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by Simon Barnes

Classic wristwatch is perfect every time

As much as technology innovators like Apple introduce smart watches changing our perception of traditional timepieces, the classic wristwatch continues to captivate discerning consumers of luxury. 

wristwatch 1

Timepieces have been a part of everyday life for some 500 years.  Today, leading brands which are long established and obsessed with creating the finest quality, synonymous with unrivalled workmanship, like Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Harry Winston, and A Lange & Söhne, are always desirable.  Their names comes with a heritage associated with a culturally rich provenance indicative of good taste, affluence and success.

wristwatch 2

After Daniel Craig appeared in the James Bond movie, “Skyfall” wearing an Omega Seamaster wristwatch, interest in the collection spiked by 45 per cent as reported by Digital Luxury Group in their WorldWatchReport. Aspiring to the glamorous lifestyle, male consumers rushed to invest in the beautifully crafted 007 watch.

A record price of $7.3m was achieved in November 2015 for a Patek Philippe stainless steel wrist watch. Known as watch 5016AA the timepiece sold at the Phillips auction house in Geneva for more than 10 times its estimated price and received a standing ovation when the sale went under the hammer.

The wristwatch as status symbol

As status symbols, these watches are the best in class and owned by some of the wealthiest people in the world setting them apart from the other billionaires out there.  There are three key factors that determine the value of these exceptional watches:

1.  Expensive parts such as rare diamonds, gold, platinum, meteor rock, dinosaur bone etc.

2.  The amount of time it took to make and the level of detail and functionality the watch possesses.

3.  How unique, special and intangible value the piece boasts.

wristwatch 3

In 2016, the most expensive watch is not a wristwatch but an 18th Century ‘case watch’ , known as ‘BREGUET GRANDE COMPLICATION MARIE-ANTOINETTE’ – Price $30.000.000’. 

The timepiece was started in 1782 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, reputed to have been commissioned by the lover of Marie Antoinette.  At the time, it was an incredible feat of design and technology.  Taking 48 years to complete, the maker’s son finally finished his father’s work in 1827, following the death of Breguet four years earlier.

Filed Under: Luxury, Simon Barnes’ Property Scrapbook, Technology Tagged With: A Lange & Söhne, Abraham-Louis Breguet, Breguet, BREGUET GRANDE COMPLICATION MARIE-ANTOINETTE, Cartier, Harry Winston, Omega Seamaster, Patek Philippe, Rolex, wristwatch

by Simon Barnes

Inside the world of bespoke mobile phones

Like everything else in the world of luxury, mobile phones have come a long way and as the super-rich seek to accessorise and put their high end stamp on anything from a private jet to their Hermes Birkin, the technology industry has spotted an opportunity to embellish its own products.  Mobile phones are a booming market and even at the ultra top end, there are UHNWI willing to pay millions of pounds for a jewel encrusted trophy handset.

mobile phones 1

Continental Mobiles in York Street, Mayfair is a high end online boutique, which launched a decade ago and sells premier luxury mobile phones.  These are no ordinary mobile phones and reflect the increasing demand for pure luxury goods and accessories expected from the super wealthy.

Rather like Savile Row bespoke tailoring, the engineering involved in these phones is undertaken by expert English craftsmen using precious metals and gemstones, from platinum and rose gold to mobiles and headphones encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones. Glamorous exciting designs that bring together classic and contemporary styles.

mobile phones 2

This company is one of several operating in this niche market place and have been consistently praised for creating “World’s First” custom pieces in bespoke communication.  They are appointed by the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia and accommodated the corporate requirements with major Middle Eastern provider, Batelco.

Continental display their unmistakable creativity with the iPhone 6s in a Classic Gold blanket that is timeless. A fine display of Vs1 white diamonds sparkle against the curves of the iPhone’s form, creating a hop-scotch thread around the chassis amounting to some 5.7 carats.

mobile phones 3 


In 2016, some of the most expensive mobile phones in the world include

1: Falcon SuperNova Pink Diamond iPhone 6 ($95.5 Million)
Falcon Super Nova Pink Diamond iPhone 6 is the latest model which features one huge eye catching 18 carat diamond.

2: iPhone 5 Black Diamond ($15.3 Million)

The black diamonds used in this mobile phone are some of the most costly gemstones in the world, in other luxury iPhones, gold and white diamonds are featured.

3: iPhone 3G King’s Button ($ 1.5 million)
iPhone 3G King’s Button is made of 18 carat yellow gold and features a ‘home’ button flashing a high quality 6.6 carat diamond making it a thing of beauty and considered as one of the most luxurious phones on the market.

4: GoldVish Le Million ($ 1.3 million)
The Swiss model – GoldVish Le Million mobile phone is manufactured by the renowned designer Emmanuel Gueit. The device is made of pure 18 carat white gold and includes a VVS1 graded diamond of 120 carats. In 2006 a Russian businessman bought this mobile for €1 million and entered the Guiness Book of Records for purchasing the world’s most expensive mobile phone as that time.

