THE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2011 - PrivatAir

SUMMER 2011 

THE MAGAZINE

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by Lanvin; leggings by 

Rütme; heels by Sophie 

Gi� ins; headscarf by 

Yves Saint Laurent at 

matchesfashion.com; 

cream bracelets and 

necklace by Pebble 

London; long chain by 

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bag by Paul and Joe 

IN�THIS�ISSUE 

PRIVATFASHION 

Orientalism is all the rage this season. 

See the pick of the souk shot at Istanbul’s 

exquisite Hotel Les Ottomans 

��

Hiss and hers 

jewellery, page 68 

SUMMER 2011 

THE MAGAZINE 

Cover: albino snake 

shot by John Ross 

Meet the inhabitants of the 

Antarctic on page 50 

Eight 

PRIVATARTS �� 

Rory Ross looks forward to the opening of 

the restored Bolshoi Th eatre in Moscow 

PRIVATBOOK �� 

Huon Mallalieu marvels at the skills that 

make the Highgrove Florilegium a triumph 

PRIVATCOLLECTOR� �� 

Huon Mallalieu looks at two works of art 

preserved for the public by individuals 

PRIVATSELECTION� �� 

Keith W Strandberg reviews the latest 

watches on show at BaselWorld 

PRIVATDRIVE �� 

Charles Armstrong-Wilson visits Brabus, 

famous for transforming your Mercedes 

PRIVATDINING �� 

Jennifer Sharp chooses her favourite 

summer restaurants in Spain and Portugal 

PRIVATPERSON �� 

Sophy Roberts talks to Charlie Mayhew, 

founder of conservation charity Tusk 

PRIVATESCAPE� �� 

Catherine Sabino focuses on Sagaponack, 

the Hamptons’ chicest village 

PRIVATTRAVEL �� 

John Rendall voyages south to the wilds of 

Antarctica, pristine but under threat 

PRIVATRESORT �� 

Celestria Noel reviews Maradiva, a locally 

owned all-villa property in Mauritius 

PRIVATJEWELS �� 

Vivienne Becker says that big is beautiful 

when it comes to glorious gemstones 

PRIVATAIR �� 

News and developments from the world’s 

most exclusive airline

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AVIATIONCOLLECTION 

Introducing the Alpina Startimer Pilot timepieces. 

A collection of limited editions, developed 

in close collaboration with Cessna Aircraft and PrivatAir.

FROM�THE�EDITOR 

Individual attention 

A question we must all have asked ourselves at one time is: 

what can I do about it? I am only one person. However the 

actions of an individual can be very signifi cant, and there 

are some inspiring examples to be found in this issue of 

PrivatAir the Magazine. Take Charlie Mayhew. As a 

student he fell in love with African wildlife but was 

horrifi ed by the activities of poachers and their eff ect on 

rhino and elephant in particular. He had no special 

qualifi cations or connections but knew he personally would 

have to do something. Th e result was Tusk, well known 

internationally today and supported by, among others, 

Prince William of Wales, now Duke of Cambridge. 

As it happens, John Rendall, who writes here about 

Antarctica, is no stranger to the charity’s work. He has 

supported conservation in Africa since his hero, George 

Adamson, rehabilitated Rendall’s own pet lion, Christian. 

However in this issue he has moved south from Africa 

and is hoping to draw our attention to the less well 

understood fragility of Antarctic ecosystem. His aim will 

ring a bell with PrivatAir pilot Daniel Lüscher, who, 

partly because he could actually look down and see snow 

and ice receding as he went about his work, knew he 

JOHN�RENDALL 

Rendall is the co-author of Christian 

the Lion, the international bestseller 

about a cub raised in Chelsea and 

later released in Kenya. Rendall is a 

trustee of the George Adamson 

Wildlife Preservation Trust which 

funds and administers the Mkomazi 

National Park in Tanzania and Kora 

National Park in Kenya. He lives in 

London and his native Sydney. 

CONTRIBUTORS 

JOHN�ROSS 

Born in Malta and now based in 

London, John has been shooting 

famous brands in glamorous 

locations for over two decades. 

He recently worked for Yamaha 

in Milan, went to South Africa to 

shoot a TDK campaign and shot the 

cover for the latest Pet Shop Boys 

album, Disco 4. He is the recipient 

of numerous media-industry awards. 

PRIVATCONTRIBUTORS 

needed to act. He went on to set up the organisation 

myblueplanet in his home country, Switzerland. Its 

message is that each of us must act now in our own daily 

lives to help save the world. Again, like Charlie Mayhew, 

he had no training and no great resources apart from his 

own energy and passionate conviction, but is being 

supported in his work by PrivatAir, who allow him the 

time off to work on the project. 

Other outstanding examples of individuals making a 

diff erence can be found in the art world. Nicholas and 

Athena Karabots in America and Jonathan Ruff er in 

Britain are examples of successful individuals deploying 

private resources in a positive manner for the sake of art 

and posterity. Finally we come to the Prince of Wales 

himself. Th e beautiful Highgrove Florilegium, a book 

which has now been completed after many years in the 

making, supports individual botanical artists, bookbinders 

and craftsmen but also champions the wild and garden 

fl owers the Prince loves, while supporting his Charities 

Foundation. Most copies will go to museums but 

individuals can buy the few that are left. Or why not just 

plant some wildfl owers yourself? CELESTRIA�NOEL 

Ten 

HUON�MALLALIEU� 

Having begun his career at 

Christie’s he went on to author The 

Dictionary of British Watercolour 

Artists, Understanding Watercolours, 

The Illustrated History of Antiques, 

and more recently, 1066 and Rather 

More: a Walk through History. A 

well-known art market journalist, he 

writes for The Times and has a 

weekly column in Country Life. 

SUMMER�� 

EDITOR 

Celestria Noel 

DESIGN�DIRECTOR� 

Julia Murray 

DESIGNER� 

Wil Griffi ths 

PHOTOGRAPHY�DIRECTOR� 

Alex Ortiz 

PICTURE�EDITOR� 

Patrick Llewellyn 

SUB-EDITOR 

Steve Handley 

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PRINTING 

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PRIVATARTS 

Big product ion 

Th e renovation of the Bolshoi Th eatre in Moscow has 

been a long tale of pain and woe but this autumn the 

theatre will reopen at last, says Rory Ross 

Twelve

IMAGES�©�GETTY 

ROWS��RESIGNATIONS��ACRIMONY��MUD-SLINGING��BAD� 

blood, deadlocks, accusations of embezzlement and fraud… it could 

only happen in opera. In Moscow, however, it has been happening in the 

opera house. Th e delays, alarming fi nancial haemorrhages, walk-outs and 

rows that have bedevilled the restoration of the Bolshoi theatre in central 

Moscow have appalled, amused and generally held Muscovites in thrall 

for much of the last six years. Add in a star cast of towering artistic egos, 

numerous spins of the Russian manic-depressive cycle, a scandal over an 

erotic picture, allegedly showing someone resembling the director of the 

Bolshoi ballet troupe, and lashings of vodka, and you have the makings of 

an opera plot that Tchaikovsky would have hardly dared dream of. Th ree 

years behind schedule and some 16 times over budget at $760m – much of 

it state money – the Bolshoi theatre fi nally reopens this October. 

A grandiose, porticoed 19th-century building that resembles an 

accident between a Rolls-Royce and a large wedding cake, the Bolshoi is 

located in central Moscow and was where Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake 

was premiered in 1877. It has been crying out for restoration for decades. 

Originally built in 1825, the acoustics of the theatre had been impaired by 

Thirteen 

a sequence of botched cowboy renovations, which included concreting up 

the orchestra’s barrel-shaped resonator sound box, tantamount to a 

desecration. Th e present restoration is intended as an acoustic 

rehabilitation. As Anatoly Iksanov, the Bolshoi’s director general, said in 

2004 when announcing the restoration: ‘Th e theatre has suff ered a lot since 

they started replacing wooden structures with concrete ones.’ 

Th ere was talk of renovating the state-backed theatre as long ago as 

the 1980s, but lack of money failed to translate words into deeds. 

Furthermore, reaching a consensus on what actually should be done to 

the theatre meant that paralysis set in, while the building itself began to 

sink into its perennially muddy foundations. Th en in 2005, the Russian 

government knocked heads together, and decreed that it would be 

restored. Th e 2,200-seater Bolshoi Main Stage closed in July 2005. 

Opera and ballet performances were relocated to the smaller New Stage 

next door, which seats 900. 

Th e entire restoration project, which embraces the Bolshoi’s 

collection of decorative art items, antique furniture, costumes and 

production sketches by outstanding Russian theatre designers, which had

IMAGE�©�GETTY 

Previous page: the Bolshoi 

Th eatre outside and in. 

Above: gilders are among the 

many artisans who have worked 

on the lengthy restoration 

PRIVATARTS 

been amassed over the Bolshoi’s 230-year history, was 

originally meant to take three years. However, by the time 

the fully restored theatre reopens on 28 October this year, 

it will have taken more than six years to complete. 

Outside, the succession of shoddy paint jobs that 

marred the building’s faded pink facade have been eff aced; 

the architectural details have been resculpted; the 

imposing white columns at the front of the building, 

which leaned over by a tipsy 20cm, have been returned to 

the upright; and damage caused by a German bombing 

raid in 1941 has fi nally been repaired. Inside, the original 

19th-century design and look of the violin-shaped theatre 

has been rediscovered. Th e orchestra has been expanded; 

now, the operatic repertoire can encompass ‘most of 

Wagner and some of Richard Strauss,’ says Vyacheslav 

Yefi mov, associate director general. For the fi rst time, the 

Bolshoi will have two separate fl oor surfaces for ballet and 

opera – ballet requires sound-absorbency and a bit of give 

underfoot; opera requires the opposite. Meanwhile, 

backstage, out have gone the mouldy walls and peeling 

plaster that greeted dancers as they warmed up, in have 

come spacious modern amenities and improved 

technology that allows safe, swift, complex set changes. 

Th e Bolshoi’s payroll has been trimmed from 2,000 to 

a number more aligned with rival opera houses (La Scala 

in Milan employs 800). Meanwhile, the fundamental 

Fifteen 

problems caused by the unstable structural foundations 

compounded by woes brought about when Moscow’s 

metro system was built in the 1930s, have been addressed. 

Conservatives are up in arms that the Bolshoi’s 

antique charms, poor acoustics and pulley-lowered sets are 

being swept away in tide of modernisation that amounts to 

‘cultural barbarism’, never mind that much of the backstage 

apparatus was considered a health risk. Others are looking 

forward to a spacious, comfortable high-tech theatre 

where the latest lighting, electronic and hydraulic devices 

are concealed beneath a facade of red velvet, gold inlay, 

hand-embroidered silk tapestries and restored tsarist 

insignia, that will restore Moscow’s reputation as a centre 

for the performing arts. 

One of the fi rst productions will be Tchaikovsky’s Th e 

Sleeping Beauty, in a revival by Yuri Grigorovich (fi rst 

night 18 November) with new sets by Ezio Frigerio, the 

Italian theatre designer who designed Rudolf Nureyev’s 

tomb. Credit Suisse is the Bolshoi Th eatre’s general 

sponsor, while Audemars Piguet, the Swiss watch 

manufacturer, is offi cial sponsor: it has been a long haul for 

them too. Moscow has seen a number of recent artistic 

landmarks: the Winzavod centre for contemporary arts, 

the Red October chocolate factory and CCC Moscow 

have helped make it a thriving cultural entrepot. Now it is 

the turn of the Bolshoi to play its part at last.

PRIVATBOOK 

If developing a garden requires patience, 

the making of a book about its plants can be 

an even longer task but, as Huon Mallalieu 

discovers, Th e Highgrove Florilegium 

is worth the wait 

Sixteen

WHEN�NOT�UNDER�PRESSURE�TO�PRODUCE�INSTANT�BOOKS�� 

writers often suff er the opposite frustration – at the length of time publishers 

can take in bringing their masterworks to fruition. However, eight years 

from conception to delivery is certainly unusual. In the case of Addison 

Publications’ Th e Highgrove Florilegium it is fully justifi ed. 

Th e two-volume set of illustrations of plants from the Prince of Wales’ 

Gloucestershire garden is a work of superlative quality. Th ere are 124 prints by 

72 leading botanical artists from around the world, and over 100 British 

craftsmen have contributed to the limited edition, of which only 175 copies 

Seventeen

ALL�IMAGES�©�AG�CARRICK 

Previous page: 

Rhododendron basilicum 

by Lizzie Sanders. 

Right: Jasminum nudifl orum 

by Mieko Ishikawa 

‘It is rare to find books which 

have been given such love and 

devotion from st art to finish by 

traditional craftsmen’ 

are for sale at £12,950 per set. (About 30 are 

still available). Th e Prince, who wrote the 

preface and holds set 1 of 175, has signed 

each numbered set. All royalties from Th e 

Highgrove Florilegium are donated to the 

Prince’s Charities Foundation. Th e 

painstaking production involved gardeners, 

botanists, artists, typographers, leather dyers, 

marblers, printers, binders and felters, and it 

took over six months of their combined 

eff orts to print, bind and fi nish each book. 

Instead of the standard four-colour process 

used in nearly all printing, the Florilegium 

makes use of eight basic inks plus special 

colours; it is hugely costly. Also heavy. Th e 

two volumes together weigh about 25kg and 

are more than two feet tall and one and a 

half feet wide. 

Henrietta Pearson of Addison 

Publications, who pride themselves on 

producing ‘slow books’ in the spirit of the slow 

food movement, comments: ‘In this 

throwaway, digital age, it is increasingly rare to 

fi nd books which have been given such love 

and devotion from start to fi nish by traditional 

craftsmen. We are proud to be able to use the 

best of Britain’s traditional book craftsmen to 

produce our publications at a time when the 

talk is more of e-books than embossing.’ 

Th e Highgrove Florilegium is the latest of 

several titles that boast the same painstaking 

process to create limited editions of 

important, rare and sometimes ancient 

manuscripts. Addison’s books, which include 

Th e Book of Kells and Th e Lindisfarne Gospels 

are now collectors’ items in their own right, 

PRIVATBOOK 

Nineteen

Right: Brassica 

oleracea by Flappy 

Lane Fox. 

Below: the 

Prince of Wales at 

Highgrove, among 

the fl owers 

Th e Prince of Wales has 

signed each numbered set. 

All royalties from the book 

are donated to the Prince’s 

Charities Foundation 

found in libraries and museums all over the world. 

A copy of this book is at the Chicago Botanic Gardens 

in the Lenhardt Library’s Rare Book Reading Room in 

the Regenstein Center and can be viewed by 

appointment. Only four other copies are available in 

libraries in the United States. Th e volumes will also be 

on public display in a rare book exhibition in the 

Lenhardt Library from 18 November to 12 February, 

2012. Th e original watercolours, which belong to the 

Prince of Wales, have been exhibited in Europe and the 

USA but the fi nal opportunity to see them will be 

from 17 September to 31 December this year at the 

Guernsey Museum in the Channel Islands. 

PRIVATBOOK 

Twenty

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PRIVATCOLLECTOR 

Th e art of philanthropy 

Protecting and safeguarding works of art is one way the 

actions of a wealthy individual can make an enormous 

diff erence. Huon Mallalieu looks at two recent examples 

Twenty-Two

IMAGE�©�PHILADELPHIA�MUSEUM�OF�ART 

MANY�OF�THE�WORLD’S�GREATEST�MUSEUMS�AND�PUBLIC� 

art galleries owe their existence to the generosity of individual 

benefactors over the last two centuries. It is heartening to fi nd that 

nowadays, when there is such a concentration of offi cial resources on 

the contemporary, there are still individuals and organisations willing 

to safeguard the masterworks of the past. Two recent instances are 

particularly encouraging. 

In 2009 the Philadelphia Museum of Art proudly unveiled its latest 

acquisition, a full set of armour for a horse and its rider, made for Duke 

Ulrich of Württemberg at the beginning of the 16th century by two of 

the greatest of all the great armourers working in Nuremberg, centre of 

the industry. Making the announcement, Timothy Rub, the museum’s 

CEO, said: ‘Th e museum has always wanted to have an extraordinary 

horse armour to augment our holdings of European arms and armour, 

but fi nding one has been an especially elusive quest, given the 

exceptional rarity of this type of object.’ 

