Yves de Contades

IX Favourite Luxury Shows
 
Baselworld
This luxury show is the world's most important event for the watch and jewellery industry and is held each spring in the city of Basel, Switzerland. It is a unique success story, with over 100,000 people from more than 100 different counties visiting the show. Products and brands are showcased at a sophisticated level in an exclusive atmosphere, with high quality personal contacts and business deals ensured.
baselworld.com
Masterpiece London

International eXcellence interviews Laurence Dickie, founder of Vivid Audio.
Where did you grow up?
Facing the countryside of Derbyshire UK on one side and the coal fields and slag heaps on the other. The Derwent valley, where I went to school, is the birthplace of industry and that had a powerful effect on my childhood.
 
How did you start in the industry?
I’d been building speakers and sound systems since school days but it really got serious when I was appointed by B&W to design active loudspeakers.
 

Champagne Piper-Heidsieck announced the launch of its new Piper-Heidsieck 2006 Vintage Brut, which was introduced during an exclusive tasting. Hosted by Piper-Heidsieck Head Winemaker Régis Camus, guests had the opportunity to taste the full Piper-Heidsieck range including their Cuvée Brut, Rare 2002, Rosé Sauvage, Cuvée Sublime, and the winner of this year’s IWC Sparkling Wine of the Year: Piper- Heidsieck Rare 1998. The tasting finished with the introduction of the new 2006 Vintage Brut, a balanced and elegant wine

 For almost 100 years, E. Marinella has been specialised in beautiful accessories for man and women. The classic brand, steeped in history and tradition, is still today renowned for its collection of handmade ties, which are the epitome of Italian elegance.   These exquisite ties can be made in what is known as the 5-fold, 7-fold or 9-fold pattern, which is a reassuring luxury the wearer can either disclose or keep as his bespoke secret.   All the ties are unique and handmade, and the silks used for each tie is different and cut to make just one tie.

 
Sir David Attenborough will launch a global crowdfunding campaign this week to save mountain gorillas.
The Indiegogo crowdfund, launched to coincide with the first ever UK Crowdfunding Day, aims to raise £110,000 by December 11 to support Fauna & Flora International’s work with mountain gorillas. 
This work fosters cooperation across national borders and empowers communities to monitor, protect and benefit from maintaining a healthy population of mountain gorillas.

 
International eXcellence looks at FITZ Partners Ltd a London-based fund research company specialising in the detailed calculations of fund fees and expenses and the delivery of Pan-European fund fee benchmarks.
 
 
FITZ Partners founder Hugues Gillibert feels lucky; at 45 years old and after 4 very successful years as Head of New ventures for a large financial data provider, he is back in the world of entrepreneurs where hard work, team effort, client focus and business partnering are a way of life!
 

Volkswagen and the digital company Metaio have developed an augmented reality app that will instruct owners of the Volkswagen XL1 how to maintain, dismantle, repair and service their new car.
The app is called Marta and is the future of learning and instruction manuals. It combines the use of the tablet camera and the manual information to provide live instruction, in real time, as you fix your car.
Watch the video here:

3D printing is set to revolutionise the way we design and create. If you are new to 3D, start reading up on it now. The way products and pretty much anything is made is about to change.
3D printers can essentially make anything that can be made out of resin and still perform its intended function.
It works in the same way that an inkjet printer does, dropping tiny particles of ink on the paper, only in 3D, using droplets of a resin like glue and building layer upon layer to form the full three dimensional shape.

 
“Majestic views of our planet, slowly expanding below, are certain to captivate you, as you ascend to the edge of space. “ World View
World View are proposing to offer passenger flights in a balloon to the outer edges of the atmosphere, or 30 km up, starting in 2016. The official boundary for space flight is 100 km, but you would still get the astronauts view of the world hanging in the void with the stars in the background.

Are you having a long distance relationship or just miss someone whenever they aren’t there? Then Kwamecorp have come up with a gadget that will literally keep you in touch.