In 1957 two Parisian opticians introduced a new, specialist lens to the market, designed specifically for skiers, the Skilynx lens was revolutionary. It would filter out the extreme reflection often experienced from snowy terrains whilst providing clarity and shielding the eyes from the elements. Having fitted them to sunglasses, they offered their product to the French ski team and at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, Jean Vuarnet won the gold medal in Downhill skiing. Wearing the Skilynx glasses, a partnership was born that would define the brand’s pedigree for ever more. Vuarnet agreed to lend his name to the enterprising start-up and the name would come to be synonymous with high-quality, luxury performance sunglasses.
Category Archives: ACCESSORIES
VACHERON CONSTANTIN
Vacheron Constantin is an iconic Swiss timepiece marque, one of the oldest in the world having made watches since 1755. The brand is the most exclusive of the so-called “Holy Trinity” of ultra-luxury major watchmakers (alongside Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe). The firm quickly became a favourite of Kings and Queens, besotted with the delicate and ornate mechanics of the house’s beautiful pieces, indeed, the early Fabergé eggs would contain Vacheron Constantin timepieces as the surprise within. The firm is highly prized amongst collectors with some of their most famous models being amongst the most coveted clocks and wristwatches ever made, achieving some of the highest prices ever recorded at auction.
BAUME & MERCIER
Ths famous Swiss marque first came on the scene in 1830 when Louis Joseph Baume opened his watchmaking atelier in Les Bois, in the Swiss canton of Bern. His two sons, Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume, would work with him and, four years later, re-registered the company under their names as Baume Frères. The firm quickly gained a reputation for quality workmanship and excellent accuracy and, in 1840, the brothers opened an outlet in London’s horology epicentre, Northampton Square in Clerkenwell – the destination of choice young men equipping and provisioning themselves with all that they should require before voyaging across the world in service of trade and empire. Baume watches were very much in demand as campaign and maritime watches – their reliable precision timekeeping complementing the race to set records in transatlantic, eastern and oriental voyages on tea clippers and, later steamships and ocean liners.
ARMAND NICOLET
One of the grand Swiss watchmakers, Armand Nicolet is a connoisseur’s horology brand, founded in 1875. The house’s eponymous founder was born into a watchmaking dynasty and was a master of his craft when he opened his workshop. From the outset, Nicolet gained a reputation as an expert manufacturer with a honed eye for the finest complications and mechanisms. The brand’s signature is elegant, timeless timepieces befitting the high taste and high status of its typical customer. The firm’s most famous watches include moon phase and chronograph movements, with the M02 model being the most sought after.
BENNY & CO
A New York brand whose history and reputation is intertwined with the rise of the 1990s East Coast hip-hop scene, Benny & Co began as a jeweller providing custom after market detailing to wristwatches and jewellery before launching their own eponymous range. The brand reached its zenith in the late 1990s and early 2000s when their “iced out” (diamond encrusted) watches were highly prized amongst their celebrity customer base and those who aspired to emulate them. The watches are increasingly rare today and are still relatively popular amongst collectors and connoisseurs of the music scene with which they are associated.
ZENITH
A true pioneer in the world of watchmaking, Georges Favre-Jacot and the Zenith brand he founded in 1885 was the first of the great marques to produce beautiful of timepieces with movements designed in-house and under his own watchful eye. A perfectionist by nature, Favre-Jacot believed that the greatest wristwatches could only be made if every part of the design process was controlled, thus guaranteeing their quality. It would prove to be the making of one of the world’s greatest and most exclusive horology brands.
PERSOL: ICONIC SUNGLASSES AND THE EPITOME OF ITALIAN STYLE
Epitomising Italian cool, Persol is a heritage luxury eyewear brand that has been a go to for the great and glamorous for over a hundred years. They offer a broad range of sunglasses and other optics, including many iconic silhouettes. The brand was founded in Turin, a city synonymous with high design and luxury fashion and Persol is no exception, with a reputation for quality craftsmanship and elegant style. Today, the brand is part of the luxury eyewear behemoth, Luxottica, alongside stablemates including Costa, Oakley Oliver Peoples and Ray-Ban.
LE PARAPLUIE DE CHERBOURG: THE ANCIENT CRAFT OF UMBRELLA MAKING, IMMORTALISED IN FILM
Le Parapluie de Cherbourg (The Cherbourg Umbrella) is a French umbrella manufacturer that was founded in 1986 by Jean-Pierre Yvon. The company is known for its high-quality, handcrafted umbrellas. Descended from a long-line of umbrella craftsmen who helped shape Cherbourg as a global centre for that particular trade, he named his business for the famous movie from the 1960s: ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’.
RHANDERS: DENMARK’S FINEST GLOVES
Rhanders is a Danish glovemaking company that was founded in 1811 but with a history that dates back much, much further. It is one of the oldest glovemakers in the world, and is known for its high-quality, handcrafted gloves, even being appointed as purveyors to the Crown of Denmark.
GRASSY: MADRID’S LUXURY BESPOKE JEWELLERS AND TIMEPIECE CURATORS
Joyería Grassy is a Spanish luxury jewelry brand known for its timeless designs and use of high-quality materials. The brand was founded in 1914 by Manuel Grassy, a master jeweler who was inspired by the natural beauty of Spain. The House’s iconic building in Madrid is home to their in-house Rolex store which is one of the world’s most reputable official dealerships.
FITZGABRIELS 