Luxury is defined in this stylish look at over 145 examples of ultra-high-end architecture, automobiles, timepieces, and lifestyle objects. Nearly 300 glossy images showcase the talents of some of the world's most creative designers-some instantly recognizable, others up and coming. Stunning photos of highly engineered houses, sleek furniture, bespoke timepieces, and the fastest, coolest cars are accompanied by a synopsis of the concept and brand. These pristine objects exist in a rarefied realm, offering their owners the ultimate in comfort, performance, and aesthetic pleasure.

With a foreword from Jean-Marie Schaller, founder and creative director of Louis Moinet, this book introduces some of the most elegant watches the horological world has to offer, including several one-of-a-kind pieces that have never before appeared in print. Many of these ateliers handcraft both the watches and their complicated mechanical movements in-house. The level of expertise and craftsmanship involved is truly dazzling. Featuring such stunning timepieces as the 15.48 Driver Watch, the Andreas Strehler Time Shadow and the Antoine Preziuso Chronometer, Tourbillon of Tourbillons, this expertly curated collection of watch profiles will catch the eye of any true enthusiast. Steve Huyton looks beyond the price tag, featuring affordable options of particular artistic merit as well as pieces from the luxury end of the scale. Discover the hidden gems of the watchmaking business - 60 independent artisans counted among the finest makers in the world. Includes the work of: Hajime Asaoka, Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), Aaron Becsei, Vincent Calabrese, Konstantin Chaykin, Bernhard Lederer (BLU), Masahiro Kikuno, Vianney Halter, Antoine Preziuso and Andreas Strehler, among others.

Robust and raw, concrete has been a rudimentary building material for centuries, but it is only relatively recently that architects have begun exploring its softer, tactile side in the design of houses. Concrete is durable, recyclable, and thermally efficient, and it goes up quickly compared to wood or metal framing. The appeal for architects, though, is its plasticity and potential for magic, making poetry out of the mundane. Witness concrete's endless form-making possibilities in this collection of contemporary homes by A-list architects in diverse locations across Japan, Australia, Spain, Brazil, South Africa, the US, and more. Along with exquisite colour photography and plans, the architects share their design approach to projects ranging from 10,000 square feet on spectacular sites, to compact urban gems. This close-up of 20 striking houses celebrates the texture and physics of a material that has long been taken for granted.

What happens when a modern-day penchant aligns with artisanal tradition? Revival. Any chocolate enthusiast will know that the enjoyment of dark chocolate is akin to that of fine wine, consumed with contemplation and appreciation for the process and ingredients. Dark Chocolate is a thoughtfully curated book featuring over 40 chocolate makers from across the globe, each with philosophies underpinned by fair trade practices and a commitment to the craft of bean-to-bar chocolate making. Laden with beautiful photographs, Dark Chocolate is an accessible go-to guide for dark chocolate connoisseurs and novices alike.

More than seventy sensational properties showcase the talents of some of the world's most innovative modernist architects. Many of the homes are built on challenging sites, reaching levels of engineering sophistication that could only have been executed by the most creative design firms. Ranging geographically from Thailand to Turkey, New York to Norway, and Mexico to South Africa, these pristine homes are successful experiments in space, volume, and building materials. They also define luxury, affording their owners an unusually high level of comfort and aesthetic pleasure. Many of these stunning dwellings have never before appeared in print, and each includes a brief description of the location and how the architects solved the puzzle of client and site.

Australia has wildly differing topographies and climates, and its best residential architecture draws on those site conditions in inventive ways. This book illustrates the strength of the country's shift from British-influenced Georgian-style homes to more indigenous structures attuned to the land-a movement led by Australian architects such as Glenn Murcutt, Richard Leplastrier, and Gabriel Poole in the 1970s. Witness a range of new houses that grapple with the locales in which they are built. Up north, down south, and on the coast, from small and low-budget to multimillion-dollar dwellings, the focus is on the use of raw materials, energy efficiency, adaptable spaces, and embrace of the great outdoors for which the country is known. Drawings and interviews with the architects shed light on how they apply their intelligence and creativity to produce striking buildings that are uniquely Australian.