Bulgari, Hublot, and TAG Heuer Just Dropped Their New Watches for 2024
LVMH’s horological brands headed to Miami to introduced the year’s freshest models. Here’s a look at the best.
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LVMH Watch Week kicked off yesterday in Miami. The annual event, which began in 2019 in Dubai just ahead of the pandemic, has meant the luxury conglomerate is the first in the watch industry to launch new releases. It’s a wise and strategic move for the company to flex its timepieces in a major press moment, while the rest of the industry generally waits until Watches & Wonders in April in Geneva.
“The concept was actually founded by Bulgari, by [Jean] Christophe [Babin],” said Frédéric Arnault, the newly minted CEO of LVMH’s watch division, at a poolside cocktail event at the W Hotel. “Initially, it was to really kickstart the year. It started with three brands from LVMH: Bulgari, Hublot, and Zenith. I’m proud to say it grew over time from how successful it was. It’s a great moment for all of our watch brands. It shows the strength and ambition of the group, LVMH. It is such an important category in the luxury world.”
This year, the event included six brands under the watch division: Bulgari, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith. Notably absent were Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co., two of LVMH’s largest brands that carry watches. It’s no secret that watches are a big push at both, particularly Louis Vuitton, but rumor has it that they’ll join next year’s edition. As far as this year’s participants go, the releases were mostly subdued with tweaks to existing models in new dial colors or case materials, such as a new green Hublot Big Bang SAXEM or a new sunray blue dial for the 18-karat yellow gold Octo Finissimo. Others, like the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription timepiece—a tour de force revival of the revered brand—had already been released to the press last year. Nevertheless, the week is more about drumming up a big press moment at the start of the year, ahead of every other watch conglomerate and brand in the industry. And, set against a backdrop of a white-pillared mansion on Miami’s ultra-exclusive Star Island overlooking the city’s turquoise waters glistening beneath the warm sun and 80 degrees in January, it certainly stands apart from the bustling stress of Watches & Wonders in chilly Geneva.
Hublot Big Bang Unico SAXEM Green
Hublot’s well-funded research and development division continues to make good on its commitment to find ways to add new colour to watchmaking’s most high-tech case materials, specifically ceramic and SAXEM, Hublot’s proprietary variation of sapphire crystal. Fans of the exuberantly colorful brand will remember last year’s launch of Sapphire Aluminum oXide and rare Earth Mineral, or SAXEM for short, in neon yellow. It’s a sapphire crystal-like substance that Hublot figured out how to infuse with a combination of minerals to create a fluorescent colour that glows like neon. This year it reappears in green, which is emerging as the year’s hottest color in watches. Like sapphire, SAXEM is transparent, so you can see the movement, the HUB1280 flyback chronograph, through the case side. For contrast, it is openworked and blackened, so the dial contrasts with the green case – calling to mind a popular look in jewellery design, the pairing of green garnet with blackened gold. The difference between sapphire and SAXEM, explains Hublot, is that Sapphire has a trigonal (three-sided) structure, while SAXEM has a cubic (four-sided) form.” Hence the more intense colour, like a gem with more facets. The material does not receive light, but creates the illusion of emitting it. It’s large size – 42mm – enhances the drama. SAXEM was first used in 2019 in a similar shade of emerald green on the Big Bang MP-11. An integrated rubber strap is perfectly matched to the case, as is the green lume on the hands. Hublot will make 100 pieces.
Price: Around$175,000, 100 pieces.
Case Material: SAXEM
Case Size: 42mm x 14.5mm
Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski
Hublot’s Classic Fusion Orlinski series has had a minimalist and muted aesthetic, with white or black dials and a slightly bolder royal blue ceramic version. This year it has been infused with a renewed sense of colour that doesn’t detract from the artist’s sculptural design so much as transform it. The design is stark and angular, with time only, plus seconds, leaving the faceted dial and bezel to deliver all the drama. This year the drama is in the colour. The Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski appears in scorching-sun yellow or clear-sky blue versions, both infused in ceramic, inching them even closer to the dramatic pop art sculptures created by Hublot’s collaborator on the series, French artist Richard Orlinski. The architectural style of the watch carries over here to the openworked movement, the manually wound HUB6021 tourbillon, with faceted bridges coated in black PVD for the yellow version and silver rhodium for the blue version. There will be 30 pieces of each model.
