Archive for May 2011
L’Helicoptère par Hermès EC135 Eurocopter
Aptly named l’Hélicoptère par Hermès, Eurocopter, the world leader in the new generation of light, twin-engine helicopters, have partnered with Hermès to make this special version of their popular EC 135 helicopter.
L’Hélicoptère par Hermès EC135 is a twin engined multimission helicopter designed for luxury and business use. It has a spacious cabin capable of accommodating up to five passengers plus a pilot and several pieces of luggage. Technically speaking L’Hélicoptère par Hermès is a standard specification EC 135, but with a lavish interior designed by Hermès with guidance from Eurocopter’s engineers. The interior itself features Hermès calf leather seats and leather trimmed controls with the cabin enclosed in Hermès canvas and complete with binoculars so the passengers can view the scenery from above.
L’Hélicoptère par Hermès’ unites the latest and most advanced aircraft technologies with the sophistication and finesse of Hermès.
Tag Heuer's exquisite Monaco V4
With the benefit of hindsight, we can now say that the Monaco V4 Concept of 2004 marked a turning point for TAG Heuer. Yes, TAG Heuer had shown some innovative Concept watches before (The Micrograph of 2002 and the Monaco 69 in 2003), but the audacious V4 was the first sign that the “new” TAG Heuer was serious about re-establishing its credentials as a manufacturer and designer of advanced mechanical movements.
Since 2004 TAG Heuer has shown a brace of innovative movements- the Calibre 360, the Pendulum, the Mikrograph and Mikrotimer- but it all started with the V4. So advanced was the V4 that most people though that it would never make it into production for two reasons. Firstly because it was believed that the belt system wouldn’t provide the necessary reliability and secondly because this incredibly innovative system was being put forward by TAG Heuer rather than an established manufacture.
What did TAG Heuer know about designing and making a movement, let alone one as complex as the V4?
The story of the Monaco V4 started out with an R&D think-tank established within TAG Heuer in late 2001. The company was only a few months into its life as part of LVMH and had just appointed a new CEO- Jean-Christophe Babin. As Jean- Christophe told Calibre 11, one of the first things he noticed about TAG Heuer was that the company had lost its reputation as a watchmaker- and he and the new team was determined to re-establish these credentials. The goal was far more ambitious than just designing and building an in-house movement: The goal was to re-invent some of the basic principles of watchmaking………
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By: www.Calibre11.com 22/05/2011
Shape Audio's Organic Harmony Speakers
Billed as the first speaker system cast purely from solid precious metal; Shape Audio’s new offering is available in Bronze, Silver or Gold. Designed as musical sculptures, the Organic Harmony speakers stand 53 inches tall and reproduce two channels of audio from within a single housing, which can be made of bronze, silver, or solid 18K gold (as seen here in this example). Each audio channel is served by a 2-inch tweeter and 5-inch midrange firing in opposite directions, and a ported 8-inch woofer fires downward, resulting in a frequency response from 40Hz to 30kHz (±2dB).
“However, with a price range from $416.000 to $6.95 million for their flagship solid gold pair, this is definitely one reserved for the deep-pocketed audiophiles.”
Visit: www.shapeaudio.com
Mercedes-Benz style EC 145 Helicopter
Global leaders in helicopter transport Theocopter, yesterday celebrated the world premiere of their new EC145 model. Tailor-made for luxury and business private travel, the helicopter’s interior was actually designed in Mercedes-Benz’s Advanced Design Studio in Italy and was inspired by the interiors of the car maker’s luxury-class saloon models. Boasting all manner of deluxe materials the helicopter includes elegant woods plus adjustable ambient lighting and spacious multi-function boxes with various equipment options to suit the clients’ specific requirements.
“We are very pleased to have realized the first product of ‘Mercedes-Benz Style’ with Eurocopter” said Prof. h.c. Dr. Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz.
RL Collection on show at L'Art de L'Automobile
“I’ve always seen cars as art. Moving art. While friends of mine were into paintings, I somehow felt that the real beauty of owning a rare & magnificently designed car was the fact that you can use it. You can look at it, enjoy its visual qualities as with a painting, but you can also get inside and drive it – which means both enjoying the drive itself and going somewhere with it. How these are put together, the purposefulness with which they were created, in every detail – the engine, the mechanics, the outside ornamentation, the design of the wheels, the whole spirit – is very, very exciting. And on top of that you have the men who created these cars, Mr. Porsche, Mr. Bugatti, Mr. Ferrari, and their backgrounds, their heritages, their fascinating histories, their reasons for driving and building these cars – I find it all very stimulating.”
—Ralph Lauren in Speed, Style & Beauty, 2004
Among the major car collections in the world, there is one that stands out more than any other as synonymous with excellence: that of iconic American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. A selection of the most prestigious sports cars from the 1930s to present day is on view for the first time in Europe at Paris’Musée des Arts Décoratifs. seventeen outstanding cars, chosen by curator Rodolphe Rapetti, and put on display by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, outline the main phases of European automobile history. With this collection, Ralph Lauren shows that the automobile is a major art form created by the industry’s biggest names: Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche and of course, Ferrari, the high point of this unique collection. Below are some previews of exhibited cars.
For more details visit: www.ralphlaurencarcollection.com
