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Here's a funny factoid: many high school and college kids who wear wristwatches still pull out their smartphones to see what time it is. While undoubtedly odd, it does underscore what a fashion accessory the watch has become. “Considering how casual most people dress on a day-to-day basis," opines designer Michael Kors, "a glamorous watch is one of the few accessories that can be at once sporty, luxurious and utilitarian."
And super fashiony in the hands of Ralph Lauren.
At the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), he introduced the RL67 Black Safari Flying Tourbillon inspired by the rare elm burl wood on the dashboard of his beloved 1938 Bugatti 57SC. "It wasn’t the first time I’ve seen real wood on the dial of a watch, but it was perhaps the most memorable," observes luxury watch expert Ariel Adams. "In 2013 the Ralph Lauren watch brand released its first tourbillon-based timepiece with the Ralph Lauren Safari RL67 Tourbillon, pushing it into the ultra-luxury realm with a halo model meant to show that the brand was not afraid of pushing its limits. It isn’t common for watch makers based on fashion labels to produce timepieces of that level (though there are exceptions), and the brand understands that in order to gain the wider acceptance of collector’s interested in “history and legitimacy,” it would need to swoon them with design, complication, and persistence."
And the cost?
Probably around 80 Gs.
Here's the podcast I recorded:
Music: Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech.com
- Lesley Scott
(Bugatti steering wheel & dashboard image - source)
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