Cartier is a brand synonymous with lavish city living. Yet despite its swathe of multi-storey monuments to all things brilliant, it’s a rather unassuming Maison, set amidst the rolling green fields of La Chaux-de-Fond, where the house’s most special brand of magic is woven.

Seasoned connoisseurs of fine watches and jewellery are now well familiar with the works of the Maison des Métiers d’art—a special workshop set up by Cartier in late 2014 to serve as a temple of traditional craftsmanship. Home to a host of artisans, many of whom have been working for Cartier for years, it has since become the de facto birthplace for Cartier’s most limited and special creations, bridging the space between haute jewellery and high horology while providing a unique ecosystem where one can influence the other.

Now a decade into its significant life, the Maison des Métiers d’art is celebrating ten years of growth and evolution. It has transformed from a special preserve for a once-threatened generation of artisans into a place where a new set of pioneering artists and craftspeople can emerge and thrive.

As guests and visitors look on, metalworkers and enamel artists create exquisite works of art using techniques and traditions once on the verge of extinction while innovative and experimenting with their own. Precious metal workers use granulation and filigree, techniques that date back to well before the start of the common era, to create one-of-a-kind reliefs.

Elsewhere, composers, engravers, and master setters experiment across experimental and traditional realms, working with everything from the most precious gems to simple stone, wood, and straw to produce pieces that, regardless of their composition, push the brand’s boundaries of creativity and attention to detail. A typical piece by the Maison des Métiers d’art takes hundreds of hours to produce.

In a world of luxury often defined by sales figures and splashy celebrity endorsements, the artistic merits of a house like Cartier can sometimes be in danger of getting lost among the noise. However, in this revered Maison, one is reminded of the craftsmanship and creativity that sets some institutions apart from the rest.

Los Angeles does not want for star wattage, but for years now, the city’s hotel scene has been a little lacklustre. So news that the beloved Montage hotel has been completely redone under the Maybourne brand (the British powerhouse that operates Claridge’s, The Connaught, and Berkeley Hotels in London, and the recently opened Maybourne Riviera on the Côte d’Azur) should come as a boon to Australians looking for a new Tinseltown bolthole.

Situated within Beverly Hills’ famous Golden Triangle, just north of Wilshire Boulevard and Four Season’s Beverly Wilshire, and one block from the world-renowned luxury retailers, restaurants and celeb-spotting of Rodeo Drive, The Maybourne Beverly Hills offers a chic retreat from the designer flexing at its doorstep; a rare escape in the heart of this storied enclave that flies under the radar like a cap-wearing celeb dodging the paparazzi.

Set amid the manicured, Mediterranean-style Beverly Cañon Gardens plaza, which unfolds from the hotel’s west entrance, the new incarnation of Montage Beverly Hills (55 suites and 20 private residences, each with a balcony or patio with a courtyard or city view) still evokes the grand estates of Old Hollywood while feeling like you’re in a European mainstay.

Revealing a restrained new guestroom and suite design by Bryan O’Sullivan, a blue-chip art collection and some of the most solicitous staff in town, the Maybourne speaks in a laid-back Californian accent but still holds true to the luxury touchpoints of five-star service for which one of the world’s most exclusive neighbourhoods—and hotel brands—is known.

“It’s reassuringly British when it comes to service—it’s a culture of yes,” says Linden Pride, the Australian restaurant and bar owner behind the award-winning Caffe Dante in New York and Bobbie’s, the new speakeasy opening this month below Neil Perry’s new Song Bird restaurant in Sydney’s Double Bay (page 40). Pride should know; he lived at the Maybourne for almost a year while he and his partner, Nathalie Hudson, set up Dante, the stunning new restaurant and bar on the hotel’s ninth-floor rooftop. “Looking out from the roof onto lemon and olive trees, it’s easy to forget that you’re in Southern California, not Europe.”

