Luxury goes wild with three new African safari lodges

The finest African lodges indulge their guests’ every whim while embracing the unpredictability of their surroundings.

By Bruce Wallin 28/12/2017

Nights on safari are astonishingly silent — until they aren’t. When the still of the savanna is shattered by a shriek, a grumble, or a roar, it can startle even the most seasoned explorer from slumber. What a relief it is, then, to find yourself at such moments in an outsized bed draped with mosquito netting and tucked away in a suite with a formal dining room, a wine fridge, and two private pools to buffer you from whatever beasts might be lingering outside.

Comforting as they may be, such extravagances on safari should never come at the expense of a true wilderness experience. The finest African lodges manage to indulge their guests’ every whim while embracing the unpredictability of their surroundings. Three new lodges in southern Africa — from Botswana’s predator-rich Okavango Delta to Zambia’s remote Liuwa Plain — are striking that balance in myriad ways. Distinct in setting and style, they make for a delightfully diverse itinerary — and an eye-opening adventure in the wild.

## The Classic: Duba Plains

One can hardly blame the birds for sneaking into the Duba Plains Suite. The exclusive-use residence at Botswana’s Duba Plains Reserve is an epic amalgam of early-20th-century-style furnishings, formal dining and sitting areas, intimate nooks, palatial bedrooms, and a 145-metre-long deck with plunge pools, exercise bikes, and a fire pit overlooking the floodplain. The only thing missing from the suite is a wall — which is why you might find a curious lapwing or lark flitting about your living room.

The suite’s design — with acres of canvas covers and flaps that open to the elements during the day — ensures an intimate connection to one of the continent’s most exciting ecosystems. Set in the heart of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, Duba Plains is a 190,000-acre private reserve managed by Dereck and Beverly Joubert’s Great Plains Conservation. In March, the reserve entered the upper echelon of luxury-safari destinations with the debut of the Duba Plains Suite, the equally elegant five-room Duba Plains Camp, and a main lodge that includes a wine cellar, a library, and a media room for reviewing the day’s photographs. (Duba Plains lends guests high-powered Canon 5D cameras with 400 mm lenses to use on their safaris.)

Thanks largely to the photographs and films of the Jouberts — who shot their Relentless Enemies and other documentaries at the reserve — Duba Plains is known for its lion-versus-buffalo battles. Safaris are appropriately adrenaline-inducing, with walks, helicopter flights, boat trips, and drives exploring the watery expanse. In addition to being an ideal habitat for elephants, hippopotamuses, and other large species, the delta delivers amusement-park-like adventures, where custom Land Cruisers helmed by expert guides navigate deep channel crossings to reach islands teeming with wildlife.

Duba Plains’ guides are equally deft at navigating the needs and boundaries of their guests. Whether pursuing a lion on the hunt or shooing away an avian invader in your suite, they gradually expand your comfort zone while immersing you in the wildness of the Okavango.

Duba Plains

Where: Elevated just above the floodplain in a 190,000-acre private reserve in Botswana’s Okavango Delta

What: Five lavishly appointed suites and the two-bedroom Duba Plains Suite, a private safari palace all its own

Why: Africa’s most luxurious new lodge in a prime safari destination, plus the pure fun of delta crossings in a custom Land Cruiser

Wildlife: Elephants, lions, Cape buffalos, hippopotamuses, and a wide range of waterfowl

## The Wild Card: King Lewanika Lodge

“Zambia always appears to be on the verge of a renaissance as a safari destination,” says Will Jones, founder of the UK-based outfitter Journeys by Design. The arrival of King Lewanika Lodge, which opened in April in the remote Liuwa Plain National Park, might not be the spark that sends the country’s popularity soaring. But for the seasoned African traveller or intrepid first-timer, this intimate camp on Zambia’s western edge offers a special safari experience in a rarely visited wilderness.