Rare indeed. Th e monumental horse armour, created in 1507 by 

Wilhelm von Worms the Elder, the most famous armourer of his day, and 

entirely made of steel plates enriched with delicately etched and gilded 

fi gures of a dragon and noblewomen, is the only example to have become 

available in 45 years, and one of only a handful of such an early date still 

in existence. Th e accompanying man armour, created around 1505 by 

Matthes Deutsch in Landshut, is one of under a dozen complete, or near 

complete, fi eld armours of that period to have survived. It is Deutsch’s 

latest known work and his most richly decorated. 

Th e Philadelphia Museum is one of the largest in the United States, 

and accordingly well endowed, but the $7.2m needed to secure the 

armours came not from funds but from individuals Athena and Nicholas 

Karabots and the Karabots Foundation, who made this acquisition 

possible. Nicholas G Karabots is the son of Greek immigrants who 

moved to the United States from Sparta shortly after World War I and 

ran a successful restaurant business. When this was wiped out, his father 

became a waiter and his wife a seamstress, while their son contributed by 

working as a shoe-shine boy. Karabots Jnr later got a job with a printing 

fi rm and, following the American dream, worked his way up to become 

its owner. He then bought one of the fi rm’s best clients, the Kappa 

Publishing Group, which specialises in children’s activity books, puzzle 

magazines and games. In graceful acknowledgement of his ancestral roots, 

he has called his umbrella company Spartan Organization, Inc. 

Th e foundation that he set up with his wife also grew out of his early 

experiences, since the prime purpose is to better the chances for ‘youth in 

underserved communities and families within those communities’. 

Twenty-Three 

Naturally, reading and education are key to this. Two of the biggest 

donations were $15m for a new paediatric care unit at the Children’s 

Hospital of Philadelphia, and $4.4m to renovate and expand the William 

Jeanes Memorial Library in Whitemarsh Township, PA, where they have 

lived for over 50 years. Th eir hope is that it will become ‘an even broader 

community centre and are further hopeful that its updating and 

expansion will encourage more children and adults to come to learn’. 

Surprising as it might seem at fi rst glance, the $15m donated to 

purchase the armours does fi t the pattern. As Nicholas Karabots says: 

‘Th e Foundation was moved by the interest shown in the Arms and 

Armour Collection by children and young adults, and it is the 

Foundation’s hope that the addition of the horse and man armour to the 

existing collection will result in the development of programmes at the 

museum that will further interest and encourage these young people to 

pursue higher levels of self-improvement via advanced education.’ 

Th e deal was actually brokered by an Englishman, Peter Finer, who is 

perhaps the world’s foremost dealer in antique arms and armour. Based in 

a Warwickshire manor house and a St James’s shop, Finer is a well-known 

‘Th e museum has always wanted to have an extraordinary suit of horse 

armour but finding one has been an especially elusive quest ’ 

exhibitor at the most prestigious international antiques fairs, and almost 

all serious collectors are on his client list. Th e armours were once part of 

the collection of the Counts Breuner-Enckevoirt and subsequently of the 

Dukes of Ratibor at Schloss Grafenegg in Austria, where they were 

exhibited together as a complete equestrian fi gure. In 1933 they were sold 

to the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst who, confronted 

with fi nancial diffi culties, subsequently parted with them; thereafter the 

ensemble remained in private hands until Finer purchased them in 2008. 

He had been on their track for years, and was determined that they 

should go to the best of homes. To this end, knowing the museum’s 

ambition, he brought it together with the foundation. 

A second tale of cultural philanthropy comes from England 

and this spring. In the words of Th e Wealth Report: ‘At a time when 

seemingly everyone in fi nance is considered evil, and the wealthy 

are painted as universally avaricious and self-interested, the story 

of Jonathan Ruff er bears reading.’ 

Jonathan Ruff er is an investment manager who made a fortune by 

predicting the credit crunch. He is also a most civilised man who 

collects paintings and 78rpm records, an elegant writer and now a 

considerable benefactor to his native North-East of England, having 

prevented the Church of England from selling off some of the greatest 

paintings in the region to plug a hole in its fi nances. Th ey would 

otherwise have gone abroad after 250 years in a place for which they 

had historic as well as artistic importance. As a state church, the Church

Previous page: horse 

armour of Duke Ulrich 

of Württemberg 

(German, 1507). 

Right: Jacob and 

(below) three of his 

12 sons by Francisco de 

Zurbarán (1598–1664) 

‘I was the only person in a position 

to do anything about it. I happened 

to have £15 million. I wanted to do 

something for the North-East ’ 

of England is custodian not only to much of the fi nest architecture in the 

country, but also to a treasury of works of art. Over the course of the 20th 

century, the Church Commissioners, who run its secular aff airs, divested 

themselves of much of the landed property including redundant or 

seemingly over-sized vicarages, putting the proceeds into sometimes 

unfortunate investments. Individual parishes have also disposed of many 

treasures in order to pay their way and keep roofs on churches. In some 

cases though, they have tried to do so out of puritanical prejudice against 

the Church possessing worldly wealth. Th is is similar to asset-stripping, 

and although there is a system backed by Parliamentary authority which 

should prevent unjustifi ed sales, a great deal that ought have been handed 

on to future generations has been sold off . 

Currently the Commissioners have their mercenary eyes on the 

Bishops’ Houses, which they no longer like to term ‘Palaces’, although 

some are indeed palaces or castles, others merely sizeable residences. 

Modern bishops live less grandly than their predecessors, and their homes, 

however splendid, also serve as working headquarters for their dioceses. 

One of the grandest is Auckland Castle, for 800 years seat of the 

Bishops of Durham, a building of immense historical and architectural 

importance. In 1756 Bishop Trevor paid £124 for 12 paintings by the 

Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664), each measuring 

PRIVATCOLLECTOR 

Twenty-Four 

completed by a Benjamin by the 18th-century Arthur Pond. Th ey were 

intended to demonstrate the Bishop’s support for the 1753 Jewish 

Naturalisation Bill, which allowed Jews to become British citizens 

without converting to Christianity. It was passed but, despite the backing 

of the Anglican Church, repealed six months later after demonstrations 

and protests by anti-Semitic groups. 

Last year’s announcement that the Commissioners intended to sell 

the Zurbaráns provoked outrage in the North-East and throughout the 

British cultural world. Even though a sale might well have been illegal, the 

Commissioners insisted on proceeding, until Ruff er, a practising Christian 

who had never actually seen the paintings, stepped in, paid £15.5m for them 

– and immediately gave them back to the Church. ‘I was the only person in a 

position to do anything about it. I happened to have £15 million. I wanted 

to do something for the North-East, where I come from. My fi rst 

thought had been a commercial one – that I could buy them for myself 

– but then I realised that there was something much more important to 

do.’ Self-deprecatingly he adds: ‘Th e distraction of my job is being constantly 

fi ngered for money. It’s terrifi c to be able to say there isn’t any.’ 

With the help of a £1m donation from the Rothschild Foundation 

and advice from the National Trust, the Church intends to turn the 

Castle at Bishop Auckland into a regional cultural and heritage centre. 

However, while Ruff er’s is undoubtedly a superbly philanthropic action, 

it leaves several important matters unresolved, including the legality of 

such sales by the Commissioners. However, these are quite literally 

parochial matters, and more generally, both stories show how much 

cultural benefi t can result from focused individuals such as Nicholas and 

Athena Karabots or Jonathan Ruff er deploying private resources in a 

positive manner for the public good. 

some 2.44m high and portraying one of the sons of Jacob – the set was IMAGES�©�CHRISTIAN�RUFFER

PRIVATSELECTION 

TIME 

THE�REIGN�OF�THE�SOBER� 

and�classical is coming to an end at 

last. Th e energy that evaporated with 

the fi nancial crisis can be felt once 

more. Innovation was everywhere at 

the BaselWorld watch fair this 

spring. Watch brands are no longer 

playing it safe. As sales return there 

is evidence that they are pushing the 

envelope once more. Here are some 

of the most outstanding examples… 

TIME 

AGAIN 

Keith W Strandberg fi nds a new 

energy among watchmakers at 

this year’s BaselWorld fair 

CHRISTOPHE�CLARET 

Christophe Claret has made amazingly complicated watches for some 

of the best names in the business and just recently started doing his 

own limited-edition timepieces, which showcase his virtuosity. 

Th is year, Claret introduced the 21 Blackjack (right), a watch that 

is almost a casino on your wrist. While giving you the time, it also 

allows you to play blackjack (with a striking mechanism for each card 

dealt), has dice in an aperture on the side of the case and a roulette 

wheel rotor on the back of the watch. With 501 parts, this watch is 

incredibly complex yet surprisingly easy to use. Th e 21 Blackjack is 

limited to three versions of 21 pieces each.

PATEK�PHILIPPE 

Th e watchmakers at Patek 

Philippe have recently introduced 

what is probably their most 

complicated ever woman’s 

wristwatch, the minute repeater. 

Th e minute repeater is one of the 

rarest and most respected watch 

complications and its peculiarity is 

that it strikes the time displayed on 

the dial using miniature gongs.‘We 

are very excited to introduce two 

new, very complex ladies’ pieces 

(7059R and 7000R) as it opens up 

a new sector of the ladies’ market,’ 

says Larry Pettinelli, president of 

Patek Philippe North America. 

‘After all, some of Patek Philippe’s 

most historically signifi cant 

moments are connected with 

technical innovations found in 

ladies’ timepieces. For example, 

Queen Victoria’s watch, showcasing 

the new keyless winding 

mechanism, brought exceptional 

fame to the brand at a crucial time.’ 

BADOLLET 

Staying on the striking watch 

theme, Badollet, well known 

for incredible movements and 

eye-catching designs, introduced 

the Observatoire 1872 Minute 

Repeater (right) at BaselWorld. 

Th e watch is named Observatoire 

1872 to commemorate the win 

by Badollet of the fi rst edition of 

the Concours de l’Observatoire, 

held in Geneva in 1872. Focused 

on precision, Badollet won this 

competition, taking the fi rst three 

places. Badollet calls its watches 

Instruments of Time, and the new 

Observatoire 1872 features a classic 

case with an open-worked opaline 

dial set with 72 diamonds and 12 

sapphires. Th e open dial and the 

transparent case-back allow you to 

see the incredible fi nishing on all 

the parts, and when you activate 

the slide to set the minute repeater 

in motion, you can watch the 

hammers and gongs strike the time. 

HARRY�WINSTON 

Every year, Harry Winston works with an independent 

watchmaker to make a limited-edition timepiece, designed to push 

boundaries and do things never done before. Th is year’s Opus, Opus 

11, was spectacular. Harry Winston teamed with Denis Giguet on this 

limited edition of 111 pieces – at the end of each hour, the central display 

of the timepiece breaks apart like a jigsaw puzzle and then reconfi gures 

as the next hour digit. It’s incredible to watch it in motion on YouTube 

– the movement has 566 components and they all seem to be moving 

at the same time (www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWvhp4YL3Bc). At the 

other end of the spectrum, Harry Winston also introduced a supremely 

elegant watch, the Midnight (right), which is a dressy, classical watch. No 

craziness, just pure elegance. 


Twenty-Nine y-Nine 

LOUIS�MOINET 

For centuries, watchmakers have explored new materials to 

enhance precision and for new aesthetics. Th is year, Louis Moinet has 

introduced its Geograph Chronograph (left), with genuine petrifi ed palm 

wood from the tropical forests of South-East Asia, estimated to be 70 

million years old. Th is watch is the standard bearer for Louis Moinet’s 

Rainforest project. Th e Geograph Rainforest is a 120-piece limited edition, 

and each watch sold will provide a substantial contribution to the Pulau 

Banding Foundation, which aims to preserve the Malaysian tropical forest 

of Belum-Temengor, one of the oldest in the world. On this watch, the 

time is indicated by dewdrop-shaped hands, on a dial adorned with Côtes 

du Jura striping. Th e dual-time display is shown by a blue serpentine hand. 

Th e chronograph pushers are in the distinctive Champagne-cork style and 

are fi nished with an atlas motif.

FRANC�VILA 

Striking watches – watches that chime the time on 

demand or automatically – are extremely diffi cult to 

make and are becoming increasingly popular. Th is year, 

Franc Vila, known for masculine watches featuring 

complicated movements, has introduced a skeletonised 

striking watch called the FVa35 SuperSonico 5 Minute 

Repeater (right) in the SuperLigero (superlight) 

Concept Collection. Th is collection is distinguished by 

very light but robust watches, and the SuperSonico is 

no exception. Th e case is made from titanium and steel, 

with the inner section in ‘Lightnium’ so as to be light 

and to ensure great sound for the repeater. 


HERMÈS 

Movement maestro Jean-Marc 

Wiederrecht, the genius behind the ‘poetic 

complications’ from Van Cleef & Arpels, 

has unveiled the Arceau Time Suspended 

(left), in association with Hermès. Th is watch 

allows the wearer to ‘suspend’ time at the 

push of a button, so you can forget about 

time while, say, having lunch with a loved 

one, then restore it as easily. ‘We are trying to 

give people time to dream,’ says Wiederrecht. 

‘We wanted this new watch to touch people 

emotionally but be simple to use. Very few 

brands would do a watch like this, because it’s 

a timepiece that doesn’t measure time, which 

is a paradox for a watchmaker. At Hermès, 

we prefer to focus on the quality of time and 

stop being stressed by the quantity.’ 

HAUTLENCE 

Hautlence has introduced a spectacular 

piece, the HL2. Equipped with a brand-new 

movement visible through a sapphire crystal 

case, the HL2 displays the hour on a chain, 

while the minutes are in a retrograde display. 

Th e entire regulating organ is visible, and it 

rotates 60 degrees every hour. Amazing. 

ULYSSE�NARDIN 

With the new Alexander the Great 

Minute Repeater Westminster Carillon 

Tourbillon Jaquemarts, Ulysse Nardin is 

poised to conquer the watch industry. Th ere 

are fi ve warrior fi gures on the man-made 

polycrystalline diamond dial, four of which 

move in sync with the minute repeater as 

it chimes out the hours, quarter hours and 

minutes. Th is 44mm tourbillon minute 

repeater is limited to 100 pieces, 50 in white 

and 50 in rose gold. 

Thirty 

TAG�HEUER 

TAG Heuer, a brand that has created 

quite a tradition with concept watches, has 

introduced the TAG Heuer Mikrotimer 

Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph (above), 

the world’s fi rst-ever mechanical chronograph 

to measure and display 1/1,000th of a second. 

It beats 3,600,000 times per hour – the fastest 

mechanical regulating organ ever (most watch 

movements are 21,600, 28,800 or 36,000 

beats per hour). TAG Heuer accomplishes 

this with two escapements, one for regular 

time (beating at a ‘normal’ 28,800 beats per 

hour), and one for the chronograph, beating 

at that 3,600,000 beats per hour. Th e watch’s 

green central second hand turns around the 

dial 10 times per second, almost looking as if 

it’s going to fl y off the dial. It’s an incredible 

feat of watchmaking and worth a long look. 

Th e hope is that this concept makes its way 

into TAG’s regular line soon.

PRIVATDRIVE 

POWER� 

HAUS 

Th e word for a Mercedes without limits is Brabus. 

Charles Armstrong-Wilson enters the garage of dreams

abus is a Mercedes tuner in 

much the same way as Fortnum 

and Mason is a grocer and Krug 

makes fi zzy wines. While the 

company may tweak engines, its 

services go far beyond simply 

making cars go faster. 

Th e company was born out of one man’s all-consuming 

passion for driving fast cars. Bodo Buschmann’s father had a 

Mercedes-Benz dealership, but while at university, the 

young Buschmann developed a taste for sporty Porsches. 

His father soon realised this did not refl ect well on his own 

business and insisted his son drive a Mercedes. However, 

back in the early 1970s, the company’s cars were closely 

associated with taxis – hardly the stuff of a young car 

enthusiast’s dreams. Faced with this bleak prospect, Bodo 

did the only thing he could possibly do and made his 

Mercedes more interesting. He began tuning his car and, as 

others showed interest in what he was doing, he produced 

tuning parts for them too. By the time he left university, the 

tuning had turned into a business. 

