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Cuervo y Sobrinos Celebrates Spain's World Cup 2010 Victory With Watch

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The win for Spain's "La Roja" soccer (football) team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup was an extremely joyous occasion for the Spanish people. While not a Spanish brand, Cuervo y Sobrinos has released a new (likely limited edition) watch in honor of the national team. Cuervo y Sobrinos is historically a Cuban brand, but now owned and operated by the Swiss. Special watches made for winning teams are often successful, especially since Spain gets to hold the title for at least 4 years until the next World Cup games.

Based on their Robusto collection of watches, the "La Roja" watch is done with as much as is possible (and not be a silly looking red watch). In an 42-43mm wide steel case, the dial looks to be done in lume with red Arabic hour numerals and a "La Roja 2010" statement printed on the dial to remind you the purpose of the watch. It is matched to a red strap, and the caseback likely features a commemorative engraving. Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA 2895-2 automatic movement. Details are slim at this point, but the price will be 1,500 euros.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Louisxs Cigars and Moet Champagne: Winning World Cup Pairing

Filed under: Cigars

What are you going to light up for the World Cup festivities tomorrow? I'll be on the road, unfortunately, but I know many of my friends will be gathering at our local cigar shop and digging into their usual favorites. If you want to do something a little different, follow the advice of Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club. He has a decadent pairing that will help turn the game into a memorable occasion, regardless of who comes out on top.

Start with the club's Louisxs cigar. At $50, it's truly an investment in happiness. You'll plunk down a fistful of dough, but at least you'll get a lot of time out of it, thanks to the cigar's slow burn. You'll taste the rare Rosoda leaves from start to finish and enjoy the "pure magic [that] is meant to linger all evening." What could you possibly pair with a cigar of this caliber? Only Moet, of course.

German Football Coach Orders Tod's Bracelets for World Cup

Filed under: Sports, Men's Style


Germany's national football team got an extra boost of team spirit and patriotism at the World Cup this year thanks to Italian luxury goods firm Tod's. Oliver Berhoff, the German National Team Manager, was shopping in one of Germany's Tod's boutiques a short while back when he spotted the brand's new My Colours braided leather bracelets in the country's national hues of black, red and gold (above). He purchased them for all the players and management as a symbol of team spirit and togetherness; the soccer stars were seen wearing them off the field while head coach Joachim Löw sported his on the sidelines of the games in South Africa. Currently available at Tod's boutiques worldwide, the bracelets retail for about $225 apiece and come in various national colors with steel clasps.

The Controversy Over World Cup "Lion Burgers"

Filed under: Dining

il vinaioThe controversy over the $21 "lion burger" being offered at Il Vinaio in Mesa, Arizona has reached a fever pitch. The Italian-style restaurant was selling the burgers of lion meat mixed with ground beef as a celebration for the World Cup. But once news got out about the unusual fare the restaurant was besieged with angry emails and protests. The owner said that the lions were raised at a free-range farm in Illinois that is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and that while lion meat is uncommon it is not illegal (turns out though that it's the FDA not the USDA that inspects lions bred for meat). Later investigations by the Chicago Tribune and other sources found that the source of the meat is Czimer's Game & Sea Foods an Illinois company that specializes in exotic and game meats including bear, camel and yes lion, selling African lion steaks for $19.95 a pound.

Richard Czimer, the company's owner, talked with CNNMoney.com and said that he gets the lion meat from a man who buys and sells animals for the skin and that the meat is essentially a byproduct. Czimer said he doesn't know where the other man gets the lion meat. Czimer doesn't have the best track record. In 2003, Chicago newspapers covered Czimer's conviction for selling meat from federally protected tigers and leopards. He had confessed to buying the carcasses of 16 tigers, four lions, two mountain lions and one liger that were skinned, butchered and sold as "lion meat." The African lion isn't a federally protected endangered species and does qualify as a game meat. Czimer's shop is officially registered with the FDA and has been inspected by state regulators.

Cristiano Ronaldo Flashes His Armani-Ready Abs

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style


You have to admire Giorgio Armani, he knows what people want to look at, sexy well-abbed soccer stars and beautiful starlets. While Cristiano Ronaldo might not be a household name here in the States like David Beckham yet, his chiseled stomach and wicked smile in Armani's latest ads might just attract a whole new legion of World Cup watchers and more fans for his new Facebook page. The brand posted a couple of shots on the Armani Facebook page.

This is Ronaldo's second season as the face and body of Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans. The images are from the Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 advertising campaign coming soon to billboards near you in New York, Los Angeles, London, Milan, Rome, Paris and Tokyo. In September there will be a commercial spot with Cristiano Ronaldo to showcase the collections. Ronaldo in just a pair of Armani briefs after the jump.

