The Ashmolean: Oxford's most beautiful afternoon

Discover Oxford's Ashmolean Museum! Explore eclectic treasures from Egypt to Pre-Raphaelites. A beautiful, unhurried museum experience awaits.

There are few cities that lend themselves to aimless wandering quite like Oxford. You set out with a destination in mind and, somewhere between a college gate and a bookshop, find yourself distracted by a hidden quadrangle, a churchyard or a particularly handsome doorway. The Ashmolean Museum has much the same effect.

Visitors often arrive armed with a plan. They want to see the Egyptian mummies, perhaps, or a particular painting. Yet the real pleasure of the Ashmolean lies in allowing yourself to be sidetracked. One minute you're admiring a delicate piece of Japanese lacquerware, the next you're standing in front of a Pre-Raphaelite portrait, wondering how on earth you've ended up here. It's less a museum than a gloriously eclectic collection of human curiosity.
Unlike many of Britain's great cultural institutions, which can feel overwhelming in both scale and ambition, the Ashmolean rewards a slower approach. There is no pressure to see everything. In fact, that would be impossible. Instead, it invites visitors to follow their instincts, drifting between galleries and discovering unexpected treasures along the way.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/shutterstock_2476364981.jpg" width="1000" height="667" loading="lazy" alt="The Ashmolean" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2 id="h.hhd88ir8eqg1" class="c1">A museum built on curiosity</h2>
Standing on Beaumont Street, just beyond the bustle of Oxford's shopping district, the building itself makes a quietly impressive first impression. Unlike some of the city's grander institutions, there is nothing particularly showy about it. It doesn't announce itself with soaring towers or Gothic flourishes. Instead, it sits with a kind of confidence that comes from knowing it has been here a very long time.
And it has. Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean was Britain's first public museum, although thankfully it doesn't feel like one. Inside, the galleries are bright, spacious and refreshingly easy to navigate. There is none of the exhaustion that can creep in at larger institutions, where the sheer volume of objects leaves you feeling as though you've somehow failed if you don't see everything.
The museum as it exists today is the result of a major redevelopment completed in 2009, and the spaces strike a careful balance between old and new. Light pours in through large windows, staircases draw you naturally between floors and there are moments where the architecture itself becomes part of the experience. Unlike some museums, where visitors move with determined purpose from one highlight to the next, the Ashmolean encourages lingering.
That spirit of curiosity runs through the institution itself. The museum takes its name from Elias Ashmole, whose collection of curiosities, antiquities and natural specimens formed the basis of its holdings. More than three centuries later, it still feels shaped by that original impulse: a fascination with the world and the objects people create within it.
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<h2 id="h.r4itbeasiexn" class="c1">From Egyptian treasures to Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces</h2>
The Ashmolean is best approached in the same way one might browse an antiques market. Follow whatever catches your eye.
For some, that will be the extraordinary Egyptian galleries, where elaborately painted coffins and ancient artefacts offer an unexpectedly intimate glimpse into everyday lives lived thousands of years ago. Others will head straight for the paintings. The museum's collection includes works by Turner and Constable, alongside an enviable collection of Pre-Raphaelite art whose jewel-like colours seem to glow against the gallery walls.
One of the pleasures of the museum is that there is always something unexpected waiting around the corner. You might find yourself captivated by a tiny piece of jewellery, intricately worked and impossibly delicate despite its age. A room later, it could be a vast painting or a centuries-old ceramic vessel that catches your attention. The scale shifts constantly, and with it your perspective. Some objects demand admiration for their craftsmanship, others simply invite curiosity.
What makes the museum particularly appealing, though, is the way different collections sit alongside one another. A room filled with Chinese ceramics leads naturally into European decorative arts. Ancient sculpture gives way to contemporary craftsmanship. You move not through a timeline, but through a conversation between cultures and centuries.
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<h2 id="h.cgeptwnli12n" class="c1">An unexpected source of interiors inspiration</h2>
It's also a surprisingly useful place to visit if you're interested in interiors. Long before Pinterest mood boards and Instagram saves, museums like the Ashmolean served as sources of inspiration for designers, collectors and decorators. There are rooms here filled with beautifully worn furniture, intricate textiles and ceramics whose colours feel every bit as fresh today as when they were first made.
You begin to notice combinations that would feel perfectly at home in a contemporary interior: deep ochres paired with inky blues, richly patterned fabrics set against simple stone surfaces, collections of objects displayed not for symmetry but because they tell a story. It is easy to understand why artists, designers and collectors have spent centuries looking to museums for inspiration.
Perhaps that's why the Ashmolean feels so relevant today. While many museums can seem devoted entirely to the past, this one constantly sparks ideas about the present. It encourages visitors to think about how people have always lived with beautiful things, whether that meant a painted vase, a carved piece of furniture or a treasured work of art hanging on a wall.
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<h2 id="h.beh1rmth1lz1" class="c1">Seeing Oxford through fresh eyes</h2>
The best museums leave you wanting to look more closely at the world outside their walls, and that's certainly true here. After a few hours spent among the collections, <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/area-guides/oxfordshire/oxford/" rel="noopener">Oxford</a> itself begins to feel different. You notice details you might otherwise have missed: the curve of a doorway, the craftsmanship of an iron gate, the way afternoon light catches a stone façade.
This is, after all, a city built on centuries of craftsmanship and scholarship. The honey-coloured stone colleges, hidden gardens and historic streets feel like a natural extension of the museum's collections. Leaving the Ashmolean often feels less like the end of an experience and more like the beginning of another.
A stroll through nearby Jericho, with its independent cafés, handsome Victorian houses and village-like atmosphere, makes a fitting companion to a museum visit. Equally, it's easy to continue towards Broad Street and Radcliffe Square, where some of Oxford's most recognisable landmarks await.
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<h2 id="h.miyojbxrr0eu" class="c1">The best view in the city?</h2>
Before leaving, it's worth making time for the rooftop restaurant. While Oxford's dreaming spires have become something of a cliché, they're a cliché for good reason. From up here, the city unfolds in a patchwork of honey-coloured stone, college towers and church steeples, stretching towards the countryside beyond. It's the sort of view that encourages you to linger over a coffee longer than intended.
From the terrace, you can trace the layers of the city itself. Medieval colleges sit alongside Victorian buildings, their rooftops telling the same story as the museum below: centuries of history existing comfortably alongside one another.
On a clear day, there are few better places to pause and take stock of Oxford's remarkable architectural landscape.
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<h2 id="h.qyr7cwrapha3" class="c1">The pleasure of getting lost</h2>
It feels fitting that one of Oxford's greatest attractions offers such a view. The Ashmolean is, after all, a place devoted to looking closely. Not rushing from highlight to highlight, but pausing, noticing and allowing yourself to be surprised.
In a city famous for scholarship, that may be its most enduring lesson.
The museum has spent more than three centuries collecting objects from across the globe, yet what it offers visitors is something rather simple. Time to slow down. Time to look. Time to follow your curiosity wherever it leads. In an age when so much travel is planned down to the minute and every experience arrives pre-recommended, that feels increasingly rare.
Perhaps that's why so many people leave the Ashmolean talking not about a single exhibit, but about the experience of being there. The pleasure comes not from ticking off famous objects, but from the unexpected discoveries made along the way.
Like Oxford itself, it rewards those willing to wander.
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There are few cities that lend themselves to aimless wandering quite like Oxford. You set out with a destination in mind and, somewhere between a college gate and a bookshop, find yourself distracted by a hidden quadrangle, a churchyard or a particularly handsome doorway. The Ashmolean Museum has much the same effect.

