daniel craig

Project X Designs, the London-based Rolex customizer whose fans include "James Bond" star Daniel Craig, has come out with three new military-inspired "stealth" designs based on the classic Rolex Submariner and Rolex Explorer. The cool new models pay homage to Agent 007, the legendary British Special Boat Service (SBS) and military issue Submariners of 1950s – 1970s, original models of which fetch a small fortune at auction.

Those new aviator shades Brad Pitt's been sporting lately are by his favorite designer Tom Ford, naturally. The decadent designer's Pablo model is actually two pairs of sunglasses in one. One set of lenses fits right into the metal frame and the other set sits in plastic inserts. The Pablo is an evolution of an earlier Ford design as worn by Daniel Craig; these are much better proportioned and actually a fine fit for both men and women. The sunglass history buffs at Eyegoodies, where the Pablo can be purchased for $450 a pair, note the influence of an old (1970's) Ted Lapidus aviator with the plastic inserts in, and the Porsche Design Aviators from the 1980's with the plastic inserts out. The Pablo comes in three colors: gold / light havana (pictured above), gunmetal / dark havana, and gold /black.

[via JustLuxe]

Daniel Craig's aviator sunglasses designed by Tom Ford for last year's Quantum of Solace (above) are among a collection of James Bond items in Christie's London's Vintage Film Posters and Entertainment Memorabilia auction on Nov. 24. The shades, estimated at £1,000 - £1,500, are among the more modern 007 mementos in the sale, along with a poker table chair and barstool graced by Mr. Craig's derriere in 2006's Casino Royale, estimated at £1,000 - £1,500. On the vintage front there are some key items from 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun, such as a two-piece black silk evening suit made for Roger Moore for the film, offered at £3,000 - £5,000. Also from that film are the arch villain Scaramanga's custom triggers for the golden gun itself, made in the form of cufflinks which he used to assemble the lethal weapon, estimated at £2,000 - £3,000. On offer as well are a pair of black leather of Salvatore Ferragamo dress shoes worn by Moore in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, signed on the inside in gold ink along with a jocular note from the actor, for £800 - £1,200.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Project X Designs, a new London-based Rolex customizer, has already won some high-profile fans including James Bond himself - Daniel Craig. Project X, which also produces its own Limited Edition Rolex designs in small runs, began with a custom Submariner and Daytona a few months ago which have nearly all sold out. Two new Daytona models have just been released. Founder Daniel Bourn, 37, also launched the London Watch Company in 2003 which specializes in building collections of vintage "investment grade" Rolexes for private clients. Bourn is actually a former investment banker who developed an "obsessive compulsion" for collecting rare, modern and vintage luxury watches and decided to change careers.

Bourn launched Project X Designs (PXD), which has offices in Hanover Square, London W1, out of a desire to "provide a service to clients who appreciate the history and allure of original manufacturers' brand name – guaranteeing maximum performance with minimal maintenance – but who seek the individuality that contemporary high volume production does not offer." It's an aesthetic that appeals to celebs like Kanye West - The Classicist reported on his blacked-out Rolex earlier this year - and Craig, a diehard Rolex enthusiast as we noted last year, who owns PXD's custom Submariner.

PXD offers two distinct services via its website: the first, a bespoke service which, like a bespoke suit, tailors a new luxury wristwatch with unique features to the clients' own personal specification. For example, a leading Formula One Racing Team have commissioned a special Daytona - carrying the company logo on the reverse together with the details of the race victory - for each of its Grand Prix winning drivers. Ex Bond actor Roger Moore also has a bespoke watch in development from PXD. The second element of PXD is the introduction of collectible limited edition (runs of 24) customized Rolex watches inspired by the retro styling of the classic Rolex models from the past.



The bespoke customization service offered by Project X Designs is the 'backbone' of the site whereby watches can be tailored to suit the clients' demands. At present there are 18 Rolex models to choose from and 19 options ranging from different straps to DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) blacked-out watch cases at £1,650. Clients may choose as many of the bespoke options as they wish - more options are in development and will be added to the site in the future. The super-cool DLC Daytona pictured above from the new series is priced at £10,750 or about $17,500.