Price: Around $143,000 pieces
Case Material: Ceramic
Case Size: 45mm x 10.6mm
Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titaniu
Hublot is a young brand, founded in 1980, compared to most top Swiss watch brands, which were founded about 100 years earlier. It therefore has a singular claim to post-modern watchmaking and design, free from the shackles of upholding the classical traditions of watchmaking. It has proposed instead to take watchmaking into the future. Its masterpiece line, or MP, thus has one goal: to reinvent existing complications. The MP-10, the brand’s tenth MP takes on the tourbillon. It has no dial, no hands and no oscillating weight (even though it’s automatic). The 592-component movement was five years in development and works on a system of aluminum rollers and a vertical winding system. Time is read from top to bottom on four constantly rotating displays: Hours on top, followed by minutes, a red/green power reserve disk, and lastly seconds, rotating on the 60-second tourbillon. The seconds take prominence over the tourbillon, since the escapement is angled at 35 degrees and thus largely out of sight. In case there is any misunderstanding about which functions are where, each is spelled out on bridges above or below each index. The case is made of two pieces – a middle and a back – in micro-blasted titanium, with a sapphire crystal wrapped on three inclined planes on three axes. Hublot has a patent pending for this configuration, its most complex to date. The rotor is not a rotor at all, since it doesn’t rotate. It works on a verticalised weight principle with two blocks of white gold that move up and down, winding the movement bidirectionally. Shock absorbers prevent them from colliding at each end. The system, which delivers 48 hours of power reserve, is also pending a patent pending. There are two crowns, neither of which rests in the traditional 3 o’clock position. The massive crown at 12 o’clock winds the watch. Time is set using a second crown nestled on the caseback side “to preserve the fluidity of the design,” explains the Hublot release.
Price: Around $400,000, 50 pieces
Case Material: Titanium
Case Size: 54.1mm x 41.5mm x 22.4mm
Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Jewellery
As a modern brand, Hublot has always had an uninhibited sense of the jewellery watch, more red-carpet bling than aristocratic classicism. This year’s Big Bang Jewelry collection includes a can’t-miss-it Rainbow model – the first of Hublot’s signature multi-colored sapphire pieces to appear in the barrel-cased Spirit of Big Bang collection. There are two versions, one in steel and the other in King Gold, Hublot’s proprietary warm red gold alloy. Each set with 493 multi-colored gems. Likewise, there are both steel and King Gold versions of the new Spirit of Big Bang Full Pavé showstoppers. Each is fully set with diamonds on the bezel, case, and dial, with a whopping 479 brilliant-cut gems totaling just over 2 carats. Hublot has even calculated the number of facets which adds up to: 27,782 per watch, with each of those facets reflecting light like a klieg light. They are accompanied by black or white rubber straps.
Prices:
Steel Full Pave: around $52,400
King Gold Full Pave: around $70,012
Steel Rainbow: around$110,200
King Gold Rainbow: $120,000
Case Material: King Gold, steel
Case Size: 32mm x 11.10mm
Bulgari Octo Finissimo
If these two models look familiar, that’s because they were officially launched in the U.S. market last year, but now Bulgari is announcing a global offering. The steel model with the Tuscan copper dial remains the same as the model that was initially released stateside last year in a limited run of 50. The 18-carat yellow gold model, however now comes dressed in a blue sunray dial. Its 2023 release in the U.S. came with a chocolate brown dial.There’s nothing groundbreaking here. This model has already done enough trailblazing—the Octo Finissimo has set eight world records. The steel model is the most appealing with the coolness of the metal paired with the soft warmth of copper, but while yellow gold might seem rather bold on a watch with such a wide bracelet it’s not as overpowering as you might assume in person. A female Bulgari representative who was wearing the piece on her wrist at LVMH Watch Week made a compelling case for the yellow gold version, while also proving that even at 40 mm, this watch’s ergonomics somehow make the sizing work even on smaller wrists.
Price: Around $68,912 in Yellow Gold and $20,143 in Steel
Case Material: 18-karat Yellow Gold or Steel
Case Size: 40 mm x 6.4 mm
Bulgari Lucea
The Lucea collection is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, so Bulgari naturally had to bring an ultra-special model to the table. The most striking new Lucea is the rich malachite dial version which was made with scraps of the stone material leftover from other watch models in the Bulgari manufacture. Instead of throwing away the tiny fragments, the company put them to use in a beautiful marquetry compilation. The varying hues of green create an arresting pattern accented by brilliant-cut diamond hour markers and encircled by a bezel adorned with 56 diamonds. The malachite pairs nicely with the two-tone case and bracelet in steel and 18-carat rose gold, as well as the ruby crystal crown protector. It is, by far, the most outstanding Lucea release of the year (so far).
