Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2021 i Maxim

In 2006 legendary Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre astonished the world of haute horology with the Reverso Hybris Mechanica à Triptyque. The first watch ever to have three dials run by a single movement, the ultimate evolution of the brand’s iconic Reverso timepiece, created for polo players in the 1930s, was priced at $500,000 and limited to just 75 pieces. Fifteen years later they have presented an even more impressive feat of watchmaking and another world first, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, which has four faces, is limited to just 10 pieces, and costs about $1.5 million. It need hardly be said that Jaeger-LeCoultre, founded in Vallée de Joux in 1833, is one of the most prestigious names in horology, and has long led the world in the manufacture of in-house…

The neck-swiveling pieces in Hervet Manufacturier’s evolving design collection look otherworldly, yet strangely reminiscent of something you’ve seen before—perhaps in deep reverie after binging a weekend worth of ’60s sci-fi flicks. They’re almost interdimensional, as if somewhere in the apex of the mid-century modernist’s dream, civilization branched off into a different timeline, one where utopia was achieved. No wonder they dub their work The Art of Space. This is the product of the Hervet cousins Cédric and Nicolas, who are from a generation raised on Japanese giant-robot cartoons, Star Trek, TRON video games, and Barbarella—all tied together by a futuristic vision filtered through a nostalgic lens. “We have the same cultural references as we grew up together,” explains Cédric, who is best known as the Creative Director of Daft Punk,…

“Bonsoir Monsieur Bond, tres heureux de vous voir,” says the valet at the Casino de Monte-Carlo as a suave Pierce Brosnan steps out of a silver Aston Martin DB5 on Place du Casino in Monaco sometime in 1995. The movie, of course, was Goldeneye. Reel back several decades to when the savvy Bordelais-born François Blanc began creating a luxury experience to bring the wealthy aristocracy and gambling elite of Europe to an endless stream of parties which acted as a backdrop for the true business at hand: gambling. His deft hand at marketing created the legend of “Monty” and had him crowned the “Magician of Monte-Carlo” as his masterful curation of luxury, lighting, and risk management led to fantastic results. In fact, it was oft said, “Rouge wins sometimes; Noir…

Port Hercules is nestled between the two extremes of Monaco. The imposing skyscrapers on the slope of the mountains on one side, and the Rock of Monaco, the Principality’s oldest district and home to the medieval Prince’s Palace, on the other. The beautiful Riva boats floating in the harbor’s salty Mediterranean waters carry the same mix of old and new—innovation and tradition. They include the entire fleet of Riva models, from classical runabouts designed in the ’60s to the new generation of Rivas such as their latest creation, the 110-ft. Dolcevita yacht. “A Riva is more than a boat, it is a dream,” says Lia Riva about the brand that bears her family name. “For many people I meet around the world, a Riva is the equivalent of a Ferrari,…

Rihanna, dressed in a silvery top with a white pencil skirt, poses next to Jean-Roch Pedri, who is wearing a black t-shirt with a roaring-dog print. He founded the VIP Room in Saint-Tropez in 1997, and since then he’s been photographed with numerous celebrities. They have all made a summer pilgrimage to the jet set destination, club-hopping to flashing neon lights and the beats of aspiring DJs, surrounded by icy cold buckets of the finest French champagne. The long list of guests includes pretty much every major fashion designer, as well as actors, models, singers and influencers such as Paris Hilton, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne and Jay-Z. After all of France’s nightclubs were forced to close in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, the French government finally decided…

I’m brapping around Manhattan on a Centenary Edition Moto Guzzi V7 bedecked in charcoal and olive-green livery. An 850cc V-twin which makes me want to hit the Swiss countryside and find some barbed-wire fence to jump, à la Steve Mc-Queen in The Great Escape. Sadly, the proxy has to be Park Avenue; a venue with its own inherent risks, challenges, and dangers. Madcap taxi drivers, lawless Uber drivers, mafiosi-pot-hole-riddled road surfaces, and entitled a—holes in overpowered German cars fit for the autobahn devoid of respect for other road users around them. I’m not convinced jumping the barbed wire fences is more dangerous. But the V7 with its upgraded 850cc motor more than rises to the task. Once reacquainted with the mental gymnastics of accounting for the torquey pull of the…

Picture this. You. Three friends. In Los Angeles. Living the football dream. We’re talking seats at the biggest sporting event of the year. VIP access to an invite-only Maxim party. Rooms at a chic hotel. Airfare to get you there. And cash to spend. Impressed? For MaximBet members, living the dream isn’t entirely unexpected. In fact, being treated to money-can’t-buy thrills has quickly become the norm. MaximBet is the first true lifestyle sports-betting brand, designed with sports fans who demand more in mind. And sports fans in Colorado are already reaping the rewards thanks to a new kind of sportsbook experience that makes every game and every bet special. Every interaction with MaximBet inches players closer to the rewards they really want, such as unique merchandise and access to one-of-a-kind…