In essence, this is what the company still does, but in a 

way the young Bodo might struggle to recognise. Nearly 

four decades on from his fi rst youthful excursions into 

tuning, Buschmann’s enthusiasm is undimmed but his 

ambition has grown with the budgets of his customers. 

Today the company has a 

genius for making the 

fast faster and the 

exclusive unique. Th ere is 

very little the company 

will not attempt on your behalf. Whether you would like the 

same leather in your S-Class as in your Ferrari or on your 

wife’s favourite handbag, Brabus will deal with it. At its base 

in Bottrop near Düsseldorf, Germany, the company has a 

fully equipped trim shop staff ed by highly skilled and 

experienced craftsmen and women who can tackle the 

toughest of challenges. If you would like a particular style of 

stitching, they will create it for you. If you want your initials 

or family crest on the headrests, it will be done. 

Every time a new Mercedes model is released, Brabus 

creates a set of patterns from the interior that can be used to 

craft entire new trim packages to suit the most whimsical of 

tastes. But its off erings are not bound by an options list and, 

if you want it, Brabus will endeavour to deliver it. As its 

recent show car for the Geneva Motor Show illustrated, 

there is very little its experts will not attempt. Th e vehicle 

had mountings in the back for the Apple iPad and even 

included the company’s own software to allow the iPad to 

control the environment inside the car. It was proudly 

advertised as ‘the fastest offi ce on the road’. 

Thirty-Three 

One of the company’s specialities is a reworked 

Mercedes Viano people carrier, which it has transformed 

into the most luxurious and well-equipped courtesy bus 

possible. Regularly fi tted items include a pair of S-Class 

seats, drinks cabinet, coff ee machine, 40-inch TV, Xbox 

games console and Apple Mac Mini computer. But the 

heart of the Brabus treatment is still tuning and this can 

be as hot as the vehicle will stand while retaining the 

original design’s standards of reliability and practicality. 

Celebrated tweaks include the Brabus Bullit, which is 

based on the Mercedes C-Class saloon, and the Rocket, 

based on the CLS. Th e latter is ready an exciting model, 

however the Brabus engineers have junked the engine and 

replaced it with their own version of the Mercedes V12. 

One engineer will spend 10 days building the engine up 

from scratch. Its capacity is stretched to 6.3 litres and then 

equipped with twin turbochargers made exclusively for 

Brabus. Even the engine mounts have to be redesigned 

and made from scratch to accommodate the turbo 

installation. How much power it delivers depends on the 

spec requested by the customer, but they can choose from 

640bhp, 750bhp or 780bhp. 

Cars like these are modifi ed way beyond their original 

type approval. As well as the engine, Brabus totally 

reengineers the suspension and brakes to give handling and 

stopping power to match the straight-line performance. 

After all this, Brabus 

One engineer will spend 10 days 

building the engine up from scratch 

needs to rehomologate 

their vehicles, that is 

defi ne them offi cially as 

new cars. 

So what does a Brabus feel like from behind the wheel? 

Whatever a supercar is, on fi rst acquaintance the Brabus 

EV12 is surely not one. Its styling is far too discreet. It is no 

more exciting-looking than an E-Class Mercedes, a bit 

lower on the suspension, with tastier wheels and a few 

subtle body bits on the nose and tail. Hardly a look that 

makes jaws drop. Inside too, the car is easily accessible and 

comfortable and – get this – you can see out. 

Start up and the engine is quiet; OK there may be a bit 

of an edge to the note, but nothing intrusive. It pulls away 

progressively without faltering, and trickles into slow traffi c 

completely at ease with itself. According to the Brabus man 

with us in the passenger seat, this is the EV12 development 

car which in its latest incarnation churns out 800bhp from 

its twin-turbo V12. Numbers are one thing, but if the 

company really delivers on its claims, stamping on the 

right-hand pedal should produce a mind-blowing blur of 

acceleration. Th e prospect seems unlikely but, clear road, 

wheels straight, we give it a go. Whoa! One hundred 

kilometres an hour fl ashes past in an instant and suddenly

When the devil in 

the driver breaks free, 

a Brabus explodes 

in an orgy of speed 

and sensation 

the speedo is sweeping past 200. Yet the EV12 

seems to barely be labouring as the tiny dot in 

the distance ahead is rapidly turning into the 

back of a very large lorry. We throw out the 

anchors and sanity returns in no time, the 

EV12 pulling up without any fuss or drama. 

Pottering along at normal traffi c speeds, 

we’re left wondering where all that came from. 

More to the point, how it was possible without 

getting horribly out of shape as the engine 

dealt out more than a mere two wheels could 

possibly hope to cope with? Th is is the 

character of Brabus, genuinely dual-character 

cars that can be whatever you want them to be 

at that moment in time. In a domestic 

environment they make no demands on 

passengers through loud exhausts or rock-solid 

suspension. But, when the devil in the driver 

breaks free, they explode in an orgy of speed 

and sensation. And that applies to whatever 

model you want, whether it’s a Smart or a 

Mercedes SLS supercar. 

As if the latter was anything less than 

perfect already, Brabus has an exciting options 

list for the model. If you fi nd the suspension 

too harsh for the Autobahn but too soft for the 

Nurburgring, then order the Brabus version. It 

has dual settings that can be selected to suit the 

terrain and the driver’s mood. Th ere is even a 

PRIVATDRIVE 

replacement exhaust system available, 

beautifully crafted in titanium, that is not only 

lighter but also, at the fl ick of a switch, bypasses 

the silencer for a full-blooded roar. 

Th e talents at Brabus are not confi ned to 

new cars either. For some years now, the 

company has had a quiet sideline in restoring 

classic Mercedes. Good original examples are 

sought out and then completely restored to 

as-new condition. It may be a small part of the 

overall business but the commitment to a 

superb standard in the fi nished product is just 

as high as with the new cars. 

Although it works closely with the 

Thirty-Four 

Mercedes factory, Brabus is an independent 

company and can tackle challenges that the 

manufacturer might back away from. It also has 

the support of a loyal and enthusiastic customer 

base all over the world. Talking to Brabus 

employees, it soon becomes clear that the only 

acceptable standard here is excellence. Judging 

by how long most have stayed with the 

company, they obviously enjoy the challenge. 

Th e strength in depth and enthusiasm of 

its staff made Brabus one of the most endearing 

companies I have had the privilege to visit, but 

it was the shattering performance of its cars 

that made it unforgettable.

SMART�BRABUS 

When Daimler-Benz launched the Smart, it was a small car that 

transcended barriers of wealth or class. The car was so cool and you didn’t 

even have to be cash-strapped to want one. Many owners began to stamp 

their own identity on their Smart and, recognising a market, Smart and 

Brabus teamed up to form a new customising company. Using the la� er’s 

resources, a range of items has been developed that owners can have 

added to their cars on the production line. 

But some customers want to go further with unique colour schemes or 

trim options. To serve this need, more than 1,000 Smarts a year are 

delivered to a unit on the Brabus facility in Bo� rop where they can have 

whatever their owners want. You’d like the same paint and trim package as 

your Mercedes SLS? No problem. More power and a colour scheme the 

same as your favourite racing car? Of course, sir, anything is possible. 

PRIVATDRIVE 

Thirty-Five 

Previous page: the Brabus B63 S’s engine 

gives an awesome top speed of around 200mph. 

Opposite page: the Brabus EV12, which can 

churn out 800bhp from its twin-turbo V12. 

Left: a Brabus-customised Smart car. 

Below: the T65 RS speedos and headrest – 

Brabus can create any style of stitching you want 

EV�� BITURBO ��LIMOUSINE 

Base model E-Class SLS 800L 

Engine size 6,233 cc 6,208 cc 6,233 cc 

Power 790 bhp 690 bhp 789 bhp 

Torque 1,047 lb.� 627 lb.� 1,047 lb.� 

at 2,100 rpm at 4,300 rpm at 2,100 rpm 

Acceleration 

0–100kmph 3.7 s 3.7 s 3.9 s 

0–200kmph 9.9 s 10.2 s 10.3 s 

0–300kmph 23.9 s – 24.9 s 

Top speed 370 km/h 340 km/h 350 km/h

THE�YEATMAN 

Oporto is the English name for Porto, the main city of the 

Douro wine region and one of the most visually enchanting 

towns in Europe. With its cluster of historic buildings and a 

unique location on the river, it has rightly been awarded Unesco 

World Heritage status. Th e best hotels have traditionally been 

outside the historic centre, along the grand boulevards of 

Boavista, and they tend to be effi cient, luxurious but antiseptic: 

not very enticing for the upmarket visitor. 

Now, however, there is an infi nitely more alluring 

alternative. Th e Yeatman is a brand new hotel on the steep 

slopes of Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto’s twin town across the Douro 

facing the mesmerising Oporto cityscape. All 82 guest rooms 

have large open-air terraces with this dramatic view as the hotel 

is cleverly terraced into the hillside and the public rooms and 

open-air pool look across the curving river towards the arched, 

double-decker Dom Luís bridge astride a narrow gorge. 

All the great port houses have their cellars in Vila Nova de 

Gaia and so the Yeatman fi ts in perfectly as it’s the brainchild 

of Adrian Bridge, dynamic CEO of the Fladgate Partnership, 

one of the most revered names in the region with Taylor’s Port, 

Fonseca and Croft in its stable. Originally a soldier and then an 

investment banker, Bridge married into a Port family and his 

wife Natasha is the head blender of the group. 

Wine is an essential part of the Yeatman’s unique appeal 

with a massive wine cellar of 20,000 bottles and the world’s 

most comprehensive collection of Portuguese table wines and 

Ports. Th irty-one-year-old Beatriz Machado is the hotel’s wine 

director with an impressive academic background in viticulture 

and œnology, and she is assisted by the restaurant sommelier, 

Elisabette Fernandes. Together they work closely with executive 

chef Ricardo Costa who creates divinely imaginative food that 

refl ects the best of modern Portugal. He is a real talent. 

Lunch or dinner in the bright and airy restaurant is a true 

gourmet event with complex dishes that are a delight to the eye and 

the palate. Th e menu may list scallops in burnt cream with sea 

PRIVATDINING 

Iberian summer 

Destination restaurants in Spain and Portugal 

are topping the list for travelling gourmets this 

summer, says Jennifer Sharp 

Thirty-Six 

urchins, anchovies and citrus; blue Atlantic lobster with a broth 

of oysters and accompanied by a savoury terrine of milk-fed veal 

with foie gras and pistachio bread; wild turbot with roast tomatoes, 

eel rice in red wine and a curry sauce with mussels; or doublecooked 

suckling pig from Bisaro with sweet potato, braised 

chicory and hazelnut sauce. Th ere are dishes for vegetarians and 

for children, exotic desserts, Portuguese cheeses with homemade 

jams and fruit breads, plus extravagant tasting menus to 

showcase the chef ’s repertoire. Clearly this is not everyday eating 

and the hotel provides many opportunities for casual meals, but 

Ricardo Costa’s cooking at its best is not to be missed. 

Th e Yeatman reinforces its œnological reputation with regular 

wine dinners which attract not only hotel guests but wine makers 

and afi cionados from afar. And if all this temptation gets the better 

of your waistline, there’s always the hotel’s Caudalie Spa (with 

therapies based on wine, of course) to help regain your silhouette. 

Rua do Choupelo, 4400-088 Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal, 

+351 22 013 3100, www.theyeatman.com 

SHIS�RESTAURANT 

Downriver from Porto, on the north-west coast of Portugal 

where the great Douro disgorges into the sea, there are miles of 

sandy beaches and esplanades backed by the smart apartments 

and villas of Foz. Shis is the most fashionable restaurant for 

miles, occupying a large decked area on a platform facing the 

water, above the beach but below road level. Steps lead down to 

a large open-air terrace with pots of greenery, white furniture 

and canvas parasols. Th is leads into an equally large, L-shaped 

minimalist restaurant with fl oor-to-ceiling windows, white 

origami-style paper and wire light fi ttings, blond wood, steel 

and dove-grey furniture and a sushi bar with high chairs along 

one side. All the tables are full and buzzing with couples 

fl irting, families celebrating and top businessmen doing deals. 

You feel you’ve arrived to be sitting there, watching the tide roll 

in and the children surf or splash in the waves outside.

Thirty-Nine 

Daniel Humm tailors 

fresh lobster to suit 

individual diners

Th e chef and co-owner is Antonio Vieira, whose 

cooking is clearly infl uenced by Japan and the Far 

East, hence the sushi bar, but translated into a local 

idiom with freshly caught seafood, the region’s best 

beef, black pork and alheira sausage. Portions are 

authentically Portuguese – huge. Th e extensive menu 

lists miso soup with clams and tofu, scallops tartar 

with coconut and lemongrass soup, and grilled 

shrimp with mild curry alongside gutsy meat dishes 

such as duck with black pepper crust and vanilla, or 

lamb with chestnut and mushroom crumble. Th ere 

are light but luxurious dishes for dieters (lobster 

salad with asparagus) or massive steaks for 

trenchermen. It’s all delicious with fresh, clean tastes 

and stylish presentation perfectly complemented by 

the wine list of mainly Portuguese wines, many 

available by the glass. 

At night when the sun sets across the water 

and the lights come on, Shis is an illuminated jewel 

box perched above the water’s edge as the Atlantic 

pounds the shore. 

Praia do Ourigo Esplanada do Castelo, Foz do Douro, 

4150-623 Porto, Portugal, +351 226 189593 

SCHILO�RESTAURANT 

Finca Cortesin is a serenely beautiful resort in the 

rolling foothills of the Casares mountains, a discreet 

distance from Sotogrande. Just a few years ago, this 

was bare land dotted with scrubby carob and olive 

trees. Now there is a palace set in 70 acres with 

manicured lawns and rose gardens with sweeping 

views over the Mediterranean. Th ere are airy 

courtyards and shady arcades, with heavy wooden 

doors, traditional tiles and a wealth of antiques: it 

feels old, like the country home of a Spanish grandee. 

Some visitors are drawn by the privacy and 

unhurried luxury, some by the superb spa, others by 

the championship golf course, which has just hosted 

the World Matchplay Championship. But the 

gourmet traveller has his sights on an exceptional 

restaurant, Schilo, named after the shy but immensely 

talented chef Schilo van Coevorden, who was last year 

hailed as the best chef in Spain. 

Schilo is responsible for all the restaurants within 

the resort including the traditional Andalusian 

cooking of El Jardín and a broad international menu 

for the alfresco and pool areas. But in his signature 

restaurant, Schilo has drawn on his experience in Asia 

and Japan to create a distinct style of elaborate, playful 

and utterly delicious dishes. You can choose a 

traditional three-course à la carte menu but it’s much 

better to launch into one of the multi-course tasting 

menus featuring dishes such as beetroot ice with 

caviar, soy-glazed eel sushi, green papaya salad with 

spider crab, foie gras gyoza with black truffl e, crystal 

sea bass with wild vanilla, turbot with miso, and milk 

lamb with date jus and Arabic rice. Th ere is also a 

vegetarian tasting menu featuring vegetables, fruit 

and herbs just picked from the estate’s own beds. 

Dishes are bursting with fl avour yet presented 

with delicacy and precision. Th e stately dining room is 

rich in both European and Japanese detail with fi ne 

porcelain and slender metal chopsticks alongside 

ornate silver wine coolers. Th ere are magnifi cent 

doorways with ancient tiles, elaborate sconces with 

carvings of grapes, tapestries and heavy wooden 

furniture inlaid with beaten silver. But there is also a 

cool Japanese aesthetic, the walls hung with silk 

panels and traditional paintings and a handsome red 

lacquer chest. Conquistador meets samurai. 

At one end of the room is a theatrical open kitchen 

where Schilo himself takes centre stage with silent 

assistants like religious acolytes or actors in a Noh 

performance. It’s a striking experience, especially if you 

are seated at the long sharing table alongside the ‘stage’. 