Price: TBC
Case Material: Steel and 18-karat Rose Gold
Case Size: 33 mm x 9.6 mm
La Fabrique du Temps X Gérald Genta Manufacture Calibre GG-001
Forty years after famed watch designer Gérald Genta first defied the highly traditional watch industry by putting Mickey Mouse on a watch dial, La Fabrique du Temps is resurrecting this playful design as it relaunches the brand. And for those of you who scoff at the idea of a Disney-themed timepiece, kindly consider the type of watch we’re talking about: The new GG-001 is no simple time-only piece, but a minute repeater with a jump hour and retrograde minutes display developed by the horological illuminati at La Fabrique du Temps itself. Housed in a 32.4mm case that measures just 6.91mm thick, it has an impressive 80-hour power reserve and a beautiful dial graved by everyone’s favourite mouse: At 3 o’clock is a magnified jump-hour window, while Mickey’s left arm serves as the minute hand along a retrograde track running along the dial’s periphery. Playful yet subtle, this creative integration of multiple complications is an impressive feat of watchmaking — one that will be appreciated by both die-hard “watch nerds” and those whose taste runs more toward compelling aesthetics. (Not to mention by Disney fans everywhere!)
Price: TBD
Case Material: Platinum
Case Size: 40 mm
La Fabrique du Temps X Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription
Since 2000, the Daniel Roth brand has been owned by Bulgari, which was itself acquired by LVMH in 2011. Now, the eponymous maison founded by the famed French-born watchmaker has been revived with the involvement of La Fabrique du Temps, the LVMH-owned movement manufacture founded by star horologists Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. The first product to see the light of day will certainly delight Daniel Roth fans: The new Tourbillon Souscription is an homage to the ref. 2187/C187, Roth’s first model. Housed in the watchmaker’s famed double-ellipse case, it takes inspiration from the designs of 18th/19th-century watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, with exquisite finishing and the integration of remarkable complications. Extremely limited in production, the new timepiece features a solid-gold guilloché dial, a new in-house movement, and an impressively thin case depth of just 9.2mm. With its visible tourbillon cage and retrograde display, it’s truly a piece of horological art, and bodes well for the reconstitution of this important marque.
Price: TBD
Case Material: 18K yellow gold
Case Size: 38.6mm
TAG Heuer Plasma Diamant
Just when you think the cutting edge of tool watch design means a tourbillon in your chronograph, TAG Heuer hits you with one of these: A sports watch positively encrusted in diamonds like the bottom of a caïque off the coast of Paros. The new TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant is merely the latest in a series of timepieces featuring lab-grown diamonds, whose uniform colour is achieved via a Chemical Vapor Deposition technology that the brand calls “Plasma.” In this instance, rather than set diamonds throughout the case of a larger 44mm watch such that of as last year’s Carrera Plasma Diamond d’Avant Garde, TAG Heuer has taken its 36mm, time-only version of the Carrera and jazzed it up: Fashioned from white gold, it features a 2.9-carat polycrystalline dial with baguette-cut diamond indices; a yellow gold TAG Heuer shield logo; and a 1.3-carat yellow diamond crown. The interplay between the case material, sparkling dial, and bright pops of yellow is striking without being gaudy — a difficult feat to achieve with this many precious stones.
Price: TBD
Case Material: White gold
Case Size: 36mm
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon
Launching alongside the aforementioned “Dato” model is a similarly teal-colored Carrera Chronograph in Tourbillon form, with a dual-register chronograph layout accompanied by Abraham-Louis Brguet’s famed invention visible at 6 o’clock. Developed by the famed French watchmaker in the early 19th century, the tourbillon is a horological device that places the movement’s escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage, which helps negate the effects of gravity on a pocket watch movement. Nowadays, the inclusion of a tourbillon is a way for a watch company to show its expertise in movement construction, which TAG Heuer does here to good effect. Joined by 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph totalizers and easily visible beneath a curving “glassbox” sapphire crystal, the tourbillon in question is part of the TAG Heuer Calibre TH20-09 movement, which features bi-directional winding and a high level of finishing. Housed in a 42mm stainless steel “glassbox” Carrera case and paired to a black alligator leather strap, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon is a high-end riff on a beloved sports watch.