London's Historic Homes as Event Venues

Discover London's historic homes transformed into unique event venues. Perfect for unforgettable weddings, parties, and corporate events.

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History lurks in every corner of London. It is difficult to wander the city without stumbling upon a heritage building every few yards; from local groceries and banks to the average family home, almost every structure and facade bears testimony to the capital's storied past. It is no wonder that London leads the charge in adaptive reuse, a practice wherein historic buildings are sensitively converted for contemporary purposes while their original character is preserved.
Nowhere is this more visible than in the capital's event venues, many of which occupy grand residences that once served as the addresses of aristocratic families and luminaries of the time. Read on to discover some of London's most remarkable historic homes now operating as event venues for private celebrations and corporate gatherings.
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<h2 id="h.6wavtvrzo3cr" style="display: inline;">1. Syon House</h2>
Syon House takes its name from Syon Abbey, a Bridgettine monastery founded in 1415 by Henry V on a nearby site. Among the most prosperous religious houses in England, it was dissolved under Henry VIII in 1539. The site was eventually acquired on long lease by the 1st Duke of Somerset, who rebuilt it as a private residence in the Italian Renaissance style. It was then taken over in 1594 by Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, and has remained the family seat ever since.
The most significant transformation came in the eighteenth century, under the auspices of Hugh Smithson and Lady Elizabeth Seymour Percy. Landscape architect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown replaced the formal gardens with sweeping parkland. Scottish architect Robert Adam was engaged to create a series of classical interiors filled with antiquities brought from Italy, a commission now regarded as the founding expression of what became known as the Adam style.
Working within the constraints of the existing structure, Adam produced five principal state rooms incorporating marble chimneypieces, fluted columns with Corinthian capitals, and an elaborate programme of neoclassical decoration drawing on Roman antiquity and his studies at Pompeii. Among the standout spaces is the Long Gallery, stretching 14 feet wide and 14 feet high, its thick walls lined with recesses and niches for books and its surfaces finished in delicate stucco work.
In the nineteenth century, further additions were made to the estate, including a grand porte-cochère and the Great Conservatory, which was among the first of its kind to use cast iron and glass construction.
Today, ongoing restoration by Northumberland Estates has seen the house re-roofed, its masonry repaired, and the state rooms returned to their original Adam colour schemes. The estate is now available for private hire for a wide range of events, including weddings, civil ceremonies, corporate dinners, and large-scale parkland gatherings across its 200 acres. The house and grounds have also featured in productions such as Gosford Park, Killing Eve, and Bridgerton.
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<h2 id="h.pykirtngta6q" style="display: inline;">2. Two Temple Place</h2>
Two Temple Place was built in 1895 for William Waldorf Astor, founder of the Waldorf Astoria in New York and one of the wealthiest men of his age. Having settled in England, Astor sought a building to serve as both a private residence and an estate office. The architect was John Loughborough Pearson, who is widely considered the founder of Modern Gothic architecture. He designed the building in the Early Elizabethan style, constructing the exterior entirely in Portland stone. The facade also bears elaborate carvings by Nathaniel Hitch. Above the crenellated parapets, a gilded weather vane in the form of Columbus's caravel, the Santa Maria, was installed to symbolise the transatlantic heritage of the Astor family.
The interiors are among the most ornate in London. Decorator John Dibblee Crace finished the rooms in the French Renaissance style, with walls panelled in precious wood and ceilings gilded throughout. The entrance hall floor was laid in opus alexandrinum, a decorative inlay style using marble, jasper, porphyry and onyx set in geometric patterns. The main staircase, carved in oak and mahogany by sculptor Thomas Nicholls, features newel posts bearing figures from The Three Musketeers, which was apparently Astor's favourite novel.
The Great Hall is the most elaborate space in the building. Its walls are clad in pencil cedar and rise 35 feet to a hammer-beam roof in carved Spanish mahogany. Running below the roofline is a gilded frieze of 54 portrait heads of figures from history and fiction, among them Pocahontas, Anne Boleyn, and Marie Antoinette.
Now managed by the Bulldog Trust, a charitable organisation, the building opened as a public gallery in October 2011. It was the first London venue dedicated to showcasing publicly owned art from regional collections across the UK. The building is also available for private hire for weddings, private dining, receptions, product launches, and filming.
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<h2 id="h.poge0a4w6ppb" style="display: inline;">3. Van Gogh House</h2>
87 Hackford Road is a Georgian terraced house in South London where Vincent van Gogh lived between August 1873 and September 1874. His time in London had a profound impact on his practice later in life, as it was here where he fully immersed himself in British literature and art.
Interestingly, Van Gogh wasn’t linked to 87 Hackford Road until 1971, when postman and ardent Van Gogh admirer, Paul Chalcroft, took on the burden of locating the artist’s precise address during a postal strike. At the time of discovery, the house was occupied by Arthur and Marjorie Smith, a couple who had moved in during the 1950s and were astounded at the fact that their humble abode was once the address of the legendary artist.
By 2012 the Grade II-listed building had fallen into near dereliction when it was rescued and subjected to a major conservation project. The ambition was not to create a museum but to keep the house functioning as a home, allowing it to remain in practical use while also serving as a venue for artist residencies and exhibitions. It opened in 2019 and now hosts a programme of exhibitions, residencies, and guided tours. The house is also available for private hire and filming.
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<h2 id="h.e755lu59p1y8" style="display: inline;">4. Strawberry Hill House and Garden</h2>
Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham was built by Horace Walpole from 1749 onwards and is widely regarded as the prototypical example of the Gothic Revival in English architecture, with a credible claim to being the starting point of the movement. Walpole, a writer and collector, transformed a modest cottage into his "little Gothic castle", working in stages over several decades with fellow amateur architect John Chute and designer Richard Bentley.
The exterior evolved without a fixed plan, accumulating battlements, towers, and turrets over successive phases, with the final stage completed in 1776 to designs by architect James Essex. Inside, Walpole introduced gilded ceilings, grand fireplaces, enamelled door handles, carved wooden screens, and coats of arms of men he pretended were his mediaeval ancestors, all conceived as settings of Gothic atmosphere for his extensive antiquarian collection. He referred to this quality as "gloomth", keeping the gardens deliberately cheerful in contrast.
After passing through several hands following Walpole's death in 1797, the house was ultimately acquired in 1923 by St Mary's University College. Following a £9 million restoration, it reopened to the public in October 2010. It is now recognised as Britain's finest example of Georgian Gothic Revival architecture. The house is available for private hire for weddings, corporate events, and filming, with an active calendar of exhibitions and public events throughout the year.
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<h2 id="h.l4gu30hu4n5w" class="c1 c9">Final thoughts</h2>
London's heritage buildings are far more than relics of the past. Whether it is the grandeur of Syon House, the Gothic fantasy of Strawberry Hill, or the quiet intimacy of Van Gogh's Brixton lodgings, each of these spaces carries a living history that no purpose-built venue can replicate. Adaptive reuse ensures that this history remains accessible, allowing the city's architectural legacy to continue evolving rather than simply endure. For those seeking a setting that offers something beyond the ordinary, London's historic venues make a compelling case that the past is very much open for business.
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History lurks in every corner of London. It is difficult to wander the city without stumbling upon a heritage building every few yards; from local groceries and banks to the average family home, almost every structure and facade bears testimony to the capital's storied past. It is no wonder that London leads the charge in adaptive reuse, a practice wherein historic buildings are sensitively converted for contemporary purposes while their original character is preserved.

