It’s Friday; it’s six o’clock in London. That means it’s time to down tools, pour yourself a drink and look back at what A Prodigal Week it has been.
Glass in hand? Let me offer you some canapés of news and views.
BUT FIRST
👑 Rolex will now sell you a pre-owned watch and our latest episode of Persiflage finds us dissecting the news in the name of downtrodden watch fans everywhere.
Listen in >
WATCHES
Smoking salmon
Proof, if proof were needed, of my ironclad theory that every sports watch looks better with a salmon dial: I give you this week’s hottest new watch, the Laurent Ferrier Tourbillon Grand Sport. Professional Watches reports:
What’s new, is the rather sublime combination of a grade 5 lightweight matte titanium case and integrated bracelet, with a richly textured salmon opaline gradient dial. Salmon-colored dials are not for everyone, but this particular execution is rather flawless. Combined with luminous teardrop-shaped indices and Assegai (lance-shaped) hands made of 18K/750 white gold and treated with a 210Pd ruthenium coating — it looks incredible.
It does indeed look incredible. And that bracelet is a wonder. Who needs a Royal Oak? Oh wait, there’s one little detail I forgot to mention:
The Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit is a regular model but production is limited to 15 timepieces per year. Retail is approximately $175K+.
Also worth your time
IWC celebrates Chinese New Year: “The Portugieser Automatic 40 ‘Chinese New Year’ is a limited edition of 500 pieces, each with design cues that honor the Year of the Rabbit with elegance and whimsy.”
Seiko Prospex Speedtimer introduced: “It’s based on the black stopwatches that were used to keep time at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics.”
Children’s clock company sued by Rolex: “Rolex lawyers have written to Oyster & Pop saying people would link the educational clocks with the brand's Oyster Perpetual watches.”
CARS
EV does it
You may not expect to find us celebrating a camper fan in the pages of The Prodigal Guide and yet here we are. I love the whimsy of the ID Buzz. And now it seems What Car? agrees, crowning it ‘Car of the Year’. Autocar reports:
The ID Buzz – which invokes the looks of the iconic VW Type 2 camper van of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, but is actually a cutting-edge electric car – was also crowned Best Large Electric Car and stood out for combining the practicality of an MPV with the comfort and desirability of a luxury SUV, while undercutting rivals such as the BMW iX3, Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC.
Also worth your time
London EV drivers blown: “EV drivers face a massive hike in running costs for their cars after one of London’s largest charging point providers tripled prices.”
GADGETS
Return of the King
Despite what Apple would have you believe, there is nothing much new about the ‘new’ HomePod. They’ve tweaked the internals to shave $50 off the price and added a sensor or two so it can do clever things like lower your blinds if it gets too hot in your kitchen but this is fundamentally the same HomePod Apple discontinued unceremoniously two years. ago. That’s fine by me. I rejoice at the news of its return. Because no other smart speaker comes close to the sound quality of the HomePod. And, really, what else do you care about when it comes to a speaker?
Apple says the retooled HomePod audio delivers "rich, deep bass and stunning high frequencies." More specifically, a custom-made woofer, diaphragm motor, bass EQ mic and a group of five tweeters are all part of the sonic setup. An S7 chip and software combine for computational audio that the company says "maximizes the full potential" of the unit. HomePod is equipped with room sensing tech, so it can read sound reflections to determine its position (near a wall or in free space) and adjust the audio in real time. And of course, Spatial Audio via Apple Music is available here.
We have one in every bedroom and one in the kitchen. Goals for 2023? A stereo pair.
Also worth your time
Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro announced: “M2 Pro scales up the architecture of M2 to deliver an up to 12-core CPU and up to 19-core GPU, together with up to 32GB of fast unified memory. M2 Max builds on the capabilities of M2 Pro, including an up to 38-core GPU, double the unified memory bandwidth, and up to 96GB of unified memory.”
Apple M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini announced: “The entry-level Mac becomes more powerful, capable, and affordable, starting at $599.”
Canon EOS R6 II reviewed: “A formidable hybrid mirrorless camera, with fast shooting speeds, accurate autofocus and strong video capabilities.”
More for subscribers
🏎️ Persiflage № 12 is about Eric’s Lotus. He’s finally seen sense and plans to sell it.
Should he let it go? >
🍎 Our despatch from Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote in June is here for you in case you missed it live: all you need to know about Cupertino’s latest announcements.
Catch up >
🎧 Persiflage № 11 finds us bickering over different ways to replace an irreplaceable watch.
Which would you choose? >