Price: around $36,4300
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Size: 42mm
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph
Jack Heuer, great-grandson of company founder Edouard Heuer, launched his famous racing chronograph in 1963, naming it after the Carrera Panamericana, a notoriously dangerous road race that took place in Mexico in the early 1950s. (And which also inspired the nickname of a certain Porsche.) Since then, the Carrera has taken on many guises, receiving a complete refresh in the form of the (still relatively new) “Glassbox” references launched in 2023 — just in time for the model’s 60th anniversary. This year, TAG Heuer is reviving a perennial fan favorite in the form of a new “Dato” model, which features a single, 30-minute chronograph totalizer at 9 o’clock and a date window at 9 o’clock. Hearkening back to a moderately rare Carrera variant from 1968, the new chrono marks the first time this unique date arrangement has appeared within the “Glassbox” case, which measures 39mm and features a curved inner flange housing a 1/5th-second track, all of which is enveloped by a gently curving “glassbox” crystal. With its striking, teal green dial and pared-down aesthetic, it’s sure to bridge the gap between fans of vintage Heuer and more casual watch buyers.
Price: Around $9,900
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Size: 39mm
Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar
Most watch brands, when they announce the re-issue of a vintage design, are quick to include a note that while the design may be true to the original, the watch now contains a modern, in-house movement. In Zenith’s case, the movement was already there. The high-frequency El Primero calibre contained in the new Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is a direct evolution of the one designed in 1969. In fact, the original El Primero movement was designed to accommodate triple calendar and moon phase functions right from the very beginning. Zenith made a small series of 25 prototypes in 1970 as a proof of concept, but since the chronograph was more popular, the triple calendar wasn’t produced commercially until later in the 1970s. The homage version is a tribute to the original movement, and its design is true to the signature A386 chronograph case design from 1969. The dial architecture mirrors the chronograph design codes – from a distance, you might have to do a second take to notice the Triple Calendar is not a chronograph-only. Days of the week and months are displayed in subtle windows above the east/west subdials – with small seconds at 9 o’clock and 60-second counter at 3 o’clock. The date window is in the traditional El Primero position at 4:30, and the moonphase display is incorporated right into the chronograph’s 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock. The El Primero 3610, runs at 36,000 vph to deliver a true 1/10th of a second chronograph function. Even with the addition of the complete calendar, it has a power reserve of approximately 60 hours. There are two regular versions, one with a sporty silvery-white panda opaline dial with black counters and 1/100th of a second scale, and an opaline slate-gray dial with silvery-white counters and scale that is directly inspired by the small series of El Primero triple calendar prototypes from 1970. A third, boutique-only variant has a sunburst olive-green dial. All have rose gold-tone applied baton markers and hands, to match the polished rose gold moon.
Prices: Around $21,055 for steel with metal bracelet (including boutique edition) and around $8,847 for steel with calfskin strap (including boutique edition)
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Size: 38mm
Zenith Chronomaster Sport
Having perfected the El Primero movement over the past 55 years, Zenith is now ready to have a little fun with the design of its flagship chronograph – but not so much that it obliterates the signature look. Two new versions include a first-ever gem-set Chronomaster Sport and an all-green model with a first-ever green ceramic bezel. Both models retain the signature tri-colour subdials of the Chronomaster in the familiar shades of gray and blue. The background dial of the green version is lacquered green to match the ceramic bezel and there’s a green FKM rubber strap to switch out the steel bracelet. The green is a vibrant, almost neon colour that is emerging as a strong watch colour, and it works surprisingly well with the tri-colour subdials. On the jewelled Chronomaster Sport, Zenith leans in even closer to the tri-colour aesthetic by setting the bezel with baguette-cut gems to match the subdials. There are white diamonds, black spinels (which read dark grey), and grey and blue sapphires. The dial is meteorite in the so-called “Windmanstätten” pattern (with long mineral crystals in geometric patterns), treated in a warm golden colour that matches the 18k rose gold case and bracelet. It’s a very dressy version of the Chronomaster Sport that dovetails with the ongoing trend toward dressing up sports watches and sporting up dress watches, which often cry out for definition: are sporty dress or dressy sport watches? The tri-colour chronograph registers, pump pushers, and El Primero 3600 movement tend to emphasise the sporty side of this one, but the precious gems and gold case elevate the watch to somewhere well beyond the race track. It’s your call.
Prices: Around $16,999 for Chronomaster Sport Green on bracelet; TBC for Chronomaster Sport Green on rubber strap and around $149,000for 18k rose gold Chronomaster Sport (boutique only)
Case Material: Chronomaster Sport Green, stainless steel; Chronomaster Sport 18-carat rose gold
Case Size: 41mm
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Our contributing watch editor Brynn Wallner hit the stacks at The Morgan Library & Museum, sneaking her way in after dark on a quest for timeless horological beauty.
