Boat International - July 2018

http://www.boatinternational.com | July 2018

BOAT LIFE

PHOTOGRAPHY: ADOBE STOCK; GETTY IMAGES

Homage to Paula’s

To celebrate the

summer, Loewe’s

creative director

Jonathan Anderson

designed a new capsule

collection inspired by

famous Ibiza boutique

Paula’s. Founded almost

by chance in 1972

by German architect

Armin Heinemann

and named after his

daughter, Paula’s

quickly became a hippie

style mecca visited

by Donna Summer,

Boy George and

Freddie Mercury.

Catering to men and

women, the range

features ready-to-wear

and signature Loewe

accessories reinvented

in colourful prints of

mermaids, sealife, birds

and circus clowns. All

pieces are available

to buy online or, if you

find yourself cruising

the Balearics, you can

visit Loewe’s dedicated

pop-up store in Ibiza’s

MACE museum until

the end of August.

loewe.com

Window on the world

Thehumbleportholehasinspiredsomeofthemost

exquisite sailing watches, saysSimondeBurton

T

henameNewportwillbefamiliartomost

yachting types as the well-to-do Rhode

Island city famed for its links to sailing,

mostnotablyasthevenueoftheAmerica’sCup

formorethanhalfacenturyfrom1930onwards.

In1983,however,thedefeatofNewYork

Yacht Clu b ’sLibertyby Royal Perth Yacht Club’s

Australia IImeant the 1987 challenge was staged

in Fremantle. This inspired French horologist

Jean-ClaudeHerbelintocommemorateNewport’s

long-standingroleintheeventwithawatch

named after the city and designed along the lines

of the portholes found on transatlantic liners.

Over the decades, the Michel Herbelin

Newport(Jean-ClaudewasthesonofMichel,

founder of the brand) became available in

anumberofvariations,butthewatchwasalways

recognisable by the central “horns” of its strap

lugs,awideporthole-likebezel,tapered,

hull-shaped hour markers and the ship’s wheel

emblem that decorated the crown.

TheNewportfirstappearedin1988,andthis

year the firm is celebrating the 30th anniversary

withalimitededitionthattakesthedesignright

backtothepurityoftheoriginal.Featuring

asimple,41mmsteelcasecoatedinscratch-

resistantanthracitePVD,itsbezelisattached

by five visible winch-like screws and surrounds

atwo-toneblackandbluedial.Naturally,it’s

waterproof(downto100metres)andhasablue

rubber strap. Just 500 Newport Anniversary

watcheswillbeproducedand,atthemodestprice

of £1,120, they’re unlikely to stick around for long.

The Newport is not the only watch inspired

bytheevocativeshapeofaship’sporthole.Patek

Philippe’s celebrated Nautilus was designed by

GéraldGenta,whoissaidtohavebeenheavily

influenced by portholes in penning the distinctive

“softsquare”caseofthewatch–althoughsome

say its protruding flanges owe more to the hinges

foundonadeepseadivinghelmet.

Italian brand U-Boat’s limited edition Capsule

modelisundeniablyporthole-like,beingbased

onthetoughened,hermeticallysealedwindows

used on underwater exploration vessels of the

1930s.Themassive,50mmdiameterwatches

featureHesalitecrystalsthatarekeptwatertight

byapatentedclampingsystem.

The daddy of all “porthole” watch brands

is Hublot. Named after the French word for

porthole, the original Hublot of 1980 was

arestrainedafairthatcouldbeidentifiedbythe

six visible screws that secured its bezel. But the

bestwayofdeterminingwhetheryouhadbought

afakewastosniftherubberstrap–genuineones

wereimpregnatedwiththescentofvanilla.

Classic Fusion

Ceramic Blue

Bracelet,

£9,500,

hublot.com

Beach

blades,

€450

Nautilus,

£22,820,

patek.com

Newport 30th

Anniversary,

£1,120, michel

herbelin.co.uk

New Capsule

50, £4,650,

uboatwatch.

com

Mermaid

bag, €2,400,

Platform

fringes, €650,

all loewe.com

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