But even if you’ve chosen to sit further away or outside 

in the courtyard, you will still enjoy what is 

undoubtedly some of the fi nest cooking in Europe. 

Finca Cortesin, Hotel, Golf & Spa, Carretera de Casares, 

E-29690 Casares, Malaga, Spain, 

+34 952 937800, www.fi ncacortesin.com 

Thirty-Eight 

Previous page: Th e Yeatman, 

in Porto, Portugal, is a bright 

airy hotel with views over 

the city. 

Top: Shis, on Portugal’s 

coast near Porto, looks out 

over the Atlantic. 

Above: Schilo, at Malaga’s 

Finca Cortesin resort, features a 

theatrical open kitchen. 

Left: Schilo’s Asian-inspired 

menu makes use of herbs from 

the resort’s gardens

A very contemporary return to old traditional high-end standards 

FV EVOS 8 "Cobra" Chronographe Grand Dateur Automatique 

FRANC VILA exclusive calibre FV8Ch 

Limited edition 88 pieces 

“Not only mine, but a part of me” 

�� 

��H�� 

�� 

�� 

�� 

��

or all the glamour of his charity’s 

reputation, Charlie Mayhew, 

co-founder and CEO of Tusk Trust, is 

astonishingly low-key. Much of what I know 

about his NGO, founded in 1992 with British 

actor Timothy Ackroyd, relates to its celebrity 

roll call of supporters. Th ey include rocker 

Ronnie Wood, DJ Zoe Ball, comedienne Ruby 

Wax and its royal patron, the Duke of Cambridge. 

Such are the circles in which he moves that 

Mayhew himself is only a week back from 

Westminster Abbey where he attended the Royal 

Wedding. So when I meet him in spring at the 

charity’s offi ces in Gillingham, Dorset – a small 

west-of-England market town – I’m frankly a 

PRIVATPERSON 

SAVE 

AND 

PROSPER 

Charlie Mayhew has made a career of protecting animals 

– but it wouldn’t have been possible without some very 

high-profi le supporters. Sophy Roberts talks to the founder 

of Tusk, the celebrity’s favourite wildlife charity 

little surprised by the lack of grandeur of brand 

Tusk. Because it is a brand, quite a big brand in 

NGO terms, raising in excess of £2.13m in 2010, 

the funds distributed across 40 projects in 17 

African countries since the charity’s inception. 

But let’s get back to Charlie – well-spoken, 

clean-cut Charlie, educated at that most upper 

crust of English boarding schools, Wellington 

College, and now living in Dorset with his wife 

and four children, a short hop from where his 

charity is HQ’d above Gillingham town post 

offi ce. Th ere are only four people based in the 

offi ce, which has much to do with the high 

percentage of funds (80 per cent) that reach 

benefi ciaries on the ground. Charlie (and let’s 

PORTRAIT�©�PAUL�STUART

call him that, as he’s a relaxed sort of chap) is 

drinking cheap instant coff ee. Dressed in a 

simple round-neck sweater and shirt, he looks 

like he might once have been in fi nance (which 

he was) and that it probably bored him (which 

it did). I say this because he has a spirited edge 

that reveals itself as soon as we start to talk. For 

while Charlie takes Tusk very seriously indeed 

– protecting wildlife, supporting communities, 

promoting education with grassroots, simple 

everyday solutions – he also sees the humour in 

how it all began. He was a gap year student, in 

South Africa, selling Bic biros from the back of 

a car. Th at was in 1979 – the fi rst time Charlie 

set foot on the continent. ‘I knew it wasn’t the

eal Africa, or at least the one of my romantic 

imagination fuelled by fi lms like Born Free,’ he 

says, ‘but it was on this trip as a door-to-door 

salesman that I went into Kruger National 

Park. My fi rst experience of African wildlife 

left me mesmerised.’ 

After a stint at marine insurance in London 

and time as a deckhand on a Norwegian tanker, 

Charlie made it back out to Africa fi ve years 

later; from 1984 to 1986 he organised and led a 

major expedition as part of the UN’s 

International Year of Youth. Th e truth is he 

showed himself to be an eff ective hustler even 

then. Th e 33-strong team had the backing of 

Margaret Th atcher, the group driving a convoy 

of eight four-wheel-drive vehicles from the 

Sahara to Cape Town. ‘It was very aff ecting,’ he 

says. ‘We saw evidence of the bushmeat trade in 

the Congo, but it wasn’t until we reached East 

Africa that I saw the real impact of poaching.’ 

It was the rhino specifi cally (the animal 

forms part of the Tusk logo) that was in trouble, 

the poaching ‘totally out of control,’ Charlie 

recalls. ‘Ten years before our expedition, Kenya 

had around 10,000 black rhino. By 1986, the 

numbers were down to 250.’ He continues: 

‘When you see such huge animals up close, it is 

magnifi cent – these prehistoric creatures that 

have been on the planet longer than any of us. 

Only man kills a fully grown rhino. Th ey have no 

natural predators. And then to see how they are 

mown down, and how humans will hack at its 

face to take a horn – it is a shocking, shocking 

thing.’ Charlie switches to the ivory trade, 

reeling off statistics. ‘Back in the 80s, poaching 

was taking off big time. By 1989, Africa was 

losing 100,000 elephants a year. Th e whole 

continent only had a population of 700,000. It 

was numbers like these that made me think we 

had to do something about it.’ 

Th e original idea was for Ackroyd and 

Mayhew, who were friends, to make a thriller 

about poaching. Th ey hoped this would reach a 

wider audience than, say, a BBC documentary. 

Fuelled by naive optimism, they set up a charity 

ready to receive the fi lm’s profi ts, only to 

discover that Hollywood likes to keep the 

money for itself. Th en Disney came out with a 

similarly themed fi lm, A Far Off Place, about six 

months ahead of them. ‘It was just bad luck, 

bad timing,’ Charlie says. ‘We couldn’t compete

IMAGES�©�CORBIS 

Previous page: Charlie Mayhew at 

home in Dorset, where Tusk is based. 

Left: Mayhew’s vision is to protect 

animals by off ering tangible benefi ts from 

conservation to local people. 

Below: Mayhew and Tusk patron 

Prince William hand over a Land Rover 

to conservation workers on the ground 

with the mighty mouse, so that’s when we 

thought about fundraising in more 

conventional ways.’ 

For the next fi ve years, Charlie devoted 

evenings to developing the Trust, coming back 

each night after a day’s slog as an independent 

fi nancial adviser. Hard work alone, however, 

soon proved insuffi cient. ‘I needed celebrity,’ he 

says. ‘Th rough the fi nancial world I had one or 

two good contacts, so I started to give that some 

attention.’ When he secured Ronnie Wood as a 

funding patron, things began to pick up. ‘Hello 

magazine covered every event we had,’ Charlie 

remembers. ‘Th is gave the impression we were 

much bigger than we were. And that’s when the 

momentum really started to build.’ 

I suspect subtle tenacity is the secret to 

Charlie Mayhew’s success. He controls any 

conversation, yet he makes you feel like you 

decided the direction in which he’s steered it. 

Th is has to do with his likeable English manners 

and beguiling humility. (‘I sought celebrity 

support early on because I knew no one would 

be interested in me,’ he says.) One thing is clear: 

Charlie Mayhew doesn’t like talking about 

himself. Asked what he does for downtime, he 

says he doesn’t have time for anything except 

Tusk. ‘I remember how in the early days my desk 

would have piles of fi nancial advisory work on 

one side, and conservation on the other,’ he says. 

‘Both needed doing, but I would always do 

Africa fi rst. Th at’s when I knew I had to 

commit.’ So in 2000, he moved his family from 

London to the country, gave up the day job, 

resigned as the charity’s trustee, and became 

Tusk’s fi rst chief executive. 

Th e timing was fortuitous. Th at same 

millennium year, the heir to the UK throne was 

spending his gap year building hides for 

birdwatchers as a volunteer at the Lewa Wildlife 

Conservancy in northern Kenya, a game reserve 

Tusk had been involved with since 1995. ‘We 

were lucky, because eff ectively William came 

across us,’ says Charlie. ‘He got back from Africa 

and out of the blue I was called about a charity 

polo event in which he and his brother Harry 

were taking part. Th e palace wondered if Tusk 

would like to be a benefi ciary.’ It was in his 

thank-you note that Charlie tentatively asked if 

the prince might be interested in becoming a 

patron. ‘We were politely informed that while he 

PRIVATPERSON 

was at university, this would not be possible, but 

to please keep in touch. And I did.’ Five years 

later, and William committed to his fi rst two 

charities: Centrepoint, the homeless shelter in 

Central London, and Tusk. 

‘Th is catapulted us into the stratosphere,’ 

Charlie recalls. ‘He provided us with a level of 

global credibility that I just can’t explain. Funds 

have more than doubled in the last fi ve years 

– an exponential rising curve. During the Royal 

Tour in Africa last June, we were taking around 

80 international media every day. His pulling 

power is extraordinary, and combined with his 

passion for Africa, well, even during the fi nancial 

‘William provided 

us with a level of global 

credibility that I 

just can’t explain. 

His pulling power 

is extraordinary’ 

crises when we anticipated a 15 per cent downturn 

we came out 46 per cent up on the year.’ 

Just as the Prince came across Tusk while 

on gap year, Teresa and Stuart Graham, a 

British couple and inveterate travellers to 

Africa, were tourists who became engaged with 

the charity ‘by accident’; they are now among 

Tusk’s most signifi cant private donors. ‘Lots of 

people who travel to Africa come across what 

we do inadvertently,’ says Charlie, citing 

Kenyan community-owned lodges Il Ngwesi, 

Tassia and Sarara as places holidaymakers 

might encounter their work. 

Tusk doesn’t leave all its fundraising to 

chance, of course; it fosters partnerships with 

travel professionals, teaming up with the likes of 

Africa specialist, London-based Tim Best, to 

expose clients to the charity’s work (it was Best 

who put the Grahams and Tusk together), Tusk 

encouraging tour operators to donate a 

‘conservation tax’ on behalf of each visitor. ‘I have 

known Tusk for as long as it has been going, and 

I’ve seen it grow to now encompass not only 

Forty-Three 

wildlife but also sustainability, communities and 

education. I think that’s the key to Africa’s 

future,’ says Best, who himself runs the Tusk 

Safaricom Marathon each June, all proceeds 

from the Lewa race going to the charity. 

Not that all the projects – some part-funded, 

others wholly supported by Tusk – are attractive 

from a tourism point of view. Security issues, 

accessibility and more come into play when the 

charity is working across 17 diff erent countries, 

including the Congo, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. 

But when it works, as Lewa does, Charlie is 

buoyed by the charity’s future: ‘It is all about 

creating successful templates to roll out 

elsewhere,’ he says, citing community-driven 

conservancies as the best examples. ‘Th ese lie at 

the core of our story. For us you could almost say 

conservation is community – a subtle but 

relevant defi nition, because unless communities 

experience fi nancial and tangible benefi ts from 

conserving wildlife, they will always see animals 

as a threat, not an asset.’ And when humans are 

seen to profi t, corporate donors step in, with 

Tusk backed by the likes of British Airways, 

Artemis and Deutsche Bank. 

Of course there is still a long way to go. 

Chinese presence in East Africa has helped push 

the price of rhino horn to $60,000 a kilo, says 

Charlie, making this so-called aphrodisiac more 

valuable than gold. Yet global philanthropy gives 

less than three per cent to environment and 

conservation. Tellingly Charlie doesn’t pass 

comment. Instead he lets me absorb the idea for 

myself. Subtle tenacity, you see, because after an 

hour, he hasn’t tried to make an acolyte of me by 

beating a drum. Such tactics, I have learnt, just 

aren’t Charlie Mayhew’s style.

WE DINED IN THE VINEYARD, 

WHICH WASN’T OPEN TO A SOUL. 

Hadn’t been for over 100 years. And 

yet there we were, the eight of us, 

laughing, with the sun on our shoulders 

and the most exquisite Bordeaux on 

our tongues. 

If Jane J hadn’t h d ’t known k Luc, L our gracious i host, h t we’d ’d 

be out strolling along another part of 

�� 

tales of his 70 years cultivating grapes and wooing women. 

�� 

our dessert, and Luc led us down a creaky stairway into 

a damp, private cellar, where he handed me a reserve 

bottle to remind me of our time there. 

Six weeks later, I watch the rugged coastline creep 

past our living room window, and open the bottle. 

I am immediately whisked back to the thick cellar air 

and gravelly vineyard soil. But the cool gusts coming 

in from the veranda pull me back, reminding me of the Arctic adventure that lies just 

over the horizon...

Only 200 make the journey, which continues aboardtheworld.com | +1 954 874 3399 

Residences at Sea

PRIVATESCAPE 

CHIC 

- O N- 

SEA� 

Th e Hamptons is the catchall 

name for the Long Island 

villages that off er refuge from 

the summer heat to wealthy 

New Yorkers. As Catherine 

Sabino reveals, the hottest 

Hampton is the little-known 

hamlet of Sagaponack 

When a village in the Hamptons, that cluster of 

gilded seaside enclaves on Long Island, topped 

Businessweek’s list as the most expensive town 

in America, it hardly seemed worth a headline. With close to 

three dozen billionaires (Ronald Lauder, Pete Peterson, Ralph 

Lauren among others) and countless celebrities (Gwyneth and 

Chris, Sir Paul) owning estates on the East End, how could a 

Hampton zip code fail to take fi rst prize? 

But few expected the hamlet of Sagaponack to sit atop 

the Businessweek rankings for the costliest US real estate, a 

position it has held the last two years; the median house value 

is $3,406,640, according to Zillow.com. Defi ned as much by 

its natural attractions as what it doesn’t off er A-listers, 

Sagaponack stubbornly remains a glitz-free oasis in the 

label-obsessed Shangri-La of Hampton towns running from 

Westhampton to Montauk Point. 

You’ll fi nd no designer boutiques, mogul-magnet restaurants, 

galleries or nightspots in Sagaponack – the usual loci around 

which a chic Hamptonite’s summer life revolves. Th e hamlet’s 

Main Street houses one building, containing a post offi ce and 

general store. Th e train from Manhattan doesn’t even stop here. 

Sagaponack’s low-key glamour has long been its allure. ‘Th e 

fact that Sagaponack isn’t commercial, that it retains its country 

appeal has just increased its desirability,’ says Beate Moore, a 

senior vice-president of Sotheby’s International Realty, who has 

sold property in Sagaponack and neighbouring Hamptons for 

over a decade. (And sold it well. Moore ranks sixth on the Wall 

Street Journal’s list of the most successful real estate executives by 

sales volume in America.) ‘You don’t feel like you’re on Park 

Avenue, as you might in the estate area of Southampton.’ 

Sagaponack still has what drew people to the Hamptons in 

the fi rst place: a bucolic, open landscape with acres of working

IMAGE�©�PHOTOLIBRARY 

farmland, fl awless ocean beaches with powdery white sand, 

historic Shingle-style houses and balmy salt air breezes, all 

bathed in the soft, painterly light that artists in the region have 

tried to capture for hundreds of years. Families whose property 

deeds date to the mid-1600s continue to live in Sagaponack, 

farming their ancestral lands as they have for 15 generations. 

Th ey’re as likely to be your neighbour as the latest hedgie, or a 

famous name like JK Rowling, who paid $150,000 for a 

two-week rental in the hamlet several years back. 

Th at’s not to say you won’t fi nd pastoral settings, great 

beaches or Childe Hassam-like vistas elsewhere on the East 

End – each Hampton town has its special enchantments. Take a 

walk in East Hampton around the village green on a languid 

August day, or along Further Lane as the late afternoon fog rolls 

in from the sea, to experience some of the region’s celebrated 

beauty. It’s just that Sagaponack is more of what the Hamptons 

used to be: rural, a rustic refuge, rather than a city-in-thecountry 

redoubt. Even the large estates exude a discreet swank. 

‘Th e feeling of expansiveness, the openness you have in 

Sagaponack is quite rare in the Hamptons nowadays,’ says 

Perry Guillot, a highly sought-after landscape architect, who 

counts among his clients Aerin Lauder, Tory Burch and Tina 

Brown. ‘On certain lanes you can see all the way to the ocean.’ 

