Robb Report January 2015

Each new year brings fresh opportunities to contemplate the future—as we do in this month’s Private Preview for 2015—and to meditate on the lessons of the past. Doubtless reflections of both types occupied Cardinal Cosimo de’ Migliorati as he and his entourage made their way through the streets of Rome in October of 1404. Schism […]

1963 Corvette Sting Ray Z06 coupe Featuring a fastback shape, hidden headlamps, and doors that cut into the roof, the Corvette Sting Ray coupe debuted for the 1963 model year. This second-generation model, also known as the C2, was the first Corvette offered as a coupe. During its initial year of production, the coupe variant […]

A master carver, sculptor, and metallurgist, Wallace Chan (wallace-chan.com) single-handedly executes his visionary designs, imbuing stones and metal with an artistic narrative. “To delineate the spiritual through forms has all along nourished my world of jewelry making,” says Chan. Based in Hong Kong, he spent years forging large-scale sculptures and carvings for monasteries during what […]

Giampiero Bodino’s daring jewelry is quite at home in Milan’s Villa Mozart.  Beyond Villa Mozart’s imposing wrought-iron gates, a path leads through a verdant garden to the elegantly fanned front steps of the historic residence. With its classical lines and lush setting, this Milanese landmark, which the renowned architect Piero Portaluppi designed in the 1930s, now […]

Gulfstream adds the forthcoming G500 and G600 to its long-range offerings. At the end of 2014, Gulfstream began deliveries of its G650ER, which, with a range of 8,631 miles under certain conditions, flies nonstop farther than any other business jet—including Gulfstream’s own G650, the former distance champion. But not all travelers looking to get from […]

A Barton & Gray membership provides access to a fleet of Hinckley yachts for day trips. On a raw and drizzly day in late September, Wil Lockman, the director of business development for the Barton & Gray Mariners Club, was at the helm of a 44-foot Hinckley Talaria, cruising around Boston Harbor. The club offers […]

In Virginia’s hill country, a refined design from a revolutionary architect.  Considering the sport’s roots in the British Isles, golf might not have appealed to Thomas Jefferson. But if the third president of the United States were alive today, the farmer in him would certainly appreciate the game’s advanced agronomy. As an attorney, he would […]

Chef René Redzepi prepares to raise the curtain on Noma Tokyo.  The question has intrigued the food world since last May, when chef René Redzepi announced that, starting in January, he would relocate Noma—perhaps the most acclaimed restaurant in the world—from its permanent location in Copenhagen to Tokyo for an extended pop-up engagement. What would the […]

 A new yacht charter offers unscheduled access to the thrills and chills of Antarctica. To stand on an Antarctic shore in high summer and watch 20,000 penguins toddle to and fro is one of the world’s great travel experiences. The sight of the tuxedoed birds—darting over the surf like dolphins, bursting from the water onto the […]

Fire! and other recent exhibitions signal a rise in contemporary ceramics.  Simon de Pury has been thinking a lot about earthenware lately. Over the past two decades, the Swiss-born collector, art maven, and founder of the auction house Phillips de Pury & Co. has witnessed the gradual rise of ceramicists such as Andrew Lord and Ken […]

Their utility has waned, but tall-case clocks have retained their lofty stature.  When grandfather clocks were first produced, they went by a different name, and they were not your grandfather’s clocks. Known then as tall-case clocks (or longcase clocks or floor clocks), they were cutting-edge technological marvels because of their ability to sliver time precisely into […]

The new Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II is only subtly different from its predecessor, and the lack of radical change is for the best. With the lightest of touches, Rolls-Royce has updated the Ghost, making only mild styling revisions and adding just a thin layer of engineering sophistication. In fact, if the old Ghost were parked alongside the new one, the […]

With a “good little menu” chef Nick Badovinus puts his brand on modern Texas cuisine. To view each chef’s full competition menu and recipes—as well as additional photos and videos—go to robbreport.com/culinarymasters. “We’ll never be the edge of the wedge,” chef Nick Badovinus says as gallons of grits bubble on the hotel kitchen’s range. “That’s not who we are. And we’re not […]

Decades after interviewing Marlon Brando at the actor’s private atoll in French Polynesia, a writer returns to Tetiaroa to size up the new Brando resort…

To promote its Global 7000, Bombardier builds the aviation industry’s largest cabin mock-up.  Under different circumstances, Bombardier could tout the Global 7000 by focusing primarily on the performance capabilities of this forthcoming large-cabin ultralong-range business jet. Its numbers certainly are impressive: a range of 8,401 miles while cruising at 561 mph and a high cruising speed […]

A conversation with the vintner and investor. Charles Banks has had the good fortune—not to mention the energy and ingenuity—to build a series of successful enterprises around activities that many of us associate with leisure. At the San Francisco–based wealth-management firm CSI Capital Management, Banks managed the assets of professional sports figures; he also formed […]