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
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WATCHES
First crush
The first SalonQP event was a charming mess. This was before it graduated to the salubrious surroundings of the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. Back then it was a ramshackle affair, housed in a disused church on the A40. I’m not making this up. Anyway, it was then that I stumbled (quite literally, the free Prosecco had flowed freely) upon a vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Polaris in a display case. I knew nothing of the watch’s history nor its clever alarm system, only that it looked achingly cool. Later, at what was to be both my first and last appearance on a SalonQP panel, I was asked which watch at the show, if I could pick any, would I most want to take home. My answer came instantly and without hesitation or thought: the Polaris.
Over the years, prices of the vintage pieces continued to climb and the prospect of owning one dimmed. So, I was intrigued a few years back when JLC released an entire family of watches based on the original. Some of the models felt like a bridge too far, some worked well enough, but none quite managed to stir in me the lust I’d felt for the 1968 original. Then, this week, an email from JLC flagged the Polaris Date with green dial to me. It’s new and, dear reader, it rather took my breath away.
All they’ve done is change the dial colour and sadly the Memovox’s alarm system is still nowhere to be found so - mechanically at least - it’s a humdrum affair, but the combination of that lacquered dial and the cool green rubber strap really works. The Polaris has my attention once more.
Also worth your time
Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Destro’ considered: “After looking at this watch for quite a while, there’s still something that ticks me off a little bit. […] It’s the date at 9 o’clock.”
Patek Philippe 5320G Perpetual salmon dial examined: “The dial of this new model is quite unique and very soft in colour. But no less attractive. It’s different, yet very Patek indeed.”
4:30 date window position reconsidered: “The 4:30 date window seems more an excellent design choice, born perhaps of necessity but which preserves legibility better than any other option, and which, moreover, keeps the dial design both balanced and dynamic.”
CARS
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me…
You could argue that, in the week that RM Sotheby’s sold one the two famed Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés to a private collector for €135,000,000 (making it the most valuable car in the world ever sold at auction), we hardly need a reminder of Merc’s indomitable superiority. And yet here it is…
As Engadget reports this week, the German carmaker has released a concept for the Vision AMG, a sports EV that will be launched under its high-performance brand AMG:
The low-lying, four-door coupe has a long wheelbase, silver paint and teal accents, bearing an intentional resemblance to the Formula 1 cars driven by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. Most strikingly, the side windows and rear glass of the Vision AMG are painted the same silver as the body of the car. Due to the hexagonal pattern of the design, drivers will still be able to see the road.
It’s designed to take the fight to Porsche’s Taycan. If anyone can do it, Mercedes can.
GADGETS
Musical nostalgia
My first proper piece of hi-fi equipment was a NAD 3020e integrated amplifier. And I adored it. Utilitarian, almost butch, it was unapologetically all about the music. No graphic equaliser or spectrum analyser anywhere to be found. And in the 1990s, that was saying something. I was delighted to see this week that NAD is still selling something very similar (and indeed a follow up to my first ever speakers, the Mission 700s - see below).
At a time when the convenience of Apple Music and an AirPlay connection are almost impossible to resist, it’s a joy to see ‘proper’ hi-fi equipment still enjoying its time in the sun. What Hi-Fi reports:
NAD has taken the wraps off a new stereo amplifier, the C 389. It’s the latest amp to take advantage of a customised version of the company’s HybridDigital UcD amplifier design. It also boasts an element of future-proofing thanks to the use of NAD’s Modular Design Construction platform, MDC2.
Also worth your time
Mission 770 reviewed: “We think these are right up there with the very best at this price. While the link to the past will be the main attraction for some, for us that’s put in the shade by the speakers' excellent all-round performance.”
Amazon Fire 7 tablet updated: “The tablet will feature USB-C charging, better battery life, and faster performance.”
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