STYLE & ERROR

Morning Kettle-Fanciers. This is not a blog post. Just wanted to say love the Jaeger le Coultre Deep Sea Memovox ‘Tribute’ kettle (click)*. So much more to say about it, but the Duchess of Dundee will have my internal rotating alarm indicator for a garter fastening of some description if I dont file something shortly. Set your internal countdown to that, clock-watchers. Alarmed?

Jaeger le Coultre Deep Sea Tribute

I’m under nearly 10 bar of deadline pressure here. This 2011 watch was tribute to the 1959 version that connoisseurs and style merchants alike go berserk for, convex Plexiglas and all. Infernal rotations, now thats what I’m talking about. Arent Jaeger just always in the top five, nay top three, manufacturers for chic, non?

Stubbs out.

* Such bad dancing/snarling. Really bad styling/video. Song surprising pass-able.

NB. This whole franchise is not based on a pun on the word trial. Really it isn’t.

Morning Style-Consumers. Imagine if style came in jars that you spread on toast, just like jam. Have I woken up thinking about jam, again? That’s rather telling. Regardless, working on some design research late idea last night and remembered how much I liked the old Boucheron logo that was shown in Basel last week. Ah, Basel, the Luxury Missus and I will always have Basel..The Rhine in the morning etc…Anyway, loved the logo with the champagne cork outline and the lettering. Its interesting, witty, readable, evocative, off centre, elegant and unique. I’d take any three of those right now in the piece am ‘writing’. Gonna ask when its from exactly as I forgot. Where is this going, I forget?

Then there’s this Boucheron vintage dress watch. Delightful watch, awful image, non? Am so into the numeric layout. Three numbers in two pairs of straight rows. It’s like the whole watch is in denial that the hands go round and round. Very chic. Very Parisian. Finding out all about this guy, including its name. The way the strap fastened is a Boucheron invention. Quite why watch makers are operating nowhere near this sort of styling is beyond me. Look at the strap and the case shape for gods sake. Amazing. Anyway, it seems Monsieur Frederick Boucheron was a massive romantic apparently and would bring his Missus pansies every week with a hand penned note.

We dont know what the notes said though do we? Could just say stuff  like “Put a couple of Francs on the electric metre darling, and see if my strides are ready, yeah? Am going down Le Verde Homme, see ya later, bonsoir”, couldn’t they? Anyway, back to the matter in hand: Jam..

Stubbs out.

Evening Diary-Polishers. Back from Basel and had to hit the ground styling. Here’s a brief report from the watch fest’ however, as feel mildly compelled to bang on about stylistic merits of square watches. Considerably more attracted to them and not certain why. Maybe cause they’re more like wrist mounted clocks and less like strap on instruments. Grander, more architectural, less tool-like perhaps. There are a number from the show to show. Double keen on the Big Date Uno by de Grisogono (click). Owner Fawaz Gruosi himself was manning his stand, blazing away, fag in hand. The man’s got a big date persona.

de Grisog’ – Big Ups.

Despite his permanently smouldering look, he still got a complaint while smoking in tandem with Earl Foulkes. I admire international rule flouting in the name of high jewellery, so I cant think what the problem was with the team at Harpers or whoever it was. Being a friend of the stars, as Fawaz clearly is, one occasionally needs to smoke indoors, I can concur. Anyway, this piece has the biggest date display of any watch. Maybe it should be call Biggest Date? Is a right old leary statement piece, obviously, but still a fan of it. Probably wouldnt get it robbed even round here in Clapton, as no-one would imagine it was a real lump of gold that shape/design.

If Fawaz a jeweller…

I’ve got a big date round here already. Am prepping my final fitting with my new film star fella this morning live from Lavinia Villa, so cant bang on at length. I expect you’re relieved. Putting on a little spread in case he gets peckish. Its hard to know what film stars are used to for brunch. Got some nice little olives and a big spicy Italian Salami. Let ya know, and what we end up wearing/eating. Tell ya what though, the de Grisog’ gift candle’s coming in well handy for efforts to make the place more presentable, even if they have got smaller since last year. Nice one Fawaz, thanks awfully. Smoking? I’m freebasing the stuff at my desk. ‘Till then, keep it square, keep it gold, keep it big and never give up.

Stubbs out.

Morning Strap-Heads. Am in action on the ground in Basel at the mo’ so cant say too, too much. However things got a little bit more exciting in the watch arena yesterday. At last people are taking my suggestions seriously. New colour dials and straps for Day-Dates at Rolex were the days highlight for me. Really chic little colour/tone compositions contrived to make retro style statements. Just the job for forward-thinking, retro-looking style merchants, no?

Chocolate, Rose gold with Rodium face, perfect with an espresso.

The traditional 36mm size case for this watch far too small for some Alpha delusionalists, but I’m loving that proportion. Really appropriate and cool looking with a suit, as opposed to massive macho Naughties nonsense. Scrawled notes say they’re about £14.7k, but Ill check and come back, perhaps.

Cherry face, rose case and Bordeaux strap: dolce-kettle.

The little schemes Rolex are working are smashing. Peoples Roley select is so, so boring. A black Sub, a blue/red Pepsi GMT or a dull retro Date Just from your birth year: totes yawn-kettles. These fellas are the antidote, believe me. Green face and strap with 18ct yellow, or cognac strap with sunray finish. Lovely. Or, blue face and chocolate strap with blue croc strap and cherry with cherry face/bordeaux strap in white 18ct. Then there’s double Seventies looking affairs in rose 18ct gold chocolate strap and Rodium face. Actually this talk is making  one rather peckish. Fancy some Rodium spread on toast before I hit the fair. Or a nice cognac croissant. Am off to the press centre to get on it.

Stubbs out.

Evening Horo-Scrutineers. “Had to get the train, from Potzdamer Platz. You never knew that, that I could do that.” Well, I didn’t have to get the tram to Messeplatz, walked it in the sun, but thanks for the backdrop in the head music, David (click). Also, am in Basel, not Berlin, as zi Basel World 2013 festival nearly opens today, fittingly in Basel. It’s tomorrow officially, but you know watch fiends just can’t get enough of it. Talking of which, can’t get enough of my new Basel digs. Its a chic, pared down glamour/cosy bunker near the river. Loving the concrete walls. Materials might just be the thing this week.

I’d love to see some marble watches for men and some precious stone. Why arent Bulgari doing marble kettles? I demand to know. Saw some slate-face action at Harry Winston. Liked the slate. Its called the Monochrome Midnight. This is almost right on the money. Almost.

Slate of the art from Harry.

Not favourite watch of the day, but like the idea of concentrating on ornamentation, not complications for the sake of it. Tourbillon free. Although Bulgari did manage to set one suitably. More of that later perhaps. Till then, get in Dave’s melancholic ‘Where Are We Now?’, I just can’t stop.

Stubbs out.