From Big Time Listings:
--Actor Brad Sherwood has re-listed his Encino home, shown above, for 3.595 million. It was listed last year for $4 million.
--Singer Lisa Loeb has paid $1.125 million for a four-bedroom, Cape Cod-style house in Los Angeles' Valley Village area.
--A six-bedroom mansion in the Beverly Hills Post Office area once owned by Ricky Martin is back on the market for $26.9 million. The listing is here.From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Actor Daniel Craig is renting a three-bedroom apartment in the Park Imperial building on West 56th Street for $38,000. This apartment was previously rented by racecar driver Jeff Gordon who rented it for $26,000 a month before moving into a condo he bought at 15 Central Park West.
--At the Waldorf Towers on East 50th Street a six-bedroom apartment is listed for $140,000 a month, the highest price for a rental in the city. The listing for the 33rd-floor unit, which was once the home of Cole Porter, is here.
--Ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff has been staying at the Visionaire, a 36-story eco-friendly luxury condo building at 70 Little West Street in Battery Park City, and likes it so much she wants to buy.
--Matt Damon is the latest celebrity to check out the Apthorp building and may be looking to combine several apartments. The Apthorp must sell 25 units before September 15. If that doesn't happen the building will lose the chance to convert from rentals to condos. So far 22 contracts have been signed.

From Newsday's Real LI:
--An Oyster Bay Cove estate that once belonged to aviation pioneer James T. Pyle is on the market for $1.99 million. The listing is here.
--Football player Vinny Testaverde has dropped the price on his home in Oyster Bay Cove. It was first listed at $6.995 million and is now listed at $3.995 million.


From Cityfile's Buyers and Sellers:
--Don Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa already bought an apartment on the 12th floor of The Sovereign on East 58th Street, for $1.125 million and they've now paid another $1.595 million for the apartment next door.
--via the NY Times, Douglas Lebda, the founder of LendingTree, has gone into contract to sell his penthouse at the Legacy on East 84th Street. He bought the home for $8.6 million in 2007 and is selling for close to the listing price of $7.5 million.
--via the NY Times, Peter Buffett, the son of Warren Buffett and a musician, and his wife Jennifer, are reportedly about to close on a three-bedroom condo and separate studio at One Madison Park.
--via the Real Deal, builder Greg Konner has increased the price of his Bridgehampton mansion. It was listed for $14.995 million and is now priced at $15.795 million. The listing is here.
--Mariann Florio, the widow of former Condé Nast CEO Steve Florio, has paid $1.65 million for a three-bedroom apartment at 235 East 73rd Street owned by former Bear Stearns exec Leo Tilman. Her Key Largo home remains on the market for $8.9 million.
--Richard Bressler, the former CFO of Viacom and now a managing director at the private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, went into contract to sell his duplex at 850 Park last month and has bought a new place. Bressler paid $7.15 million for a four-bedroom condo at 170 East End Avenue.
--via the NY Post, Billy Joel is looking to sell two properties he bought for his wife Katie Lee Joel in Sagaponack. Now that they are splitting up he plans to list the properties for $35 million.
--via the Real Deal, fomer Bear Stearns chief operating officer Alvin Einbender has cut the price on his Charles Gwathmey-designed apartment in the Police Building at 240 Centre Street. It went on the market for $30 million in May 2008 and is now listed for $19.95 million.
--Developer and former investment banker Keith Jacobson has relisted his duplex at 173 Perry Street. He bought the property for $3.74 million in 2007 and put it up for sale in July 2008 for $11.5 million. He took the property, which was once owned by Vincent Gallo, off the market for a while but now it is back on the market.
--via the NY Observer, Johnson & Johnson heiress Jaime Johnson has paid $2.654 million for a two-bedroom loft at 285 Lafayette Street. The seller, Lucy Waletzky, is the daughter of Laurence Rockefeller and a great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller.
--via the NY Observer, Lyor Cohen, who runs Warner Music, has taken a loss on the UES co-op he owned with his ex-wife, Amy. In 2006, they paid $7.75 million a duplex at 8 East 96th Street. They sold to Google executive Julio Pekarovic and Maria Vasconcelos for $6 million.
--via the NY Observer, Susan Bloomberg, the ex-wife of Michael Bloomberg has put her 4,472-square-foot penthouse at One Kenmare Square in SoHo on the market for $11.5 million. The listing is here.
--Celebrity hairstylist Orlando Pita has sold his former co-op at 2 Fifth Avenue for $2.95 million to Razorfish co-founder Craig Kanarick and his wife, Rebecca Odes.


