Team GB is doing brilliantly – but the British economy isn’t August 2, 2012 JUST as some had started to worry, Team GB delivered spectacularly yesterday, thanks in no small part to Bradley Wiggins, our new sideburned national hero. GB Plc isn’t performing as well, unfortunately. Manufacturing output is shrinking disastrously. The manufacturing purchasing managers index slumped from 48.4 to 45.4 in July – its lowest level since May [...]
Olympics are a great success but won’t solve economic crisis July 30, 2012 FOR those of us lucky enough to have been at the Olympic Park in Stratford yesterday or at one of the other venues, the scale and success of the Games was a wonder to behold. Tens of thousands of happy spectators from all over the world, brandishing flags of an extraordinary range of home nations, [...]
Coalition’s lack of courage threatens a triple-dip recession July 23, 2012 SOMETHING quite astonishing happened yesterday – and no, I’m not referring to the gorgeous weather, or to Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de Force. The real miracle was that supermarkets opened for much longer than they are normally allowed to on a Sunday, with shops describing these as “summer opening hours” (out of fear of being prosecuted [...]
London Time – Fast Times July 20, 2012 In our latest watch feature we look at the best sports watches on the earth, discover the preferred watches of the top athletes, discover the best diving watches and talk to watch enthusiast and US Masters champion Bubba Watson. Also introducing a video by The Watch Gallery, interviewing Bremont co-founder Nick English on building a [...]
LONDON TIME July 19, 2012 FAST TIMES Usain Bolt’s winning watch P.24 11 pages of the best sports watches on Earth Bubba Watson: golf genius, watch nerd. Interview: P.29 Timing the Olympics: Omega’s big 2 weeks P.23
TIMING GAMES July 19, 2012 ONE thing we know about the modern Olympic athlete is how far training regimes have come since the days of jogging along the beach to a Vangelis soundtrack. The science and tech involved is at the cutting edge, from the analysis of physical performance to training in wind tunnels and sleeping in oxygen tents. If [...]
The London 2012 watch July 19, 2012 Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Co-Axial Chronograph “London 2012” Long name, corking watch. In honour of London 2012 Omega has brought out a special model in its celebrated Seamaster line. First introduced in 1947, the Seamaster – ostensibly its diving watch range, but one that has taken a multitude of forms over the years, from ultra-rugged [...]
As sported by superstars July 19, 2012 Usain bolt Hublot King Power Usain Bolt The fastest man on Earth is one of the sporting world’s great showmen, so no wonder he should plump for Hublot, one of the showiest brands out there. Just in time for the Games, Hublot has brought out this limited edition chrono in Bolt’s honour. A chunky 48mm [...]
Louis Vuitton sets sail for glory July 19, 2012 THE great fashion and luxury house Louis Vuitton is becoming an ever growing force – if a relatively niche one – in watchmaking. Its models, all based around a highly recogniseable “tambour” – meaning “drum” – shape, frequently exhibit something of a nautical theme thanks to the brand’s longterm involvement in the America’s Cup. As it happens, [...]
Tough, functional, stylish July 19, 2012 Default watch purchases used to fall into categories: “dress watch”, “sport watch” and “work watch”. There were numerous choices within those groupings, but few mattered. If you were looking at the quality sector only three or four brands counted. What they had in common were quality, reputation and – important for some – exclusivity. All [...]