2018 F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Results & aftermath

Hamilton cruises to victory, extends championship lead; Verstappen finishes P2 ahead of disheartened Vettel in P3

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton capped his perfect weekend with an unassailable drive to victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on Sunday, making the most of his dominant pole position as a springboard to get away and stay away from any and all challengers. Better yet for Hamilton, his main title rival, Sebastian Vettel, could not overcome his P3 qualifying effort and was unable to pass Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on this very tight track either via pit strategy or pure pace. With the Dutch wunderkind battling engine gremlins and preserving his tires in a very poised and mature effort throughout the race, Vertsappen successfully held off Vettel to finish P2. Most pivotally Verstappen got the better of a very close encounter when he was just coming out of the pits on cold tires on Lap 18 and Vettel, who had already pitted 3 laps earlier, desperately tried to steam past him in the chicane. Unable to get that move done or really challenge Verstappen again after that his eventual P3 finish dealt the German’s title hopes a blow, as Hamilton pulled out his points lead to 40 with the victory.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Both men are hunting their fifth F1 World Championship but Hamilton has now won four out of the last six contests and while Vettel has won this other two he has seen his deficit grow to an alarming level with only six more Grand Prix remaining in 2018. Worse yet for the Scuderia, the Ferrari SF71H no longer seems to be keeping up with the Mercedes W09’s continuing improvement. Vettel also appears to have lost a bit of faith in the team, frequently questioning strategy and sometimes attempting to dictate it from the driver’s seat. After their disappointment in Singapore the reality is stark: Ferrari are running out of time to simultaneously ramp up their performance and make the savvy strategy calls that will enable their superb ace to return to being a true threat to Hamilton and Mercedes.

Mercedes’ second driver Valtteri Bottas also outscored outgoing Ferrari #2 Kimi Raikkonen, P4 to P5, further boosting Mercedes lead over Ferrari to to 37 points in the all important Constructors’ Standings. Daniel Ricciardo couldn’t overcome his lackluster qualifying effort and held station to finish a desultory P6 despite hounding both Raikkonen and Bottas in the closing laps. While Singapore is often incident filled it really is exceedingly hard to overtake here. Fernando Alsonso had a great day for himself and team McLaren at his last Singapore GP, coming home “best of the rest” by finishing an impressive P7. That was ahead of the Renaults of Carlos Sainz in P8 and Nico Hulkenberg in P10. And rookie Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari no reason to doubt their decision to promote him into the factory team next year at Raikkonen’s expense. The talented young Monegasque drove a solid race and kept his nose clean to take P9 at the finish.

While there was not much action among the elite racers at the front the midfield and back markers provided many thrills and spills. Sergio Perez had a crazily self-destructive race, shoving his Force India teammate Esteban Ocon into the wall on the opening lap to bring out a Safety Car. He then engaged in a multi-lap dice with the super slow Williams of Sergei Sirotkin becoming so frustrated that when he finally got the opportunity to pass the Russian he cut him off impetuously and caused a collision. That moment of red mist caused Perez’s Force India to suffer a puncture and also earned the Mexican a stop and hold penalty that doomed him to last place. Largely due to Perez’s out of control behavior Force India scored zero points after qualifying P7 and P9. That had team boss Otmar Szafnauer muttering about reinstalling team orders on his unruly charges.

Top 10 finishers for the Singapore GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 61 1:51:11.611 25
2 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 61 +8.961s 18
3 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 61 +39.945s 15
4 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 61 +51.930s 12
5 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 61 +53.001s 10
6 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 61 +53.982s 8
7 14 Fernando Alonso MCLAREN RENAULT 61 +103.011s 6
8 55 Carlos Sainz RENAULT 60 +1 lap 4
9 16 Charles Leclerc SAUBER FERRARI 60 +1 lap 2
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg RENAULT 60 +1 lap 1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in two weeks time from Sochi Autodrom in Russia. Can Vettel and Ferrari get back to their winning ways or will Hamilton use his superlative Mercedes power to put the hammer down on Vettel’s championship dreams? Hope to see you then  to find out!