The Rise of Experiential Luxury in Prime Real Estate

Discover the rise of experiential luxury in prime real estate. Learn how wealth now prioritizes experiences over possessions. Keywords: experiential luxury

Something fundamental has shifted in the global luxury market. Not a cyclical correction of the kind analysts flag in quarterly reports, but a structural change in what wealthy individuals actually want and what wealth, at its highest expression, now means.

For decades, luxury was tangible. A <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/most-expensive-birkin-bags/" rel="noopener">Birkin</a>, a <a href="/the-journal/the-most-expensive-patek-philippe-watches-ever" rel="noopener">Patek Philippe</a>, or a supercar in a certain postcode: the grammar of affluence was built on objects. That model still functions, but among the wealthy, it has been demoted in favour of experiential assets. Here, the value lies not in the object acquired but in the experience lived, whether it's an ultra-exclusive wellness camp or entertaining on a private yacht.
The numbers bear this out. Euromonitor's World Market for Luxury Goods 2025&nbsp;report found that experiential luxury, including high-end travel and hospitality, grew 8% last year to reach $103 billion within the broader global luxury market valued at $1.5 trillion, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in the entire sector.
Prime real estate was not immune to any of this. If anything, it became one of the clearest expressions of the shift.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/shutterstock_2698757031.jpg" width="1000" height="595" loading="lazy" alt="Luxury in Prime Real Estate" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2 id="h.7txlf077ggiu" class="c2">The numbers</h2>
As Flur Roberts, Euromonitor International's global head of luxury goods research, put it, “wellness, lifestyle, and emotional resonance are emerging as new markers of status." Euromonitor data bears that out at scale, and zooming into the UK, that trend is just as evident.
Walpole's State of London Luxury 2025&nbsp;affirms London's position at the top of the European luxury totem poll, with the sector contributing £81 billion to the UK economy and sustaining 450,000 jobs. The more instructive figure, though, is behavioural. The influx of international tourists increased by 9% in 2024, and affluent visitors typically spend fourteen times more than the average tourist.
The reason, the report argues, is London's rich cachet and density of art, culture, and history. This is not incidental to luxury's appeal in the city; it is the pivot around which it turns. Walpole found that 95% of luxury brands now consider their association with art and culture important to their identity, a relationship that has grown substantive enough to generate dedicated internal departments and specialist hires. Luxury brands are increasingly producing immersive cultural experiences alongside their core offering, collaborating with artists, creators, and cultural institutions to shape the broader cultural landscape. London, then, is not simply drawing wealthy travellers. It is drawing them for what the city lets them do, access, and feel.
CBRE's analysis reinforces the retail dimension, with elevated in-store experience cited as a primary driver of luxury demand, and London's five-star hotel market continuing to strengthen on the back of rising international interest and growing pricing power. The thread is consistent across categories: in this market, experience is not a value-add. It is the value.
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<h2 id="h.t41yc18dtvx7" class="c2">What turned the tide</h2>
Within ultra-high-net-worth circles, conventional luxury goods have become baseline rather than exceptional. A rare watch or a supercar retains its value, but it no longer differentiates, and when ownership loses its signalling power, experience fills the gap in ways that are far harder to commoditise or replicate.
Sociologists describe this as a move from conspicuous consumption to conspicuous experience. A once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic expedition or a bespoke wellness retreat at a five-star hotel communicates taste, curiosity, and a level of access that a purchase receipt cannot. Today, there is a growing admiration for exactly this kind of cultural fluency and influence over displays of wealth, and social media made that shift even more pronounced. Luxury brands were quick to recognise that the most powerful thing they could offer was no longer a product but a world to belong to, and the industry rebuilt itself around that idea. Experience, in this sense, has become a form of capital in its own right.
The pandemic sharpened these priorities with unusual force. Restrictions on movement and connection reminded even the wealthiest that certain freedoms could not be bought, and spending patterns shifted accordingly. Wellness, privacy, and more deliberate ways of living moved to the fore, with many high-net-worth individuals emerging from that period considerably less focused on accumulation.
Significant still, is the practical dimension of it all. For ultra-high-net-worth individuals, time is the resource in shortest supply, and convenience, privacy, and end-to-end service have become as sought-after as any physical asset. The growth of private aviation, concierge medicine, and fully serviced residences all point in the same direction.
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<h2 id="h.i8k779afrm86" class="c2">How does this look in luxury real estate?</h2>
The same values reshaping how wealthy individuals spend on travel and wellness have worked their way into how they think about where they live. In prime and super-prime residential property, the shift is increasingly legible: buyers are drawn to branded residences, wellness-integrated schemes, and developments that offer a curated way of life.
London's market reflects this clearly. Analysis of the city's luxury residential sector points to growing demand for homes that combine private members' club access and hotel-grade amenities as standard. International high-net-worth buyers arrive with expectations shaped by the best hospitality brands in the world, and the residential offer is being built to meet them. CBRE places London's luxury branded residences at between €30,000 and €100,000 per square metre, the highest range of any European city in its study, and forecasts further growth as buyers weigh lifestyle and identity alongside the balance sheet.
According to Branded Living's 2026 London&nbsp;guide, around 65% of branded residence stock sells relatively quickly compared with non-branded prime equivalents, with assets typically moving within 180 to 365 days, which is notably efficient for the super-prime end of the market. Rental yields run at 2 to 3%, with annual capital appreciation of 3 to 5% in prime London locations.
United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty has seen this appetite translate directly into deal activity. The firm recently completed three successive sales at Knightsbridge Gate with a combined guided value of £67 million, a sequence that speaks to the depth of demand for well-positioned, lifestyle-led schemes in London's most coveted addresses.
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<h2 id="h.dll2pqqa8esl" class="c2">Final thoughts</h2>
As the boundaries between hospitality, wellness, culture, and residential property continue to blur, the old mantra of "location, location, location" is being retired. The assets that will shape the next chapter of luxury real estate will be those that orient themselves around experience, service, and identity.
For London, that is less a challenge than a natural advantage. The city has always worn its culture and history with pride, and it is that cultural immersion the modern high-net-worth buyer is seeking. Whatever noise surrounds wealth migration and capital flight, London's ability to deliver on the experiential premium remains largely unmatched, and that is a considerable foundation on which to build.
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Something fundamental has shifted in the global luxury market. Not a cyclical correction of the kind analysts flag in quarterly reports, but a structural change in what wealthy individuals actually want and what wealth, at its highest expression, now means.

A Brief Guide to the Rolex Day-Date

Discover the iconic Rolex Day-Date: its history, groundbreaking features, and the legendary "President" bracelet. Your essential guide.

