Chef Ferran Adrià’s New Books Reveal the Secrets of El Bulli

In the three years since El Bulli closed, chef Ferran Adrià has been busy. In addition to getting the El Bulli Foundation off the ground, he has produced a seven-volume collection of recipes for every dish produced during the last years of his legendary restaurant on the Catalonian coast of Spain. The collection—elBulli 2005–2011, a $625 release from Phaidon Press—is an exhaustive catalogue of 750 dishes with 1,400 photographs and detailed instructions. These ethereal creations include a nori empanadilla, made…

Swiss Watchmaker Christophe Claret Debuts New Poker Watch

For decades, the boutique manufacturer Christophe Claret has produced movements for some of Switzerland’s most prominent watch brands. In 2009, the company stepped out from behind the curtain and into the spotlight with a series of highly complex watches released under its own brand name. The latest of these timepieces is the Christophe Claret Poker, a completely mechanical wristwatch that lets wearers actually play three-player Texas Hold’em poker on the watch itself—and it is one of the watchmaker’s most com…

Rare and Historical Jadeite Necklace on the Auction Block

When the Hutton–Mdivani jadeite necklace comes to Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale in Hong Kong on April 7, it is expected to set a new world record for jadeite at auction. Considered the most important known piece of jadeite jewelry, the necklace comprises 27 enormous jadeite beads (15.40 to 19.20 mm in size) of exceptional color and luster. It once belonged to a member of China’s Qing imperial court, and its estimated value is $12.8 million. The necklace, with a Cartier-designed clasp, was given…