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Qualifying results

Mercedes’ Hamilton lays down wonder lap for pole in Singapore; Verstappen starts P2 for Red Bull besting Ferrari’s Vettel in P3

After years of sruggle in Singapore at what has often been described as their  bogey track Mercedes and their ace driver Lews Hamilton altered the plot of that tired old script by seizing pole under the lights at the beautiful and tricky Marina Bay street circuit in Saturday qualifying. Hamilton hooked up a wonder lap midway throygh Q3, smashing the previous track record with a stunning 1:36.015 and flummoxing his closest rival, Ferrari’s Sebastain Vettel. While Hamilton could not improve his time with nearly half the session remaining and so remained vulnerable to someone bettering it no other competitor could. Only Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who has a decidedly mixed record on tight street circuits, came closest for P2 but was still over 3-tenths adrift of the Englishman’s blazing time.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel appeared to fall victim to poor track managment by the team and more than once found his best efforts stymied by coming up on ill-timed traffic, which obvioulsy cost him valuable time. That said, it didn’t really look like Vettel’s Prancing Horse had anything for Hamilton’s Silver Arrow on thos day and the German could only salvage P3. The Ferrari’s then saw themselves split by Mercedes #2 man Valtteri Bottas who outqulaified his fellow Finn, Kimi Raikkonen, P4 to P5. It was also announced in the two weeks after the  Italian GP that Raikkonen will be out at Ferrari in 2019 and the young Sauber driver Charles Leclerc will take his place. Raikkonen will go to Sauber on a 2-year deal. That’s a hefty demotion for the Iceman down to a certain-to-be non-competitive car when he has still been driving decently this year in support of Vettel. But Ferrari have clearly decided that Leclerc is a special talent and youth must be served.

Lining up further back on the grid, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricicardo could only muster the sixth fatstest time, while the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon qualified P7 and P9 respectively. Haas’s Romain Grosjean split those Force Indias and will start P8 and Renault ‘s Nico Hulkenberg qualified P10.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Singapore GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:39.403 1:37.344 1:36.015 17
2 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:38.751 1:37.214 1:36.334 14
3 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:38.218 1:37.876 1:36.628 17
4 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:39.291 1:37.254 1:36.702 20
5 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:38.534 1:37.194 1:36.794 17
6 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:38.153 1:37.406 1:36.996 12
7 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:38.814 1:38.342 1:37.985 19
8 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:38.685 1:38.367 1:38.320 15
9 31 Esteban Ocon FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:38.912 1:38.534 1:38.365 20
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg RENAULT 1:38.932 1:38.450 1:38.588 18

Complete qualifying results availabe via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live on ESPN2 starting at 8AM Eastern here in the States. Hope to see you then to find out whether Hamilton  can keep his momentum going and put a stranglhold on the title chase or Vettel can force his way to the front and back into the winner’s circle.

In memoriam: RIP Aretha Franklin, 1942 – 2018

The great lady has now been laid to rest and all has been said about Aretha Franklin‘s inestimable greatness that needed to be said.

The New York Times obituary is here.

The Washington Post obit is here.

And fine Rolling Stone appreciation by David Ritz is here.

The only thing I can think to add is that she occupies the same hallowed place in American culture as other luminaries like B.B. King, Ray Charles and Michael Jackson, an elite group of seminal cross-cultural pop superstars, giants of entertainment in the second half of the 20th Century one and all. These are the special musicians and entertainers who bridged the gap between “black” and “white” music, in the process cross-pollinating the two for an even stronger hybrid that we recognize today as uniquely American popular music. Aretha, like those other greats who came before and after her, took from the past, put her own indelible stamp on it and left that as a foundation for succeeding artists to build upon, leaving us all the richer for it.

As if to nail that point home here she is in 2015 at the Kennedy Center Honors paying tribute to Carole King by singing the blockbuster hit “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” — causing Ms. King, the song’s author, to freak out in happiness, the first couple at the time to wipe tears from their eyes and the place to go nuts in general. That spellbinding Aretha magic in action, even at that late date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsnZT7Z2yQ

The Queen of Soul is gone but the voice lives on. Long live the Queen.

