The stock car driving lessons that Paul Newman took to prepare for the lead role in the 1969 film Winning ignited a passion for motorsport that became a big part of the actor's hypnotic charisma.
Less keen on Newman's penchant for speed was his wife, Joanne Woodward, who after watching her co-star hurtling around the racing circuit bought him a Rolex Daytona engraved on the back with the words "DRIVE CAREFULLY".
The legendary timepiece – featuring three black dials on a cream-coloured face encased in a stainless steel rim – radiates coolness, just like its late owner, and was a constant companion in magazine photoshoots. So synonymous was it with the Hollywood idol that the watch became known as the Paul Newman Daytona.
I was studying watches while my friends were collecting Pokemons
Clement Mazarian,
author
“It is the most expensive watch in the world because of Paul Newman,” Clement Mazarian, 35, a renowned expert and author of a new book on collectors' timepieces, tells The National. “I love the history of watches and the Rolex Daytona has a special history for collectors.”
When it went on sale at Phillips auction house in 2017, the lot was expected to fetch around $1 million, but as the hammer came down, an unnamed collector had bid a world record $17.8 million.
It’s fitting then that Newman’s Rolex Daytona adorns the front and back covers of Mazarian's Exceptional Watches, which was published this week and is devoted to the stories and inner workings of 90 era-defining models, from the early 1900s to the present day. He laments that none of the watches belongs to him, but says the book documents his dream collection.
The timepieces that grace the pages are actually owned by collectors or dealers who are friends of Mazarian, each showcased with intimate photographs by still-life specialist Henry Leutwyler that also reveal the exquisite craftsmanship.
The selection for what is halfway between an art book and a book on watchmaking reflects a love that began aged 14 when Mazarian's grandfather gave him an Omega.
“I didn’t understand why I loved this watch but I began to study watchmaking, on internet forums and online, while my friends were collecting Pokemons,” he says.
Years later, Mazarian turned to collecting and selling watches when failing his university law exams made him “the bad guy in the family” in the eyes of his lawyer parents.
The introduction of his new volume acquaints readers with Mahatma Gandhi’s Zenith Vox alarm pocket watch and the role it played in the ascetic lifestyle of the Indian lawyer and social activist. Despite eschewing worldly goods, he nevertheless cherished and relied on the watch to maintain his routine, which involved rising at 4am.
Readers are then guided through milestones such as the first wristwatch, a Cartier made in 1904 for the pioneering aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, one of the many timepieces that have had a prominent role in extraordinary human adventures, and the Hamilton Pulsar, the first digital watch with an LED display, which went on sale in 1972.
Buzz Aldrin will always be known as the second man to set foot on the lunar surface, but the Omega Speedmaster he was wearing was the first watch to arrive on the Moon, on July 21, 1969. The man whose shadow he has lived in, Neil Armstrong, had left his in the command module.
Testing on climbers taking part in the pioneering Himalayan expeditions of the 1950s helped with the development of the Rolex Explorer. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was wearing a Rolex when he stood atop Mount Everest.
A Rolex Submariner accompanied explorers Auguste and Jacques Piccard on their descent to the Mariana Trench, 10,916m beneath the ocean's surface and the deepest point on the planet.
The aesthetic nature of watches is encapsulated in the shape of the 1968 Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, the design of which is inspired by the mathematical principle of the “golden mean”. This ancient Greek formula is at the root of some of the greatest works of art and architecture in history.
There’s a bit of light relief at the outset of Mazarian's exploration because he has particular affection for a watch produced by Ingersoll in 1933 after securing the rights from Walt Disney to use the image of a character recognised by 98 per cent of American children - more, the author says, than Father Christmas. Five million were eventually sold.
“I decided to have some fun and that's why I started the book with a Mickey Mouse watch. It is not a watch that made history, but, for me, the Mickey Mouse watch is cute and everyone had a Mickey watch at the time.”
In the book that often feels like a history of the world told through 90 timepieces, Mazarian makes reference to the complex personal life of President John F Kennedy, secret at the time but chronicled after his assassination in 1963.
A Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date was said to have been given to Kennedy by his purported mistress Marilyn Monroe, engraved on the back with "JACK With love as always from MARILYN May 29th 1962", the day she famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr President. It’s a great story but Mazarian points out that the serial number indicates it was made after both had died.
“What I love is history and legend in watchmaking but it’s like in the famous stories of the Westerns – sometimes I prefer the legend,” Mazarian says.
What is true, though, is that Kennedy's wife, Jackie, an enduring style icon, favoured a Cartier Tank LC that is also featured in the book, as did the French actress and film producer Catherine Deneuve, former US First Lady Michelle Obama, and Diana, Princes of Wales, who owned two.
Despite its glamorous associations, the fact that its square design was inspired by the First World War Renault FT-17 battle tank perhaps sums up the combination of the beauty and the mechanical in many of the watches selected by Mazarian.
The book comes at a time when the decorative value of watches and their popularity among collectors is on the rise, while their utility for telling the time has been diminished by the ubiquity of smartphones.
Gangs of “Rolex rippers” who have been terrorising luxury watch owners in London have been incentivised by a global market in pre-owned watches that consultants Deloitte say is predicted to grow to $40 billion.
“Humanity has always been interested in time and it’s part of our lives, but everyone now has an iPhone so they can see the time.
“So we are asking more of a watch. Yes, we want the time but we want something else. It’s like clothes – the first clothes were to be worn but now we want nice tailoring. I think that historic timepieces, if they are in good condition, will always find someone to buy them.”
While watches “can be considered art”, Mazarian says “you can never forget the mechanical parts”. In fact, the movements of watches, the synchronised elegance of which invariably lies hidden in day-to-day life, are laid bare in the book with detailed exploded illustrations that punctuate the photographs.
At the heart is the main plate on which the gears and other moving parts are anchored, transmitting energy to the hands. The shape and configuration drives the movement and Mazarian explains that experts, or the most well-informed collectors, can immediately recognise a make just by looking at the inner workings.
Of course, not all 90 watches contained moving parts. The electronic Hamilton Pulsar, for example, made use of the latest innovations of its time with 44 chips, an integrated circuit and 4,000 connecting wires. It was an immediate success.
Mazarian spent several years working as a watch dealer, travelling the world in search of the finest timepieces, and now sells them to private clients internationally through his company, Collection Personelle.
Asked which watch he chooses to wear, he names the Rolex Submariner 5513, first introduced in the early Sixties and among the brand's many models popularised by James Bond.
“When I started to be passionate about vintage watches, I did not have a lot of money to buy expensive watches. I said to myself, ‘One day you will have a 5513.’ For me, it is the vintage watch.”
'Exceptional Watches: From the Rolex Daytona to the Casio G-Shock, 90 rare and collectible watches explored' (Octopus Publishing Group, £50), written by Clement Mazarian with photography by Henry Leutwyler, is available in hardback now.
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
Barbie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Greta%20Gerwig%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Ryan%20Gosling%2C%20Will%20Ferrell%2C%20America%20Ferrera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
Muguruza's singles career in stats
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)
Wins / losses 293 / 149
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (rated 72-87) Dh 165,000 1,600m.
Winner: Syncopation, George Buckell, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Big Brown Bear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,200m.
Winner: Stunned, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap (85-105) Dh 210,000 2,000m.
Winner: New Trails, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
9.25pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,600m.
Winner: Pillar Of Society, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Alasdair%20Soussi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20300%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Scotland%20Street%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20December%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
World%20Food%20Day%20
%3Cp%3ECelebrated%20on%20October%2016%2C%20to%20coincide%20with%20the%20founding%20date%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Food%20and%20Agriculture%20Organisation%2C%20World%20Food%20Day%20aims%20to%20tackle%20issues%20such%20as%20hunger%2C%20food%20security%2C%20food%20waste%20and%20the%20environmental%20impact%20of%20food%20production.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
