Black Book: Hublot, Rahul Mishra x Tod's, Delvaux and Tiffany & Co x Pharrell Williams

This week's guide to the finer things in life

Hublot guests in the heart of the Sailing Valley, off the coast of Lorient, France. Photo: Hublot

Each week The National's Luxury magazine team puts together Black Book, a cheat sheet of the most interesting and noteworthy arrivals in fashion, watches, jewellery and cars.

Hublot

Swiss watchmaker Hublot has revealed a new timepiece – the Big Bang Unico Hublot Sailing Team. Limited to just 100 pieces, it is decked out in black and yellow to match the colours of Swiss sailor Alan Roura's International Monohull Open Class Association racing ship. It also nods to the black and gold that adorned the first Hublot Classic Original of the 1980s.

At 42mm, it is a self-winding chronograph, with a three-day power reserve. It has a fabric strap coated in a highly resistant, one-piece polyurethane coating.

The counter at 9 o'clock bears Roura's racing number SUI 7, and reflects Hublot's beginnings in the maritime world. It launched its first technical watch for the water, the Subaquaneus, in 2004. Even the name Hublot means porthole in French.

Delvaux

French leather house Delvaux is reaching into its archive to celebrate Saudi National Day. First designed in the 1960s, its Tempete bag is inspired by a sailboat’s trapeze – the wire that runs from the mast to a hook on a crew member's waist when they're hanging off the sides to balance the craft. For Saudi National Day on September 23, the Tempete bag is offered in three shades of green. It is a nod to the kingdom's flag and the symbolism of green for cultural richness, prosperity and tranquillity.

The three pieces are made of a range of materials: one in silky calfskin, in a verdant grass tone; another in lizard skin dyed to a ghostly pine green; and finally a crocodile skin bag, also in pine green, with a glossy patent finish. All three bags have gold hardware. Delvaux is widely considered to have invented the handbag in 1908 when it filed its first patent.

Tiffany & Co x Pharrell Williams

Although he is kept busy as the head of Louis Vuitton menswear, Pharrell Williams finds time to pursue many other design projects, including an ongoing collaboration with jewellery house Tiffany & Co. It is called the Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams Collection.

The latest iteration for this project centres on freshwater pearls and is inspired by the trident wielded by Poseidon, king of the sea; and Atlantis, the mythical underwater city. Atlantis also happens to be the name of the community in Virginia Beach where Williams grew up.

The creamy opalescence of the pearls is highlighted with gold and white diamonds and made into a bracelet, a pendant necklace, a choker necklace, drop earrings and a ring.

As a point of contrast to the pearls, Williams has designed a spiked element, inspired by the trident, that also appears in the double link clasp. “The inspiration of the collection comes from my affinity with the water,” said Williams.

“In Japan, it was believed that pearls were created from the tears of mythical water creatures, so I naturally gravitated towards them as a means of expressing this connection to water.”

Rahul Mishra x Tod's

During London Fashion Week, storied Italian shoe company Tod's unveiled a tie-up with Indian designer Rahul Mishra. Incorporating its famous Gommino shoe – here as a loafer and mule – plus the Di bag and Timeless T shoulder bag, these are now lavished with intricate handwork by the skilled kaarigar artisans of India.

In this unique partnership, Mishra – who is the first Indian designer invited to join the prestigious Paris Haute Couture week – has brought all of his creativity and combined it with the technical know-how of Tod's on a collection that is a bold departure for both brands. Many of the pieces feature one of Mishra's recurring motifs, the Tree of Life, here captured in beading, sequins and embroidery.