Liuwa Plain itself has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. Set along the border with Angola, the 905,000-acre park was decimated during that country’s decades-long civil war. After the war ended in 2002, the conservation organisation African Parks took over management of the reserve. It has been working ever since with the Zambian government and the local Lozi people (tribe of King Lewanika’s namesake, who originally set aside the land for protection in the 1880s) to restore flora and fauna — and, for the most part, keep visitors out.

Travellers still need to make quite an effort to reach Liuwa Plain’s first and only lodge, which is managed by Zambia’s Time + Tide Norman Carr Safaris. After a small-craft flight to the village of Kalabo, a 3-hour game drive concludes at a camp comprised of six suites flanking an open-air main lodge. Designed by Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens — the South African duo behind North Island in Seychelles and Time + Tide’s Chinzombo in South Luangwa National Park — the contemporary suites feature recycled composite-wood floors, basin sinks, and canvas flaps that roll up to reveal endless vistas of the yellow-green floodplain.

In exploring the plain, King Lewanika remains true to Norman Carr the man, who pioneered walking safaris in Zambia in the 1950s. Outings offer multiple perspectives on the park, from walks with wildebeest — Africa’s second-largest migration passes right through camp — to canoe trips on the spillways in season. Game drives virtually guarantee up-close carnivore sightings — following a mother cheetah on the hunt, catching a clan of hyenas returning to their den-bound pups at dusk — that are rarely shared with other safari vehicles. “The obvious advantage here is that there are fewer visitors,” Jones says. “And with fewer visitors, one gets that greater sense of wilderness and space, which is an increasingly hard commodity to find.”

King Lewanika Lodge

Where: Only lodge in the 905,000-acre Liuwa Plain National Park in western Zambia

What: Six solar-powered tented suites, including a two-bedroom family unit, with high-class-camping interiors and chaise-lounge-equipped decks overlooking the plain

Why: Because no one you know has been there, and you might have the entire park to yourself

Wildlife: Hyenas, zebras, cheetahs, lions, African wildcats, endangered wattled cranes, and, from November to May, the second-largest wildebeest migration

## The Finishing Touch: Matetsi River Lodge

As spectacular as safari can be, the early mornings, sunbaked afternoons, and bumpy, dusty drives can take a toll on travellers. Though not essential, it is highly recommended to set aside a few days at the end of your adventure to ease out of the routine. Matetsi River Lodge, a resort-like property located upstream from the mighty Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, is the ideal bridge between the remote bush and the real world, a deluxe decompression chamber that can be one of southern Africa’s most relaxing — or most exciting — destinations.

Reopened last year after a US$10 ($A13) million rebuild, Matetsi features 18 suites and a four-bedroom family villa set along a soothing stretch of the Zambezi River. Two outdoor dining venues maximize the views, with tables staggered along the shore on lawns, decks, and covered patios. The suites — with their proper walls, marble bathrooms, and private plunge pools — are more luxury hotel than rustic safari lodge, but the safari experience does not disappoint.

Matetsi is the only lodge in a 123,500-acre reserve that encompasses nine miles of riverfront, densely wooded hills, red-clay cliffs, and open savanna. Many among the reserve’s species — elephants, giraffes, troops of baboons, bushbucks, kudus — forage along the river just in front of the suites. Several other animals, from lions to rare river otters, can be seen on game drives and boat trips throughout the reserve.

Safari, however, is just one of the many things to do at and around Matetsi. About 38 kilometres downstream from the lodge, the Zambezi plunges 108 metres into a snaking and cavernous gorge, creating one of the planet’s great spectacles. Day trips to the falls can incorporate activities both mild (shopping in the pleasant town of Victoria Falls, enjoying high tea at the historic Victoria Falls Lodge) and extreme (bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge, zip-lining across the gorge). Of course, for those who want to completely decompress, Matetsi’s main lodge offers a wine cellar, a 20-metre-long swimming pool, and a riverfront massage room.