Opened last year, Dante has quickly become one of the hottest reservations in town, luring in celebrities from Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin to the entire Real Madrid soccer team. Like its sister outposts in New York (besides the Greenwich Village original, a West Village location opened in 2020), the focus here is on non-threatening antipasti and aperitivi in a produce-driven menu of fresh familiar stalwarts, with the addition of wood-fired dishes from a giant pizza oven at the heart of the room. Just as it does in New York, a negroni cart does the rounds, and each afternoon is welcomed with a martini happy hour.

It’s all fittingly Cali-chill. The only drama in the place is a striking ceiling fresco by Los Angeles artist Abel Macias, which dominates the 146-seat room. “Nathalie and I had just been to Europe when we decided to open up here,” Pride recalls, “and the Sistine Chapel blew us away. When we saw the domed ceiling in this room it was a no-brainer.”

Dante joins a string of newcomers in the area, including New York transplants Café Boulud, Marea and Cipriani. Don’t look now, but with arrivals like the Maybourne and Dante, one of the world’s stuffiest cities—yes, Beverly Hills is its own 14.8 km² metropolis—might just be entering a new golden age.

The Maybourne

Quick and easy yacht access. Arrival by seaplane. A touch of caviar and vintage Champagne to kick things off? Catalina has in spades what the Emerald City is truly famous for.  Even after three decades of service, this Rose Bay fixture remains a desirable address.

Afternoons and evenings here always manage to etch themselves on the memory for years to come. And this year, as Catalina marks its 30 anniversary, it’s appropriate to raise a glass to this institution’s winning formula that balances a dramatic outlook with a calming interior.

Whether you’re watching the seaplanes take off by day or being mesmerised by the shadow play of seagulls on the curving terrace by night, Sydney Harbour provides a stunning backdrop.

It’s a magical setting that is made sweeter by how little the place has changed.

Executive Chef Mark Axisa and Head Chef Alan O’Keeffe have established a reputation for bright clean flavours and healthy-ish fare. Produce and textures on the menu are simple but never staid and unlike many chefs who get way too tricky in the kitchen, Catalina’s chefs have created a menu that is full of dishes you actually want to eat.

It includes Glacier 51 toothfish served with a cigar of spanner crab roulade, and juicy Spanish mackerel cooked to perfection in red curry sauce with crunchy sugar snap peas. To up the ante this summer you can also indulge in a delicious Rock lobster risotto, order Catalina’s signature suckling pig or hail down their new roaming dessert cocktail trolley (created by designer du jour David Caon).

“We’re about to celebrate 30 years, which is an achievement we’re very proud of,” said owner and founder Judy McMahon at Veuve Clicquot’s 2015 La Grande Dame launch in August. 

Dressed in an immaculate white head-to-toe outfit, McMahon was quick to acknowledge the commitment and support of her children James and Kate who have stepped up to the plate since the passing of her late husband, Michael, in early 2020.

The new guard is flying the flag for fine dining in his honour, serving plenty of freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters, pouring energetic wines from all over the world and maintaining an elegant continuum beloved by Sydney locals.

And because everything tastes better with a view,  there’s really no better place to unwind that here, with a fine glass of Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame rosé Champagne and a trout and herring roe churro.

Catalina

There are times when bells and whistles like helium valves, jumbo bezels, and lume-slathered markers should be kept firmly in the storage drawer in favour of something more understated and composed.

Holiday galas, formal festive dinners, and black-tie events call for a solid, classic dress watch. Except that it should be a step up in some way from the classic day watch: a platinum case, a status-conferring high complication (one that is rendered with tasteful discretion), or a pop of subtle sparkle by way of diamond highlights or a rare stone dial. Here are 10 possibilities that are poised, elegant, and quietly luxurious for the holiday season—although, with the appeal of the dress watch on the rise, you should consider these year round.