World Cup 2010 Cocktails

Filed under: Spirits

World Cup Cocktails
The 19th Soccer World Cup is upon us, taking place in South Africa. There is no better way to kick-off this event than by toasting your favorite team with a delicious cocktail perfect for summer merriment. Here are a few cocktail recipes that include such spirits as VeeV, the World's First Açai Spirit, Bombay Sapphire, Xante and Lucid's absinthe.

Take a look at the following slideshow for a few recipes to experiment with--there are recipes for fans of Brazil (above), England, France, England, Mexico and more.

South African Jeweler Shimansky Dazzles With World Cup Bling

Filed under: Jewelry, Sports


South African jeweler Shimansky is getting their share of the focus brought to the country by the World Cup with a couple of dazzling projects. The jeweler recently showed off the world's most expensive tattoo. The tattoo is only temporary, made of 612 Shimansky Ideal Cut .5 carat diamonds applied to the skin using a water-based adhesive. South African model and Shimansky brand ambassador Minki van der Westhuizen wore the tattoo valued at $924,000.

Should that not be enough to get your attention, the company has also unveiled a diamond soccer ball. The nearly five pound ball is covered in 6,620 white and 2,640 black round brilliant cut diamonds, all sourced in South Africa, a total of around 3,500 carats of stones. It has a value of around $2.6 million. Replicas of the ball rendered in crystals will be in Shimansky's seven national stores for the duration of the World Cup. Afterwards each replica will be auctioned with the proceeds being given to each regional store's chosen charity. The jeweler has also created a World Cup ring and silver soccer shoe cufflinks. The rest of the world may not have been familiar with the jeweler before the World Cup but they will be now.

The World Cup Loves Louis Vuitton

Filed under: Sports, Celebrity Design



Karl Lagerfeld might have forsaken Louis Vuitton trunks for Goyard, but Sepp Blatter's FIFA wouldn't accept anything other than Louis for the World Cup trophy. The trunk looks to be an otherwise standard LV affair, save for the fact that it opens on two sides for ease of access to the 14-inch-high, 18-carat-gold trophy. It is also fitted with a pocket on its long side to hold white gloves. The case will be shown to the public for the first time when the trophy is ready to be given to the Cup's winning team on July 11th. Of course, knowing the buying proclivities of professional footballers, every member of the winning team probably already has one...

The World Cup trophy case is just one of the 450 special orders that Louis Vuitton's Asnieres workshop gets every year. If you're not playing in the Cup this year but you want something bespoke to call your own, we're sure LV will be happy to craft one of its $35,000 whiskey cases in your honor so that you can be a winner, too.


Is A World Cup Soccer Shirt Worth Millions?

Filed under: Sports

geoff hurstWhen is a shirt worth millions? When it's the shirt worn by Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final. The London Times says that the shirt has been put on sale for £2.3 million. That's quite a value jump, Hurst sold the shirt at an auction at Christie's in 2000 for £91,750 and it was later sold again. Now property developer Andrew Leslau is hoping to cash in on World Cup fever. Should the shirt sell for even close to this total it would blow away the previous record of £157,750 set in 2002 for the shirt worn by Pele in Brazil's 1970 World Cup triumph.

Leslau bought the shirt in 2008 and took out a £1 million insurance policy. The Times reports that he originally planned to display the shirt at Harrods before the South Africa World Cup but decided to sell it for £2 million plus VAT after receiving so many inquiries. It is now on display at the famed Harrods London store.

Many have raised their eyes at the price. Although the shirt does represent a shining moment for England and for soccer, it still seems unlikely that it will sell for this high price. The shirt is on display until June 14.

Will Soccer Fans Want To Smell Like A Stadium?

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance, Sports

You wouldn't think that the scent of a stadium would be a hot seller but never underestimate the fervor of World Cup fans. Rachel Stevens is the face of Eau De Stade a new scent created by Sky+HD to evoke the smells of the soccer field and the host country South Africa. It's a bit unusual for a television broadcaster to develop a scent but the fragrance is meant to be worn while watching Sky's high definition television coverage of the games.

The scent was developed by John Bailey of The Perfumers Guild Limited and uses essential oils sourced from South Africa, hints of sea breezes, the smell of fresh grass and yes, a little hint of sweat. The unisex perfume will be on sale for a limited time.The perfume is on sale from at Soccer Scene's World Cup pop-up store in central London. The scent sells for £19.99 and will only be available for a limited time.