In the history of Manhattan summer colonies, Sagaponack 

is a late discovery, when you consider Wall Street bankers 

started vacationing on the East End in the 1890s. Rich New 

York Catholic families, like the Murray and McDonnell clans, 

shunned by WASP Newport society, turned to Southampton in 

the 1920s. After World War II the artists came: Jackson Pollack 

and Willem de Kooning heading to the low-cost Springs (on 

the north side of Amagansett). For fl ush artists and writers, East 

Hampton’s New England-like charms were a perennial magnet. 

As East Hampton became more social, writers searched for 

a less frothy, more Bohemian vibe. In the late 50s and early 60s, 

a cluster of big-name authors found the quiet anonymity of 

Sagaponack very much to their liking. Truman Capote, that 

shrewd judge of chic and status, bought a house in the village 

in 1961. WASP scion and writer George Plimpton (famously 

blackballed by East Hampton’s posh Maidstone Club despite 

his Eastern Establishment bona fi des), Kurt Vonnegut and 

Peter Matthiessen took up residence in the hamlet as well. Th ey 

and a handful of other scribes had the place to themselves for 

years, living quietly (or relatively so – Plimpton was a fi reworks 

maestro) with the village’s fi rst families – the Whites, Fosters, 

and Hildreths. Until the early 1980s, Sagaponack looked and 

functioned very much as it had for the last 300 years. 

‘When I used to tell people my address was Sagaponack, 

they thought I lived on an Indian reservation,’ says author and 

journalist Linda Bird Francke, who has been here for over 

three decades. (While collaborating with Benazir Bhutto on 

her autobiography, she had the Pakistani prime minister out 

for a country visit.) When farming families, hobbled by 

inheritance taxes, began to sell chunks of land in the 1980s, 

Wall Street, fl ush with Reagan-era money, took note. ‘Th at’s 

when the interest in Sagaponack started,’ says Francke. 

Even with the growing desirability of its real estate, 

Sagaponack stayed an insider’s getaway for another decade. 

Caroline Kennedy, the late president’s daughter, her husband, Ed 

Schlossberg, and their children summered here quietly for 

years. In 1995, Lloyd Blankfein, now the CEO of Goldman 

Sachs, bought property on Parsonage Lane; a few years later, 

Gary Hurst, then vice-chair of Goldman, built a large home. 

For the most part the village kept off the media’s radar, 

glossies and tabloids happy to celebrity hunt in the better-known

Hamptons, until 1998. Th at was when Ira Rennert, 

the billionaire CEO of the Renco Group, began 

construction of what was believed to be the largest 

and most expensive house in America, on a swath of 

prime Sagaponack land. Plans for the 66,000-squarefoot 

home (100,000 square feet with its satellite 

buildings) brought fi erce opposition in the village, and 

launched a frenzied real estate saga few major 

American newspapers or magazines could resist. 

Enraged neighbours and local interests petitioned 

the town of Southampton (of which Sagaponack was 

part), in the hopes of denying Rennert the requisite 

building permits. Ads ran in local papers decrying ‘the 

rape of Sagaponack’. While Rennert ultimately won 

the battle and the hotel-size house was built (Zillow 

now values the estate at $200m), there was one upside 

to the whole ruckus: it served as a rallying cry, kicking 

Sagaponack’s other preservation eff orts into higher 

gear. Th e hamlet moved to change zoning laws, 

limiting house size to 20,000 square feet. In its own 

declaration of independence, Sagaponack broke away 

from the town of Southampton, incorporating in 

2005 to better control future development and 

beachfront property. 

‘Land use, that’s a key issue out here,’ says Steven 

Gaines, author of the best-selling Philistines at the 

Hedgerow, a book chronicling the social and real estate 

history of the Hamptons. He notes his town of East 

Hampton ‘has the toughest restrictions. Still, a lot of 

building can occur. What kind of building is crucial.’ 

Lee Foster, Sagaponack’s deputy mayor, a member 

of one of the town’s founding families, and an active 

preservationist, says: ‘In the last half century we lost 

about 80 per cent of our original farmland.’ 

Seven of the original families who farm in 

Sagaponack are determined to do so as long as they 

can keep the taxman at bay. ‘Keep in mind no farming 

family who sold in Sagaponack did so for the hell of 

it. Death taxes forced them to,’ says Foster. 

Even with the temptations of ever-escalating 

property valuations, Foster speaks of an ‘unpersuadable 

resolve’ on the part of local families to 

hold on to their farms, ‘to get them into the next 

generation, to continue the dialogue with the town to 

preserve land tracts. Th e eff orts to conserve what 

remains are endless.’ Meanwhile developers covetous 

of the seaside farmland keep circling. 

Despite its ‘most expensive’ ranking two years 

running, Sagaponack didn’t escape the recent economic 

downturn unscathed. But a Hamptons recession is like 

few others. While Sagaponack’s average house price 

slipped 14.5 per cent last year, according to Businessweek, 

and singer Billy Joel had to lower the price of his 

oceanfront home from $22.5m to $18.5m, recordbreaking 

sales continue for certain village properties. 

Th e most expensive real estate transaction in the 

Hamptons last year involved a Sagaponack home. 

Hedge funder David Tepper paid $43.5m for the 

PRIVATESCAPE 

Previous page: ocean-front houses 

are the most desirable properties. 

Below and right: village properties with 

gardens, pools and tennis courts, such as these 

available though Sotheby’s International 

Realty, can command record-breaking prices. 

Bottom: Th e East End of Long Island still 

has some rural pockets; it is still possible to fi nd 

an empty beach near Sagaponack. 

‘Th e fact that Sagaponack isn’t commercial, 

that it retains its country appeal has just 

increased its desirability’ 

former vacation getaway of Jon Corzine, once CEO of 

Goldman Sachs. (At the time of its sale the property, 

which commanded a summer rental fee of $900,000, 

was owned by Corzine’s ex-wife, Joanne Brown.) Tepper 

will take a wrecking ball to the house, probably setting 

another record as the Hamptons’ costliest tear-down. 

Sky-high prices remain at the top of the market, 

but lower-end houses in all of the Hamptons – those 

under $5m – have languished. Properties in the 

$10-15m category can see a 15–20 per cent 

reduction from 2007. ‘Th roughout the area buyers 

are taking longer to commit,’ says Fritzi Kallop, a 

managing director at Brown Harris Stevens. 

Ambivalent buyers are more likely to rent for a 

season or two before purchasing an important 

property, one reason why the 2011 rental season 

promises to be a strong one. ‘So far it’s phenomenal,’ 

says Jane Gill, vice-president at real estate fi rm 

Saunders and Associates. 

Forty-Eight 

IMAGES�©�JAKE�RAJS��GORGDON�M��GRANT��PHOTOLIBRARY��SPLASHNEWS�COM

And while weekend traffi c along Route 27, the 

major road that connects Southampton with Montauk 

Point, hasn’t dropped from its pre-recession levels, 

some of the frenetic socialising has. Th e gridlocked 

main roads may be as much a reason for the party 

fall-off as the shrunken stock portfolios of the last few 

years. For those in Sagaponack and nearby towns who 

do venture forth on a weekend night (avoiding Route 

27 by taking the back roads), a favourite destination is 

Mirko’s, where billionaire regulars include Pete 

Petersen, Henry Kravis, Edgar Bronfman and 

Jonathan Tisch. Margaret Th atcher and the Clintons 

have also stopped by. In Easthampton, Nick & Toni’s 

has been a celebrity watering hole for years, drawing 

Hollywood A-listers like Steven Spielberg, Tom 

Hanks, and Brad Pitt. (A sure hot spot this summer is 

Nobu, just opened at Southampton’s Capri hotel.) 

You don’t need reservations for the local beaches, 

just a coveted parking permit. Th is being the 

Hamptons, celebrity sightings are common, as are 

weekend crowds. Sagaponack residents without 

shoreline property, who are looking for more privacy 

than the village beaches at Sagg Main and Gibson 

Lane provide, can apply for membership at the nearby 

Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club. Beachfront 

clubs like East Hampton’s Maidstone ( Jacqueline 

Kennedy Onassis’s paternal family, the Bouviers, were 

prominent members), and the Southampton Bathing 

Corporation, for decades a hangout for Fords, 

Murrays and McDonnells, are tough to crack with 

years-long waiting lists. 

Unlike most places even mega-money often had 

little traction at these blue-blood bastions, so new 

clubs sprouted to absorb plutocrats with no place to 

golf – the Atlantic in the early 90s, the Bridge and 

the Sebonack Golf Club in the last decade. Initiation 

fees are hefty, ranging from $600,000 to $1,000,000 

– fi gures that refl ect the cost of the Hampton acreage 

needed to carve out the golf links. 

Th e weak dollar of the last half-decade has 

brought a more eclectic crowd to the Hamptons. 

You’ll hear French, German and Italian accents 

ordering the $75-a-pound lobster salad at 

Sagaponack’s Loaves and Fishes or fresh peaches and 

white corn at Pike’s Farm Stand on Sagg Main Street. 

Argentinean polo whizz Nacho Figueras is renting in 

Sagaponack again this summer, says Jane Gill, who 

brokered the deal. Fritzi Kallop rents her house on 

East Hampton’s Further Lane to an English family 

each August for $120,000. 

Even with the overseas infl ux, the Hamptons are 

still largely a preserve of East Coast elites. ‘Th is is 

not an international resort like St Tropez,’ notes 

Steven Gaines – although you might think 

otherwise on summer weekends, when the 

population booms (to double, even quintuple its 

year-round size), the country lanes are clogged with 

Mercedes and Maseratis, and a fi lm festival’s worth 

of celebrities pop up at area restaurants. So much for 

the hope that the fi nancial hurricane of 2008 might 

have washed some of the fl ash and excess out to sea. 

Besides, nostalgia for an older, gentler countryside is 

hard to come by for anyone who bought on the East 

End in the last decade or two – many towns were 

glossed up by then. 

Fortunately, many long-time Sagaponack 

residents have similar memories of an alternative 

Hamptons. Fortunately, too, some newcomers, yearn 

for the times they never knew, for the Hamptons they 

see in faded pictures at local historical societies. Th ey 

want something more than a suburbanised resort 

town for their summer getaway. Both groups know 

that for Sagaponack, the cost of remaining a bucolic 

throwback increases each year. Land values will keep 

soaring. Th ose who want in will pay any admission 

price. Th e future of Sagaponack depends on who will 

be listening as big money continues to call. 

Forty-Nine 

SUMMER� 

CALENDAR� 

While the recession has 

reduced the number of benefi ts, 

here are the ones that bring out 

the area’s biggest names. 

��JULY 

parrish�art�museum�midsummer� 

party (www.parrishart.org, 

+1 631 283 2118, ext 33 or 42) 

A fund-raising event that mixes 

old-time blue bloods with the 

hedge-fund crowd. 

��JULY 

super�saturday�benefit�for� 

ovarian�cancer�research 

(www.ocrf.org) Established to 

honour the memory of former 

British Vogue and Harper’s 

Bazaar editor Liz Tilberis. More 

than 200 designers participate. 

��JULY 

summer�benefit�at�the�watermill� 

center�(www.watermillcenter.org, 

+1 212 253 7484 ext 10) This 

summer bash given by theatre 

and multimedia impresario 

Robert Wilson’s Watermill 

Center is an art world must. 

Miranda Richardson, Emily 

Mortimer and Calvin Klein 

a� ended last year’s event. 

��AUGUST 

southampton�hospital’s� 

annual�summer�party� 

(www.southamptonhospital.org, 

+1 631 726 8700 ext 3 or 7) Old 

Southampton and new come 

out to party for this local 

institution. Bushes, Buccellatis, 

and other big names aplenty! 

��AUGUST 

guild�hall�summer�gala 

(www.guildhall.org, +1 631 324 0806) 

draws starchitects, models, a 

sma� ering of Hollywood-in-the 

Hamptons regulars, and 

investment bankers to support 

East Hampton’s museum and 

John Drew theatre.

PRIVATTRAVEL 

ICE�SAFARI 

John Rendall, best known for his work in wildlife 

preservation in Africa, goes on a very diff erent 

wilderness adventure to Antarctica 

The late George Adamson was my 

introduction to wildlife 

preservation. My relationship with 

him began in Swinging London in the 

1960s when a fellow Aussie and I bought a 

lion cub called Christian in Harrods pet 

department, as you could in those days. He 

lived with us in our fl at and became famous 

among the Chelsea crowd, but when he got 

too big we took him to George, who had 

found fame with Born Free and the story of 

Elsa the lioness. George successfully 

reintroduced Christian to the wild, but 

when we visited him the following year he 

recognised us. Th e fi lm of him running 

towards us and not killing but kissing us 

made its way onto YouTube, where it has 

been watched by 100 million people. Th is 

was the start of a lifelong fascination with 

conservation for me, and I remain a trustee 

of the George Adamson Wildlife 

Preservation Trust. 

Because of my lion Christian and his 

rehabilitation by George Adamson, I had a 

privileged introduction to the wilderness 

areas of East Africa, where the vistas are so 

IMAGE�©�NATIONAL�GEOGRAPHIC

Above: a humpback 

whale surfaces in the 

Weddell Sea. 

Right: a leopard 

seal on an ice fl oe 

THE�HEROIC� 

AGE�OF� 

ANTARCTIC� 

EXPLORERS 

vast you can see the curvature of the earth and 

individual stars and galaxies can be clearly identifi ed 

without light pollution from cities. It was also an 

awakening to the sheer rawness of the survival and 

diversity of wildlife in Africa. It is a savage yet fragile 

balance, threatened by the demand on land for 

domestic farming, by disease and habitat degradation. 

Th ese threats are well recognised by an aware 

consensus of world opinion, facilitated by the relative 

ease of visiting the great National Parks of Africa. 

However, alarmingly similar threats are aff ecting the 

remotest wilderness area in the world, the Antarctic, 

which is not so easy to access, as it takes both far 

more commitment and time. 

However, when I was off ered the opportunity to 

visit I seized the chance of embarking on a more 

southerly safari. Th e most eff ective route is via Ushuaia, 

the southernmost city in the world and capital of 

Tierra del Fuego in Argentina. Th e city nestles at the 

1901–04 

Robin Falcon Sco� sailed in the Discovery, with Ernest 

Shackleton and Edward Wilson, to try and reach the 

South Pole. They reached 82º south but were defeated 

by snow-blindness and scurvy 

PRIVATTRAVEL 

Fifty-Two 

1907–09 

Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition, 

with Wild, Adams and Marshall, 

came within 97 miles of the Pole. 

Defeated when supplies ran out 

1911 

Roald Amundsen, with his dog teams, 

reached the Pole on 14 December. 

His well-equipped men included 

the Olympic skier Olav Bjaalard

Above right: 

a leopard seal 

hunting a penguin. 

Above far right: 

an albatross in 

eff ortless fl ight 

IMAGE�©�PHOTOLIBRARY 

1912 

Sco� ’s fi ve-man team reached the South Pole 

on 17 January, a month a� er Amundsen, but 

all died, including Captain Oates (of ‘I may be 

some time’ fame) and their ponies 

PRIVATTRAVEL 

southern tip of the Andes Mountains and was the 

departure port for my expedition organised by 

Antarctic and Arctic expedition specialists Angie 

Butler and Caro Mantella’s company, Ice Tracks. Th e 

town’s Wild West atmosphere, with its bustling 

chandlers and Antarctic travel outfi tters, is vibrant and 

colourful, with distinctive corrugated-iron buildings; 

the town grew up around its jail, where the most 

notorious Argentine criminals were once incarcerated. 

From this outpost it is a two-day voyage across 

the notoriously unpredictable Drake Passage to the 

Antarctic Peninsula. In the middle of the Passage you 

cross the Antarctic Convergence, where the nutrientrich 

Antarctic waters meet the more temperate waters 

of the South Atlantic. Here I saw my fi rst albatross 

and encountered the world of the krill, a 6cm 

shrimp-like creature which is the key to the survival 

of mammals, sea birds and indeed all life in the 

Antarctic. Crucially, it is a vital factor in carbon 

processing and the most prolifi c species on earth. 