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The World’s 7 Most Expensive Private Helicopters
The list includes a presidential helicopter, a special-edition ACH130 co-designed by Aston Martin, and the sleek Bell 525, appropriately named “Relentless.”
Time is money, and it’s especially true in navigating the world’s most populated metropolitan centres—from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. Since setting the first recorded distance record of 1,181 feet in 1924, the helicopter has proven its value in aviation for its durability and versatile roles. In business aviation, the helicopter is taking on even greater importance to quickly and efficiently transport busy executives within high-density city centers or to destinations under 800 kilometres.
Today’s rotorcraft are also increasingly sophisticated, with faster speeds and greater range. But even more noteworthy are the luxe interiors that have appeared in the last few years. Airbus Corporate Helicopters has partnered with Aston Martin to give its ACH130 a signature interior resembling a stylish, leather-clad supercar, while fractional provider Flexjet gives tribute to the Bentley Mullinar in its new special edition Sikorsky S-76. The latest Marine One, used to transport the U.S. president and other high-level U.S. officials, is a customized Sikorsky VH-92-A with special security features but also a lavish interior.
This list features seven of the most expensive helicopters in the world, with an overview of their designs, technological advantages, and passenger amenities rivaling many smaller business jets.
ACH160 Exclusive
Photo : Airbus Corporate Helicopters
The twin-engine ACH160 has it all—speed, agility, and comfort. With a range of 460 nautical miles and a maximum cruise speed of 178 mph, this 10-passenger helicopter has 68 patents, with distinctive features like Airbus’s Fenestron shrouded tail rotor that dampens the sound signature and vibration. Sound-proofing and spacious double-pane windows also suppress flight noise for a quieter working environment. The cabin offers customization options for leather arm chairs or bench seating, trim and storage options. In the cockpit, the ACH160 utilizes Airbus’s Helionix Avionics Suite and incorporates its four-axis autopilot system, synthetic vision, traffic-collision avoidance systems, and more. From $20 million
Leonardo AW609
The Leonardo AW609 has the advantages of vertical take-off and landing with the speed and range of fixed-wing turboprop aircraft. This distinctive tiltrotor delivers a maximum speed of 498 kph with an impressive range of 700 nautical miles. The aircraft can fly at 25,000 feet in a pressurized cabin with five-foot headroom and VIP seating can accommodate eight passengers. The cabin can be configured with a refreshment center and lavatory. The cockpit features digital VFR/IFR avionics with fly-by-wire controls, a synthetic vision system, and retractable, steerable landing lights. From $25 million
Sikorsky S-92 Executive
The award-winning Sikorsky S-92 Executive has been chosen by heads of state from 10 countries, including the recently delivered Marine One for U.S. presidential travel. This rotorcraft has the largest cabin in its class, seating up to 10 passengers, with stand-up cabin height and forward and aft seating arrangements. It also features 14 large windows, a full-height executive lavatory, swinging captain chairs, VIP armor, enhanced soundproofing, and plenty of passenger amenities, including wireless data and voice. With a maximum cruise speed of 280 kph and a range of 547 nautical miles, the S-92 can operate at ceiling of 15,000 feet. The S-92’s avionic system includes those found on a well-equipped business jet, with TCAS II, color weather radar, ground proximity warnings and a state-of-the-art, four-axis autopilot. From $31 million
Airbus ACH175
The Airbus ACH175 integrates safety, performance, and a superior passenger experience. It has a top cruise speed of 280 kph and range of 613 nautical miles and flight endurance of six hours, three minutes. Impressive, considering it can accommodate up to 12 passengers. The cabin’s length of just over 17 feet and eight-foot width allow customisation of three interior configurations. Large windows, airy interior, reclinable leather arm chairs, a modular bench concept, mini-bar, coffee machine, and lavatory are among the customisable options available. The ACH175 also has a sophisticated environmental control system and state-of-the-art entertainment system. The cockpit is ergonomically designed and gives two pilots access to advanced avionics, including autopilot and synthetic vision. From $25 million
Bell 525 Relentless
The Bell 525, with the appropriate monker “Relentless,” combines luxe amenities for business travel with advanced flight-deck technologies like the Garmin G5000H and a touchscreen glass flight deck. Safety extras include a terrain-awareness warning system and a five-color terrain proximity display with voice callouts to make pilots aware of height below 500 feet. This medium-lift rotorcraft can accommodate up to 16 passengers and two pilots, with a maximum cruise of 296 kph and range of 629 nautical miles.
