In our weekly series, we bring you the latest in luxury news around the world. This week’s highlights: Boucheron makes memories, Richard Mille’s mighty RM 17-02 Tourbillon, Bvlgari and Fender’s unexpected collaboration
The world’s first plug-in hybrid super SUV debuts in Singapore
If the Urus SE is Lamborghini’s big step towards full hybridisation, it is your answer to enjoying guilt-free luxury (for the most part), comfort and performance in one package. Based on the brand’s bestselling model, which launched in 2017, this new plug-in hybrid variant is equipped with a four-litre V8 engine and an electric motor, producing a combined output of 789hp and 940Nm of torque. That makes the SE the most powerful Urus ever, with true zero emissions capability, thanks to a 26.9kWh battery that allows the car to travel up to 60km on electricity alone. Yours for S$1,150,000 (without COE).
Franck Muller’s Long Island Evolution Master Jumper could be a winner at the GPHG
Franck Muller isn’t the ‘Master of Complications’ for nothing, having always pushed the boundaries of watchmaking, blending mechanical expertise with daring creativity. As a result of an unceasing quest for excellence, Franck Muller’s Long Island Evolution Master Jumper has earned a nomination in Men’s Complication at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). It is the result of four years of research and development, combining modern aesthetics and mechanical prowess to offer a new way to interpret time; the hours, minutes and date are indicated through a complex triple jumping complication.
The GPHG is currently exhibiting the nominated timepieces in Hong Kong, before moving on to Ho Chi Minh City, New York and Geneva, where the grand awards ceremony (13 November 2024) will be held.
Mandarin Oriental has plans for Mexico
Located in the heart of the Riviera Maya, the Mandarin Oriental Kanai will open sometime in 2028. Just 10 minutes from Playa del Carmen’s downtown, the luxury beachfront resort will be nestled within a secure, gated community, with a pristine jungle and protected mangrove reserve at its doorstep. Designed to reflect and respect the culture it’s surrounded by, the resort will feature 120 guest rooms and suites with private pools, offering seamless indoor-outdoor living and views of the Caribbean Sea. There will also be an all-inclusive spa inspired by Mexican traditions, and 50 branded residences equipped with access to a private resident-only beach club.
Boucheron makes memories
There’s nothing more precious than a memory. We agree, and so does Boucheron, as shown in the new Quatre 5D Memory ring. Inspired by water, Earth’s most precious resource, and the memories that have come with it, the 20-year-old Quatre ring is now a single capsule of three innovations: an audio artwork developed in collaboration with IRCAM (the French Institute for Acoustic/Music Research and Coordination); the score encapsulated within using 5D memory; and Glassomer, a silica glass with unique optical properties, to hold this message.
Richard Mille’s mighty RM 17-02 Tourbillon Titanium
If tradition and innovation are two things you greatly value, this manual-winding tourbillon might be the key to your heart. Constructed under extremely rigorous specifications, machined from grade five titanium, the RM 17-02 Tourbillon is as light as it is strong. A skeletonised architecture keeps the calibre’s elements close for rigidity, and optimal power transmission and distribution are ensured for the entire 70-hour power reserve. A torque-limiting crown is also in place, so as to prevent accidental overwinding.
Bvlgari and Fender’s unexpected collaboration
This partnership is unusual, sure, but it hardly sticks out like a sore thumb. Marking the 70th anniversary of Fender’s Stratocaster, an electric guitar that’s landed in legendary hands (think Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix), is a collaboration that’s music to the ears. A custom Stratocaster, featuring an ash body and rosewood fingerboard, will be matched with the Bvlgari Aluminium GMT x Fender Limited Edition, a golden-brown sunburst-dial watch based on a popular design from the ’90s. There will be 1,200 of these made, with only 70 offered with the guitar and 140 others with a bespoke guitar-style case.
In case you missed it:
Audemars Piguet introduces a new-generation forged carbon watch
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Leica goes against the grain once again with the M11-D
The Leica M11-D blends the tactile experience of film with the modern conveniences of digital photography.
