For those dissatisfied with the level of sonic quality available from CDs or digital music formats, the new PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream digital-to-analog converter (DAC) provides a state-of-the-art solution. PS Audio’s philosophy of circuit design focuses on employing recent and emerging technologies to serve the ears of increasingly demanding audiophiles. With that in mind, the Boulder, Colo., company is allowing owners of its standard PerfectWave DAC to update their units to include the DirectStream te…

Jaeger-LeCoultre has a history of constructing ultrathin movements that stretches back to the early years of collaboration between the watchmakers Edmond Jaeger and Jacques-David LeCoultre. In fact, in 1907 the pair created the world’s thinnest pocket watch at the time, featuring a movement just 1.38 mm thick. Now, the Swiss watchmaker continues this legacy with the release of the Hybris Mechanica 11, which manages to pack a minute repeater and flying tourbillon into a watch measuring just 7.9 mm thick.
In an…

While new watches abound at Baselworld—the industry’s largest jewelry and watch show, which ran this year from March 27 through April 3—the collectors and retailers who attended did not necessarily have an easy time finding the next must-buy timepiece. As is often the case at the annual show, the novelties presented by many brands were largely composed of “new animations,” as the Swiss describe the line extensions that populate their new product offerings. Of the truly new products introduced in any given year…

The new Eco Trawler 53 Long Distance from the 144-year-old Italian shipbuilder Cranchi is engineered to maximize its range for extended excursions at sea. The yacht is the brand’s first trawler—a term typically used for fishing boats that drag trawling nets—and is equipped with two ultra-fuel-efficient Volvo IPS 600 engines that produce a combined 870 hp. When cruising at 10 knots, the yacht has a range of 667 miles, but when its speed is reduced to 7.5 knots, its range more than doubles to 1,500 miles. Fuel e…

Set within a historic building along Amsterdam’s Keizersgracht canal, the Dylan hotel has debuted a collection of modern rooms and suites that draw on the property’s rich heritage. Unveiled in March, the Serendipity Collection (priced from $763 per night) comprises 16 accommodations that blend wenge wood floors and a natural color palette with marble bathrooms and leather details. Two signature suites—each with floor-to-ceiling windows, a bronze chandelier, and a cast-iron staircase—were named for Jacob van Ca…

In August of 1949, the subtitle of a Life magazine story on the painter Jackson Pollock asked, “Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?” Over the previous few years, Pollock had gained notoriety—even infamy—for his “drip” technique and the paintings he produced with it. (In 1956, about six months before his death, Time magazine would pin on him the memorable sobriquet of “Jack the Dripper.”) And then, at the height of his fame, he swerved from the path that had brought him such notice, embarkin…

The most comprehensive exhibition of Indian jewelry ever staged has just opened at the State Museums of Moscow Kremlin in Russia. India: Jewels that Enchanted the World features more than 300 pieces of handmade jewelry—including necklaces, earrings, wrist cuffs, brooches, and turban and hair ornaments—some dating back to the 17th century. New pieces will also be presented by the renowned Indian jewelry designers Bhagat and Munnu. The exhibition, a collaboration between the State Museums of Moscow Kremlin and t…

The Monaco-based luxury cruise line Silversea launched its third expedition ship, Silver Discoverer, on April 2. The 338-foot, 120-guest ship is scheduled to sail all over the globe, including Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, East Asia, Russia, Southeast Asia, the Kimberley region of northwestern Australia, and subantarctic New Zealand.
For Silver Discoverer, Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s director of expedition planning, elected many ports of call that have never been visited by other cruise lines. The ship’s…

Founded in 2010, the Swiss accessory brand TF Est. 1968—named for the initials and birth year of the company’s founder, Freddy Tschumi—creates products that combine the aesthetics of haute horlogerie with the utility of everyday accessories. At the recent Baselworld watch and jewelry trade show, surrounded by the brands that inspire its product design, the company unveiled new versions of its T-Mechanical series of writing instruments and cuff links.
The first releases in the T-Mechanical line of pens debuted…

Riva, the iconic Italian boat builder and a subsidiary of the Ferretti Group, launched its new flagship model, the Riva Mythos, in mid-March. In terms of design, the 122-foot yacht is a larger-scale continuation of Riva’s Domino 86 model, which debuted in 2009. The Mythos is only the brand’s second new model since the launch of the Riva Iseo in mid-2011. (The Riva 63 Virtus launched in 2012.) The new yacht, whose hull and superstructure are made entirely from aluminum, features a design from Mauro Micheli, the…