Inside the cabin, the Bell 525 includes an in-flight entertainment enhanced lounge with Wi-Fi, moving maps, audio-video functionality, ambient lighting, and electro-chromatic windows that can be controlled by a user’s paired smart device. A limousine-style privacy window allows for VIPs to have conversations without headsets. From $25 million
ACH130 Aston Martin Edition
Photo : Airbus Corporate Helicopters
This isn’t the most expensive helicopter on the list, but the James Bond–calibre interior brings it to a higher level. This now in its second run, with the first series selling out quickly. The orders came from clients in Asia, Europe, Latin America, New Zealand, and North America. Available in four interior and exteriors, the design is inspired by Aston Martin’s high-performance DB11, with seats and doors upholstered in leather and coordinating ultra-suede covering the rest of the cabin. The rear of the front seats feature the same brogue detailing of the DB11. The ACH130’s performance is also 007-worthy: 134-knot maximum cruise, 347-nautical-mile range, and four hours and 13 minutes of max flight time. From about $9 million
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One of Hollywood’s Favorite Bespoke Tailors Is Making His First Ready-to-Wear Line
Leonard Logsdail, who’s dressed everyone from Denzel Washington to Robert De Niro, is finally going off the rack.
Published on January 18, 2025
When Hollywood’s best-dressed men need suits—to wear on-screen or off—they call Leonard Logsdail. The English-born, New York–based bespoke tailor had already cultivated an enviable legacy by the time he dressed Robert de Niro in 2006’s The Good Shepherd.
In 1971, after graduating from what is now the London College of Fashion, he became the youngest person to open his own store on Savile Row. He set up shop in Manhattan 20 years later and has since dressed everyone from Al Pacino to Hugh Jackman. A lengthy list of devoted clients suggests the long lead time for one of his $15,000 rigs is worth it.
If you like his strong-shouldered look but want to skip making the dozens of decisions bespoke commissions require, you’re in luck. This year, Logsdail will begin offering a line of ready-to-wear jackets, available for purchase directly via his website.
“It’s an idea that’s been percolating for years,” Logsdail tells Robb Report. The result of his ruminations is timeless and essential: a two-button jacket with a double vent, using the same pattern he has employed countless times to give actors such as Denzel Washington (American Gangster) and Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) a commanding on-screen presence. It’s all about the shape, he says of the jacket’s leading-man look. There will be “a little bit of waisting,” so it flatters guys of all sizes.
Fabric options include a classic navy from the same Vitale Barberis Canonico textiles Logsdail uses in his bespoke garments; beautiful tweeds made at the Lovat Mill in Hawick, Scotland (the best tweeds out there, in his opinion); and a solid-blue Japanese seersucker. In a nod to his ancestry, he’ll use an 1888 painting by distant relative William Logsdail, St Martin-in-the-Fields, for the lining.
The choice underscores that the venture is as much personal as it is professional. The jackets, priced under $2,000, will help him reach a wider audience. But his business is a family affair: Two of Logsdail’s sons and one of his daughters help run it, handling everything from marketing to web design. One lesson he hopes to pass on with his uncomplicated, refined approach? “Fashion goes out of style,” he says. “But style does not go out of fashion.”
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Forget a Bow Tie. Here Are 3 Black-Tie Accessories to Rock Instead
Stylist Tom Stubbs on ditching the bow tie this festive season—and what to wear alternatively.
Black tie, that essential marker of an increasingly rarefied ceremonial style, is inspiring. Nothing coaxes men into upping the sartorial ante quite like reading those words on an invitation. I say amen to raising the bar, but I can’t bear wearing a traditional bow tie—and haven’t done so for over a decade.
Around the turn of the millennium, I was enthusiastically dress-code obedient, but two unstoppable forces put me off: Fashion moved on, and I got old. Where abiding by hallowed traditions once felt exalted, it suddenly began to seem restrictive and stuffy. And while it was extraordinary to be a bow-tied 30-something, in my 40s, the convention made me feel like a pompous, conservative square. Now, menswear has changed so much that bow ties register as pedestrian garb better suited to waiters than to revellers.
Fortunately, there are several black-tie alternatives that excite and inspire me now that I’m well into my 50s—many espoused by stylish guys on the red carpet and innovative designers in London, Paris, Florence, and Milan. And though I might take a bow on nonconformism as I step into my 60s, I still plan to steer clear of the bow tie, that ultimate symbol of gentlemanly customs, for as long as I can. Here’s what I’m replacing it with.
