There are designer watches sporting famous brand names and then there are collector’s watches whose names say it all to those in the know. The Tourbillon, by Greubel Forsey, is just such a masterpiece.

Not merely bought as a watch but sought after by collectors from across the world, the Tourbillon is a work of art, a pinnacle in the watch making craft that involves art, jewellery and fine engineering in its making. (more…)

No- and low-alcohol beers have been gaining some traction of late in several markets but there’s one country where NABLABs have been embraced by consumers like no other. Michel Cruz reports from Spain on the rise of low alcohol refreshment.

In many ways the Spanish beer market is much like that of the rest of Europe. After years of rapid growth the current economic climate has seen production drop somewhat, with on-trade sales falling and consumer focus turning to economy brands available through off-trade channels. Where the country clearly stands out, though is the fact that Non-Alcoholic Beers and Low-Alcohol Beers (NABLAB) are consumed at around three to four times the average European rate. We wondered why.

Since their mainstream introduction in the 1980s non-alcohol and low-alcohol beers have not exactly taken the industry by storm. Most beer drinkers still prefer the taste of alcohol in their lager and continue to overwhelmingly consume ‘conventional’ beer types in spite of the pressures of anti-drink driving campaigns. Many seem prepared to single out a ‘designated driver’ for abstention rather than opting for the range of alcohol-free products that are available. While the taste of early NABLABs is cited as one of the reasons, others point to the fact that changing longstanding consumer habits in such traditional beer markets as Germany, Belgium and the UK is a hard and lengthy process. (more…)

Some places are so impressively stylish and proportioned that they make you feel trendy just by walking around in them. The Puro Mallorca is a fine example. And naturally it’s a Design Hotel.

Take an historic palacete in the very heart of Palma de Mallorca – just footsteps away from its earthy markets, trendy cafés and harbour area – and add a brief to convert it into something special. Something with Cannes glamour, laid-back Miami languor and über-cool design that feeds off its historic setting and ambient surroundings. (more…)

Officially known as the Cimitière de l’Est, Père Lachaise is perhaps the most famous cemetery in the world – and one of the few that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Many come to see the shrines of such iconic figures as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, or just to pay homage to the spirit of bohemian thinking and resistance that seems personified by this spot and the many who rest here.

Located in the 20th arrondissement, the 48-hectare tract was established in 1804 on the orders of Napoleon and has since become a pantheon to the great and famous of France, and beyond. Wandering among the imposing architecture of tombs and statuettes you might chance upon any of a long list of famous names, including Honoré de Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Heloïse and her beloved Abelard, René Lalique, Molière, Modigliani, Yves Montand, Édith Piaf, Karel Appel, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Georges Haussmann, the man who rebuilt Paris into the grand capital it is today. (more…)