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Italy — Results & aftermath

Hamilton and Mercedes outbox & outfox Ferrari for victory at Monza; Raikkonen salvages P2; Bottas elevated to P3 after Verstappen penalty

Mercedes came to Monza and played the team game so well and with such aplomb that they took the race from Ferrari in their own backyard. With forceful and assertive driving from their ace Lewis Hamilton and then impeccable teamwork from Valtteri Bottas and the strategists on the pit wall, the Silver Arrows outlasted and outperformed the Prancing Horses despite the ardent wishes for a victory from the passionate tifosi in the stands. In the end victory at the Italian Grand Prix was Hamilton’s after elbowing the Sucderia’s Sebastian Vettel out of his way on the first lap and then passing the pole-sitting Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen late in the race with fresher tires. Hamilton could not have done it without Bottas, who stretched his first stint to hold up Raikkonen forcing the veteran Finn to use up precious rubber and enabling Hamilton to close him down.

Pics courtesy Grand Prix247.com

The action began on Lap 1 with Raikkonen, who had set the fatest F1 lap ever in Saturday qualifying for pole, getting away to a good start and holding off his teammate Vettel, who started beside him in P2 on the grid. But Hamilton, who was directly behind the Ferraris in the second row in P3 alongside his wingman Bottas, was aggressive from the get-go and made a diving move into the Variente del Rettifilo chicane directly alongside Vettel’s blood red car. Vettel appeared to try to shut the door but Hamilton’s Merc was already slipping past him. The two touched and Vettel got the worst of it with a costly spin and damage to his front wing while Hamilton cruised ahead unscathed. The contact was correctly ruled a racing incident by the stewards and fortunately for Vettel a Safety Car was deployed due to the terminally wounded Toro Rosso of Brendon Hartley needing retrieval from the track. Nonetheless, Vettel was now consigned to trying to salvage what he could from the day rather than potentially competing for the win.

When the race resumed and the Safety Car was withdrawn at the ned of Lap 3 it quickly settled down into a less frenetic rhythm. Raikkonen continued to lead and Hamilton continued to pursue but not that hard yet, with the Englishman content to combine speed with tire preservation. It would paid off for Hamilton and luck was also a factor. Raikkonen was called into the pits on Lap 21, getting off the Super Soft Pirellis for the more durable Softs, while Hamilton continued to pound around looking to shave as much as possible off the pit stop delta so that he might be closer when his time came to swap tires. Hamilton and Mercedes also caught a break when the Red Bull of the unlucky Daniel Ricciardo expired once again on track on Lap 24 but that only resulted in a local yellow flag not a Safety Car of VSC. Hamilton ran on his first set of Super Softs all the way to Lap 28, also going onto the Softs, and when he reemerged he was in P3 behind his teammate Bottas, who had yet to stop, and Raikkonen, who was desperate to get by his fellow Finn.

But despite his fresher rubber Raikkonen could not get close enough to Bottas to make a move. Continue reading →

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Italy — Qualifying results

Raikkonen edges out Vettel for pole to lead Ferrari 1-2 in front of ecstatic tifosi; Hamilton salvages P3 for Mercedes

On the ultrafast Monza circuit in these ultrafast 2018 F1 cars it was Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who managed to take maximum advantage of his Prancing Horse’s aerodynamics and power in Saturday qualifying, setting the fastest lap in Formula 1 history en route to pole for tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix. In front of the ecstatic tifosi at Ferrari’s home Grand Prix just a few miles from their storied Maranello base of operations, the veteran Finn managed to flip the script from his usual wingman role to get the better of team leader Sebastian Vettel. Raikkonen hooked up a flawless fast lap late in Q3 that was perhaps aided by his positioning in the slipstream of his usually superior teammate. And at 1:19.119 the veteran Finn had the rarified honor of setting the all-time fastest lap in F1 history. Combined with Vettel’s P2 time, Ferrari secured a front row lockout in front of their ultra-demanding home fans, who will be desperate to see one of the team’s blood red cars take victory in tomorrow’s race.

For Mercedes it was another ominous sign that Ferrari’s engine has increased its upside potential when the wick is turned up since returning from the summer break, as the Scuderia proved with Vettel’s race-winning performance last week at Spa. Leading the eventual top 3 across the line as the checkered flag flew in the last quali session Lewis Hamilton could only muster the third fastest time in his Silver Arrow, while his teammate Valtteri Bottas qualified P4. With the two Ferraris on the front row and the two Mercedes lined up directly behind them on the second row, the getaway from the line should produce some potentially nerve racking moments and could well determine the outcome of the entire race.