Matetsi River Lodge

Where: On the banks of the Zambezi River in a 123,500-acre private reserve in Zimbabwe, less than an hour’s drive from Victoria Falls

What: An unapologetically luxurious hotel in the bush, comprising 18 suites with private pools, a four-bedroom family villa, two outdoor restaurants, and a main lodge with a wine cellar and massage sala

Why: The perfect place to begin or end a safari, with a range of activities — Victoria Falls visits, shopping, bungee jumping, river rafting, fishing — to complement the game drives and river cruises

Wildlife: Massive elephants and giraffes, lions, hyenas, baboons, and kudus as well as crocodiles, hippopotamuses, kingfishers, and other river dwellers

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How Off-the-Rack Suits Got Sophisticated Enough to Win Over Bespoke Guys

Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better, and it offers even the most particular dressers a fast, easy platform for experimenting with their look.

By Aleks Cvetkovic 18/02/2025

The world moves fast—and for once, tailoring is moving a little bit faster.

Guys around the globe are rediscovering their love of suits, but many have determined that they can’t stomach the monthslong wait for bespoke. The good news? Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better.

That’s in part because bespoke makers are beefing up their off-the-rack offerings. Anderson & Sheppard’s shop-in-store at N.Y.C.’s Bergdorf Goodman—the first outpost beyond its London flagship— opened in December with, among other things, a sharp wool-and-cashmere jacket in a delightful shade of teal. Huntsman’s recent fall-winter collection, billed as its most comprehensive assortment yet, offered everything from tuxedos to shooting breeches. Even Leonard Logsdail, Hollywood’s highly esteemed bespoke purveyor, is experimenting with hem-and-go models.

But non-custom tailors are upping the ante, too. Some of the best ready-to-wear suits on the market come from such brands, whose wholly distinctive points of view provide a welcome departure from the rigidity of many bespoke tailors’ house styles. The preponderance and diversity of such high-quality, easy-to-access threads has recast off-the-rack suits as the ultimate way to experiment with your look, not just a way for some to get dressed on the cheap. What’s more, it reflects the new reality that even people who suit up regularly might want to show up looking different on Thursday night than they did on Tuesday morning.

“Life nowadays is much more fluid,” says Chris Modoo, a London-based stylist who once worked as a tailor on Savile Row. “Things happen, invitations appear. You might get an invite for a black-tie party in the South of France for next Saturday.” Ready-to-wear is the obvious solution when you’re in a last-minute menswear quandary, but “it also means you can try new things.”

One maker worth a test-drive is Husbands Paris, founded by Nicolas Gabard, who sees his role as an “archivist of the past.” His look, inspired by stylish men such as Yves Saint Laurent, David Hemmings, and Gary Cooper, is unabashedly striking—think long, fully canvased jackets, broad lapels, structured shoulders, and wide-leg, high-waisted trousers. These wares are made in small workshops in Italy and Portugal, where craftspeople infuse them with high-end details such as hand-sewn buttonholes and silk bar tacks, a form of stitching that reinforces seams and pockets.

Thom Sweeney L.A. store Brett Wood

They’re the kind of touches any menswear enthusiast can appreciate—even if they’re the trees to Gabard’s style forest. Clothes like this are designed as a form of wearable self-assurance, enhancing what Gabard calls a “classically masculine” silhouette: broad shoulders, slim waist, narrow hips.

“Of course, tailoring has to fit well, but it also has to bring something else,” he says. “More and more [Husbands] customers want to be confident, powerful, and sexy in their outfit.”

When you want to look more suave than soigné, turn to the indie Milanese brand Massimo Alba, which is known for its chic casualwear but made its name with easygoing tailoring. “A great suit is not just about the way it fits but about the way it makes you feel,” says the eponymous label’s founder of his relaxed approach. “For me, the essence lies in balance, between structure and softness, elegance and ease. In my opinion, a suit should adapt to the wearer, not the other way around.”

