

Despite their practical purpose, watches have always flourished as a canvas for decorative arts, emphasising their dual roles as both functional timekeepers and statements of personal style and connoisseurship. The Handmade Edit is our way of celebrating the traditional crafts that go hand-in-hand with luxury watchmaking. We have assembled a number of watches that represent a diverse range of horological approaches, from ultra-thin dress watches with hard-stone dials to classical complications finished with hand-turned guilloché patterns. They are rare, detailed, characterful and beautiful – everything a truly fine watch should be.

MR PORTER presents a selection of rare watches, all chosen for their prominent use of traditional, artisanal decorative crafts, from enamelling to guilloché engraving. Featuring watches by Hermès Timepieces, Gerald Charles, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Andersen Geneve

Watches: Introducing The Handmade Edit – The Finest Watchmaking Craft

Introducing The Handmade Edit: The Finest Watchmaking Craft



There are algorithms that know you better than you know yourself. Usually, they operate in the background, harvesting data, only noticed when you get declined for a credit card or inexplicably nudged towards the latest series of _Ray Donovan_ or the exact model of nostril hair trimmer that your dad once mentioned pops up in your Amazon recommendations. But occasionally, one surfaces with information about you that you’d happily share with the world. Spotify’s Wrapped list is just that, a slick marketing gimmick that turns your listening habits into a badge of honour. Launched in 2016, its annual arrival is marked by an avalanche of social media updates, like millions of Wordle scores all posted at once (much to the annoyance of users of other streaming platforms). But what does the music you’ve played this year really say about you as a person? We’ve listened and this is what we’ve learnt.

There are algorithms that know you better than you know yourself. Usually, they operate in the background, harvesting data, only noticed when you get declined for a credit card or inexplicably nudged towards the latest series of Ray Donovan or the exact model of nostril hair trimmer that your dad once mentioned pops up in your Amazon recommendations. But occasionally, one surfaces with information about you that you’d happily share with the world. Spotify’s Wrapped list is just that, a slick marketing gimmick that turns your listening habits into a badge of honour. Launched in 2016, its annual arrival is marked by an avalanche of social media updates, like millions of Wordle scores all posted at once (much to the annoyance of users of other streaming platforms). But what does the music you’ve played this year really say about you as a person? We’ve listened and this is what we’ve learnt.


From the stressed dad who has had to swap Mr Kendrick Lamar for the Sing 2 soundtrack to the paranoid android who has fallen into his Discover Weekly playlists. We’ve listened to your music streaming habits and this is what we’ve learnt

Lifestyle: Music Tribes – What Does Your Spotify Wrapped Playlist Say About You?

Music Tribes: What Does Your Spotify Wrapped Playlist Say About You?



The holidays aren’t what they used to be. Remember how excited you used to get in the build-up to the big day? Let’s face it: for most of us, the entire period is really a time for kids. With that in mind, we’ve compiled some of the best children’s gifts, so that you can bask in the reflected glow of their excitement. And with a host of stylish selections from the likes of Fear of God and AMIRI, you’ll have the smug satisfaction of giving a gift that doesn’t involve flashing lights, loud sirens or garishly-coloured plastic. Read on to discover our picks for the little ones in your life this year.

Forget about novelty presents or faddish toys – here’s our selection of the most stylish children’s gifts to give this year. Read more in The Journal

Lifestyle: The MR PORTER Gift Guide – Eight Of the Best Gifts For Kids (No Batteries Required)

The MR PORTER Gift Guide: Eight Of the Best Gifts For Kids (No Batteries Required)



A few years ago, Mr Matthew Lopez was nosing around the antiques stalls of Hong Kong’s Hollywood Road market when he spotted something incongruous lying half-buried in a bowl of old coins. “I saw a gold watch, barely working and with no strap, but it said ‘Longines’ on it,” he says. The vendor let him have it for a pittance, and Lopez took it home presuming it to be a fake. Nevertheless, it had a serial number, and contact with Longines HQ proved it to be the real deal. “That’s my lucky watch,” he says. “When I found it, I was lucky, and when I wear it good things happen.”

We spoke to writer, researcher and collector Matthew Lopez, a Manila-based expert on classical and modern art from South-East Asia, to hear about his watch collecting journey, and choose the three watches from Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and NOMOS Glashütte that would form his Three Watch Wardrobe

Watches: My Three Watch Wardrobe – Art Researcher Mr Matthew Lopez

My Three Watch Wardrobe: Art Researcher Mr Matthew Lopez



When it comes to love, most of us think that if we can just find someone who also likes devilled eggs, kayaking and Hawkwind, we will live happily ever after. But research has shown that a very important indicator of the nature of a relationship is not political affiliations or the mythical spark, but our attachment styles. Despite this, a quick poll of your friends and family will likely reveal that only a minority understand how attachment styles affects us.

Are you avoidant? Secure? Anxious? What about your partner? Understanding attachment style might be the key to finding – and keeping – a match. Read more in The Journal 

Lifestyle: Why Attachment Style Might Be The Deciding Factor In Relationship Success

Why Attachment Style Might Be The Deciding Factor In Relationship Success



Talent is nothing without opportunity. But while talent is shared equally throughout the population, opportunity is not. This is an uncomfortable truth in the fashion industry, a place where privilege has a long history of yielding access and where the right hometown, the right school or even the right internship can make the difference between mainstream success and languishing in obscurity. But this model, which has held sway for decades, surely can’t last.