Red Bull’s Max Vertsappen set the fifth fastest qualifying lap while his teammate Daniel Ricciardo has to start from the rear due to engine-change penalties. That opened the door for Haas’s Romain Grosjean to make a run good enough to seize a solid P6 on the grid, bettering the effort of the factory Renault of Carlos Sainz, who come home slightly behind the Frenchman in P7. Esteban Ocon set the eighth fastest time for Force India, while Pierre Gasly did well to qualify P9 for Toro Rosso. Rounding out the Top 10 starters, Williams finally got a car into Q3 this year, as Lance Stroll managed to set a time good enough for P10, capitalizing on the Williams’ brute power on a circuit that does not quite punish its woeful lack of downforce as much as most of the others on the calendar.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Italian GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:20.722 1:19.846 1:19.119 21
2 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:20.542 1:19.629 1:19.280 20
3 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:20.810 1:19.798 1:19.294 20
4 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:21.381 1:20.427 1:19.656 18
5 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:21.381 1:20.333 1:20.615 15
6 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:21.887 1:21.239 1:20.936 21
7 55 Carlos Sainz RENAULT 1:21.732 1:21.552 1:21.041 17
8 31 Esteban Ocon FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:21.570 1:21.315 1:21.099 17
9 10 Pierre Gasly SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 1:21.834 1:21.667 1:21.350 24
10 18 Lance Stroll WILLIAMS MERCEDES 1:21.838 1:21.494 1:21.627 14

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live on ESPN2 beginning at 9AM Eastern here in the States. Will Raikonnen get his first win in ages or prove unable to withstand Vettel’s certain charge? Will Hamilton spoil the Ferrari party to gleefully break Italian hearts? Hope to see you then to see how it all shakes out!

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Belgium — Results & aftermath

Vettel survives chaotic start to dominate at Spa, Hamilton a distant runner-up as championship tightens yet again; Vertsappen salvages P3 at home race

The action at the Belgian Grand Prix was all front-loaded with a large and frightening multi-car opening lap shunt starting the proceedings off in chaos and then the race settling down to a serenely dominating performance by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. The crash began when Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg misjudged his breaking going into Turn 1 La Source and plowed into the back of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, sending the Spaniard airborne. Alonso came down on top of the Sauber of Charles Leclerc, showing for the first time since its introduction this year the efficacy of the Halo head protection device. Leclerc could well have had cockpit intrusion by Alonso’s car as it fell on top of him but the Halo successfully deflected any potential contact to the Frenchman’s otherwise exposed head. Hulkenberg was assessed the blame for the accident and rightfully so. The veteran German, who is not usually a reckless driver, will face a 10-spot grid penalty in Italy next weekend as well as 3 points on his super license. In addition to Hulkenberg, Alonso and Leclerc, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo were also caught up in the mess, somewhat victims of their poor starting positions due to the scrambled wet weather conditions in Saturday qualifying They came together harshly in the resultant accordion effect and Raikkonen suffered a puncture and rear wing and floor damage and Ricciardo’s rear wing was completely ruined after someone had knocked him into Raikkonen from behind. That necessitated time consuming repairs during the Safety Car period, particularly a complete rear wing change for Ricciardo that put the Aussie a lap down. But while both soldiered on gamely their races were inevitably ruined. Raikkonen and Riccardo would both be forced to retire before the end of the race.

Meanwhile the fi the race might as well have been in a different postal code as neither Mercedes pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton or the man starting beside him from P2, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, were effected in the least by the mayhem behind them. Waging their own private championship battle and oblivious to the unfolding carnage, the two fierce championship rivals rocketed through Radillon and Eau Rouge and up the Kimmel Straight at full chat bracketed by two game but overmatched Force Indias. There Vettel made his move, scooting by Hamilton to grab the lead of the race before the Safety Car was deployed. That meant Vettel could dictate the restart when the Safety Car came in at the end of Lap 4. And while he did his best to roar away when he got the green flag the German could not quite escape Hamilton’s pursuing Mercedes. Continue reading →

