Press release after the jump…
Bentley is delighted to announce new directions and developments in its dedicated Boutique at the Paris Motor Show this year.
Motor show visitors will be able to choose from a selection of Bentley branded merchandise from the Bentley Collection, together with a limited edition range of new products designed exclusively for the 2010 show.
Also on display will be a number of products produced for Bentley under licence from best-in-class partners: Breitling watches, Tibaldi pens, Estede eyewear and zai skis.
The branded merchandise is themed around “A Tradition of Luxury”. In our Robert Ettinger of London range, we have selected new colours to complement the exciting new hues of the cars on the show stand, and have built on our partnership to produce a Limited Edition range of small leather goods comprising luggage tags, key fobs, passport holders and coin purses. Hand-stitched entirely in England, Ettinger’s leather goods reflect the finest workmanship and materials. Ettinger is proud to hold royal warrants.
New to the collection is a range of scarves made by Heritage Cashmere, a small family business based in Yorkshire, England, where elegance, beauty and longevity are valued in equal measure. The work is distinguished by strength in colour, the softest touch and an impeccable finish.
Other beautiful gifts will also be available to purchase, such as sterling silver cufflinks, hand-made in England and assured with Bentley’s own hallmark; sumptuous silk ties, hand-stitched gloves, model cars and a range of classic clothing and caps.
Breitling for Bentley
To celebrate Bentley’s launch of the new Continental GT, its most sophisticated coupe, and destined to be a new icon, Breitling for Bentley is taking to the road with an exclusive version of its Bentley GMT chronograph.
Issued in a limited 1,000-piece worldwide edition, the series is distinguished by its flange and rubber strap clad in the famous British Racing Green colour synonymous with the finest English racing cars. Equipped with an ingenious multiple time zone display system, it serves as an international ambassador of the legendary British automobile tradition.
The movement is Breitling Calibre 47B, officially chronometer-certified by the COSC. With 38 jewels it has a 24-hour second time zone with red hand adjustable using a push-piece integrated into the left side of the case.
The case is steel, water resistant to 100 metres with a screw-lock crown. The rotating pinion bezel has a British Racing Green flange carrying the 24-city time zone scale. The dial is black and the strap is British Racing Green or black rubber GMT.
Breitling is a brand of Swiss watches from Grenchen, Canton of Solothurn (originally founded in Saint-Imier, Bernese Jura by Léon Breitling in 1884). The watchmaker offers Certified Chronometers designed primarily for aviation use, though most frequently worn as high-end luxury watches. Many models feature an automatic winding mechanism that is purely mechanical (i.e. using no electronic components). Many Breitling watches are equipped with additional functions such as the flyback function, split-second, moon phase, date display and other complications.
All Breitling watches are manufactured in Switzerland and are made from Swiss components. Raw movements are obtained from ETA and Valjoux and are modified in the Breitling Chronometrie Workshops, before undergoing COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certification. As of 2009, Breitling now makes a manufacture movement, designed, manufactured and assembled completed in-house (B01 Calibre).
For further information please visit www.breitlingforbentley.com
Or contact André Uzan : +33 608 931626
“zai for Bentley” Skis
The newly designed 2011 Limited Edition “zai for Bentley” skis are on display at the Paris Motor Show this year.
Working with Bentley’s own styling team, Swiss ski manufacturer Zai AG has created these ‘one-of-a-kind’ “Supersport” skis, in a new “stripped-down” design, which are entirely handmade in Switzerland. The newly designed skis, poles and ski bag, have been designed exclusively for Bentley, and will be a limited edition of 250 pairs.
The new edition of the zai for Bentley “Supersport” comprises a new surface solution, improving the skis’ torsion, and also avoiding excessive visual reflection. Like the Bentley Supersports car they are based upon, the pure design of the skis is engineered to meet the technical demands of the most avid skier, and communicate raw understatement. Newly patented materials deployed in the skis will be a world first. Zaiìra® is used on the skis’ top layer in combination with natural rubber in the centre as well as an innovative visual mixture of uni-directional and woven carbon fabric.
Zai was formed in 2004 and is based in the Swiss alpine village of Disentis. The company is a high-end manufacturer of ski products, helmets and goggles, with a focus on hand-built craftsmanship and the use of unique materials and patented technology.