My fi rst albatross was a glorious sight (no wonder 

the Ancient Mariner was cursed by his fellow crew 

members for shooting one), and I marvelled at the 

grace of its eff ortless fl ight. A wandering albatross can 

live for 60 years and weigh up to 85kg, and has the 

largest wingspan of any bird – over three metres. A 

tagged bird was once recorded as fl ying 25,000km in 

nine weeks. Th ere were also humpback and minke 

whales to escort my ship, the polar explorer Marina 

Svetaeva, crewed by stoical Russians, who seemed 

oblivious to the cold. However, the chef was 

1911–1914 

Mawson’s 

companions died 

while crossing 

George V Land 

1914–16 

Shackleton failed to make the fi rst transcontinental 

crossing of Antarctica. The Endurance was crushed by 

ice but Shackleton still managed to save the lives of 

all his men 

Fifty-Three 

Argentinian and the sous chefs were Filipino, so there 

wasn’t a bowl of borscht in sight for the 14-day trip. 

Because the Marina Svetaeva is strengthened for 

polar expeditions with a Lloyd’s 100-1-A rating, we 

were able to enter the Weddell Sea, smashing through 

the ice, while cathedral-sized icebergs drifted by. Th eir 

blue tinge is a refl ection from the water but it appears 

as if some giant brush has been used to paint stripes 

of cobalt through the crevices. Each iceberg was a 

sculpture, each worthy of a portrait but impossible to 

do justice to with a camera. Th is is where so many 

dramas of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration 

were played out, notably Robert Falcon Scott’s 

doomed expedition. Angie Butler is an expert on this 

era and her talks, which are an integral part of the 

voyage, reveal the tragedies, errors of judgement and 

the often poor planning of these expeditions, which 

were then the equivalent of space exploration. 

As dramatic as the history was, it was the animals 

I had come to see. Th e most exhilarating but 

shockingly savage highlight of any safari in Africa is 

to witness a lion kill, to observe the very process of 

survival by a species, when a pride of lion successfully 

stalk, kill and devour their prey. It is a well-planned 

attack, with the lions working together as a team to 

secure the future of the whole pride, including the 

vulnerable cubs. I have witnessed many and have 

never ceased to be amazed by the violence and drama, 

but nothing prepared me for the shock of witnessing 

a leopard seal killing a gentoo penguin in the Weddell 

Sea. Here there was no visible plan or warning of an 

1922 

The Quest expedition 

ended prematurely with 

the death of Shackleton 

on South Georgia

In the Zodiac I came 

close enough to a humpback 

whale to realise it had 

very bad halitosis 

attack – just a sudden surge from the water and a 

snapping of jaws, which left the penguin no escape. 

Adding to the intensity of the drama was the fact that 

I was so close, because each day we left the ship with 

a guide in infl atable Zodiac boats, which took us onto 

the shore or the ice. 

Penguins are unafraid of people, and the chicks, 

waiting patiently for their parents to return from 

fi shing, pecked hopefully at our legs. But as sweet as 

they look, I hadn’t expected the smell! Of course it 

makes sense when you see the piles of guano around 

them and their rudimentary nests consisting of a few 

stones pushed together. Th ere are over 20 diff erent 

species of penguin but only two, the emperor (the 

stars of the movie Happy Feet) and the Adélie, live 

their whole lives in the Antarctic; the others are 

migratory, only visiting the Antarctic to breed. 

Th e other unexpected smell was from a humpback 

whale. In the Zodiac I was close enough to a blowing 

humpback to realise it had very bad halitosis! It was 

also at least twice as long as the Zodiac, and I was 

relieved we never got so near the southern blue whale, 

which is the size of a Boeing 747, weighs up to 190 

tons, and eats 3,600kg of krill a day. Th e largest ever 

recorded was 33.6m. It has been estimated that over 

two million whales have been killed in the Southern 

Ocean and that the remaining population represents 

only fi ve per cent of that number. Other animals have 

been successfully protected, however. 

PRIVATTRAVEL 

Demand for seal fur reduced the Antarctic fur seal 

to just 30 pairs on Bird Island, near South Georgia, at 

one point, but today there are three to four million thanks 

to their protected status, established by the Antarctic 

Treaty. However seals, like all the other wildlife in the 

Antarctic, are still threatened by overfi shing, drift nets 

and long lines, lead sinkers and fi sh hooks, collision 

with ships, oceanic fl otsam and oil spillage. It is a 

formidable list. I feel strongly that if more of the 

world’s movers and shakers were to see (and smell) 

these animals in their natural habitat then awareness 

could be raised, which is the reason I wanted to write 

about Antarctica in this magazine. Of course many, 

including the Prince of Wales, do take a keen interest. 

My return crossing of Drake Passage was 

dramatically diff erent from my gently rolling outward 

journey. We were caught in a force 10 gale. Winds 

rose to 60 knots and 17-metre waves crashed over the 

ship. It gave me a better understanding of the disasters 

suff ered by the heroic-age explorers. Antarctica was 

my seventh continent and it has changed the way I see 

the world. See it for yourself and help save it. 

Fifty-Four 

Clockwise from 

left: the remains of 

an iceberg; Rendall’s 

mothership, the 

Marina Svetaeva, 

braves the Weddell 

Sea; ‘paparazzi’ 

capture a whale 

surfacing beside the 

Zodiac; an emperor 

penguin chick poses 

TRAVEL�FACTS 

John travelled to Antarctica 

with Ice Tracks, a boutique 

Antarctic and Arctic expedition 

specialist company founded by 

Carolina Mantella and 

heroic-age authority and author 

Angie Butler, which operates in 

conjunction with One Ocean 

expeditions, a full member of 

the International Association of 

Antarctic Tour Operators. 2011/ 

2012 expeditions start on 28 

November, through to mid- 

March 2012. The prime One 

Ocean Suite is $18,000 but 

private charters for the whole 

ship are also available (rates by 

negotiation), contact Angie 

Butler, www.ice-tracks.com 

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PRIVATRESORT 

RELAX�AND�UNWIND� 

Celestria Noel reviews Maradiva, a new luxury 

retreat on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius 

The Indian Ocean is home to three 

major luxury destinations, the Maldives, 

the Seychelles and Mauritius. Each can 

supply sun, sand and sea, as well as levels of 

service that have made the Caribbean struggle to 

keep pace. But Mauritius, a big island as opposed 

to an archipelago, has an added ingredient in its 

culture and history. Th e island, having been 

discovered by the Portuguese, who did not stay, 

then became French, with slave labour brought 

in from East Africa, and fi nally British, with 

workers from India, before gaining its 

independence. Th e resulting mix is by and large 

successful and happy. Mauritians may be of 

European descent or Indian, African or a 

mixture of all three. Th e law means that all must 

be fairly represented in the government. Almost 

all speak a French-based Creole among 

themselves but also speak both English and 

Fifty-Seven 

French. Th e result is an island which is well 

suited to global hospitality. 

In practice many of the most successful 

entrepreneurs on the island today are of Indian 

descent. One of these, Sanjiv Ramdanee, decided 

that he would like to establish a Mauritianowned 

luxury resort that was not part of a 

multinational group and never would be. What’s 

more, he decided to locate the resort, Maradiva 

Resort Villas & Spa, on the west coast, where 

many of the island’s wealthiest families have 

homes. It is near the island’s smartest golf course 

and an old established sailing club, where most 

of the members are what is known locally as 

Franco-Mauritian. By contrast most of the 

island’s well-known and long-established grand 

hotels, such as the One and Only Le St Géran 

and the Royal Palm, are clustered along the 

scenic north-east coast.

�� 

�� 

�� 

�� 

��

Th e most obvious benefi t of looking westwards is 

of course the sunset, but in addition the coastline is 

fl atter on the west coast, providing a sweeping beach, 

and a shallow, calm lagoon, with a small reef half a 

mile out. Th ere is more elbow room on this coast, 

allowing the all-villa hotel a huge 27-acre site with 

only 65 villas on it. Th e grounds have been 

exceptionally well landscaped, with carefully 

thought-out vistas, and it will improve as it matures. 

Th e villas have been sited so that they off er privacy, 

but most back onto a grassy space through which you 

can wander down to the tree-lined shore. If you want 

extreme privacy there are several villas with garden 

walls, but most gardens are open to the beach. 

Nevertheless my plunge pool (big enough for lengths) 

was secluded enough for a morning dip au naturel. 

At the beach, even during a time of high 

occupancy (I went in the Christmas holidays), there 

were always plenty of places to park oneself in 

comfort and well away from anyone else. Th e beach 

is not technically private, but hawkers, all too 

familiar in the Caribbean, are few and far between 

in this out of the way spot. Th ere are, however, one 

or two people to watch as they ride by on horses, 

which the hotel can organise for guests if desired. 

A typical dinner was 

smoked marlin with palm 

heart tartare or coconut 

heart salad with white 

truffle or maybe seared 

prawns with taro leaves 

PRIVATRESORT 

Th e hotel’s water sports are 

concentrated at one end of the 

beach but were hardly intrusive 

anyway. I never heard a single 

jet-ski or speedboat all week. 

As with any new resort there 

have been teething problems with 

some inexperienced staff in the 

lower echelons. For this rarefi ed 

level the service was not quite there 

yet, a fact that was acknowledged 

and is being dealt with. Th e staff with whom you actually interacted on the 

other hand, such as the bar staff and waiters, were all top-notch, friendly 

and smiling but not in-your-face. Th e breakfast staff always remembered 

preferences and gave one a warm welcome. Breakfast, incidentally, included 

a cabaret of very tame birds eating the leftover fruit. 

Th ere are two restaurants, the more formal and enclosed Cilantro, 

where the food is pan-Asian, and the all-day Coast2Coast, open-sided and 

on the beach, next to the bar by the main pool. Th e food was outstanding 

with a French chef using many local ingredients. I hate to use the muchabused 

word fusion – the food is more French than that – but neither is it 

bland international luxury cuisine. A typical dinner was smoked marlin with 

palm heart tartare, or coconut heart salad with white truffl e, velouté of roast 

and smoked pumpkin, followed by seared prawns with taro leaves, or stewed 

lamb. Th e pumpkin soup, which was outstanding, and the lamb are French 

comfort food – not really what you immediately think of eating by the 

Indian ocean. However the mixture worked surprisingly well as, spoilt 

though it sounds, you can get seafood fatigue – though I can usually force 

myself to eat more lobster. Th e wine list is predominately French but there 

are New World and South African choices. South Africa is not far away, in 

fact racehorses from there are shipped over to race at the track in Port 

Louis, the island’s capital, in SA’s off season. 

Fifty-Nine 

Previous spread: 

the infi nity pool at 

Maradiva. 

Top: each villa has 

its own pool just 

outside the bedroom. 

Left: there is plenty 

of room on the treefringed 

beach. 

Middle: each huge 

bathroom also has a 

private outdoor area

You can in theory ask for a light diet, as recommended by 

the spa’s ayurvedic practitioner, but hedonistic wellbeing is 

more Maradiva’s style than serious destination-spa detoxing. 

Th e spa element is best treated as an all-round relaxation 

experience. For instance, the yoga classes are fi ne but not of the 

calibre you would expect at a dedicated yoga retreat. Th e spa 

has its own building with a pool and tranquil treatment rooms. 

It off ers a range of treatments, massages, wraps and facials, 

mainly with an Asian feel and some specifi cally ayurvedic, and 

designed to be healing as well as pure beauty treatments. Th e 

staff were both male and female, and all experienced and 

intelligent, and mercifully not too chatty. Th ey were fl exible 

about changes of plan and the whole thing ran effi ciently to 

time, without you ever feeling hurried. 

Resorts like Maradiva tend to be self-contained but there are 

plenty of excursions to be had, either taking a boat down the very 

beautiful coast – perfect for the late afternoon, with the sun 

setting in the direction of Africa on your right and the coastal 

plain, with mountains behind, to the left. Not far away is a busy 

fi shing port and in the opposite direction the lively small town of 

Flic en Flac, with bars and shops. Th e capital, Port Louis, whose 

colonial centre survives, along with a fort overlooking the 

harbour, is about 45 minutes away. You can see the last poor dodo, 

stuff ed and in a museum, and shop in a vast covered market, and 

there are some good restaurants, especially Chinese and Indian. 

Ramdanee sees Maradiva as more contemporary in style 

than some of the existing hotels of the island, more relaxed with 

its all-villa plan and suitable for sophisticated families and 

individuals from Europe but also from India, Russia and the 

PRIVATRESORT 

Top: the hotel’s 

Presidential Villa. 

Above: the spacious 

spa has tranquil 

treatment rooms 

Sixty 

Th e all-villa concept attract s 

sophist icated families from 

India, Russia and the Gulf 

Gulf, which is not very far. Ramdanee aims to off er the sort of 

service and fl exibility that he thinks only a privately owned 

resort, run on an individual basis, can really provide. Having said 

that, it is not over the top – butlers are confi ned to the top-of-the 

range villas, for example, though other staff will do their best to 

give you anything you need. You don’t have to dress up much, but 

a fashionable element was injected while I was there by the 

presence of a pop-up boutique, an outpost of Clickini.com. Its 

elegant Irish founder, Jonathan McKeever, sells designer dresses 

and cover-ups online as well as swimwear. He found that wealthy, 

fashion-conscious local women come to shop at Mauritius’s 

upmarket hotels; Port Louis boutiques do not run to Heidi Klein 

so the fi ve-stars are centres of sophistication on the island. 

However Mauritius is becoming an ever more popular 

destination for the super rich. Th e recent opening of YU Lounge 

(www.yulounge.com), a dedicated full-service private terminal at 

the airport, by GAM (General Aviation Mauritius) refl ects the 

growing popularity of Mauritius for users of private aviation. Th e 

timely arrival of Maradiva on the scene gives the island, best 

known for its somewhat stately hotels, a new string to its bow. 

Celestria Noel travelled as a guest of Air Mauritius and To Escape To, 

who specialise in Africa, the Indian Ocean and South America; 

www.toescapeto.com

TIMELESS STYLE 

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE 

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Jean-Mairet & Gillman unveils its UK 

brand ambassador, international England cricketer Stuart Broad 

JEAN-MAIRET�&�GILLMAN��JMG��IS 

proud to introduce its UK brand ambassador, 

international England cricketer Stuart Broad, 

who will represent the exclusive watch brand here. 

Cricket is a gentleman’s sport, a perfect synergy 

for a high-profi le watch brand renowned for its 

sophisticated gentlemen’s timepieces. 

Stuart originally started his career as an opening 

batsman, following in the footsteps of his father 

Chris, the former England opener and current ICC 

match referee. Stuart was a vital member of the 

victorious 2009 Ashes squad, and was Man of the 

Match in the deciding Test at the Oval, with fi gures 

of 5/37. His bowling was also pivotal to England’s 

World Cup victory at the 2010 ICC T20 tournament. 

In August 2010 Stuart and Jonathan Trott put on 

332 runs for the 8th wicket – a world record – fi rmly 

establishing Stuart as a genuine all-rounder. 

JMG president Uday Nayak, while offi cially 

launching the luxury brand in the UK market, 

commented: “Stuart Broad has a strong appeal, 

not only in the UK but at a global level as well. In 

a striking similarity to the JMG brand, he comes 

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elegant style and all-round fi nesse – all of which are 

hallmarks of the JMG brand. We are thrilled at the 

prospect of working with Stuart.” 

In response Stuart Broad commented: “I am 

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timepieces are stylish and unique and I look forward 

to a successful relationship.” 

Th e Jean-Mairet & Gillman brand, founded in 

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heritage of its founder, Cesar Jean-Mairet. Th e 

product lines are classic yet contemporary and 

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Continentes Côtes de Genève, £15,650.