Our MR PORTER FUTURES finalists are ready to step into the spotlight. Shop the debut collections from SAIF UD DEEN, Miles Leon and MANAAKI now

Fashion: The Future Of Menswear Is Here

The Future Of Menswear Is Here

Highlights



Perhaps you see yourself as a potential [sneaker](https://www.mrporter.com/mens/shoes/sneakers) designer with a bunch of fantastical schemes. But could you come up with anything wackier than [Sacai](https://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/sacai)’s latest take on one of [Nike](https://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/nike)’s original [running shoes](https://www.mrporter.com/mens/sport/running/running-shoes)? How about: crisp [Air Force 1s](https://www.mrporter.com/journal/fashion/sneaker-icons-nike-air-force-one-1-turns-40-23519780), but with metallic Swooshes? Someone got there first (we’ll take silver). Why not a football shoe that will run on icy pitches? Huh, [adidas](https://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/adidas-originals) invented it in 1949? OK, what about sneakers inspired by the work of [Dr Seuss](https://www.mrporter.com/journal/lifestyle/the-lorax-dr-seuss-fashion-thneed-sustainable-1702880)? Oh, the places they’ll go. Wait, what? They’ve already been. This is harder than it looks.

Perhaps you see yourself as a potential sneaker designer with a bunch of fantastical schemes. But could you come up with anything wackier than Sacai’s latest take on one of Nike’s original running shoes? How about: crisp Air Force 1s, but with metallic Swooshes? Someone got there first (we’ll take silver). Why not a football shoe that will run on icy pitches? Huh, adidas invented it in 1949? OK, what about sneakers inspired by the work of Dr Seuss? Oh, the places they’ll go. Wait, what? They’ve already been. This is harder than it looks.


The latest models, reissues and collabs from the sportswear giants, including the new Sacai runner and the Grinchy basketball shoe that’s guaranteed to steal Christmas. Read more on The Journal 

Fashion: The Sneaker Drop – December’s Big Releases From Nike And Adidas

The Sneaker Drop: December’s Big Releases From Nike And Adidas



The festive season is upon us. You will no doubt be on the hunt for gifts that make you look great and leave the recipient feeling special. You may well be in a hurry. Something shiny enough to please a magpie suits your needs. But much like puppies – equally easy on the eye – remember that accessories such as watches and jewellery are not only to be celebrated when the “Holidays Are Coming” ad is on.

Our pick of the holiday season’s ultimate jewellery and watch gifts – the perfect picks for every recipient, that will last a lifetime

Partnership: 12 Days Of Watches And Jewellery (That Aren’t Just For Christmas)

12 Days Of Watches And Jewellery (That Aren’t Just For Christmas)



In a time when black tie is more of a suggestion than a rule, and casual Fridays have been extended Monday through Thursday, it would be fair to assume that classical ideas of formal dress are a thing of the past. That slender, simple and subtle watches don’t have what it takes to compete with the versatility and showy spectacle of sportier models. Except reports of the dress watch’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Because, just like everything else, the dress watch has evolved. Today’s best dress watches aren’t just made from precious metals, and a glossy alligator strap isn’t the default option. Sure, they might only have two hands, but they’ve also got skeletonised calibres, surprising dials and sophisticated case designs. Even if you’re not regularly dressed to the nines, a good dress watch never goes out of style, and today the field is more diverse than ever.

We highlight five dress watches from Cartier, Gerald Charles, Hermès Timepieces, H. Moser and Piaget that show how the category is evolving to stay relevant in a world where formal dressing is often assumed to be a thing of the past. Read more in The Journal

Watches: Five Dress Watches That Show You Can Be Formal Without Being Formulaic

Five Dress Watches That Show You Can Be Formal Without Being Formulaic



There’s no avoiding it. The festive season is upon us, and that means gearing up for what is for many the most important meal of the year. The one culinary event that is prepared for weeks, sometimes months, in advance. Recipes are earmarked. Timings are tested. Organic, beer-drinking, Ayurvedic head-massaged birds are put on order at the bougiest butcher you can find. Add to that a throng of family, friends or otherwise thrown-together waifs and strays and we’re heading towards quite an event. As a time to come together and bask in rose-tinted nostalgia, phones will be banished from the table, and there will be talking, joking and, hopefully, an appreciation for the food, drink and joyful decoration in front of you.

In the lead up to Christmas and Hanukkah, don’t let your festive table dressing be an afterthought. We’ve identified five stylistic starting points to help make your tablescape one to remember

Lifestyle: How To Dress Your Table For The Holidays

How To Dress Your Table For The Holidays



Getting ready for a party can sometimes be more fun than the event itself – a bit of quality time between you, the mirror and your pores. There are occasions, however, when plans come together at the last minute or your disco nap lasts too long and you need to get out


the door fast.

Getting ready for a party can sometimes be more fun than the event itself – a bit of quality time between you, the mirror and your pores. There are occasions, however, when plans come together at the last minute or your disco nap lasts too long and you need to get out

the door fast.


Left it til the last minute? From fast grooming fixes to getting dressed in a flash – an expert guide to looking excellent in a hurry. Read more in The Journal

Grooming: How To Get Ready In Five Minutes

Quick Smart: How To Get Ready In Five Minutes



It was a full six decades ago this year that the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond, made his cinematic debut with 1962’s _Dr No_. But he isn’t the only one blowing out the candles this year. The German luxury skiwear brand [Bogner](https://www.mrporter.com/mens/designer/bogner), which has long-established links with the Bond franchise, is passing an even bigger milestone with its 90th anniversary.

It was a full six decades ago this year that the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond, made his cinematic debut with 1962’s Dr No. But he isn’t the only one blowing out the candles this year. The German luxury skiwear brand Bogner, which has long-established links with the Bond franchise, is passing an even bigger milestone with its 90th anniversary.


The BOGNER 007 skiwear collection reflects a shared history that goes back 55 years. Find out more – and preview the collection – in The Journal

MR PORTER

THE JOURNAL