Form and Function
I got excited seeing Lemaire’s slim metallic modernised bolo ties in the house’s fall 2024 show. A favourite of men as varied as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Snoop Dogg, the bolo is perhaps best remembered as the chosen neckwear of John Travolta’s surly hit man, Vincent, in Pulp Fiction. Originally, Native American tribes including the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo used these accessories used to fasten bandannas with plaited-leather cords. High-end versions double as a bit of jewellery, with silver slides set with turquoise and often engraved with animal motifs, including buffalo skulls and eagles. Contemporary takes abound, but vintage sleuthing can turn up some particularly beguiling options.
Gambling Man
Varying in size, flounce, and attitude, ribbon ties—also called gambler or Kentucky neckties—have long been a legitimate black-tie alternative. Actor Cillian Murphy has worn Saint Laurent’s take to various award shows, looking stand-alone chic and authentically cool. They have a distinct Western energy—Kirk Douglas donned one as Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, as did Robert Vaughan in The Magnificent Seven. But they’re as much rock star as they are gunslinger: The late Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls and Bauhaus front man Peter Murphy (style role models of mine) also wore them with panache. Take a note from the runway and wear them with a pair of boots—cowboy, Chelsea, or with a Cuban heel—to really step away from the standard.
Fit to Be Tied
Getty Images/Courtesy of Lemaire
If you want to give yourself some breathing room, consider scarves and neckerchiefs. This fall, Tom Ford proposed a louche take on evening style, using black, slim-plaited, or delicately sequined scarves whose long tassels provocatively dangle at the hips. For maximum effect, the brand styled them with open satin shirts, recalling rockers Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. London’s La Bowtique also does beautiful outsize bows. On a smaller scale, the Twilly—a short silk scarf pioneered by Hermès—works in much the same manner. The French maison makes gorgeous options with angled ends for extra verve, whether hanging loose or more discreetly knotted.
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22/01/2025
Show Stoppers
The Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance—a beauty pageant for priceless classic cars—returns for another instalment at the city’s most intriguing, and unlikeliest, venue.
The logic behind staging a prestige automobile show on an island may, at face value, seem warped—history tells us that cars and water do not play nicely. The rationale twists further when said piece of land is a former shipyard that is, aesthetically, more workhorse ute than classic Ferrari.
Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the decision to plant the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance on Cockatoo Island for the second year running begins to make locational sense: the steel arch of the emblematic bridge acting as photogenic backcloth; the UNESCO World Heritage site’s previous guises as 19th-century penal colony and eminent boat-building facility fleshing the show’s historical bones; the theatre of watching collectors delicately coaxing their four-wheeled artworks off a rusty roll-on/roll-off barge in the islet’s wharf before showtime. (After all, if owning a car in this stratosphere isn’t about projecting drama, then what’s the point?)
Throw in an endless endowment of free Champagne for guests and VIP transport from the mainland via superyacht, and it barely matters that the three-day jamboree is, in the words of founder and curator James Nicholls, “a logistical nightmare”.
“People love the energy, the adventure” says the Anglo-Italian, a broadcaster, writer and photographer whose extensive resume includes various stints as a concours judge across the world. “There’s a great contrast between the luxurious motor cars and the industrial environment. The Turbine Shop [a timeworn, hanger-like space used to display the vehicles] is where ocean-going liners and propellers were built. People interested in cars are also interested in that kind of thing but it’s just a backdrop. Cars are the main focal point.”
The concours d’elegance concept (“concours” means “competition” in French) can be traced back to 17th-century Paris, when aristocrats would flaunt horse-drawn carriages in local parks during summer months. Animals eventually gave way to automobiles, and the gatherings mutated into more organised contests in which these new-fangled contraptions were, in somewhat prescient fashion, judged solely on the appearance. The trend spread throughout European high society, before reaching America in 1950 with an inaugural pageant at Pebble Beach, California—a concours which has since evolved into a behemoth of the species, now billing itself as “the world’s most prestigious car show” and drawing 214 vehicles and spectators in the low five figures at the last annual meeting. Other concours are thriving globally, from spectacles in Lake Como in Italy (the longest running event, launched in 1929) to Udaipur in India. Vanity, it seems, remains in vogue.
Among this storied company, Sydney’s interpretation is playing catch-up. But Nicholls insists the local variant—launched in 2019, having occupied three other citywide locations—has no intention of locking horns with competitors. Not numerically, at least.
“In 2024, we had 500 people over the three days; this year we’ll aim for 750. But we’re never going to become a 20,000-people show,” he says. “We want it to be bespoke and beautiful, so people don’t have to queue for a glass of Champagne. You can talk to the car owners, and everyone feels like a VIP.” The overarching aim is to become a “destination event” on the socialite calendar, on par with the Melbourne Cup or the Australian Grand Prix.