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/1R-001

The Ellipse, first introduced in 1968, is one of the many shaped watches that emerged as a new genre during the late sixties and early ’70s. The Ellipse, despite being known for its distinctive chain bracelets, has always been a favorite of male collectors. Patek revived it this year after 15 years in development, and equipped it with the ultra-thin caliber 240, which makes it the slimmest watch in the Patek Philippe regular collection: perfect for slipping neatly under a crisp French cuff. $89,817

Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Chronograph Tourbillon Collection Excellence Platine

The Platinum Excellence line is a capsule collection, produced occasionally, only in limited editions (50 for this one), and always in platinum, including the dial, crown, pushers and buckle. Even the stitches of the leather strap are a mix of silk and platinum. Since it’s a chronograph, you can use it as a countdown function at New Year’s Eve parties, and in the process, show off the tourbillon in the 12 o’clock position. Price upon request.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Platinum

Since taking over as CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier in 2021, Guido Terreni has leaned into the brand’s legacy as a maker of high-level classic dress watches. Not by making dramatic statement pieces but by doubling down on refinement. “We are seeing a rediscovery of sartorialism, which is booming as a business,” says Terreni. “Gentlemen in their thirties are rediscovering how beautiful it is to dress well.” Enough said. $138,693

Breguet Classique Ref. 7637 Repetition Minutes

If any brand can stake a claim to the word “Classique,” it’s Breguet. The Ref. 7637 is the epitome of quiet elegance. While it appears low key on the dial, inside it comes equipped with watchmaking’s crème de la crème complication, the minute repeater. The hands and coin-edge caseband are pure Breguet, and the grand feu enamel dial and elegant star-shaped minute markers (with stylized fleur-de-lys at five-minute intervals) are subtly scream luxury. It contains the hand-wound caliber 567.2, which is so outstandingly decorated that flipping the case over to admire it is a must. Price upon request.

Rolex Perpetual 1908

Rolex drops its sports watch persona for a moment with this new collection that demonstrates it also knows how to do classic dress watches. The rice-grain guilloché pattern on the dial is everything, but especially here in the signature ice blue that Rolex reserves for its platinum editions. It’s a colour that true aficionados will recognise from across the room as an elite model from the mighty Crown. $46,181.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon

High complications are made for moments of high occasion and pretension, but only if they are elegantly rendered. This souped-up Royal Oak is a long way from the RO’s sports watch roots. It’s an openworked tourbillon cased in AP’s proprietary sand gold alloy—a colour that hovers between white and pink gold—and looks understated compared to most all-gold watches. CHF 250,000 (about $434,912)

Piaget Andy Warhol

Until this year, Piaget called this the Black Tie collection, but because the model, which was originally launched in the 1980s, was worn by Andy Warhol, Piaget received permission from the artist’s estate this year to officially name it the Andy Warhol collection. This malachite version in white gold demonstrates one of Piaget’s prowess in the use of stone dials. Combined with a ruby stud set and cuff links, it’s made for the holiday season but will look sharp year round. $76,221

Laurent Ferrier GrandSport Tourbillon Pursuit

Yes, it’s a salmon dial, and yes, it has the word “sport” written right on the dial, so there’s no hiding that. Yet, Laurent Ferrier has a way of making a sports watch look like a classic dress watch. You can’t even see the tourbillon that is also advertised on the dial and finished to perfection. It’s a stellar example of the emphasis on of the versatility of watches that waver between the dress and sports watch category. It is powered by the manual-wound tourbillon caliber LF619.01 with a double balance spring and an 80-hour power reserve. $283,963

H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack

This watch is the happy result of a marriage between tradition and modernity, with a classic case and minimalist markings coupled with state-of-the-art nanotechnology. The Vantablack dial (Vertically Aligned Nano Tube Arrays), an ultra-black coating that is considered the darkest substance in the world, puts the black in black tie. The subtle tourbillon hovering at 6 o’clock adds a punctuation of pizzazz to the otherwise stark dial. $123,299