Watchmaking is often about firsts. The innovations, engineering and manufacturing methods that are employed by the world’s very best watchmaker brands work on the understanding that being first to the market with a new idea often means everything.
In the wake of the Second World War, the wristwatch had found a new status among leaders and the business elite. It represented a tool for watchmakers to build their new enterprises with precision and detail. Rolex knew how important it would be to make their models a part of this new world. Their development of two entirely new watch complications within one model would have a genuinely game-changing impact.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/rolex%20day%20date.jpg" width="1000" height="667" loading="lazy" alt="rolex day date" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2>A Complicated Challenge</h2>
Displaying the correct day and the date on the face of a watch was difficult. To have them change correctly and instantly on the stroke of midnight in a reliable way was a mammoth task never undertaken before in wristwatch design. Adding these functions would&nbsp;impose a huge load on the mechanics and power storage for a Rolex watch. Previous attempts at calendar watches by other brands had seen the dates and days creep around with incremental stages without precision or full legibility. 
&nbsp;
<h2>The Rolex Day-Date Arrives</h2>
The Rolex Day-Date was launched in 1956 and was the first wristwatch to successfully display the date and the day of the week spelled out in full. These complications meant that both functions changed instantaneously with a snap at midnight and it took the high-end watch world by storm. It was impeccably calibrated and perfectly engineered through the Rolex Calibre 1055 movement that powered all of its innovations with a 42-hour reserve. The 36mm case was offered in a choice of 18 Carat yellow gold or 18 Carat gold, with a rare platinum version also produced in extremely limited numbers.
&nbsp;
<h2>The President Bracelet</h2>
The Rolex Day-Date was carried by a new semi-circular three-link construction bracelet that is known as The President. Rolex knew that his watch would become a symbol of authority and prestige and its entire shape and design had to convey exactly that. To this day, in every subsequent model, it is instantly identifiable, sitting flat and heavy on the wearer’s wrist in an anchored and settled way. It can be no coincidence that Lyndon B Johnson and Ronald Reagan were both captured wearing the Day-Date during their office, as its influence and legacy continued throughout the 20th&nbsp;century. 
&nbsp;
<h2>A Timeless Timepiece</h2>
2026 celebrates the 70th&nbsp;anniversary of the Rolex Day-Date launch and although upgrades and improvements have been made over that time, its design remains iconic. Through the 1960s and 1970s,&nbsp;it became available in more languages and was synonymous with power and leadership across the world, embedded into the luxury watch landscape. The 1980s and 1990s added improved water resistance and produced some of the most collectible models that used bark finishes and stone dials to stunning effect. These can now easily command up to £50,000 in private trades and auctions for excellent condition models.
&nbsp;
<h2>The Rainbow Khanjar</h2>
In February 2022, <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/measures-of-time-and-beauty-sothebys-fine-watches-auction/" rel="noopener">Sotheby’s Fine Watches online auction</a> made a rare vintage 36mm Rolex Day-Date the <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/most-expensive-rolex/" rel="noopener">most expensive model</a> ever sold. The hammer struck down for just a little under £1 million. This is known as the Rainbow Khanjar Day-Date as it was privately commissioned by Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman. It is one of only 5 known examples ever made circa 1984 and was presented in an immaculate and unworn condition, complete with the original box and stamped papers. This provenance, alongside the design of rainbow sapphires, pavé diamonds and gem-set bracelet made it a perfect storm of collectability for the most serious watch enthusiasts on the planet.
&nbsp;
<h2>The Current Day-Date Line Up</h2>
The Rolex Day-Date of the 21st century retains all of the design prowess and production expertise that has made the model a cornerstone of top-tier watchmaking. It is now available in two main case sizes of 36mm and 40mm, which provide&nbsp;a slightly bolder and eye-catching presence on the wrist. The Calibre 3255 movement takes care of everything behind the dial with a 70-hour&nbsp;power reserve and the ultra-reliable Superlative Chronometer accuracy. List prices vary by choice of metal and region in the range of £30,000 and £60,000, but there are considerable waiting lists for some models in the rarer metals.
&nbsp;
<h2>An Icon Across Generations</h2>
The Rolex Day-Date has become the luxury wristwatch that all others are measured against. It has stood the test of time across the sea changes in culture and fashion without ever being tied to a particular trend or generation. Everything about the watch speaks of prestige and precision in the most impressive way possible. This is a formal accessory and stylish symbol that will certainly remain at the very pinnacle of watchmaking for many days and dates to come.
&nbsp;
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Watchmaking is often about firsts. The innovations, engineering and manufacturing methods that are employed by the world’s very best watchmaker brands work on the understanding that being first to the market with a new idea often means everything.

Luxury Home Automation for Knightsbridge in 2026

Future-proof your Knightsbridge luxury home in 2026 with advanced automation. Discover integrated smart living systems and energy solutions.