Alba’s creations are cut from plush materials such as corduroy and flannel, featuring natural shoulders and only the lightest of canvasing in the chest, which results in a less-formal look. Which is not to say they aren’t workhorses: Daniel Craig wore one of Alba’s Sloop suits to dodge bullets in 2021’s James Bond film No Time to Die. “I always focus on fabrics that move with the body, details that whisper rather than shout, and cuts that allow for freedom,” Alba adds.

And freedom is precisely what this newfound inventory of great ready-to-wear tailoring provides. Modoo advises some clients to look to bespoke tailors for investment-level garments, such as morning suits, tuxedos, or the dark, serious stuff you might need for a funeral or odd courtroom appearance. “You know you’re going to wear these for 10 or 15 years,” he says. Let the new class of distinctive ready-to-wear step in when you want to try something that just wouldn’t make sense as a bespoke order. “Your pink-velvet blazer for the Christmas party? How well does that need to fit?”

London bespoke tailor Caroline Andrew is one of many who admits ready-to-wear has its place. Courtesy of Caroline Andrew

Fortunately, with so many options available, the fit is easier to dial in. You can expect most high-end operations to make a long list of changes, from ensuring that the seat of the trousers drapes appropriately to cutting working buttonholes on the jacket. For a peerless experience, you can always reach for garments from one of the many talented bespoke tailors offering ready-to-wear. At Thom Sweeney, such clothes are “all influenced by our bespoke cut,” says Thom Whiddett, who cofounded the brand with Luke Sweeney in 2007. “You try on [our ready-to-wear] jacket, and you immediately get a sense of the proportions and shapes that we put into a bespoke garment.”

That alluring sense of near-instant gratification is the point. For some, nothing will ever replace the distinguished feeling of slipping into a bench-made suit—and plenty are willing to wait for it.

“You have to mentally buy into the process and enjoy it,” says Caroline Andrew, a London bespoke specialist. “The journey is just as important as the finished product.” But ready-to-wear sets the time-strapped tailoring enthusiast down a different path: discovering new facets of your personal style at a record pace.

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Tom Brady Wears a Jacob & Co. Watch Decked in Yellow Sapphires to the Super Bowl

The $740,000 Caviar Tourbillon was an opulent choice for the former NFL star.

By 17/02/2025

Tom Brady was on the field tonight at the 59th annual Super Bowl game, and while the retired NFL hero—a seven-time Super Bowl winner (the most of any footballer in history)—wasn’t playing, he came dressed to impress with a $116,400 Jacob & Co. watch on his wrist.

Brady, who is a notable watch collector, recently sold off several of his timepieces at a Sotheby’s auction called “The GOAT Collection: Watches and Treasures from Tom Brady” this past December. Those timepieces ran the gamut from a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6241 to a unique Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with his name spelled out in diamonds across the salmon-colored tapisserie dial. His Rolex Daytona sold for over $1.5 million, and, in total, his auction raked in around $7 million. So, he’s well-equipped for a new watch purchase.

Whether or not he owns the six-figure sapphire stunner or it was a paid spot, the watch certainly stood out against his conservative but immaculately fit gray suit. “Tom Brady is the epitome of excellence, both on and off the field,” said Benjamin Arabov, CEO of Jacob & Co, in a press release sent out by the company shortly after Brady’s appearance. “We’re thrilled to see him wearing two of our most prestigious timepieces on the biggest stage in sports. The Billionaire Mini Ashoka and Caviar Tourbillon embody the precision, luxury, and innovation that define Jacob & Co. We’re honored to have him represent the artistry and craftsmanship behind every piece we create.”

Like much of Brady’s wrist candy, his 44 by 15.8 mm Caviar Tourbillon is not easy to come by. It is limited to just 18 pieces. It features hours, minutes, and a one-minute flying tourbillon in the JCAA43 movement with 216 components and 72 hours of power reserve. The movement itself is set with 338 brilliant-cut diamonds, while a total of 337 yellow sapphires adorn the case and dial. The clasp is decorated with another 18 baguette-cut yellow sapphires, and the crown comes with 14 baguette-cut yellow sapphires and one rose-cut yellow sapphire. As far as gem setting goes, this is one extraordinary piece, but it certainly seemed like a surprising choice for Brady, who was otherwise dressed like he just stepped out of a boardroom or a Ralph Lauren catalog.