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Belgium — Qualifying results

Hamilton claims pole at rain soaked Spa, pips P2 Vettel; Ocon an opportunistic P3 for reborn Force India

The Formula 1 circus returned after its long summer break, resuming at one of its most storied and historically important tracks, legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. As it so often does there, unpredictable weather played its part, throwing a spanner in the works for the last session of Saturday qualifying. With teams scrambling to change off of slicks and onto Intermediate wet Pirelli tires after a sudden Ardennes downpour early in Q3 it put the onus on the drivers to navigate treacherous conditions and somehow keep their cars on the circuit to set a time for their positions on the grid. As it so often does, the rain shook up qualifying victimizing some and benefitting others unexpectedly. When the spray had settled Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton claimed his 5th pole at Spa with a time some 17 second slower than his best run in the dry during Q2. All the news was not terrific for Mercedes, however, as their second driver Valtteri Bottas faces a host of engine-change penalties and will have to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid despite getting through to top 10.

Hamilton did manage to pip his fiercest championship rival, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who had been looking good for the pole when the English points leader squirmed off the track earlier in Q3. But the German’s last flying lap came up a little over 0.7 seconds slower than Hamilton excellent best effort. The most stunning development of this wet quali session was Force India’s Estban Ocon laying down the third fastest time after Ferrari were caught out by having Kimi Raikkonen’s car without adequate fuel to continue running in Q3 and had to permanently pit the furious Finn midway through the session. That saw the Iceman drop all the way down to P7 on the grid, while Ocon’s teammate Sergio Perez shot all the way up to P4 for a first-ever Force India second row lockout. It as a wonderful result for the team, which came back from the break under new ownership and, as an unfortunate consequence, stripped of all their championship points from the first 12 races they’ve already run this year. With their excellent starting positions the newly christened Racing Point Force India should have a good shot at rebuilding some of that lost glory come race day, though the drivers will have to be respectful of each other while holding off some potentially faster cars behind them.

Another beneficiary of the wet weather and Ferrari’s Raikkonen bobble was Haas’ Romain Grosjean who qualified a solid P5; his teammate Kevin Magnussen will start further back in P9. Red Bull continued to struggle this weekend with Max Vertsappen, normally excellent in the rain, managing only the seventh fastest time and Daniel Ricciardo only the eighth. Ricciardo made the surprise announcement during the break that he will be leaving Red Bull, his longtime home, for Renault next season. Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly will therefore take his seat on the senior team while Carlos Sainz will move over from Renault to McLaren, replacing his countryman and two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who will retire from F1 at the end of this season after a sterling career.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Belgian GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:42.977 1:41.553 1:58.179 19
2 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:43.035 1:41.501 1:58.905 18
3 31 Esteban Ocon FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:44.003 1:43.302 2:01.851 16
4 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:44.004 1:43.014 2:01.894 14
5 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:43.597 1:43.042 2:02.122 20
6 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:42.585 1:41.533 2:02.671 13
7 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:43.199 1:42.554 2:02.769 11
8 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:43.604 1:43.126 2:02.939 16
9 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 1:43.834 1:43.320 2:04.933 19
10 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:42.805 1:42.191 DNS 7

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live on ESPN2 starting at 9AM Eastern here in the States. Will weather play its part again to disrupt the favorites and open the door for the underdogs? Will Hamilton and Vettel dice and potentially come into contact on Lap 1 as they roar into Eau Rouge and up to La Source? Hope to see you then to find out!

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — August selection, Pt. II

August and summer are winding down but there are still hot watches to be had. Case in point — this beautiful vintage Rolex reference 1625 Datejust with engine turned white gold elapsed time bezel, aka the Thunderbird Datejust.

This beautiful T-Bird dates from 1962 and a has slightly later but nonetheless stunning silver dial with Sigma markings flanking the T SWISS T annotation. The Sigma symbols indicate solid gold markers and were only used by Rolex for brief period in the late 1960s and early ’70s. This lovely silver sunburst dial is Near Mint and its original Tritium lume is all intact and has developed a lovely patina.