Home automation at the highest level is evolving at a rapid rate. The first generation technologies that were once ground-breaking are now regarded as quaint, retro and almost antique. There is a huge shift from device-based automation and lifestyle gadgets to a fully integrated home automation building infrastructure that combines everything into one single source.
For luxury homes and prime properties, home automation is now viewed as a core first-fix service alongside the established utility services. Indeed the home automation technology that is most successful provides an interface to control all of these services too. For new builds and comprehensive renovations it now sits alongside architectural drawings as a primary concern at the design stage. 
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/luxury%20home%20automation%20knightsbridge.jpg" width="1000" height="524" loading="lazy" alt="luxury home automation knightsbridge" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2>What is Luxury Home Automation?</h2>
The technology for luxury home automation may be complex, but the ultimate goal is simple and timeless: to have full control over the home environment. 
<a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/buy/london/houses-for-sale-knightsbridge/" rel="noopener">Knightsbridge homes</a> in 2026 require a collection of services, products and installations to provide everything required for modern luxury living in an intelligent way. These services includes:
<ul class="c9 lst-kix_list_1-0 start">
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Heating</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Security</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Climate Control</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Energy Use and Information</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Integrated Audio</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Integrated Home Entertainment &amp; Visuals</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Lighting</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Room &amp; Zone Shading</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Lifestyle Support</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Housekeeping Tasks &amp; Admin</li>
</ul>
Our guide looks at what is possible for luxury home automation in <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/area-guides/london/knightsbridge/" rel="noopener">Knightsbridge</a>, what innovations may be just around the corner and the service partners that can help you yield the greatest results.
&nbsp;
<h2>Creating the Foundation</h2>
All <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/smart-home-technology/" rel="noopener">luxury home automation systems</a> start with a central operating system. This is the platform that connects and controls every service and subsystem in every room. 
Products such as Creston Home&nbsp;and Savant Smart Home&nbsp;are among the most popular platform choices for ultra-prime residential buildings. Importantly, these are designed for impressively long lifecycles of up to 15 years to protect initial outlays and investments. They can even work across multiple homes with staff given permission and access and remote monitoring across all of your estate. One simple and intuitive user interface can easily integrate thousands of separate devices across rooms and homes to become the digital backbone of your home life.
&nbsp;
<h2>A New Energy Focus</h2>
Luxury homes are increasingly becoming energy ecosystems that can be monitored, shaped and adapted by home automation technology. Savant Power is leading the way in this space to enable:
<ul class="c9 lst-kix_list_2-0 start">
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Electricity monitoring at circuit level</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Solar power and battery integration and utilisation</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">EV transport charger load balancing</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Energy dashboards that provide real-time usage and cost data</li>
</ul>
This type of technology is set to become a defining pillar of luxury home automation. It works to make the living spaces the most sustainable and efficient they can be while supporting an elite lifestyle for the people that occupy them.
&nbsp;
<h2>Lighting the Way</h2>
One of the biggest elements in any luxury home automation project budget for <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/buy/london/property-for-sale-knightsbridge/" rel="noopener">Knightsbridge properties</a> is lighting. Architectural lighting and shading allows for specific room, zone, time and activity focus throughout the spaces in the home. 
Popular platforms such as Lutron HomeWorks QSX integrate with the Creston and Savant systems to allow:
<ul class="c9 lst-kix_list_3-0 start">
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Control for hundreds of lighting circuits around the space</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">The creation of separate user profiles based on preference and activities</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Precision dimming and shading with state-of-the-art modern LEDs</li>
<li class="c1 c4 li-bullet-0">Integration of&nbsp;motorised blinds and curtains through time or ambient external light</li>
</ul>
All of which are presented through stylish wall keypads in metal, stone and glass finishes.
&nbsp;
<h2>Human-Centric Lighting</h2>
The Ketra Natural Lighting products, also owned by Lutron, make replicating natural daylight indoors possible. For homeowners that may travel or work on different global time zones this is a real game changer to support wellbeing and circadian rhythm functions in the body.
This also allows the basements and spaces in Knightsbridge properties that have historically suffered from low, or no, natural light to be repurposed and revitalised. As far as wellness lighting goes, this can even make a real difference to a property’s value in the micro markets of West London.
&nbsp;
<h2>Invisible Sounds &amp; Incredible Cinema</h2>
Designed to disappear is the new brief for luxury home entertainment. Stealth acoustics hidden within finished walls and ceilings allow for connected sounds all around the home with high end performance and no visible hardware. 
This makes up part of the cinema room experience where the entire environment is shaped by the user setting when watching movies or TV. Ambient lighting changes, the temperature is controlled accordingly, and the screens themselves are integrated into the interior design as either hidden or sculptural features. Products such as the Bang &amp; Olufsen Beovision TVs are simply beautiful objects that operate in 8K resolution housed in timber or aluminium that come to life with choreographed movement.
&nbsp;
<h2>Picking the Perfect Partner</h2>
Luxury home automation in Knightsbridge is supported by a collection of excellent service providers for the neighbourhood. They each offer the personal consultation, design experience and installation knowhow with guided maintenance and after sales care that is vital to success. Here are three of the very best to assist with research on your own project.
&nbsp;
<h3>Cornflake</h3>
Cornflake is one of London’s most established home automation providers for prime properties. Since 1993 they&nbsp;have designed, installed and maintained luxury services working with prestigious interior designers and architects in discreet and impactful ways. 
Their portfolio highlights projects on townhouses and <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/buy/london/flats-for-sale-kensington/" rel="noopener">apartments across Kensington</a>, <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/buy/london/flats-for-sale-chelsea/" rel="noopener">Chelsea</a>, <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/buy/london/flats-for-sale-belgravia/" rel="noopener">Belgravia</a> and <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/buy/london/flats-for-sale-holland-park/" rel="noopener">Holland Park</a>. They are creative, reliable and experienced.
&nbsp;
<h3 class="c8">Versed Automation</h3>
Versed Automation works to a brief of reliability, simplicity and day-to-day control for luxury home automation. Their experience of high-end platforms like Creston, Savant and Lutron encourages a bespoke approach that is powered by the best in class technology available in the space.
A whole-home ecosystem created by Versed becomes a part of the fabric of the property in a stylish and futureproofed way.
&nbsp;
<h3 class="c8">NV Integration&nbsp;</h3>
NV Integration has been responding to the rise of luxury home automation in Knightsbridge and Prime&nbsp;Central London for over 15 years. Their relationships with developers, architects and designers ensure that their solutions are always part of the overall aesthetic in a holistic way.
The goal for NV Integrations is to simplify&nbsp;the complexities of&nbsp;home automation with design working in tandem with purpose at all times.
&nbsp;
<h2>Automating the Future</h2>
As luxury home automation moves through the century it is looking towards wellness and home/work balance for its guidelines. Working with a clear understanding, and an experienced service provider will ensure that all the technology employed in Knightsbridge homes continues to support and elevate the lifestyles of the residents that make the area such a wonderful destination for the ultimate experience in modern living.
&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
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Home automation at the highest level is evolving at a rapid rate. The first generation technologies that were once ground-breaking are now regarded as quaint, retro and almost antique. There is a huge shift from device-based automation and lifestyle gadgets to a fully integrated home automation building infrastructure that combines everything into one single source.

Top 10 Summer Fragrances for Men in 2026

Discover 2026's best men's summer fragrances! Explore fresh, masculine scents for warmer days & nights.

Selecting a new fragrance for summer is a great way to freshen up any style. As we head into lighter evenings and warmer days, it represents the perfect time to explore new scents that one can use for the wealth of events that make up the summer social calendar.
This simple top 10 guide to summer fragrances for men details a collection of the very best to explore in 2026.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/best%20summer%20fragrances%20for%20men.jpg" width="1000" height="667" loading="lazy" alt="best summer fragrances for men" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2>1. Creed Millésime Impérial</h2>
Creed is a brand with over 250 years of history and heritage garnered from its origins in London and Paris. Their scents are distinctly exclusive without becoming ostentatious or overbearing and Millésime Impérial is a fine addition to their canon. 
This is the benchmark for male summer fragrances in 2026. A marine freshness is the headline note for a composed scent that opens with bergamot and green mandarin. It quickly develops into a seal-salt influenced, soft musk that holds on to a driftwood base with style. Everything feels natural rather than engineered and this fragrance is a real boon for warmer climates and day-to evening transitions.
Expect to pay around the £300 mark for a 100ml product.
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<h2 class="c3">2. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte</h2>
Maison Francis Kurkdjian was created as an independent brand in 2009 when founder Francis Kurkdjian was at the height of his powers as the most renowned perfumer in the world. He had experienced incredible success as the architect of the Le Male fragrance for Jean Paul Gaultier and the industry was keen to see exactly what his own range would do.
Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte is a technically precise alignment of bergamot, lemon and white musk with a hint of delicate white florals as a finish. It remains fresh and clean for hours on the skin with a lightness that presents it as a great choice for the summer months.
Prices start at around £195 for a 70ml product.
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<h2>3. Roja Parfums Elysium Parfum Cologne</h2>
The British perfumer Roja Dove is a landmark figure for <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/most-expensive-perfumes-in-the-world/" rel="noopener">luxury fragrances</a>. This brand manages to combine classical techniques with bold innovations for modern scents that stand out in a crowded space.
Elysium is bright and joyful with a deep citrus base that is notable for its enduring performance. Grapefruit, lime and bergamot create a base in this scent for the arrival of vetiver, juniper and ambergris-leather notes that feel refined and unique in a masculine way. 
100ml of Elysium retails at around £300 from selected boutiques and online stores.
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<h2>4. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino</h2>
The Tom Ford brand has remained at the pinnacle for male fragrance for well over a decade now. The Neroli Portofino is an integral scent in his Private Blend collection that was so important in the recent resurgence of men’s perfumery.
The neroli bergamot, lemon and orange blossom notes here evoke the Italian Riviera in a clear and satisfying way. An amber base that is augmented by warm white florals present a commanding fragrance for summer evenings.
Prices start at around £300 for a 100ml product.
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<h2>5. Louis Vuitton Afternoon Swim</h2>
There is a beautiful simplicity that accompanies the Louis Vuitton brand. Everything they do is imbued with authority, the highest quality and elegance. Their master perfumer Jaques Cavallier-Belletrud has ensured this philosophy continues with scents such as Afternoon Swim.
This is a minimalist scent built on the finest ingredients. A dominant orange note is supported by bergamot and ambergris with longevity at its heart. It perfectly captures sensations of sun on rippling water that make it an ideal summer fragrance for summer holidays and retreats.
Prices for Afternoon Swim begin at around £270 for 100ml.
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<h2>6. Parfums de Marly Castley</h2>
The Parfums de Marly house is usually associated with heavy and opulent fragrances that are created as an accompaniment to evening events. Castley represents an experiment towards a lighter scent that attends to more casual and day-focussed activities.
It maintains a wood base with distinctive musk but is tempered by the bright citrus opening and soft spice notes that layer incredibly well together. This freshness at the top with a foundation of deep warmth provides a masculine fragrance that is at once refined and remarkable.
Expect to pay around £240 for 125m of Castley.
&nbsp;
<h2 class="c0">7. Le Labo Bergamote 22</h2>
Le Labo is a fantastic example of a 21st&nbsp;century fragrance house that has a clear goal of producing excellent small-batch products with rare raw materials. Every fragrance is positioned as a hand crafted object as opposed to the majority of mass-produced and often outsourced scents from major brands.
Bergamote 22 is a reimagined citrus fragrance that uses vetiver, musk and subtle woods for a lightly bitter air with much more structure than comparable products. The result is an understated yet recognisable fragrance that is sure to be a standout across the globe for summer 2026.
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<h2>8. Byredo Sundazed</h2>
Byredo began life in Stockholm in 2006 with the grand aim of translating memory and emotion into identifiable scents. The Sundaze fragrance fits into this methodology with an approach that evokes sunlight and warmth in a bright and complete manner.
It feels expressive from the first notes of mandarin and lemon with neroli, musk and a recognisable cotton-candy element layered into the profile too. Despite all its playful attributes, Sundazed still manages to remain controlled and long-lasting for summer events that work from afternoons to evenings.
Sundazed is available from selected boutiques with prices starting at £205 for 100ml.
&nbsp;
<h2 class="c0">9. Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi</h2>
It comes as no surprise to see an Acqua di Parma fragrance represented on many of the best summer fragrances for men lists in 2026. For over a century, the brand has been responsible for well-developed and exquisitely crafted scents that evoke a real sense of the Italian coast.
Fico di Amalfi brings an olfactory landscape of fig trees, citrus groves and sea air into focus with grapefruit, bergamot and soft woods to blend it all together. As a result it works particularly well in the heat with fresh exuberance paired with endurance and performance.
Prices for Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi start at around £150 for 100ml.
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<h2>10. Creed Virgin Island Water</h2>
Virgin Island Water is the second entry in our guide for the Creed house. This is a less formal scent with a relaxed and contemporary composition that makes it wearable for everyday summer occasions.
Lime, coconut and white rum deliver a tropical outlook that is well balanced with a soft musky base. It carefully avoids any synthetic sweetness that can all to often blight similarly pitched scents and maintains clarity through hours of wear.
Expect to pay around £300 for 100ml of Virgin Island Water.
Choosing the right scent is always a question of adapting to the occasion. This guide demonstrates where formal and informal pairings will work best and encourages a little experimentation into day and night fragrances.
As ever, the real test is how well any fragrance aligns with your own unique taste, lifestyle and wardrobe. Once you find the perfect match, everything will build from there in a complete and aligned way.
&nbsp;
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Selecting a new fragrance for summer is a great way to freshen up any style. As we head into lighter evenings and warmer days, it represents the perfect time to explore new scents that one can use for the wealth of events that make up the summer social calendar.