Benjamin Arabov, son of Jacob & Co. founder Jacob Arabov, is now the CEO of the company. The 32-year-old recently took to Instagram to post that he was looking for a rebranding agency with experience in visual identity and packaging. As far as marketing goes, however, with Tom Brady, he’s golden.

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This Vintage Rolex Day-Date Has an Ultra-Rare and Coveted ‘Bark’ Design

The ultra-cool piece from Wind Vintage also comes in pristine condition with a desirable patina.

By Paige Reddinger 17/02/2025

Over the last four years there has been a resurgence in interest for 18-karat yellow gold watches. Much of that is due to fatigue over the long-running craze for steel tool watches, but it is also in part due to the rising value of gold (which shows no sign of slowing), rendering these once undesirable pieces increasingly worth collecting. Add to that the fact that, in some niche and stylish circles, unusual bracelet treatments, gem-setting, and interesting dials are becoming increasingly appealing and you have a new wave of watch collecting emerging. Steel sports watches are still the bread and butter for most dealers, but as pockets of interest in more unusual timekeepers, often from younger and fashion-forward collectors, continue to rise we’re seeing some really fun pieces pop up on the market. Case in point: This 1980s Rolex Day-Date in 18-karat yellow gold with a sapphire and diamond dial from Wind Vintage currently available exclusively on The Vault.

It wasn’t that long ago that dealers had a hard time unloading an all-gold gem-set piece. Eric Wind, the notable dealer and founder of Wind Vintage, says five years ago he would have sold this piece for around $23,000 to $28,000. The asking price today? $45,000. “It is very rare,” he tells Robb Report. “I think that was all clearly hand-done. Funnily enough, bark watches were not very desirable in the past. You know, even five to 10 years ago, they were very, very hard to sell. But, over the last three to five years, there’s been such an emergence and interest in jewellery and watches and work like that engraving and other kind of artistic forms that the watches took.” The style of engraving he is referring to on this watch can be seen on the bezel and middle links of the bracelet that is referred to as “bark” for its rough tree-like appearance.

“Bark” engraving on the bezel and bracelet of the Wind Vintage 1980s Rolex Day-Date
Courtesy of Wind Vintage

And while the bracelet is certainly a notable feature that will stand out in a sea of Submariners and Daytonas, the dial is also worth bragging about. Its diamond minutes track and sapphire hour markers are executed in what is known as a “string dial” because it looks like a string of pearls. “They’ve become very popular,” says Wind. “They were very expensive back in the 80s, just because of the cost of the stones, and there are just not many that exist on the planet.” Likewise, Wind says the canary yellow matte dial is not something he comes across often, having only seen a couple of others.

An up-close look at the patina and “bark” engraving on this 1980s Day-Date from Wind Vintage.
Courtesy of Wind Vintage

Part of what makes this watch so hard to find on the market is that pieces like this often didn’t survive past their ’80s heyday. “A lot of times these watches were so undesirable that dealers would replace the bezel inserts and put on fluted inserts, or smooth bezels or fluted bezels and melt down the bracelets or polish the center link so they looked like a standard Day-Date. Those dealers should have learned that what goes around, always comes around. Now with these interesting Rolex watches on the rise, they’ll become even harder to find.

A Wind Vintage 1980s Day-Date with “bark” engraving and a gem-set “string dial”
Courtesy of Wind Vintage

If you’re interested in the piece and want to speak to Wind about it IRL, he will be at Robb Report’s House of Robb event in San Francsico today during the NBA All-Star weekend.

