On June 10, Sotheby’s New York will bring an impressive selection of timepieces to the auction block in for its Important Watches Including the Titanium Collection sale. Most notable among the sale’s 175 lots is the Titanium Collection, a selection of 10 previously unknown Patek Philippe timepieces accumulated by a private collector with an apparent predilection for titanium—five of the pieces feature custom titanium cases. Holding a presale high estimate of $1.5 million, the auction’s top lot is a one-of-a-ki…

Whether your lifelong desire is heli-skiing in the Canadian Rockies, gazing at the aurora borealis in Iceland, or going on a safari in South Africa, the experts at Black Tomato can help make such dreams a reality. According to the luxury tour operator, 78 percent of the items on people’s “bucket lists” are travel-related experiences Its new Bucket List service, which launched in April, is designed to help clients create, plan, and execute the items on their personal lists of things to do before they die.
The …

The Bentley Hybrid Concept took center stage at this year’s Beijing auto show. Bentley’s first foray into hybrid propulsion, the plug-in motor debuted at the show in the body of the British automaker’s flagship Mulsanne, to show that hybrid technology can enhance even the pinnacle of luxury and performance. The car’s exterior accentuated classic Bentley elements such as the brand’s trademarked headlamps, radiator shell, and exterior lines. These accents continued in the cabin, with copper-colored inserts and c…

Though the watches of DeWitt’s Twenty-8-Eight collection have featured their fair share of avant-garde design elements, the new Twenty-8-Eight Full Moon may be its most unconventional design yet. The Full Moon’s dial is roughly divided into right and left halves, representing the terrestrial and celestial realms, respectively. The left half of the dial is partially skeletonized, which creates a three-dimensional effect meant to evoke the contours of the earth. In contrast, the right side of the dial is fashion…

From the briny perfection of May River oysters to the cutting-edge cuisine of California’s top chefs, food festivals from coast to coast are celebrating American regional cooking. The best of them feature marquee culinary talent, exciting local ingredients, and deep culinary traditions—yet maintain an intimate scale that lets visitors truly get to know the food and the people behind it. Here are six of our favorites.
Music to Your Mouth
Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, S.C.
November 18–23, 2014
What began …

After five years showing solely at art fairs and shows, the Silver Fund (www.thesilverfund.com), the foremost source of Georg Jensen estate silver, has opened a boutique in Palm Beach, Fla. The two-story storefront joins the lineup of prestigious galleries on Worth Avenue, including Arcature, Holden Luntz, and Mary Mahoney. As always, the Silver Fund offers an impressive collection of Jensen silver, including a rare circa-1930s fish platter with a domed lid ($225,000), designed by the Danish craftsman’s truste…

Seven or eight years ago, while on summer vacation in northern Italy, Gianluca Baldo was stung by a wasp, and he was never the same again. A friend surprised him with the gift of a vintage 1976 PX 200 Vespa—because vespa means “wasp” in Italian. It was not the same model as the Vespa scooters Baldo rode around Milan as a teenager in the early 1970s, but ultimately, it did not matter. He hopped aboard and “it triggered something incredible,” Baldo says. “The memory that that ride brought back was tingling in my…

This summer, Hotel Arts Barcelona will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an ambitious tapas feast prepared by 22 of Spain’s most acclaimed chefs, who have earned at their respective restaurants a combined 52 Michelin stars. The high-rising waterfront hotel will present the gala event Estrellas Solidarias (which translates loosely to “Night of the Stars”) in collaboration with UNICEF on Thursday, June 12.
A drinks reception featuring cava and Catalan wines will kick off the evening, with chef’s whites autogr…

Patients who come to Johns Hopkins for epilepsy surgery sometimes require a prequel to their treatment: a multiday stint in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. There, they fill their time with typical hospital stay activities—eating, sleeping, reading, and watching TV—while electrodes laid on the surfaces of their brain record electrical activity 24 hours a day to help locate the origin of their seizures.
Now, while they wait to get help with their seizures, some of these patients have taken an opportunity to help …

The Tuscan resort Castello di Casole has partnered with the Farmhouse Inn, in California’s Sonoma County, to create a new five-day culinary experience at the Italian resort—a former castle located southwest of Florence that dates back to the 10th century.
Upon arrival, guests will be privately shuttled to the 4,200-acre Castello di Casole estate, which boasts 88 acres of vineyards, 13 acres of olive groves, and an expansive trail system for hiking and biking through the Tuscan hills. Throughout the week, gues…