The Most Expensive Smartwatches Ever Released

Discover the most expensive smartwatches ever made, featuring luxury brands like Tag Heuer and Nico Gerard. Explore diamond-encrusted and gold models.

The luxury smartwatch is an intriguing addition to a relatively new marketplace. It is also one that comes with a fascinating contradiction built into the very fabric of the item. With the march of technology always moving ever faster, there is an acceptance that the smartwatch is a category defined by iteration and constrained by the threat of obsolescence in just a few years. 
The luxury watchmakers and brands that have established themselves over the centuries were positioned as craftsmen of enduring quality. Their timepieces often represent assets that would live on for generations within families, a reassuring permanence created in timeless style. So, aligning these two worlds would at first seem to be quite challenging. Indeed, the first attempts at creating a luxury smartwatch were rather cautious with traditional case designs housing the necessary software platforms. 
Gradually though, innovations and experimentations did begin to appear. Some were more positioned towards the jewellery market with others treating the product as a hybrid of wearable technology with traditional watchmaking sensibilities.
Although luxury smartwatches are far from having the history, provenance and collector communities of their analogue alternatives, there are still some standout examples of collectability.
Here is a guide to the five most expensive smartwatches seen so far.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/most%20expensive%20smartwatch.jpg" width="1000" height="667" loading="lazy" alt="most expensive smartwatch" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2>1. Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 Full Diamond Around £140,000</h2>
This connected watch remains the benchmark for the highest end of pricing. Its case and bracelet are handcrafted from 18k white gold and set with 589 baguette-cut diamonds. The skilled labour hours to cut each stone precisely to fit the form and lines of the tag would clearly run into the hundreds for production.
The technology was created in partnership with Intel on Google Wear OS with core functions of app connectivity, payments and GPS etc. However, this was a proof of concept model that works in a modular way where the digital core can be removed and replaced by a mechanical movement as and when the technology is usurped. 
The watch is definitely a collector’s item that signifies an intersection of the changing habits of luxury watch creation albeit with a strong jewellery framework to define it.
&nbsp;
<h2>2. Nico Gerard Sunrise Pinnacle Around £87,000</h2>
This piece is similar to the Tag Heuer above in that it captures an early smartwatch design language that was ambitious if a little uncertain. The watch is created with the duality of a traditional Swiss mechanical timepiece mounted on top of the bracelet and an Apple Watch set beneath the wrist. Essentially, the wearer carries two timepieces with one facing out and one facing inwards.
Every piece in the very limited run was created to order with a gold case and classic detailing and finishing. The Apple Watch component provides full smartwatch capability at all times, with the mechanical watch responsible for much of its visual identity. &nbsp;The Nico Gerard Sunrise Pinnacle was widely debated on its release but certainly fulfils its aim to be a remarkable item in a still-developing space.
&nbsp;
<h2>3. Hublot Big Bang e Ranges from around £39,000 to £68,000</h2>
The Hublot foray into luxury smartwatches feels like it is very much aligned with the existing identity of the brand. A signature industrial aesthetic is observed on the watch with a multi-layered case construction of exposed screws and masculine architecture. 
A number of editions have been created that include diamond-set bezels with base materials ranging from titanium or black ceramic, making the most of strong contrasting colours in the design. The technology is powered by Google Wear OS with an AMOLED touchscreen and customisable dials. It does feel as though this a more balanced version of the expensive smartwatch category that aligns with the Hublot catalogue. Wearable and usable, it is forging a path for others to follow for a cohesive luxury smartwatch future to come.
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<h2>4. Apple Watch Edition 18k Gold, First Generation Around £7,800 to £13,300 at the time of launch</h2>
The Apple Watch Edition presents another interesting footnote in the design development of luxury smartwatches. From the outset it was a bold attempt to enter the luxury watch market in 2015 when the space was still unknown and unproven. A custom 18k gold alloy was designed to be harder wearing and scratch resistant within the parameters of Apples’ minimalist aesthetic. 
Internally, the technology and features were identical to that of the early Apple Watches which made it vulnerable to the same upgrade cycles and eventual obsolescence vulnerability. The Apple Watch Edition range was discontinued after the first generation as it struggled to find a client base that supported the match between high material value and rapidly ageing technology. Nevertheless, it was a pivotal stop on the journey of luxury smartwatches and their design process.
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<h2>5. Vertu Grand Watch Around £2,300 to £7,800</h2>
The Vertu Grand Watch is a good focal point for where luxury smartwatches began to understand their design functions and lifestyle position in a more complete way. It uses microcrystalline ceramic and carbon composite materials that allow it to remain lightweight and scratch-resistant while still fulfilling the high end, hand crafted and luxury feel. A distinctive tonneau-shaped case also aligns it with some of the most prominent design language of <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/most-expensive-watches-in-the-world/" rel="noopener">expensive mechanical watches</a> from the 21st&nbsp;century.
The technology stack is suitably modern and future-forward with AI-assisted health monitoring and application compatibility as a curated lifestyle tool. Sleep tracking, stress monitoring and over 100 sports modes that can simply align with both Android and Apple operating systems. Overall, the Vertu Grand Watch is the strongest signal of how luxury smartwatches can find a market through considered design, high-end craftsmanship and everyday usability.
The luxury smartwatch has had a difficult brief to fulfil. In essence, it is challenging an accepted and well-developed market that has stood for over 100 years with all the knowledge, experience and skills that it brings. As the 5 most expensive smartwatches clearly demonstrate, the process of achieving this is lined with experimentation and curiosities that may very well soon create an entirely new collecting community all of their own.
&nbsp;
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The luxury smartwatch is an intriguing addition to a relatively new marketplace. It is also one that comes with a fascinating contradiction built into the very fabric of the item. With the march of technology always moving ever faster, there is an acceptance that the smartwatch is a category defined by iteration and constrained by the threat of obsolescence in just a few years.