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

The Tank became synonymous with dress watch when Cartier invented it in 1922, just as watches were emerging as something you could wear on the wrist rather than hidden in the pocket. It was worn mainly by the bourgeoisie to confirm their status. The brancards were inspired by army tanks, but the design now represents personal victories rather than war-time inspo. On this one, a frame of 150 diamonds surrounding a black laquer center square place it firmly in the black tie category. From $31,000

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT is a classic automobile that, pound for pound and dollar for dollar, delivers one of the very best driving experiences of any sports car ever made. Its classic Italian good looks, the sound of its feisty twin-cam, inline-four engine, and rewarding handling dynamics have made it a favorite since the first one came to market in 1963. Giorgetto Giugiaro, Bertone’s prolific designer, poured some of his best styling cues into the tidy GT, which expresses the verve of his earlier Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint and Iso Rivolta models, but in a smaller car for the sporting masses.

Alfa Romeo’s 105/115 Series Coupés were successors to the aging Giulietta Sprint (introduced in 1954), and were based on the unibody floor pan of the Giulia four-door sedan. Altogether, close to 225,000 Coupés were built from 1963 to 1977, during which time the engine grew in displacement from 1.6 litres to 2.0 litres, though the model’s familiar shape remained mostly the same throughout production. Additionally, about 1,000 GTC convertibles were built from 1964 through 1966, and about 1,500 quirky Zagato-bodied examples, called the Junior Z, were made from 1969 through 1975.

It’s the Coupé, though, that attracts enthusiasts who want to savor Alfa’s quintessential GT in its purest form. A bewildering number of variants were made, with nearly half the production comprising the popular GT Junior, powered by a 1.3- or 1.6-litre engine, and designed for markets—such as Italy—where larger-capacity engines were punitively taxed. These cars weren’t brought to the United States when new, but can be imported today.

Style purists will gravitate to the Giulia Sprint GT from the first three years of production, known as the scalino (step) for the engine lid that sits about half-an-inch above the car’s nose. Under that nose is one of the sweetest engines ever made, an aluminum DOHC fed by twin Weber 40 DCOE carburetors. With its five-speed synchromesh gearbox and about 78 kilowatts in normal tune, the 952 kilograms  Alfa is a light and nimble little terror.

Next up was the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce (GTV), with more power and torque. Its successor, the 1750 GT Veloce (made from 1967 through 1972), was popular in America, as was the final variant, the 2000 GT Veloce, which bowed out in 1976 (1974 in the United States). To meet the draconian U.S. emissions standards, North American–market 1750 and 2000 models came with Spica fuel injection, which some owners subsequently jettisoned in favor of tried-and-true Weber setups. Alfa spotters will easily distinguish the 1750 and 2000 GTVs by their four headlamps and the interior’s larger twin tachometer and speedometer.

Today, even the most recent Alfa Romeo 105/115 Series example is 50 years old, so comparisons with a modern car’s performance and amenities provide stark contrast to how pampered and how many steps removed we have become in the ensuing years from the sounds, fancy footwork, and even smells of driving something like Alfa’s unadorned sports car. Regardless of specification or model year, a sweet Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT will transport an enthusiast back to a time when just the basics—a flexible, high-revving engine, a five-speed gearbox, and a one-ton sports car—were all it took to put a mile-wide smile on a driver’s face.

Plan to spend between $90,000 and $150,000 for a well-kept 1750 GTV in good-to-excellent condition, with concours cars hitting $224,123 or so. Most examples will have seen “improvement” to varying degrees by a string of well-intentioned owners, but purists will decide how far from the stock original they want to go.

As always, spend more to buy an example in the best condition available and avoid rusted body panels, subframes, and poorly repaired bodywork at all costs. Next week, we’ll look at the Alfa Romeo GT’s attractive sibling, the Spider. One of each might be all the classic cars one ever needs.