PRIVATFASHION 

TURKISH�DELIGHT 

Istanbul, where Europe and Asia meet, is the ideal 

place to celebrate the orientalist mood pervading 

this season’s designer styles 

Black blouse by Sasha Moon; 

long printed skirt by Erdem 

at matchesfashion.com; 

necklace and headpiece 

by Pebble London; golden 

cuff s and long neck chain by 

Chanel; headscarf by Yves 

Saint Laurent Vintage

PRIVATFASHION 

Him: black jacket by Paul 

and Joe; white co� on shirt 

by Martin Margiela at 

brownsfashion.com; 

black trousers by Dior; 

embroidered belt by 

Pebble London 

Sixty-Four 

Her: black jacket by DKNY; piqué shirt 

by Alexander McQueen; printed-silk 

trousers by Dries Van Noten at 

brownsfashion.com; bracelets and big 

necklace by Pebble London; pendant 

by Lanvin; headscarf by Paul Smith at 

my-wardrobe.com

Printed jumpsuit and 

headscarf by Halston at 

my-wardrobe.com; golden 

sandals and chain by Chanel; 

bracelets and big necklaces 

by Pebble London; scarf 

around shoulders by Lo�

Chiff on blouse by Chanel; co� on trousers 

by Lanvin at matchesfashion.com; 

big golden pendant and necklace by 

Pebble London; small neck chain and 

black cuff by Chanel; headscarf by 

Burberry at brownsfashion.com

Him: blue co� on shirt by John 

Varvatos; embroidered cardigan by 

Kolor at brownsfashion.com; so� -wool 

trousers by Lanvin; embroidered 

slippers by Roberto Cavalli; ring and 

necklace by Pebble London 

Her: printed-silk dress by Adam at 

brownsfashion.com; blue bolero by 

Marni at brownsfashion.com; strapped 

heels by Sophie Gi� ins; headscarf by 

Gucci at matchesfashion.com; 

jewellery by Pebble London 

PRIVATFASHION 

Sixty-Seven 

photographer Ayten Alpun / stylist Nino Bauti / photographer’s� 

assistants Liana Kesenci and Kubra Alptekin / hair Huseyin Aydin 

/ make-up Hamiyet Akpınar / retouching Liana Kesenci / female� 

model�Goksun Cam / male�model Aristotelis/Ice Models 

the�location�Photography in this feature took place at the Hotel 

Les O� omans, an exquisitely restored 18th-century waterfront 

residence, now one of the most luxurious and exclusive hotels in Turkey, 

tel: +90 212 359 1500, info@leso� omans.com, www.leso� omans.com 

special�thanks�to Seda Consulting Limited. Seda Consulting 

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businesses aiming to expand their brand recognition in the UK, 

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PRIVATJEWELS 

Gems are back at the heart of contemporary 

high jewellery, says Vivienne Becker, and 

the bigger the better 

new mood has crept up on the high jewellery world, 

a renewed focus on important, ultra-precious and 

rare gemstones that delivers a fresh power and 

purity of statement and design. Th is is almost like 

a cleansing of the palette, a breathing space after 

the onslaught of wild, almost delirious colour 

and creativity that produced complicated and 

complex narrative high-jewellery designs of almost 

unprecedented fl amboyance. 

Now the trend towards ‘slow design’ – something 

pure and peaceful and essential – has joined forces 

with the prevailing preoccupation with the signifi cant 

gemstone as a traditional, safe store of wealth, to 

redirect attention in high jewellery onto spectacular, 

precious stones. Th is in eff ect marks a return to the true 

essence of high jewellery; although, where once the 

conventional, rather dowdy cluster was unassailable, 

now the hero-gem is showcased within a fresh, 

contemporary splendour, in settings that are classic 

but modernised, technically advanced, light and fl uid, 

designed and engineered to show stunning and rare 

gems to perfection. 

66.4 carat rare blue Paraiba 

tourmaline maline and diamond 

necklace lace by Harry Winston

PRIVATJEWELS 

Seventy 

Left: two- and four-stack diamond and 

yellow gold Ice Cube rings by Chopard. 

Below left: mandarin garnet and pink 

spinel ring set with diamonds in 

platinum by Harry Winston 

Beverly Hills-based Robert Procop, whose new venture, 

Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels, is based entirely on 

extraordinary, important gems, explains: ‘Recession or boom, 

there is always demand for important gems as hard assets for 

investment. With gemstones, there is an element that will 

appreciate, and in recent years this demand has escalated; today 

there is an even greater opportunity for the investor, as some 

depressed markets are selling at the same time as emerging 

markets are in growth. Th ese are very active times.’ 

His speciality and passion has been coloured diamonds, 

which are enjoying unprecedented popularity and value growth, 

but he sees too that interest in coloured stones, fi ne emeralds, 

rubies and sapphires is also escalating. Th is he attributes to 

a greater transparency and regulation in the coloured-stone 

industry, to better classifi cation by gemological laboratories, to 

education, understanding, trust and confi dence. 

It is true that important gems have always been perceived 

as tangible assets, a safe haven in troubled economic times and 

political turmoil, easily portable, the most highly concentrated 

form of intrinsic value. But what is diff erent today is not only the 

size and rarity of the stones in greatest demand, but also the level 

of in-depth, informed connoisseurship that is shaping a very real 

and discerning, rather than speculative, market, and the way in 

which this return to the purity of precious stones is inspiring a 

new generation of elegant, low-key, refi ned but resonant designs. 

Procop believes that ‘every stone has a mission of its own. 

Fine stones don’t need enhancement, they need a sculptural frame. 

It is not about any particular direction, but a mount worthy of 

the stone.’ In the Style of Jolie collection, a collaboration with 

Angeline Jolie, to benefi t her charity, Education Partnership for 

Children in Confl ict, Procop has set superb emeralds, rich golden 

citrines, shimmering green beryls and voluptuous rubellites in 

contemporary generously rounded frames of yellow or rose gold, 

or in the distinctive geometric square or rectangular “tablet” style 

favoured by Jolie, inspired by ancient engraved stone tablets. 

A stunning necklace is designed as a stream of 44 spectacular, 

cushion-cut emeralds, of a bright vivid green, immaculately 

matched, each wrapped in its rolled frame of yellow gold, a worldclass 

collection of gems in a setting of low-key, contemporary 

opulence. Other high-profi le gems in Procop’s Exceptional 

Jewels collection include a staggering 223 carat Sri Lankan blue 

sapphire, in a silky, mesmerising royal blue, the colour of nobility 

and contemplation, and a natural 70 carat emerald that Procop 

considers to be truly unique in the marketplace today.

Right: line diamond bracelet by 

Leviev and diamond ring by Cartier. 

Below right: 24.04 carat round 

diamond ring by Graff 

Th e return to the concept of embellishing or dressing an 

important stone also turns the spotlight back onto the world’s 

great classical jewellers, for whom the stone has always been the 

main event: Graff , Leviev, Moussaieff , Harry Winston and the 

more recently established Sotheby’s Diamonds, a joint venture 

between Sotheby’s and diamantaire Steinmetz, with talented New 

York designer-jeweller James de Givenchy as creative director. 

Last year, in New York and Washington, Harry Winston 

returned to its roots with the launch of a modern-day Court of 

Jewels, a collection of sensational diamonds and coloured gems, 

revitalising Winston’s original 1950s Court of Jewels travelling 

charity exhibition that sparked a new great age of the diamond. 

Th e message, now as then, is clear: Harry Winston jewellery is 

all about the stone. To prove the point, the highlight of last year’s 

Court of Jewels was the legendary blue Hope Diamond, famed 

for its supposed curse, and for its colourful journey through 

history, from the Indian mines of Golconda to the Court of Louis 

XIV, and later to Cartier and the ill-fated heiress Evalyn Walsh 

McClean, and fi nally into the hands of Harry Winston. For the 

recreated Court of Jewels, the Hope made a rare appearance in 

New York, at the Winston salon, in its new lyrical entwined ribbon 

setting, of white diamond baguettes, Embracing Hope, chosen 

from three options by the American public. 

Th e Hope will be shown in the new setting at the Smithsonian 

Museum, Washington, its permanent home, having been gifted 

to the nation by Harry Winston in 1958. At the end of this year, 

the Hope will be removed and replaced by another stone and the 

necklace sold to benefi t the new Harry Winston Hope Foundation, 

aiding education and philanthropic initiatives. Alongside the Hope, 

highlights of the Court of Jewels included the 71.73 carat Lesotho 

I diamond, the Star of Bengal ruby, a rare 66.40 carat Paraiba 

tourmaline and diamond necklace, a 15 carat D Flawless diamond 

briolette, and a superlative 30 carat Kashmir sapphire ring. 

No one understands the compelling beauty of gems like 

Laurence Graff , founder of the House of Graff . For Graff , 

fabulous jewels are and have always been all about the stone, 

and he has always shown a single-minded dedication to creating 

jewels that allow his hand-selected gems to shine, pure and 

perfect. Th is year, the House of Graff adds the Graff Pink 

to the long list of historic stones that have passed through 

Laurence Graff ’s hands. Th e Graff Pink is a limpid, lustrous 

pink diamond of 23.88 carats, bought for a record price 

last autumn at Sotheby’s in Geneva and now subtly 

repolished to perfect its clarity and enhance the colour, 

PRIVATJEWELS 

Seventy-One

PRIVATJEWELS 

Seventy-Two 

Left: 282 carat pink sapphire and 

8.5 carat diamond white and rose 

gold bracelet by Chopard. 

Below left: emerald and diamond 

earrings by Graff and emerald and 

diamond necklace by Moussaieff 

from intense to vivid (the top colour grade), set into a pink gold 

and white diamond ring. Th is delectable, deeply emotive stone 

is emblematic of today’s unrelenting quest by gem connoisseurs 

for the truly unique. To add to its allure, the Graff Pink is type 

IIA, the classifi cation given to diamonds from the ancient 

famous and fabled Golconda mines in India. Graff talks of the 

diamond’s unique natural beauty, the breathtaking intensity of 

the sugar pink saturation that he dared to enhance to reach the 

absolute perfection he always craves; he believes it is the fi nest 

pink diamond he has ever seen. 

Leviev, with boutiques in London, New York, Moscow, 

Dubai and Singapore, off ers some of the world’s rarest and 

most stupendous diamonds, with a speciality of exquisitely 

refi ned coloured diamonds and extraordinary white diamonds, 

always D Flawless, mostly over 10 carats, exceedingly rare and, 

according to Leviev, getting rarer all the time. Leviev mines 

and manufacturers a sizeable chunk of the world’s diamond 

supplies, and takes the top one per cent of stones for its own 

brand. Th e investment element in such stones is, they say, a given. 

Th e stones are composed into contemporary classic designs, the 

coloured diamonds often clustered into audacious multicoloured 

compositions: a fl oral cluster ring, centred on a fancy vivid 

orange heart-shaped diamond of 1.08 carats, surrounded by 

seven pear- and marquise-cut coloured diamonds of diff erent 

hues, pink, yellow and blue. A pair of 11 carat fancy intense pink 

pear-shaped diamonds, of 5.61 and 5.29 carats are hung from 

square emerald cut white diamonds, each over two carats, to 

create a staggering pair of drop earrings. 

For Alisa Moussaieff , of Moussaieff Jewellers of London 

and Geneva, the diamond or coloured stone is always the 

starting point. She is known as one of the leading diamond 

dealers in the world, but superb coloured stones, and especially 

emeralds, also share the diamond’s limelight in her most recent 

creations. One of the latest compositions, a dramatic necklace, 

follows the silhouettes of a river of drop-shaped emeralds, 

cradling each divinely coloured stone in an undulating wave of 

pavé diamonds, hung at the side with a lush tassel of briolette 

diamonds and emerald drops; the necklace is set with a total of 

166.64 carats of emeralds and 134.01 carats of diamonds. 

Today, high jewellery is all about the stone: the stone as hero, 

investment and inspiration; it’s about the quest for the ultimate 

rarity, the ultimate possession. As Robert Procop says, it’s the 

ultimate treasure hunt. s

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE 

THE STYLISH WAY TO SHOP 

VERSACE��CAVALLI��DOLCE�&�GABBANA��MISSONI�� 

Calvin Klein, Aspesi, Trussardi… the list of brands available 

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bordered with fl owers, children’s play areas and numerous cafés 

and restaurants where you can refuel. Pastel-coloured boutiques 

line the streets, enticing shoppers in with their sumptuous 

window displays. Although little temptation is needed to fl ex 

your plastic when discounts of 30–70 per cent are widely available 

throughout the stores. 

A�WHIRL�OF�A�TIME 

What better way to complement the grand city of Vienna with 

its compact centre of magnifi cent architecture, stunning parks, 

operas and fi ne art than with a shopping spree to Designer Outlet 

Parndorf, which lies just outside the city centre. It is home to over 

Discerning fashionist as seeking high-end designer labels 

make a beeline for McArthurGlen Designer Outlets 

IN�AUSTRIA 

Vienna: Designer Outlet 

Parndorf boasts vibrant, 

colourful buildings, inspired by 

the local Burgenland style, and 

is home to 600 designer brands. 

Salzburg: Designer 

Outlet Salzburg, with its 

magnifi cent glass-vaulted 

atrium, is adjacent to the city’s 

international W A Mozart 

airport and just 10 minutes 

from the city centre. 

IN�THE� 

NETHERLANDS 

Roermond: Created in 

harmony with its rich, historic 

setting, Designer Outlet 

Roermond is located just 30 

minutes from Dusseldorf and is 

open seven days a week.

IN�ITALY 

Florence and Tuscany: 

Inspired by the architecture 

of the noble Renaissance villas 

of Mugello, the Barberino 

Designer Outlet is only 30 

minutes from Florence. Th e 

beautiful River Sieve fl ows 

through the centre with a 

series of footbridges connecting 

the stores. 

Milan and Portofi no: 

Nestled in the heart of the 

Piemonte region, Serravalle 

Designer Outlet with its 

striking Ligurian architecture 

off ers more than enough choice 

to entice any shopper. 

Naples and the Amalfi Coast: 

La Reggia Designer Outlet 

boasts a neoclassical Bourbon 

style. Just a 45-minute drive 

from the centre of Naples, 

it is also easily reached from 

Caserta and Salerno, the Amalfi 

Coast, Capri and Sorrento. 

Venice: With its mosaics and 

frescos, luxury lies at the heart 

of the exquisite Veneto Designer 

Outlet. Th e palazzos of Venice 

are just 45 minutes away. 

Rome: Located just 30 minutes 

south of one of the most exciting 

and romantic capitals in the 

world, Castel Romano Designer 

Outlet off ers spectacular views 

of the Tyrrhenian Sea. 

600 designer brands, including some of fashion’s biggest names: 

Zegna, Belstaff , Tommy Hilfi ger… Alternatively just 10 minutes 

from Salzburg city centre the Designer Outlet Salzburg off ers a 

mix of top designer, high street and sports brands, such as Hugo 

Boss, Strenesse and Jil Sander as well as a full range of cafés and 

restaurants, and a children’s crèche. 

LA�DOLCE�VITA 

Home to some of fashion’s most revered designers, Italy is 

synonymous with style, elegance and glamour and as such is a 

popular destination for well-heeled travellers. With fi ve designer 

outlets: Naples, Milan, Rome, Florence and Venice, 

McArthurGlen’s Italian outlets abound with sumptuous brands 

such as Valentino, Brioni and Sergio Rossi. Th eir proximity to 

Italy’s most inspiring cities, as well as their stunning architecture 

and leafy settings, ensure they provide a great day out for style 

hunters and families alike. 

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

DUTCH�DELIGHT 

Meanwhile for those travelling in the Netherlands, the Roermond 

Designer Outlet is ideally located in the Dutch province of 

Limburg, between Dusseldorf and Maastricht. Th is superb 

shopping destination – favoured by fashion savvy shoppers in the 

Netherlands, Germany and Belgium – is teeming with brands such 

as Hugo Boss, Escada and Dolce & Gabbana. And unlike most of 

its more traditional contemporaries, it’s open seven days a week. 

GETTING�THERE 

All the shopping centres – McArthurGlen has 20 Designer 

Outlets in nine diff erent countries – can be easily reached by 

taxi, private transfer from your hotel or by regular shuttle buses 

from the nearby city centres, and if you’re arriving by car there’s 

ample parking at all the outlets. 