5: Diamond Crypto Smartphone ($ 1.3 million)
It is the power encryption technology used in this device which makes this mobile so special and valuable.  The sophisticated technology enables it to be mostly used for the protection of information.  It is made of solid platinum with an 18 carat gold navigation key in which 28 cut diamonds are used on the sides and the mobile is also decorated with 25.5 princess diamonds.

Filed Under: Luxury, Simon Barnes’ Property Scrapbook, Technology Tagged With: Batelco, bespoke phones, Continental Mobiles, diamond phones, mobile phones

by Simon Barnes

Boat International: High and Mighty

BOAT INTERNATIONAL – OCTOBER 2016: This super-chic Armani/Casa-designed villa in St Tropez was raised up to provide some spectacular sea views, says Francesca Steele in Boat International

hbc11sep2016

Earlier this year, Giorgio Armani’s property division, Armani/Casa, completed its first property in London, the renovated townhouse at Queen’s Gate Place, near the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, for £35 million. It was the latest in a growing global portfolio that includes Miami, Mumbai, Istanbul and Rome. But one of the designer’s first property projects was a much more intimate affair.

It’s hard to find a good plot in St Tropez, but they did find one and spent a few years persuading the current owner to sell

Armani agreed to work on a residence in St Tropez for some Milanese friends who were looking for a holiday home they could potentially use all year round. “It’s incredibly hard to find good plots in St Tropez, but they found a spot they saw potential in and spent a few years persuading the current owner to sell,” says the agent (and owner’s son-in-law) Joshua Buckley. But it wasn’t yet perfect.

The land was too low and it took several years just to get planning permission and add enough soil o create a space where a home with sea views could be built.

Today, Villa L’Amour by Armani/Casa is a stunning blend of Tropezienne architecture that is sympathetic to the original fishermen’s cottages.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF OF FULL ARTICLE

Boat International - High and Mighty


Villa L’Amour by Armani/Casa is available to rent and buy, POA, through H Barnes & Co, London, +44 20 7499 3434

Francesca Steele is senior property writer at The Times

Filed Under: Luxury, Saint Tropez, Simon Barnes’ Property Scrapbook Tagged With: Armani, Armani Casa, Boat International, Francesca Steele, Tropezienne

by Simon Barnes

Demand for private jet luxury takes off

Oprah Winfrey once said, “It’s great to have a private jet. Anyone who tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”

First came luxury city penthouses, then superyachts, now it’s the turn of the private luxury jet as millionaires and billionaires commission designers to create a bespoke home in the skies. Interiors, featuring seat belts made from 24 carat gold as in Donald Trump’s Boeing 757 and hand-stitched leather seats from Bill Amberg are among the latest ‘must-haves’.

private jet

Last year, a Boeing 747-8 was acquired by an UHNWI for around £230 million, subsequent improvement work which totalled some £160 million undertaken by Greenpoint Technologies, took around three years, and brought the overall spend to around £400 million.

The aircraft, which has the capacity to carry up to 450 passengers, has been converted into a private jet for the unknown private owner to include everything you would normally find on board a luxury super yacht. The interior refit and redesign incorporates a restaurant, dining room, a bright and airy master bedroom and guest bedrooms, two large living areas and a private office which is designed like a conference room. There is generous entertaining space with large walkways inside and up on deck, together with a ‘chill-out’ zone.

private jet

Boeing’s Aeroloft provides private sleeping berths located above the main deck in the aft section of the plane, where the design features custom designed interior furnishings and a forward entry staircase.

Private clients, royalty and heads of state are in the business of commissioning high end designers to create luxurious yet practical interiors for their private jets and helicopters. They want to replicate the attention to detail and bespoke finishing of the interiors in their super prime residences around the world. Specialist Mayfair company VIP Completions is one such design company creating masterpieces in the skies an traditional established interior designers, such as Linley London have, over recent years, been commissioned to design interiors for the wealthy’s yachts and planes.

Filed Under: Luxury, Simon Barnes’ Property Scrapbook Tagged With: Bill Amberg, Greenpoint Technologies, Linley London, private jet

by Simon Barnes

Remote definition of luxury?

 “My clients expect quality in all aspects of property they buy or rent, be that joinery, marble fittings, furniture or decor.” says Simon Barnes, Director of H.Barnes & Co. However, in today’s world, luxury is much more about the intrinsic value to the buyer than the cost paid.

laptop-mobile

In the prime property market the very latest in remote home control systems are now offering quality, reliability and future-proofing. I have been particularly impressed, for example, with systems installed by Crestron which seem to me to offer the owner or, for rented property, the service company, the facility to remotely diagnose issues as well as to remotely control many functions around the home.

Having a reliable remote system which allows you to be able not to worry about your home when you close it up for winter or when you are enjoying an extended stay on your yacht in the Mediterranean is real luxury. In reality, luxury is actually not about goods or shackles at all, but about peace and quiet and the time to savour what your money has bought.”

Filed Under: Luxury Tagged With: Crestron, remote

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