The Best Luxury Perfumes for Women in 2026

Discover the best women's perfumes of 2026! Explore luxurious scents, from Chanel to Amouage, perfect for any occasion.

Our Pick of Luxury Perfumes for Women

The role of scents and perfume has held high status amongst human civilisations for thousands of years. From the beginnings of burnt aromatics that produced smoke as a ritual offering to Roman gods, it has become a meticulous art form that combines materials, technique and the unique body composition of the wearer to create something deeply personal. 
Choosing a scent to act as your own signature is a process that can often take a period of trial and experimentation. It helps to understand the intention from the brand and perfumers that have created them, the ingredients they have chosen and the occasions and settings where the scent will be most appropriate. 
Here is a collection of the very best perfumes for women in 2026.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/best%20perfume%20for%20women.jpg" width="1000" height="563" loading="lazy" alt="best perfume for women" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2>Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel</h2>
This is a wonderful example of the Chanel brand displaying their confident power. It occupies a position above their mainstream line in a couture-focussed wardrobe with nuance and intensity in equal measure. The scent profile is built around patchouli, incense and benzoin for a polished wood and smoky elegance. 
The Coromandel name is a reference to the screens that were a key part of the design in Coco Chanel’s apartment, adding exoticism and heritage to the allure. This is a long-wearing fragrance that is well-suited to cooler evenings of autumn and early winter. Prices range from around £250 to £400, depending on bottle sizes.
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<h2>Amouage Guidance 46</h2>
The Amouage house has earned a reputation for drama that is paired with discipline in their fragrance collections. There is a bold and maximalist luxury to Guidance 46 that works as a more intense expression of the original scent, immersive and undeniable, with statement prioritised over subtlety. 
It opens with pear and rose water augmented by pink pepper before blossoming to a heart of floral notes from saffron, rose and osmanthus. As it settles in sandalwood and vanilla, it demands a formal evening occasion to become part of the wearer’s presence in an unmistakable manner. Expect to pay around £420 for a 100ml bottle of this divine showstopper.
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<h2>Chanel Les Exclusifs Gardénia</h2>
Creating a floral scent that feels tailored and mature is often viewed as a long-standing perfumery challenge. Gardénia by Chanel certainly appears to have manifested this into a reality with a scent that evokes essences of light and silk.
The brand’s own description speaks of a ‘fresh sensual nectar to leave a lush floral trail’&nbsp;and the accents of jasmine and orange blossom are definitely key components along this journey. If there was ever a scent to accompany the spring and wedding season, then this is surely a top contender. It lives within a world of light colours and gold jewellery with warmth and substance that prevents any decay into the realms of sheer and airy. Gardénia currently retails at around £400 for 200ml.
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<h2>Guerlain Shalimar Extract</h2>
The Parisian heritage house of Guerlain has been the custodian of a collection of very important perfumes for the last 200 years. Shalimar Extract is recognised as a legendary scent amongst them, with the status as the first amber-focussed fragrance that would go on to influence a thousand imitators.
The brand positions it as a ‘sensual, timeless scent’ that utilises notes of bergamot, iris and vanilla for a citrus presence coupled with deep and warming energy. The extract variety allows for much more concentration and depth that can be worn close to the body as a base for formal occasions. There is a distinct candlelight and intimate atmosphere created by Shalimar that feels mature and intelligent too. Expect to pay around £320 for a bottle of this striking scent.
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<h2>Roja Parfums Harrods Pour Femme</h2>
As one would expect for a perfume developed specifically for the <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/harrods-the-home-of-the-best-luxury-brands-in-london/" rel="noopener">Harrods</a> client base, this is a great example of the theatre evident in modern perfume. Harrods Pour Femme is&nbsp;a floral oriental scent that builds on a prominent cherry note with access to a floral heart supported by pink pepper and warming vanilla.
The overt luxurious feel of ornate presentation and ‘special occasion’ positioning lets the wearer know how to use the fragrance appropriately. This is designed for close skin application to create an aura of elegance that lasts in a sustained and calm way. The 100ml parfum version of Roja Parfum is currently available for £495.
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<h2>Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540</h2>
Maison Francis Kurkdjian is a modern and esteemed house in the fragrance world, despite only being created in 2009. Baccarat Rouge 540 is the result of an era-straddling collaboration between Kurkdjian and the famous French crystal maker, Baccarat, to celebrate their 250th&nbsp;anniversary. The name itself refers to the deep red colour that Baccarat crystal becomes when fused with gold at a temperature of 540° Centigrade.
This modern alchemy is represented through top notes of saffron and jasmine with a heart of Amberwood, ambergris &amp; Hedione, lending a mineral and bright element to the overall structure. It presents itself with a cooling balance to make it appropriate for urban &amp; city events and occasional day wear when something special is required. Baccarat Rouge 540 ranges from around £200 to £600 dependent on bottle size and collection.
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<h2>Tom Ford Private Blend Rose Prick</h2>
The Private Blend is the haute couture collection of the Tom Ford offering, which has an innovative way of pushing the boundaries of what is possible for modern scents. Rose Prick takes its cues from Ford’s own private rose garden and the eternal idea that beauty is always aligned with a dangerous edge of petals and thorns.
This complexity is served through a spicy, floral layering in a bouquet that is both elegant and spirited. Initial elements of Sichuan pepper and turmeric provide earthiness to engage the nose before a bloom of May Rose, Bulgarian Rose and Turkish Rose become the perfume’s heart. A grounding base of patchouli and Tonka bean provides creamy warmth, but it remains the remarkable edge that lives long in the memory. Rose Prick is a rather daring scent that would feel perfectly at home at fashion events and galleries where dress codes are guided by modern style and not simply old-world formalities. Rose Prick is available for around £400 for 100ml.
All of these scents are a sensory delight that can complete one’s outfit and appearance at any event in a striking way. It always pays dividends to sample a small collection that you feel matches your own personality and let them live on your own skin for a few hours at least. That way, you can be sure that it aligns with your identity in the best possible way. 
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The role of scents and perfume has held high status amongst human civilisations for thousands of years. From the beginnings of burnt aromatics that produced smoke as a ritual offering to Roman gods, it has become a meticulous art form that combines materials, technique and the unique body composition of the wearer to create something deeply personal.

