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
New for subscribers
🤌🏻 🤏🏼 Our latest Talking Hands episode is on the IWC Portuguese Chronograph. Is it a dress watch or a sports chronograph? Could it be both?
You decide >
CARS
Mummy, make it go away!
If by some miracle you have been spared the pictures of BMW’s latest concept vehicle then I salute your good fortune. But I’ve had my stomach turned and my eyes bled dry by this thing so I see no reason why you should get off scot free. Let me direct you over to TechCrunch so you can see for yourself what they’ve done. Go on, go and have a look then come back. I’ll wait…
You’re back? Good. I see you’ve had a chance to wipe the vomit from your chin and pour yourself another drink. Well done. Okay, let’s get going then. Dear fucking God, where do we start with this?
I’ve seen people comment that the best BMW designs are divisive and grow on you slowly, how no one liked the Z4, 6-series or fourth generation Bangle-booted 7-series when they first came out but they’re now considered classics. This, of course, is utter bollocks. The best design looks instantly right. This…this thing they’ve made…looks instantly wrong. It’s hideous and further proof that BMW design has completely lost it way.
The last properly good looking BMW? Here you go:
Actually worth your time
Porsche Taycan GTS 2022 reviewed: “The most deftly set up EV saloon yet. The numbers are still big all-round, but Porsche are certainly cracking the electric performance car enigma.”
GADGETS
Computer on wheels
Yes, I’m well aware that my fixation with e-bikes could well be the sign that I’m going through some sort of perverse - and late - mid-life crisis. While most men my age are eyeing up a 911, I’ve developed quite a thing for electrically assisted two-wheelers. And this week, Engadget brings us news of one of the most interesting ones yet:
Beyond the 250W hub motor with three levels of riding assist (and an estimated 30-80 mile range), there’s an integrated dot-matrix display, a fingerprint reader, GPS, 4G (via eSIM), mmWave sensors for vehicle detection, an integrated alarm and, well… the list goes on.
Sooner or later, I’m going to take the plunge. You’ll see.
WATCHES
Deep, dark secret
It is a source of some embarrassment to me that despite my love of mechanical watches, despite my running a watch review channel on YouTube of some popularity, I understand very little about what actually makes this little wonders tick. But there is hope. This week, Hodinkee’s Jack Forster did what only Hodinkee’s Jack Forster can do: wrote an in-depth piece on the co-axial escapement that’s actually worth reading.
Don’t miss it - it’s a simple to follow and utterly engrossing piece about a topic that has no rights being either of those things. Jack says:
There are several different versions of the co-axial – one is the version used by Omega, the only company to successfully use a non-lever escapement on an industrial scale. The other is the version used by Roger Smith. In both cases, the escapements are notably different from Daniels' original design – both have been optimized for greater efficiency by reducing the mass of the escape wheel, for instance.
Also worth your time
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Monopusher Edition "Le Petit Prince" announced: “What we have is a large chronograph inside the large, 46mm-plus Big Pilot case with a Le Petit Prince-inspired blue dial and distinct vintage-inspired Arabic numerals.”
Oris Rectangular Collection introduced: “A classic dress watch with smooth Art Deco lines, the latest case size of the Oris Rectangular is designed to appeal to men and women alike.”
Rolex Explorer II reviewed: “The new Explorer II is a better watch than its immediate precursor, all without banging you over the head. Very Rolex.”
More for subscribers
💻 The Apple MacBook Pro, all 16 inches of it, has landed at Prodigal Towers. But does Cupertino’s chunky child make up for the sins of its father?
Here’s what others won’t tell you >
🍎 Apple’s October event was its best in a very long time. Not least because we finally got the MacBook Pro we’ve been begging for.
Discover the highlights >
🎧 Prodigal Persiflage turns its attention to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, the Gérald Genta Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney, the Greubel Forsey GMT Earth Final Edition, and…er…the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection.
Have a listen >
Agree completely with you on Beemers. Have tried and failed on a number of occasions to bond with one. I just cannot. As a brand I find them smug about their qualities whilst all along being to “try hard” in design and not particularly pleasing (or reliable) to own.