals bouncing around in the bottom. Other scents to try include the Dolce Tuberose which is full of summer's heady deep florals. The Sparkling Diamond No. 22 is $170 for the 3.4 eau de parfum. Other scents including Mediterranean Peach and Manhattan Rose are $110.

Back in March we heard that veteran actor Robert Loggia had put his Bel Air, California home on the market. But now with a new price cut and fresh pictures it's time to take a closer look. I'll admit, at first glance this house didn't seem that appealing. It was built in 1968 and the exterior is a bit dated. It's actually rather light and bright on the interior. The five-bedroom home has a nice open floor plan with a double-height living room. The recently redone kitchen features floors that include both wood and granite that mimics the granite countertops.The pot racks with baskets hanging off it placed over the stove top is both a fire hazard and a decorating move that would give the Real Estalker Mama a nervous breakdown. The kitchen is next to a family dining area but there is also a separate dining room.

The home has nice views of the city in the distance and the two large upstairs bedrooms feature glass doors leading directly to a terrace outside. The master bedroom has been done in a heavy wood-paneled style that doesn't seem to suit the rest of the house but works well with the green marble master bath as an older gentleman's private lair. The two downstairs suites can be used for offices or guests. The home is on a half-acre lot and the backyard includes a pool and spa area. Berg Properties Celebrity Big Time Listings reports that Loggia purchased the house in 1996 for $1.45 million and renovated it. It was listed at $3.65 million but has now been reduced to $3.295 million.

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I got a nice chance to play with these larger IWC Ingeniuer watches recently and boy do they make an impact. The mechanical prowess you feel from handing the case is intense, even though they have "basic" calibre 89360 automatic flyback chronograph movements inside (love that the top subdial is used for minutes AND hours). I jest because the movement is manufacture made by IWC and is quite impressive. At 45.5mm wide (and 14.5mm tall), the steel, 18k rose gold, or platinum cases are hefty and well sculpted. Attached to the case are alligator straps. The Big IWC Ingeniuer that can be obtained in platinum has got to be one of the heaviest watches out there without a bracelet, and I love it. The dials are really easy to ready and the action of the chronograph pushers is pleasing. There are some sharper edges on the back of the case, but it is not a big deal really.

With a "scientific watch" heritage, the Ingenieur watch line has come a long way with the pictured style being the dominant look of the watch line today. It really isn't for every man, but enough people are going to love the technical, though luxurious look and personality of the watch. It can easily be dressed up or down, and is the perfect type of watch that you can rely on for decades, or generations for that matter (with proper service). The slate gray or white colored dials have nice contrasting subdials and enough decoration to make you feel good about your aggressively styled luxury Swiss watch. Available now.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

As I learned on my last two trips to the United Kingdom, there aren't many places where you can light up a cigar. Had I known about The Montague on the Gardens, I probably would have altered my travel plans a bit. The hotel bar has a dedicated outdoor cigar terrace, which for puffers, amounts to a bit of tranquility in an otherwise hostile world.

Toward the back of the hotel, like-minded guests can gather in the bar for a drink before stepping outside to a blissful smoking location with a great view of the Bedford Estate's private gardens. I tend to bring my own cigars when I travel, but sometimes like to sample the locally available fare and The Montague on the Gardens offers plenty of incentive. The bar has more than 20 brands on hand, including the coveted Cohiba Siglo VI. Smoke it gently while sipping a glass of Remy Martin Louis XIII, and you'll struggle to find a more enjoyable situation.

The hotel itself is designed to impress. It's a Georgian townhouse hotel with 101 rooms and suites – not to mention a two-bedroom apartment. This four-star establishment is within walking distance of the West End and The British Museum, and the "Type A" crowd will be happy to know it isn't far from London's Financial District.

Whatever the day's distraction is, though, return to The Montague on the Gardens and settle down for the evening with the cigar of your choice. Savor each draw, and punctuate it with your preferred spirit. Perfect.

Few things manage to demonstrate the difference between cultures as art. Take for example this Bentley Continental GT, donated to the hand of Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto. It may look good to some, and to others an absolute atrocity. Yet Britto's credentials as a renowned artist are known the world over, his works hanging in galleries, museums and prestigious private collections all around the world.

This Bentley will be part of Britto's upcoming exhibit at the Automobil Forum Unter den Linden in Germany from July 10 to September 6, after which it will be auctioned off to benefit multiple sclerosis research and the social integration of the mentally disabled.