For more information on how to get to a McArthurGlen Designer Outlet 

and what is on off er at each centre, visit mcarthurglen.com 

WHERE�TO�SHOP 

AUSTRIA 

Designer Outlet Salzburg 

1 Kasernenstrasse, Wals-Himmelreich, Salzburg 

Designer Outlet Parndorf 

Designer Outlet Straße 1, Parndorf 

BELGIUM 

McArthurGlen Luxembourg 

199 Route d’Arlon, Messancy 

FRANCE 

McArthurGlen Roubaix 

44 Mail de Lannoy, Roubaix 

McArthurGlen Troyes 

Voie du Bois, Pont de Sainte Marie 

GERMANY 

Designer Outlet Berlin 

1 Alter Spandauer Weg, Wustermark, OT Elstal 

GREECE 

McArthurGlen Athens 

Building Block E71, Yalou, 19004 Spata 

ITALY 

Barberino Designer Outlet 

Via Meucci, Firenze, Barberino del Mugello, Florence 

Castel Romano Designer Outlet 

64 Via Ponte di Piscina Cupa, Castel Romano, Rome 

La Reggia Designer Outlet 

Strada Provinciale 336, Ex SS Sannitica, 

Marcianise, Naples 

Serravalle Designer Outlet 

1 Via della Moda, Serravalle Scrivia, Milan 

Veneto Designer Outlet 

Via Marco Polo 1, Noventa di Piave, Venice 

NETHERLANDS 

Designer Outlet Roermond 

2 Stadsweide, TD Roermond 

UK 

Ashford Designer Outlet 

Kimberley Way, Ashford, Kent 

Bridgend Designer Outlet 

Th e Derwen, Bridgend, South Wales 

Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet 

Kinsey Road, Ellesmere Port, South Wirral 

East Midlands Designer Outlet 

Mansfi eld Road, South Normanton, Derbyshire 

Livingston Designer Outlet 

Almondvale Avenue, Livingston, West Lothian 

Swindon Designer Outlet 

Kemble Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire 

York Designer Outlet 

St Nicholas Avenue, Fulford, York

REPETITION MINUTES This Badollet timepiece contains Calibre BAD1655, a manually-wound mechanical movement with a Swiss 

tourbillon-type lever escapement. Featuring rhodium-plated bridges and mainplate and gold coloured gear trains, this movement is enriched with a 

minute repeater mechanism that is activated by a slide at 9 o'clock. Once the slide is activated, the time is told by the sound of the hammers chiming in 

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T +44 (0)207 493 6767 

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R E P E T I T I O N M I N U T E S 

W W W . B A D O L L E T . C O M

PRIVATAIR 

A passion for our planet has inspired one of PrivatAir’s pilots, and, as Charlotte Pénet 

discovers, the airline is supporting his mission to raise awareness of climate change 

WHEN�THE�AVIATION�INDUSTRY�DECIDES�TO�FOCUS� 

on the environmental issue of climate change, one might not 

be blamed for wanting to fl ag the hint of a paradox. After 

all, air transport currently represents two per cent of manmade 

CO 2 emissions, according to the latest fi gures from the 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But some issues are 

too big to allow room for procrastination. Sometimes the only way 

forward is to open one’s mind, take the optimist’s view that every 

problem is an opportunity for a solution, and be inspired. 

Th is article is the story of one optimist, who was inspired to fi nd 

solutions on a local scale to a global problem that he just couldn’t ignore. 

It’s the story of myblueplanet, an organisation that is working its way 

into public consciousness across the whole of Switzerland, motivating 

people on a local level, on a daily basis, to reduce their CO 2 emissions. 

As a child, Daniel Lüscher, the founder of myblueplanet, 

always dreamed of being a pilot, inspired by his uncle, who worked 

for Swissair. Th ere are some people who need nothing more than 

that moment of inspiration to establish their goals; their drive and 

positive attitude does all the rest, propelling them to their 

SKY-BLUE GREEN 

Seventy-Nine 

destination. Well, if positive attitude were a form of energy that 

could be stored and used, Lüscher would be a very reliable source. 

He became a pilot in 1996 and currently works for PrivatAir. 

First mission accomplished, he was ready for new goals. 

From his seat in the cockpit, over the years Lüscher watched with 

growing concern the manifestations of climate change occurring 

down on the ground. Th e most noticeable and visible change was 

the ever-diminishing amount of snow cover. For a man who grew 

up spending all his winter evenings out on skis with friends, in the 

countryside near the small town of Appenzell, this change struck 

a chord. Over time he saw the snow cap shrink on the peak of 

Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. He watched the ice gradually melt 

around the southern tip of Greenland. Th e red lights of climate 

change were fl ashing at him from all sides. A pilot is trained to 

assess risk and to change course immediately in the face of danger 

or even the possibility of danger. Faced with the view of a world 

teetering off balance, Lüscher simply had to act. 

Th e moment of no turning back came on a stopover in New 

York, when he saw the Al Gore documentary on global warming,

An Inconvenient Truth. He was already 

attuned to the message. What hit home were 

the undeniable facts, and the call to action. 

He decided his own fi rst step towards change 

had to be big. He decided that a fi lm that was 

so convincing about the need to change our 

ways should be seen by as many people as 

possible. He had found the idea for his fi rst 

project: to bring An Inconvenient Truth to the 

cinema screen in his hometown of 

Winterthur for a whole week, for free. 

To make it happen, he needed a 

structure, some helping hands and minds. 

He pulled in three good friends, who 

together came up with a name, and 

myblueplanet was born. I could mention the 

challenges they faced to get that fi rst project 

off the ground, the diffi culty in getting funds, 

pulling in media interest, ensuring that on 

the fi rst day, the cinema would be full. But 

when Lüscher tells of the challenges, he talks 

about them with his contagious grin and his 

boundless energy and it’s easy to understand 

how he overcame them. He wasn’t working 

alone but every project needs a pilot and you 

sense that this pilot had his crew well and 

truly motivated. Over the week, 11,000 

people (one tenth of Winterthur’s population) 

saw An Inconvenient Truth. First mission 

for myblueplanet accomplished. 

Th e noise generated by this event had a 

snowball eff ect. Lüscher received calls from 

people interested in participating in 

myblueplanet. One was a local businessman 

keen to invest, but he needed to see a 

business plan. Business plan? You could say 

the team was fl ying by the seat of its pants 

at this stage. But when you have a group 

comprising experts in strategy, marketing 

and fi nance, as well as a professor in solar 

energy, that can be a productive way to fl y. 

Th e business plan was written, funds came 

in, two staff were recruited and myblueplanet 

started to spin. 

‘Th e aim is to show 

on a local scale what 

is possible on a global 

scale. Everyone 

involved can see 

the direct result 

of their efforts’ 

Th e set-up is simple and eff ective, the 

vision is clear. With the www.myblueplanet.ch 

website as the platform, a community of 

volunteers all working towards the protection 

of the environment was established in 2007 

and is constantly growing. Th e community is 

made up of individuals, companies, cities and 

organisations, all managed locally by 

‘bluepower teams’. Th ese teams organise 

actions that lead to a measurable reduction of 

CO 2 levels and increased awareness of 

climate change. ‘Th e aim is to show on a local 

scale what is possible on a global scale,’ says 

Lüscher. Th e clever part is that every person 

Eighty 

who has signed up to an action and shown 

they’ve completed it online, can see in real 

terms the actual reduction in CO 2 they’re 

directly responsible for. It enables each person 

to see that even a single, individual action 

makes a diff erence. ‘Everyone is a part of the 

solution,’ says Lüscher. ‘Th is is motivation 

spelled out in simple numbers. Th e overall 

goal is for Switzerland to be the fi rst 

industrial nation producing just one ton of 

CO 2 per person per year.’ 

Myblueplanet is a not-for-profi t 

organisation, with no political involvement 

nor aspirations. Th e reason for this? ‘You 

need short answers and easy steps,’ something 

politicians and large corporations struggle to 

provide, says Lüscher. ‘Nobody has any 

personal or fi nancial interest in the venture. 

Th is is paramount to generating public trust.’ 

With the organisation up and running, as 

for any business, communication became key. 

Explaining to people what can be done to 

reduce our impact on the environment is easy, 

the challenge lies in getting a reaction. Th e 

premise of myblueplanet is to send a positive 

message with an element of fun, not a 

guilt-inducing one. Imagine sitting on a train 

in December and being off ered a gift and a 

heartfelt thank-you from a Santa Claus 

dressed in blue, simply because you are using 

public transport. Th e people of Basel, Zurich 

and Winterthur have already experienced 

such a treat. Eva, the Swiss national 

newspaper cartoon character, is a corporate 

volunteer for myblueplanet. Every month her 

IMAGES�©�WWW�MYBLUEPLANET�CH

action plan is distributed across the blue cities 

via fl yers. People take the fl yer, complete the 

action and register the impact on the website. 

Th e success and the eff ectiveness of 

myblueplanet projects are evidence of the 

sound business minds working behind the 

scenes. Every action is handled with true 

professionalism: the idea is clever, the 

communication has impact, the logistics are 

fl awless, the action required from individuals 

is simple and fun. Th e momentum for 

myblueplanet is there. Th e motivation 

among the team is unwavering. And the 

fi gure on the site showing CO 2 reduction is 

going up and up. Plans are to translate the 

website into French, Italian and English, to 

reach all the cantons and people of 

Switzerland. It’s becoming a household 

name. When IBM in Switzerland were 

planning how to celebrate their 100th 

birthday, they chose myblueplanet as their 

partner. Th ey will be planting 50 trees in 

Zurich. Th e mission is ongoing. 

When the time burden of running such 

a project in parallel with a full-time job and 

a family life became unworkable, Lüscher 

spoke to Greg Th omas, the president and 

CEO of PrivatAir. Th e company’s contribution 

to myblueplanet is to allow Lüscher 

one week a month to focus on the project, 

with no reduction in pay. It’s no surprise 

then to hear Lüscher state in all honesty 

that he is proud to work for PrivatAir, who 

provide an outstanding example of 

corporate volunteering. 

As for the fact that Lüscher is a pilot, 

thus working for an industry that could be 

said to trivialise all his personal eff orts for 

CO 2 reduction, his take is, as ever, a positive 

one. He uses his job and his knowledge to 

make a diff erence in the air as well, where 

the potential for making an impact is 

signifi cant. Th ere are a number of ways to 

reduce the CO 2 burden of a fl ight: better use 

of tail wind, requesting the optimum fl ight 

altitude, shorter itineraries, better calculation 

of fuel needs and a reduction of excess 

on board, to name a few. He communicates 

this message among pilots and industry 

players and his myblueplanet credentials 

ensure that people listen. 

When faced with the undeniable reality 

of a world careering off balance, promising a 

future of uncertainty for our children and 

grandchildren, reactions vary. Th ere are those 

in denial, those who veer towards despair, 

then there are the cynics who decide that 

there’s no point in any individual doing 

anything about it. And then there are those 

like Lüscher: the optimists, the people of 

action, who just get on and take a fi rst step 

towards change, however big or small. His 

latest mission is one that probably has no 

end, because the overall outcome on the issue 

of global climate change cannot lie in the 

hands of one person. However the inspiration 

myblueplanet generates is immeasurable. 

Who knows how far it will go, who it will 

reach… Are you inspired? ‘We are all a part 

of the solution,’ says Lüscher. 

Eighty-One 

Previous page: 

Daniel Lüscher, the 

PrivatAir pilot who 

founded myblueplanet. 

This page from left 

to right: apprentices 

who combined fun with 

education at a two-day 

climate camp; swap your 

car for a bike to help 

cut carbon emissions; 

Graziella Rogers, 

Miss Earth Schweiz 

2009, plants a tree for 

myblueplanet 

��HIGHLIGHTS 

BIKE�FOR�CAR 

For one month, in exchange for 

their car keys, the people of 12 

cities across Switzerland get the 

free use of an e-bike. When 80 

people in Winterthur did it, fi ve 

sold their cars. The result just there 

was a CO reduction of 17 tons. 

2 

EVERY�CELL�COUNTS� 

On the myblueplanet website you 

can buy one or a number of solar 

cells that all add up towards the 

installation of solar panels in 

schools. The contractor doubles 

the amount raised. The revenue 

from excess energy is used for 

school environmental projects. 

CAMPS�FOR�APPRENTICES 

For two days, employers release 

the apprentices among their 

staff , who come and learn for 

free how to introduce green 

projects into their company. 

PLANT�A�TREE�FOR�THE�PLANET� 

Users of the website can click on 

a map to off er up space for a 

tree to be planted or can 

purchase a tree. Once those two 

steps are complete, the tree is 

delivered for free by the Post 

Offi ce and planted. The aim is for 

100,000 trees in 10 years.

PrivatAir 

– for high fl yers 

PRIVATAIR�HAS�BEEN at 

the forefront of private aviation 

for over 30 years, providing 

the world’s most demanding 

travellers with a comprehensive 

range of capabilities, delivered 

to the very highest standards of 

safety and personal service. 

Since its creation in 1977, 

the company has grown from 

being the corporate aircraft 

fl eet of the Latsis Group, 

a global conglomerate, to a 

world-renowned full-service 

commercial aviation operator. 

Today, PrivatAir is one 

of the private aviation 

industry’s longest-standing 

and most prestigious operators. 

Its global operations include 

both jet charter and private 

airline services. 

PRIVATE CHARTER 

PrivatAir’s charter services enable 

you to travel in total privacy, 

into and out of more than 5,000 

airports around the world. For 

over 30 years, the company has set 

the industry standard in operating 

aircraft of the highest quality and 

providing outstanding levels of 

service to our customers. 

Whether it’s chartering a 

Beechcraft 200 for a weekend 

family shopping break, or a 

PRIVATAIR 

PRIVATAIR 

Offering jet charter and private airline services, PrivatAir has been a 

leader in the field of luxury aviation for more than three decades 

Eighty-Two 

50-seat VIP-confi gured airliner 

for a three-week, round-the-world 

trip, PrivatAir off ers unrivalled 

international coverage, sourcing 

the best aircraft to match each 

passenger’s individual requirements. 

As such, our services are regularly 

sought by governments, royalty, 

celebrities and business executives 

the world over. 

PRIVATE AIRLINE SERVICES 

After pioneering the all-businessclass 

concept in 2002, PrivatAir 

now operates fl ights on behalf of a 

select number of commercial airlines 

who wish to off er their customers 

an exclusive service on key routes. 

PrivatAir also provides regularly 

scheduled corporate shuttle fl ights 

for companies that frequently need 

to send their employees or clients to 

specifi c destinations. 

SUPERIOR SAFETY 

AND SECURITY 

We operate to the most stringent 

standards of safety and security, far 

exceeding industry requirements. 

In 1998, PrivatAir became Europe’s 

fi rst airline whose quality system 

fulfi lled the IS0 9002 certifi cation 

standards for all its services; six 

years later we were the fi rst business 

aviation company awarded the 

prestigious IOSA certifi cation, the 

fi rst internationally recognised audit 

standards for safety. Th e company 

has also been awarded ETOPS 180 

minutes and FAA 129 Foreign Carrier 

approval, allowing us to off er the 

most direct routes across the Atlantic 

and Pacifi c Oceans, and unlimited 

operations to the US. PrivatAir is 

still one of only a handful of ad hoc 

commercial charter operators in the 

world with all these approvals.

A RACING MACHINE ON THE WRIST 

www.richardmille.com 

wolkoff-arnodin.com 

CALIBER RM 025 

CHRONOGRAPH DIVER’S WATCH 

Manual winding tourbillon movement 

Carbon nanofiber baseplate 

Chronograph (Column wheel in titanium) 

Power reserve : circa 50 hours 

Torque indicator 

Power reserve indicator 

Function indicator 

Variable inertia, free sprung balance with overcoil 

New in-line escapement design 

Fast rotating barrel 

(6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours) 

Winding barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion 

with central involute profile 

Barrel pawl with progressive recoil 

Modular time setting mechanism fitted against the case back 

Torque limiting crown 

Wheel based time setting system (back of the movement) 

Closure of the barrel cover using excentric screws 

Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case 

Bezel turning unidirectionally following ISO 6425 norm 

300 meter water resistant case in titanium and red gold

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE 

CHRONOGRAPH 

LE BRASSUS (VALLÉE DE JOUX) - SWITZERLAND - audemarspiguet.com

THE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2011 - PrivatAir

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