Under the hood is the somewhat uncommon caliber 1565 Chronometer movement complete with its rare “balance guard,” a cool little vestigial detail. It is ticking away like a champ just like a Rolex should.

Coming on its likely original Swiss made rolled Jubilee bracelet this T-Bird presents beautifully on the wrist. With its handsomely crafted elapsed time bezel in solid gold the Thunderbird Datejust is the perfect blend of tool watch and elegance — a Sports watch for the board room, if you will — and certainly one of Rolex’s most interesting and innovative designs. And IMO, the white gold & steel version is the one to have. So grab it while you can!

Check out the complete ad over at the redoubtable Vintage Rolex Forum’s Market section for many more pictures and complete condition report. You surely be glad you did!  SOLD

Men’s Cologne – Givenchy Gentleman by Givenchy (Original)

First of all please note that this review is for the original formula of Givenchy Gentleman, which debuted way back in 1974, and not the recent reformulated 2017 release where the label actually reads “Gentleman Givenchy.” I haven’t tried that new, fruitier version so I can’t comment. What I can say is that original Givenchy Gentleman has become one of my favorites and a go-to in my rotation despite the fact that it’s approaching the 45th anniversary of its creation by Paul Leger. So much so that when I saw they were reshuffling it to the Les Parfums Mythiques category where old Givenchy frags are put out to pasture I bought several back-up bottles in case they decided to water it down.

While there is the usual waxing rhapsodic on fragrance forums about the vintage formulation, the modern iteration of Gentleman up until the shift over to Les Parfums Mythiques is still pure class (haven’t tried the LPM version but being so recently in production unlike, say, Xeyrus, I’m hopeful that they haven’t messed it up). From it’s distinctively simple “pharmacist”-style flaçon and spare modernist silver label with black Garamond lettering to the yellow-hued juice inside one immediately gets that “old school” vibe. But the fragrance itself, while certainly created a long time ago, remains timeless. Yes, it’s from the 1970s and yes its dominant note by far is patchouli. However, this is a cologne for people who only think they hate patchouli but have never smelled a well rendered, highly natural version of it. Along with Giorgio of Beverly Hills and the sadly discontinued Moods Uomo by Krizia, Gentleman has the best front and center patchouli note in the mass marketed fragrance business. But unlike Giorgio’s very forward honey-lime notes or the pervasive rose of Moods sweetening the deal, Gentleman’s patch is really both the soloist and the orchestra. Yes, there are the usual “woody aromatic” embellishments listed in the notes pyramid such as cedar and oakmoss but those seem faint to non-existent to my nose, as does the civet, which may have been phased out due to IFRA prohibitions. There is still a nice vetiver playing its part, a creamy orris root binding things together and some semi sweet-ish green spice notes likely from the listed tarragon, as well as a subtle rose note in the background. And the base definitely has a wonderfully long lasting leather note.

But again, this fragrance is all about the patchouli, which is both dirty and clean and goes on forever. When you first spray it on you may be alarmed — this Eau de Toilette is very concentrated — but hang in there for a minute and the fragrance instantly develops into an embracingly warm, inexpressibly elegant concoction cocooning you in pure masculine vibes. Continue reading →

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — August selection

The phrase hotter than July has rarely been more apt because I’m offering up another stone cold classic to start this red hot August — a scarce French Air Force-issued Dodane Type 21 pilot’s chrono from the Cold War era.

Featuring an absoultely stunning dial that has aged to a deep chocolate brown, this Type 21 has all the sexy patina and wabi-sabi you could want in a military watch with loads of wrist appeal, not to mention terrific functionality.

Underneath the beautifully proportioned 38mm stainless steel screwed case is the fantastically engineered Valjoux caliber 235 hi-beat Flyback chronograph movement, still performing like a champ after all these years.

With its French Armée de l’Air Fin de Garantie service mark dating from 1979 this beautiful chocolate Dodane Type 21 has all the provenance any MilWatch enthusiast could need. And it’s offered at a fraction of the price of its Breguet Type 21 vintage brother. There’s no substitute for a genuine issued vintage military watch and, as the saying goes, they aren’t making any more of them. So get this amazing Dodane while you can!

Check out the full ad with many more pictures and complete condition report over at the always hopping Omega Forums’ Watch Sales section.  SOLD