Milled golf wedges and new Harley-Davidsons: what we're loving this month

Plus: the new Breitling for Bentley and Chopard LUC timepieces

100 per cent milled wedges. Courtesy Parsons Xtreme Golf

Parsons Xtreme Golf

The United States-based golf equipment company has released 100 per cent milled wedges, the only ones of their kind. Made from soft carbon steel and high-density tungsten weights, each curve, line and angle of the wedges are painstakingly crafted to specifications proved to deliver high-performance and accurate shots. Senior designer Mike Nicolette, a professional golfer himself, says he always wanted to “design an entirely milled wedge, but it’s time-consuming and expensive. The new processes and materials we’ve used to develop these wedges make them nothing short of incredible.” The wedges are available in four designs: Sugar Daddy, currently played by world number one golfer Lydia Ko, in lofts measuring between 46 and 60 degrees; Zulu and Romeo, available in 58- and 60-degree lofts, and Darkness in 55- and 60-degree lofts. Each is designed for different types of turf, as well as to accommodate a player’s swing style.

Harley-Davidson

“Harley-Davidson motorcycles are not a commodity; they are handed down from generation to generation,” says Brad Richards, vice president of styling and design at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Whether you view the bikes as reckless icons of rebellion or treasured works of art, there’s no denying the legacy of the brand, which has unwaveringly withstood the test of time. Next year marks the 115th anniversary of Harley-Davidson, and to celebrate, the company has created eight new motorbikes for its Softail line. While the bikes share the appearance of the Softail models, they feature the hard-riding performance of the Dyna motorcycles. They’re the younger, lighter and faster versions of their classic forbearer, weighing up to 17 kilograms less than older designs. Better braking, increased lean angles, quicker acceleration and sharper turn-in responses feature in these elevated models. “We focused on taking the total rider experience to a higher level, where authenticity, heritage and soul meet the modern edge of technology for a ride that must be felt to believe,” says Paul James, the brand’s director of product planning. The eight new Softails include the Fat Boy, Heritage Classic, Low Rider, Softail Slim, Deluxe, Breakout, Fat Bob and Street Bob models. All are equipped with new fuel tanks, keyless ignition, LED headlamps and USB charge ports.

Breitling

The Swiss luxury watchmaker has collaborated with British carmaker Bentley to release the Breitling for Bentley GT Dark Sapphire timepiece. The blue-black watch takes its design cues from the new Bentley Continental GT, and accordingly has an ultra-light "chassis" or framework, made of Breitlight, a high-tech, scratch-, traction- and corrosion-resistant material. The watch's "engine", meanwhile, is equipped with a 30-second chronograph system, a world-exclusive feature inscribed on the dial. The central hand completes a full sweep of the dial in half a minute to ensure accurate readings to the nearest eighth of a second. The model is part of a 500-piece limited edition, of which only 25 watches will be available to Middle East collectors. These, in turn, are fitted with a rubber strap with the same diamond motif as the dial, in a bid to appeal to the long-distance drivers, in keeping with the brand's connections with the region. In June, Breitling had reserved 20 pieces of its limited-edition Chronoliner B04 timepiece for the Middle East, while in April the Breitling DC-3 World Tour plane, housing the Navitimer Breitling DC-3 chronographs, made a stop at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport.

Chopard

Chopard’s latest timepiece, the LUC Heritage Grand Cru chronometer in 18K gold, comes from a storied heritage. With the epicurean gentleman in mind, this watch takes its cues from the pocket watches created by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in the late 1800s. With a slimline, yet domed, case and crystal, its distinctive rounded tonneau shape is technically demanding to create, yet offers balanced proportions, allowing it to sit well on the wrist. The watch houses a 97.01-L calibre, a mere 3.3 millimetres thick, and is polished with the circular graining and Côtes de Genève finish that earned the movement the Poinçon de Genève hallmark. A 22K micro-rotor drives the two stacked barrels, designed using Chopard’s patented Twin Technology. This allows the automatic winding to generate 65 hours of running time, with such precision that it has been tested and certified by Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute. The understated dial is white porcelain with Roman numerals, with a second dial sitting at 6 o’clock.

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