Green Hermès bag displayed in the window of a boutique

The 10 Most Expensive Handbags Ever Sold

Discover the 10 most expensive handbags ever sold. From rare Birkins to diamond-encrusted treasures, explore the ultimate in luxury fashion collecting.

The handbag is the defining fashion accessory of the 21st&nbsp;century. Its journey from functional lifestyle item to luxury asset status covers a relatively short period of time but gathers so many stories along the way. 

The craftmanship, design and imagination involved in the very best handbags has made them cultural icons. Through associations with global figures, established style eras and a collection of the most elite fashion brands in the world, the once humble handbag is now an artefact worthy of study. Of course, this means that they are also the objects of desire for a growing network of collectors that work hard to own the most coveted and rare examples. This scarcity does also mean that the prices for the most expensive handbags in the world are on a rapidly rising trajectory that shows no signs of slowing down soon.
Here are the 10 most expensive handbags in the world for 2026.
<img src="https://146414706.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/146414706/hermes.jpg" width="1000" height="667" loading="lazy" alt="hermes" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1000px;">
<h2>1. The Original Hermès Birkin Prototype - £7.4 million 2025</h2>
Everything about this bag is remarkable. Its provenance and origin story are a wonderful piece of fashion history that definitely deserves its own space to be told. When it came to auction at Sotheby’s, Paris in July 2025 it was clear that all previous records were going to be smashed.
There simply is not another handbag like this anywhere in the world. It was sketched and designed on a flight with fittings and hardware that did not make the production models when released. This is fashion history cast in leather and brass that is now treated and displayed as a museum grade object.
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<h2>2. Boarini Milanesi Parva Mea - Approximately £5.2 million 2020</h2>
Scarcity and specificity go a long way to establishing value in the luxury handbag world. The Parva Mea from luxury Bologna brand Boarini Milanesi held this philosophy in mind from its conception. Only three of the models were made with alligator skin, diamonds, sapphires and extremely rare Paraíba tourmalines chosen as the materials for each.
The designer, Matteo Rodolfo Milanesi, created this to honour his late father’s love of the sea. Crucially, it was also reported that a substantial amount from every sale would be donated to ocean preservation and restoration. This is the highest level of luxury with philanthropy as the ultimate accessory.
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<h2 class="c6">3. Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse - Approximately £3 million 2010</h2>
This was a landmark handbag for the luxury asset collector world when it was officially recognised by Guinness World Records in 2010 as the most valuable. In many ways this object is at the intersection of jewellery and fashion accessory, crafted from 18-carat gold and set with over 4000 diamonds in its design.
Ten artisans reportedly spent almost 9000 hours bringing Robert Mouawad’s vision to life for the 1001 Nights Diamond purse. It exists as much as a sculpture as it does a handbag, with the story that inspired it acting as the perfect explanation to its enduring intrigue and mystery.
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Also Read: <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/the-worlds-most-expensive-golf-clubs/" rel="noopener">Most Expensive Golf Clubs</a>
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<h2>4. Hermès Kelly Rose Gold - Approximately £1.6 million 2012</h2>
In 2012 Hermès created incredibly limited runs of its famous bags that were positioned as miniature jewel-laden pieces. This version of their Kelly model was reported to be one of only 12 produced from gold chain material with over 100 diamonds set upon it. 
It was the result of a collaboration with the in-house designer Pierre Hardy, and the rose gold was chosen to mimic the crocodile skin of the original. It creates a stunning silhouette of opulent, grand style in a tiny form.
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<h2 class="c6">5. Hermès Birkin by Ginza Tanaka - Approximately £1.5 million 2008</h2>
This version of the Birkin is all about theatrical excess. Japanese jeweller Ginza Tanaka took her interpretation of a classic design to a previously unseen level of opulence and attraction. With platinum and diamonds everywhere across the surface there is even an 8-carat pear-shaped diamond mounted at the centre that can be removed and repurposed as a brooch if desired.
This model also illustrates how despite the handbag being stripped of its familiar materials and structure, it still remains visibly a Birkin bag. This is something that only the most iconic objects can ever hope to achieve.
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<h2>6. Hermès White Himalaya Niloticus - Diamond Kelly 28 - Approximately £400,000 2021</h2>
This version of the Kelly model is notable for its ‘Himalaya’ colour gradient of white to grey that is evocative of the famous mountain peaks. With exceptional white gold and diamond hardware it made headlines at a Hong Kong auction house and signalled how strongly the market would be responding to <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/best-luxury-bags-to-start-your-collection/" rel="noopener">luxury handbags</a> for the coming decade.
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&nbsp;
<h2 style="line-height: 1;">7. Hermès Diamond Himalaya Birkin 30 - Approximately £350,000</h2>
<h2>2022</h2>
This was one of the highest prices achieved by a modern Birkin bag when it was sold in 2022. It cemented just how important the Hermès brand had become for collectors with the Birkin proving to be a timeless model across all variations. 40 brilliantly-cut diamonds sit amongst a total of 200 precious stones on this ultra-elegant piece.
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Also Read: <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/most-expensive-number-plates-in-the-world/" rel="noopener">Most Expensive Number Plates in the World</a>
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<h2 class="c6">8. Hermès Birkin 20 Faubourg - Approximately £108,000 2022</h2>
This demonstrates the handbag as high-concept from the Hermès design team. It was created to evoke an image of the flagship store at e 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honorè in Paris with an extremely limited production run. This version is especially collectible as it has a full matte alligator body as part of its material construction. Importantly, it acts as a commentary on the rise of the status of the luxury handbag through its own actual form.
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<h2>9. Chanel Diamond Forever - Approximately £120,00 2025</h2>
The Chanel brand has been an integral part of the handbag story. This small edition specification with matte alligator and white-gold and diamond hardware is a record holder for a Chanel model. Although reports do vary it is said to be one of only 16 that were produced in 2008. This accounts for the stellar price achieved at auction in 2025.
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Also Read: <a href="https://sothebysrealty.co.uk/the-journal/most-expensive-irish-whiskey/" rel="noopener">Most Expensive Irish Whiskey</a>
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<h2>10. Hermès Ombré Lizard Birkin 25 - Approximately £120,00 2025</h2>
Appropriately, we end where we began with another wonderful example of the Birkin design. The Varanus salvator lizard skin and palladium hardware make this a unique and incredibly striking addition to the list. It acts as a more subtle and restrained model to remind collectors that value is not necessarily accrued through overt showmanship and spectacle. 
The most expensive handbags ever sold speak to a very modern understanding of asset status. It is clear that the collectors and enthusiasts that support this market are entranced by both the beauty of the objects and what they document about the rise of couture fashion over the last 150 years. Owning one of them is to write oneself into a story that is certain to continue with new and exciting chapters over the rest of the 21st&nbsp;century.
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The handbag is the defining fashion accessory of the 21st&nbsp;century. Its journey from functional lifestyle item to luxury asset status covers a relatively short period of time but gathers so many stories along the way.

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Wimbledon is a highly sought-after area in southwest London, primarily celebrated as the global stage for the world’s most prestigious tennis championship. Beyond its inescapable tennis renown, the neighbourhood is admired for its lush verdure, reputed schools, and prime real estate offerings.



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