[via Now Smell This]

Hublot FIFA World Cup Classic Fusion Watch

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

hublot FIFA World Cup Classic Fusion watch
The World Cup hasn't even started yet and there is already a prize. Hublot is due to release this gold on gold limited edition FIFA World Cup Classic Fusion watch as part of their role as the "official watch maker of the FIFA World Cup" (that I discussed there). While not the first watch in the relationship, this mostly gold piece is easily the most luxurious (and classic) of what will be a stream of World Cup themed watches. Case is 45mm wide in 18k gold, while the dial is label with "GOLD 750" referring the purity of the gold alloy that makes up the brushed dial. Polished gold hour indicators line the periphery of the dial and a display of the World Cup trophy sits at the bottom of the dial. The hands are also solid gold. The watch has titanium screws and is matched to a black alligator strap. Inside the watch is a base Swiss ETA automatic movement which is visible through an exhibition caseback window. The FIFA World Cup Classic Fusion watch will be limited to just 100 pieces.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

World Cup Gets Official Rings

Filed under: Jewelry

world cup pitchAt the instigation of Colombian jeweler Carlos Sotelo, the world's biggest event is borrowing inspiration from America's biggest events. For the first time ever, the World Cup will offer FIFA-sanctioned rings to the Cup's MVP, and additional rings will be available to those willing to spend from $2,500 to $250,000 for gem-encrusted souvenirs.

Sotelo and 269 jewelers are currently setting the stones on 2,010 rings for the South African tournament. The most accessible will be the 1,970 rings in gold and silver, set with emeralds, offered for $2,500. Above that are 33 white gold rings, each with 36 emeralds and South African diamonds, that will go for $70,000 each. And at the top of the pyramid are seven platinum rings, each with 200 emeralds, that will set you back a quarter of a million dollars apiece.

Sotelo ultimately wants the entire winning team to be presented with official rings, as is done for winning players in the Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Championship, but for this year one of the gold rings will be given to the World Cup's most valuable player. Since that probably won't be you, we'd suggest taking an extra $2,500 to Johannesburg.

Hublot Watches Grab Lucrative Spot With World Cup

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Sports

Hublot's Jean-Claude Biver knows that to maintain success the watch brand needs to associate itself with interests its fans and existing customers have. A big part of this is aligning itself with sports and other events that are highly popular around the world. I recently discussed how Hublot was able to sign itself as the "Official Watch Maker" of Formula 1. The curious title gave Hublot the exclusive right to make limited edition watches with the F1 name on them. Next on the Hublot agenda was tackling FIFA, the organization behind the soccer (I mean football) world's greatest event - the World Cup.

Hublot will serve not only as the "official watch maker" for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup events, but also as the prestigious "Official Time Keeper." Thus, not only is Hublot able to make special limited edition watches with the event name on them, but also to have its name on the time keeping devices in the games. A very big step forward for Hublot as it goes without saying just how popular the World Cup games are around the world. The 2010 World Cup will be located in South Africa, while the 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil. I look forward to seeing what interesting limited edition watches Hublot releases for the games.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Cheer the U.S. Soccer Team with "Ya Mampela!" on Cox & King's World Cup Tours

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

team usa soccer
In a little land you might have heard of, called Africa, there's a country you might have heard of, called South Africa, that's hosting a little get-together you might have heard of, called the World Cup. And although you might not have heard of soccer, the subject of that little get-together, you've probably heard of David and Victoria Beckham and that's close enough. For America, anyway...

There's no better year than this year to get to know the actual sport in question, and luxury travel group Cox & Kings has put together a smattering of options for trekking from USA to SA. The Sable level is the top experience in the the Follow Team USA packages, from June 9-24, which takes you to all three of the team's group matches and the tourney's opening match, puts you to bed in high class digs and then takes you for a roar on the wild side with a 3-to-5 night safari. For $26,155 it is all yours.

The are two other more, shall we say, slightly cost-effective levels: Wild Dog for $25,520 and Tembo at $24,355. There are also Follow Your Team packages for Mexico and Brazil, and a basket of general packages of various lengths. For graduation with honors from World Cup school you'll need to stay to the final match – the Super Bowl at the end of the playoffs, as it were, where they actually hand over the World Cup – and for that you might need Wild Dog 6 at $27,895. No, even at the antipodes higher education isn't cheap, but when your university classes are soccer, safaris, splendor, and South Africa, there's a good chance it'll be money well spent..

The $10 Million Race to be Held at The New $2 Billion Meydan Track

Filed under: Sports


The $10 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, is slated to be held on March 27, 2010 at the new Meydan Racetrack in Dubai. The complex however is open and the first races of the season took place the last week in January at the start of the Dubai International Racing Carnival.

The new complex cost $2 billion to build and is quite unlike anything else in the horse racing world. In part this is due to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the ruler of Dubai and the driving force behind the racing region. In something out of another era, he had a special route built to the venue just so he can avoid traffic and arrive by boat. The complex and the Dubai creek are now linked by a 4 kilometer canal so the ruler can travel with ease and avoid any log jams that build up in the falcon shaped parking lot which has a capacity for 10,000 cars.

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