The elegant dark-blue Airbus helicopters sporting the name Monacair are the first indication; they arrive bearing well-heeled visitors from Monte Carlo, in for lunch, a wine tasting, or an overnight stay at the historic, extraordinary Château de Berne. Part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association, the 2,400-acre property in the heart of Provence is home to an iconic wine estate with vineyards and organic farmland, a five-star hotel, two swimming pools, award-winning spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a bistro, culinary school, and now a castle and private villas that are sure to bring global acclaim. Only an hour’s drive hour from Saint-Tropez—and a mere 20-minute helicopter ride from Monaco—Château de Berne’s foundations can be traced to the 12th century, while parts of the main buildings in use today date to…

At what point does modeling become art? For sultry Spanish beauty Cindy Kimberly, they’re one and the same. The 22-year-old is art personified; a model, photographer, designer, artist, and painter, all in one stunning package of full lips, perfectly sculpted curves, and striking brown eyes that exude an irresistible self-assurance impossible to ignore. Born in Amsterdam to a Spanish mother and Indonesian father, the brunette beauty is an international icon who was catapulted into stardom in 2015 when, in an unexpected turn of events, she caught the eye of Justin Bieber—who posted her picture on Instagram with the caption: “Omg who is this!!” Clearly, even the Biebs couldn’t resist her ethereal beauty. And who can blame him? With that single photo and four-word caption, he unleashed an internet search party…

On the red tiled roof of Villa Girasole rests a grid of black solar panels. The handsome cream-colored Belle Époque mansion is a short walk from Monte Carlo’s iconic casino, built in 1879. The villa’s solar photovoltaic system aptly reflects the activities that take place inside. Since 2006, it has been the headquarters of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, started by the Sovereign that same year. Prince Albert, who took office in 2005, has pursued an ambitious path to ensure that the Principality of Monaco, situated on the French Riviera, is at the forefront of sustainable development. For the past 15 years, the Foundation has aimed to promote environmental protection, sustainable development, renewable energy and biodiversity around the world. In addition, the organization has over the years opened…

Brigitte Bardot and her costar Christian Marquand painstakingly get out of the water and fall exhausted on the sand of the seemingly deserted beach. When she gets up, Bardot’s wet shirtdress is half open, and after a few teasing invitations from her side, an erotic scene soon unfolds by a pine tree a little higher up the shore. The year is 1956 and the movie being shot is And God Created Woman (Et Dieu… créa la femme). Next to the film crew, led by the French director Roger Vadim, a bunch of curious locals are privileged enough to watch. Eight-year-old Patrice de Colmont is one of them. The vast Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle, just south of Saint-Tropez, is his home and playground. It was his father, the aristocratic ethnologist and…

When April 15 rolls around, Hayley Maxfield can shelter your assets and deliver a refund that will make you feel ten years younger. That’s because she is the hottest accountant you’ve ever seen. Of course, she’s not an accountant anymore, not after nearly three years. These days she’s a bikini model and social influencer, with 450,000 Instagram followers and counting (@hayleytothemax). “I was so inspired by other models who were able to build huge followings and careers for themselves shooting and collaborating with brands,” she tells us about making the jump from a business suit to a bathing suit. “I started posting a ton of bikini pics and slowly growing my following. From there, I gained the attention of a popular swim brand [BoutineLA], and was flown to L.A. to…

I always wanted to race, and the easiest and cheapest way to start racing in Croatia was to buy an old car with rear-wheel drive and a bunch of spare tires to just use until they blew up drifting,” 33-year-old Mate Rimac tells me over an early morning Zoom. “So as soon as I turned 18 I bought an old BMW 3-Series”–whose engine exploded soon after, eventually leading him to convert the car to electric power. Sitting in his offices just outside Zagreb, the bearded entrepreneur and EV visionary behind Rimac Automobili is recounting the beginning of a journey that has now led him to not only build his own hypercars, but co-create a new company called Rimac Bugatti—joining forces with the most pres tigious luxury marque in the world—with…

Simply put, Monaco exudes prestige—from the nine-figure superyachts to discreet banking venues that feel more like a country club than the usual three-tellers-and-an-ATM we see Stateside. Here in the second smallest sovereign state after the Vatican, citizens enjoy a zero income-tax policy, a rather attractive fiscal climate for the world’s wealthiest global citizens. Real estate is a realm unto itself, quite literally, as most prized properties transfer either dynastically or between aristocrats. Natives still speak the Monégasque dialect, which sounds like a soulful blend of French and Italian. The 200-hectare principality feels so consummately vetted, it has reigned as the de facto VIP suite of Europe for generations. What Monaco lacks in size it more than makes up for in sheer power in the global property market. Lying within the…

The story of the infamous Les Caves du Roy nightclub at the Hotel Byblos in St. Tropez starts with a fairytale. And a fairytale princess Vanity Fair once described as “youth, sex, flirtatiousness, insolence, and grace, all wrapped up in a bewildering nonchalance—a heady mix.” They could well have been referring to Les Caves Du Roy itself; but in fact they were describing the inspirational force behind it—Brigitte Bardot. For some might say she is the real reason the hotel and nightclub exist. Bardot initially made her way from ballet lessons in Paris to the movie screens of France with a string of lighthearted comedies, and then in 1956 took the world by storm as a blonde bombshell in Roger Vadim’s cult film And God Created Woman. A burning spotlight…