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Soccer Star Kylian Mbappé Is Now an Investor in Watch Marketplace Wristcheck

Just like Jay-Z.
Published on February 7, 2025

By Abby Montanez 11/02/2025

Kylian Mbappé just went from brand ambassador to investor.

The celebrated French footballer, who currently plays for Real Madrid, has taken a stake in luxury watch trading platform Wristcheck, Hypebeast reported lat week.

Off the filed, the 26-year-old soccer star is a known timepiece collector and has served as an ambassador for Swiss marque Hublot since 2018. With this new partnership, the forward joins a growing group of influential backers, including Jay-Z. The rapper and business mogul took an equity stake in the Hong Kong-based company last summer as part of a recent funding round of $7.9 million.

“I’m thrilled to join Wristcheck as an investor through Coalition Capital,” Mbappé said in a press statement. “As a Hublot ambassador and someone passionate about watches and innovation, I see Wristcheck as a platform that truly understands the next generation of collectors. They’re reshaping the watch industry with a forward-thinking approach that blends technology, transparency, and creativity.” Mbappé did not immediately respond to Robb Report‘s request for comment on his new business endeavor.

Kylian Mbappé is an investor in online watch shop Wristcheck.
Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Launched in 2020 by renowned horophile and Instagram personality Austen Chu, Wristcheck offers a platform for collectors to buy and sell pre-owned watches that have been authenticated by Swiss-trained watchmakers. Since it was founded, the company has raised more than $21.6 million in funding from investors including the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners GBA, and K3 Ventures.

Mbappé, meanwhile, has achieved remarkable success in his soccer career. He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, becoming the youngest player to score in a final since Pelé. At PSG, he has secured multiple Ligue 1 titles and domestic cups. Individually, Mbappé has earned the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and regularly features in top European scoring charts. And in 2020, he was ranked the world’s highest-paid player, surpassing rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

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Sotheby’s Will Put on the Largest Auction of Breguet Watches in Decades This Fall

To celebrate the revered watchmaking house’s 250th anniversary, the sale includes rare collectibles belonging to living Breguet family members.

By Paige Reddinger 11/02/2025

Interest in Breguet has experienced a quiet resurgence among savvy collectors who appreciate the brand’s deep-rooted watchmaking heritage. This growing enthusiasm will soon take center stage with an upcoming auction that shines a significant spotlight on the storied Maison.

Founded in Paris 250 years ago, Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of the most influential watchmakers in history, best known for inventing the tourbillon and the automatic winding system—along with many other groundbreaking innovations. His legacy continues to inspire modern masters such as F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour. You can see Breguet’s influence pointedly in pieces like F.P. Journe’s famous Chronomètre à Résonance timepiece, voted one of Robb Report‘s 50 Greatest Watches of All Time.

Now, Sotheby’s has announced “the largest sale of Breguet timepieces in three decades.” Though the auction won’t take place until November, the auction house is already working to build anticipation. In the meantime, it might be wise to brush up on the most coveted Breguet references.

Breguet 1827 Perpétuelle à Tact watch made for King George IV Breguet

What may pique collectors’ interest is the sale is being curated in conjunction with Breguet and Emmanuel Breguet, the vice president and head of patrimony, who happens to be a descendant of the original Monsieur Breguet. So far, the only timekeeper publicly associated (at least visually) with the auction is the 1827 Perpétuelle à Tact watch made for King George IV. Still, it hints at the historic level of pocket watches, wristwatches, and clocks that will be on offer. Abraham-Louis Breguet was a frequent supplier of high-end and state-of-the-art timepieces for royalty, including Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, and King George III.

Other highlights include an open-faced montre à tact (a watch that replicates the internal hour hand on the cover of the pocket watch via an arrow so that time could be read via touch) with a calendar and moonphase indications that was the inspiration for the Ref. 3330. A pendulette with alarm, perpetual calendar and repeater, and a two-color gold open-faced tourbillon watch is said to be a part of the sale, although no images were provided as of press time. More info on what will be in the sale will come this spring.

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