From The Real Estalker:
--Action star Jason Statham has picked up a home in Malibu for $10.95 million. His two-bedroom condo at the Broadway remains on the market.
--Bjork and Matthew Barney are reportedly buying a four-bedroom condo at 160 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights that was listed recently for $4.25 million. They're also trying to sell their a one-bedroom co-op which went on the market in July for $1.7 million and Bjork has listed her home in Sneden's Landing for $1.8 million.


From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
The Maryland estate of Eunice Kennedy Shriver has sold for $7.81 million which was 34% less than its original offering price last fall. It was listed at $11.8 million when we checked it out as an estate of the day.
--Former Lehman Brothers Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Fuld Jr. has sold his apartment on New York's Park Avenue for $25.87 million. Fuld and his wife, Kathleen, purchased the apartment for $21 million in January 2007. It was not officially on the market but had been quietly shopped for $32 million.
--Actress Tuesday Weld , whose Montauk home we looked at as an estate of the day recently, has sold her Manhattan apartment for $1.04 million.




Check out Lynda Carter's home on Shelter Pop.
Which states have the highest foreclosure rates? CNBC has the list.

Stunning actress Megan Fox has reportedly turned down the chance to star alongside Daniel Craig as the next Bond girl. The Transformers starlet was apparently offered the role in the upcoming "Bond 23" but didn't think it measured up to her talents. A source tells the U.K. Daily Star that Fox would "rather be a more central part of the movie." Perhaps she's holding out for the part of the villain? While many actresses who've been part of James Bond's coterie of lovely ladies have gone on to greater fame, many equally well-known women have turned down the chance to be his bed mate. Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron all turned down the role of Vesper Lynd in 2006's Casino Royale that eventually went to Eva Green. Check out video footage from Fox's sizzling photo shoot for GQ (above) after the jump.

This week legendary Italian eyewear brand Persol, a bastion of Dolce Vita style, is debuting its iconic INCOGNITO design exhibition in the U.S. at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The invitation-only opening night celebration will feature a performance by Lou Reed.

Running from June 24 - 28, INCOGNITO by Persol is an interactive exhibition that was designed to "bring to life the emotions and richness" of a heritage born nearly 90 years ago in Turin, Italy and which today remains an icon of Italian design and craftsmanship.

Persol made its big screen debut in 1961 worn by Marcello Mastroianni in Divorce Italian Style, and its U.S. film debut in 1968 worn by Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (right). Two of the most stylish stars in the history of cinema, they catapulted the brand onto the international scene.

Other stars who have worn Persols over the years include Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere, Paul Newman, Roberto Rossellini, Cindy Crawford, Nicolas Cage, Pierce Brosnan, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Christian Slater, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Heath Ledger, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Adrien Brody and Daniel Craig, who sported two different styles in Casino Royale.

The tradition, quality, style and design that drive Persol's brand philosophy are embodied in the INCOGNITO exhibition, which involves all the senses. Along a path of images, sounds, colors, and technology, visitors can experience the world of Persol: the quality of the workmanship and materials, the uniqueness of design in the products and collections, the technological evolution and Persol's exclusive patents, as well as the magic and allure of the silver screen idols who made them famous.

As a supplement to my colleague Deidre Woollard's rundown on red carpet fashions at the Oscars, I offer my own pick for the Oscars best dressed man: nouveau James Bond Daniel Craig. Craig, above with girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell, who was a presenter at the ceremony, wore a midnight blue shawl collar tuxedo with satin facing on the lapels and turned-back cuffs and an elegant trim black satin diamond point bow tie and white silk pocket square, all by his favorite designer Tom Ford.

The smaller bow tie in an unusual shape was a welcome change from the alarming trend toward oversized, clownish bows, while the vintage-inspired look of the dark blue shawl managed to be distinctive, classic and extremely elegant, a bit of a departure from the usual without going too far. Ford, who provided suits for Craig to wear in Quantum of Solace, also made Brad Pitt's tuxedo for the Oscars, though Craig looked the best.

