Written by Paul Kerton
Everybody has a watch, but not everybody sports a $44,900, 18kt white gold, Patek Philippe Twenty-4. Everybody drinks out of a glass, but not everybody sips sundowners from an elegant, Baccarat Abysse crystal tumbler. Everybody sleeps, but not everybody retires to a hand-made Hästens bed…
The difference between an ordinary anything and a luxury something is the pedigree: the skill of the artisans involved, the quality of the raw materials used and the overriding craftsmanship that has been handed down from generation to generation, sometimes for two or three centuries, not forgetting the time taken to innovate, design, develop and perfect the production process.
TIME MARCHES ON
At the end of the 19th century, the fastest moving industry – the Silicone Valley of the era – was horology, as the seemingly perennial pocket watch gave way to a new era of classy wristwatches and innovative design.
