Welcome to the first edition of the Mantle Edit, where we pick out the week’s best stories and deliver them to you in brief.
Featured Story
“Nobody is ever born in Svalbard. And nobody ever dies. At least, that’s what the stories say.”
Daniel Millar takes us across Svalbard, Norway’s city in the ice. It’s the last stop for explorers before heading to the North Pole. There, he discovers a city where no one is ever born and where it’s illegal to die. But will he even make it to the North Pole?
Motoring
James Bond’s car from the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has a facelift and a more powerful engine. This is the spy car of your dreams.
Rolls-Royce is paying tribute to the first trans-Atlantic flight, which was powered by Rolls-Royce aircraft engines. The interiors are made to look like the sky on the evening of the historic journey.
Watches
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition
It’s the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, and the watch that went to the moon with it is getting a thoroughly modern movement and new looks to match. Read about the brief history of Omega’s spacefaring chronograph.
Earlier this year, in SIHH, IWC announced its support (and a new line of watches) for The Longest Flight: a record attempt at circumnavigating the globe in an antique Spitfire aircraft. In this new short movie, Formula One star Lewis Hamilton stops time.
Wine and Liquor
Penfolds and Thiénot release three new champagnes
Australian winemaker Penfolds and French champagne house Thiénot are collaborating on three champagnes from the 2012 vintage. If you’re traveling to Sydney, the first of these special bottlings—2012 Champagne Thiénot x Penfolds Chardonnay Pinot Noir Cuvée—are available exclusively at the Heinemann Tax & Duty Free this month.
Once known as the go-to airport drink in the early ‘50s, Irish coffee makes for a good nightcap. Learn about how it’s made and how it became popular.
Lifestyle
Hermès’ Un Jardin Sur La Lagune
Hermès is bringing the Garden of Eden to life in its new scent. The new perfume is a blend of magnolia, jasmine, orange blossom, and Madonna lily, balanced by woodier notes, it encourages everyone to imagine and to open the secret garden for themselves.
Entertainment
The King of Monster Movies is back, and Millie Bobbie Brown is facing her biggest monster yet. First appearing on the big screen in 1954, Godzilla still plays to a captive audience, and it’s because we’re fascinated with monsters.
Tech
So, you have a Huawei phone? What do you do now that America and China are imposing sanctions on one another? Is it time to let your Huawei go? The best thing to do is wait and see.