Earlier this month, nouveau James Bond Daniel Craig floated the idea that his successor in the famous role need not be white. "I think the role could easily be played by a black actor, because the character created by Ian Fleming in the '50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated," Craig said at a Quantum of Solace press conference. "After Barack Obama's victory I think we might have reached the moment for a colored 007."

Rap mogul, designer and aspiring actor Sean "Diddy" Combs (above) apparently not only agrees, but has determined the Bond role should go to him. Combs just spent $750,000 of his own money shooting a sort of audition / calling card which he sent to Bond producers in an effort to convince them. The video, full of Bond-like action sequences, was shot in the South of France. "This is my audition tape for the next James Bond," Combs tells the London Daily Mirror. "There is a black President and it's time for there to be a black Bond."

Omega may now be the official watch of the James Bond films, but offscreen, nouveau 007 Daniel Craig is a diehard Rolex fan. In the original books, Bond creator Ian Fleming wrote that "[Bond] could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex." In the early Bond films, Sean Connery sported a Rolex Submariner, and Craig has said in interviews that he favors the identical model. Over at the Rolex Blog, Jake Ehrlich has done some impressive sleuthing into the James Bond / Craig / Rolex connection, examining quotes, photos and other clues.

In a 7-part series of posts, he determined that Craig usually wears a Rolex Submariner on a NATO spec, striped nylon strap (sold as the "James Bond" model). It is in fact not exactly the same as the one Connery sported in Goldfinger, as his was on slightly different regimental stripe strap. Most recently, Craig has been spotted wearing an understated stainless steel Oyster Perpetual (above), so he obviously has more than one Rolex in his arsenal.

The long-awaited release of Quantum of Solace later this month will add two more members - Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton - to that illustrious club of only-in-your-dreams femininity: the Bond Girls. Since 007 first walked onto the silver screen in 1962, he's rescued, bedded and battled with scores of young lovelies, without whom the secret agent would never have made it to his 22nd movie. After careful consideration of all their charms, Men.Style has presented the top picks of this pulchritudinous pantheon, including Maude Adams and Britt Ekland (above, left to right, in 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun). You can vote for your favorite; at the moment the original Bond Girl, Ursula Andress, is in the lead, but that could change.

Hotlist: Bond Girls [Men.Style]

Remember that Aston Martin DBS we told you about that got accidentally trashed during the filming of the new James Bond flick Quantum of Solace? Well now a fan has splashed out $350,000 for the wreck - about $120,000 more than a new DBS would cost. The supercar, one of six used on the Quantum set, was written off when technician Fraser Dunn crashed it through iron railings and into Lake Garda in Italy. The Aston had been slated for a scene in which Bond roars away from an explosion.

Now 007 star Daniel Craig has revealed the remains ended up in a collector's hands. "I think somebody paid about £200,000 for this written off Aston Martin," Craig tells the Glasgow Daily Record. "It was a Bond aficionado." Recalling the accident, Craig said, "It was early morning. It was a winding road, it was wet and I think he just lost control. But who cares? Because [Dunn]'s fine and it's only a car. I saw him the other night and shook his hand."

You've read about the Aston Martin mishaps and the Tom Ford tailoring; now Sony has released the trailer for Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond flick premiering this fall. Daniel Craig stylishly reprises his role as 007 in what looks to be an action-packed installment of the classic series, with Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton doing the Bond Girl honors.

In the flick based on a 1959 Ian Fleming short story, Bond sets out to seek revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) from Casino Royale. Craig has said filming Quantum was much more physically demanding that Casino, and he has suffered some injuries along the way. See the trailer here and check out the gallery for production pix.

Cars in James Bond movies often suffer a rough fate, facing spectacular crashes and extraordinary leaps but one of Bond's beloved Aston Martin's took a dunk this week before it even reached the movie set. An Aston Martin DBS was being driven to the set of Quantum Of Solace, the latest James Bond movie in Italy when the technician driving it went off the road and plunged into Lake Garda. The £134,000 Aston Martin's roof was smashed in but the driver luckily had only minor injuries. The car was to be used in a scene in which Daniel Craig speeds away from a crash scene and a truck ends up in the water. The Daily Mail has a few grisly snaps of the destroyed vehicle.

[via Autoblog]