While keen to keep paying visitors guessing, Nicholls offers Robb Report a sneak peek into some of the 44 objets booked to occupy the coarse, exposed-brick viewing hall, ranging from turn-of-the-century rarities to modern-day exotics: a 1905 Eugène Brillié 20/24 HP Coupé Chauffeur, believed to be the only one of its ilk left; a 1955 Porsche Speedster 356 “Pre A”, examples of which are valued in excess of $750,000; a Lamborghini Miura 3400, a model famed for its starring role in the opening sequence to 1969’s The Italian Job movie; a 2021 Audi R8 Spyder, an iteration that is no longer being produced and thus quietly accruing kudos.
Up to seven “classes” will be open, including categories solely for Porsche Speedsters and pre-war Australian coachbuilt cars. Two 1930s Bugattis are slated for appearance, one of which is, as this article is being written, on a boat somewhere, on its way to Australia. A panel of seven judges, led by the first ever female concours head assessor, who also adjudicated in 2024, will select the overall “Best in Show” winner—scored last time out by a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a model line with a $24 million price tag attached. And in a progressive play designed to lure the oil-shunning generation, an “electric elegance” section will debut. Nicholls estimates the combined value of all this precious metal at around $80 million.
While it would provoke an illicit thrill to discover that frenzied super-collectors were slyly puncturing rivals’ tyres or keying priceless bodywork—skulduggery has plagued other pageants, from dog show Crufts (canine poisoning) to Miss World (rigging allegations)—the entrants are, in keeping with the show’s refined, English-garden-party profile—a gentlemanly bunch. To a point. “They like meeting up, the community that’s here, but they do get competitive,” says Mark Ussher, the Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance managing director, and on-the-ground organiser. “They care about their cars but they’re investors as well as collectors. If they win a concours anywhere around the world it adds value to the car.”
Which makes it doubly important that, surrounded by all that deep Harbour water, everyone remembers to put their handbrake on.
The Sydney Harbour Concours D’Elegance runs from February 28th-March 2nd 2025; sydneyharbourconcours.com.au
Book tickets now and take benefit from the RR 15% discount code: ROBB15
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Jannik Sinner Is the First Tennis Player to Take a Luxury Bag Onto Wimbledon’s Centre Court
The 23-year-old Italian flaunted a custom Gucci duffle bag on center court.
Jannik Sinner aced the style game at last year’s Wimbledon Championships.
The Italian tennis star turned up to his match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo with a custom Gucci duffel bag on his shoulder. It marks the first time a designer bag has been carried onto centre court in the history of the prestigious, centuries-old tennis tournament, as reported by Women’s Wear Daily.
The duffel, which Sinner describes as a “timeless classic,” showcases the house’s signature beige and ebony colorway, the iconic GG monogram, and a contrasting green and red web stripe. It also features the athlete’s initials near the straps. Ironically, the rather traditional design has called into question a 150-year tradition.
“For sure this will create a conversation,” Sinner told WWD before defeating Cerundolo in straight sets. “Bringing sport and luxury fashion together in this way is something that’s never been done before and I feel extremely proud to be a part of it. I hope people will love it as much as I do.”
Wimbledon’s dress code is extremely strict: Players have been required to wear white at the event since 1877, with not even off-white or cream permitted on the court. Tennis whites were originally instated as it was believed the ensemble showed less sweat, as reported by Time. The tradition has continued out of respect for the sport’s history and a desire to maintain formality.
The rules are enforced, too: Our own player Nick Kyrgios was allegedly fined $25,000 for rocking red Air Jordan trainers at 2023’s tournament. Interestingly, the decidedly non-white Gucci accessory was reportedly given the all-clear by the powers that be. A spokesperson for Gucci told WWD the house worked with Sinner’s team “for the approvals from the ITF (International Tennis Federation), ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), and Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, to ensure the bag met the necessary requirements.”
The 23-year-old, who turned pro at age 18, became a Gucci ambassador in 2023 in his first luxury fashion endorsement. “Gucci for me represents Italian excellence around the world, excellence which is rooted in tradition as much as in innovation,” Sinner said. “This is the kind of message I am proud to convey when I represent my country wherever I am in the world.”
The Italian player was capture in action last week during his 1st round men’s singles match against Nicolas Jarry (from Chile) on day two of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park with more Gucci gear. Sinner carried a custom duffle bag crafted by HEAD and designed by Gucci to the men’s singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.
Sinner will play Australian Alex de Minaur tomorrow 22 January at the Australian Open.
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22/01/2025
