Born in Iran and raised in Paris, Mr Alireza Niroomand cut his teeth working as a waiter for legendary chef Mr Alain Ducasse. He made his name in New York as maître d’ for Sant Ambroeus, rising to become creative director for the restaurant chain (and cementing it as a Manhattan institution along the way). Now back in France to work on a hotel opening – a project delayed by the pandemic – he spoke to us about his love of watches, which, it turns out, seem to gravitate towards him.

Originally launched back in 1975, Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato has risen from the sidelines to become the core watch of the brand’s modern collection, and it’s easy to see why. At a time when dynamic sports-luxe designs from the 1970s are white hot, the Laureato ticks every box going, with its silky silhouette, prominent octagonal bezel, distinct heritage and versatility as a platform for characterful variants.

As a consumer with a conscience, you want to do right by the planet and what’s living on it. Which, mercifully, is getting easier, whether you’re doing the big, weekly shop or trading in the family car. But when it comes to life’s little luxuries, or for that matter, life’s all-out extravagances? Reasoning every self-indulgence has become, and rightly so, harder work.

Cars and watches are age-old bedfellows. And like any long-term relationship, they have settled into a comfortable groove. By which we mean that motoring-inspired watches tend to draw from a narrow pool of established influences: tyre-print straps, red-white-and-black chronograph dials and steering wheel-shaped automatic rotors. Well, not any more. These days, we’re seeing watches with an automotive bent that are – let’s go there – completely off-road when it comes to breaking with expectations. Here are some of our favourites, starting with IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN’s most recent collaboration with Mercedes-AMG, as well as a couple of new releases that still do things a little more conventionally.

Born in Iran and raised in Paris, Mr Alireza Niroomand cut his teeth working as a waiter for legendary chef Mr Alain Ducasse. He made his name in New York as maître d’ for Sant Ambroeus, rising to become creative director for the restaurant chain (and cementing it as a Manhattan institution along the way). Now back in France to work on a hotel opening – a project delayed by the pandemic – he spoke to us about his love of watches, which, it turns out, seem to gravitate towards him.

Originally launched back in 1975, Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato has risen from the sidelines to become the core watch of the brand’s modern collection, and it’s easy to see why. At a time when dynamic sports-luxe designs from the 1970s are white hot, the Laureato ticks every box going, with its silky silhouette, prominent octagonal bezel, distinct heritage and versatility as a platform for characterful variants.