The zai for Bentley ski range will be limited to 250 numbered pairs, and will be priced as follows:
7,500 EUR
9,800 CHF
9,800 USD
6,250 GBP
The skis are available to order and retailed via zai distributors. Please contact:
Patrick Markus Aisher at zai for Bentley directly for information.
www.zaiforbentley.com
or
Estede Eyewear
The latest developments in the exciting collaboration between Bentley and Austrian eyewear manufacturer, Estede, are also on display this year.
Working with Crewe design teams, Estede has produced a limited edition, high-end range of sunglasses and ophthalmic frames under licence for Bentley.
Estede is a family-owned company experienced in the luxury eyewear sector. Previous clients include Porsche Design, Chopard, S.T. Dupont, Fabergé and Girard-Perregaux. Estede’s focus has always been on sophistication, understatement and elegance and these cues are evident in the new “Estede for Bentley” Collection.
Presented as a Limited Edition Collection, the frames are available in two different sizes. What sets the “Estede for Bentley” collection apart from others is the use of precious metals and innovative surface treatments: silver palladium, 18 carat gold and platinum are the components of this exquisite range. In particular, platinum is considered to be the rarest of all precious metals and never before used in eyewear – hence the new Bentley range will establish a precedent in the eyewear sector.
Offered in a presentation box containing spare/different lenses for varying activities, each pair of frames will be individually numbered and can also be engraved with owner’s name or car details.
Retail price approx. – Silver palladium €1,400, 18 carat gold €4,100 and platinum €11,500
For further details, please contact:
Christoph Rosenauer
“Tibaldi for Bentley”
The Paris Motor Show is also the venue for a stunning display of two exciting pen designs in the “Tibaldi for Bentley” range – the Slimline and the Supersports.
Compact and lighter alternatives to more imposing siblings have always been part of the automotive design language. Now, Tibaldi for Bentley pens reflect the appeal of the original writing instruments in a new range that downsizes the collection for smaller hands.
Since 2007, Tibaldi, one of Italy’s first manufacturers of fine writing implements, has produced a series of limited edition pens to honour specific Bentley models. They have included the GT, Flying Spur, Convertible GTC and Speed editions, with each pen featuring details inspired by the car it represents.
“Tibaldi is proud to continue producing bespoke writing instruments, paying homage to Bentley automobiles with models that will appeal to an even wider array of tastes and preferences,” says Giuseppe Aquila, chief executive officer of Tibaldi Pens.
To represent the spirit of Bentley, each pen in the Tibaldi Continental Collection is adorned with knurled bands reflecting the design of the switchgear found in the cars’ interiors. The parts of Tibaldi Continental Collection pens that are held or turned impart to the writer the same tactile delight experienced by using a Bentley’s switchgear. Equally, the eye can savour a delicately engraved retaining clip on the cap, prominently featuring the distinct Bentley typeface present in the engine bay. As with all Tibaldi writing instrument, each pen is made from the finest materials, many identical to those used in the manufacture of the cars themselves. Tibaldi’s Continental edition is hand-crafted from aluminium and finished with a lacquered paint, a key component in Bentley automobiles to reduce weight.
CONTINENTAL SLIMLINE
As Aquila explains, “The Continental Slimline, as the name suggests, is a slimmer version of the original Continental pen. Because the existing models offer traditional dimensions, they possess a size which may be too large for some writers. With its more slender form, but with all other features similar to the original version, this new ‘slimline’ version is suitable to both a feminine and masculine audience.”
Further increasing its appeal as an ideal accessory to Bentley ownership, the Tibaldi For Bentley Continental Slimline pen is available in five colours: Beluga, Silverlake Blue, White, St. James Red and Magenta. It is offered in a Limited Edition range of fountain pen, roller ball, Ball Point and Pencil in exciting new hues, reflecting the Bentley Continental’s most popular exterior paint colours.
Only 999 of each pen style will be produced.
RRP approx € 500 – € 850.
CONTINENTAL SUPERSPORTS
Exciting, sexy, racing, innovative: drawing on design cues from Bentley Supersports – the ultimate ‘extreme’ Bentley – the pens reflect another successful collaboration between Bentley’s own design studio and Tibaldi.
Every Bentley car is a statement. With the Continental Supersports, the revered English marque demonstrates that limitless performance, peerless comfort, and sublime elegance are compatible with a changing world. To define a supercar for the 21st century, the Continental Supersports’ designers exploited the limits of aerodynamics, employed radical new materials, banished excess weight, and even adapted the powertrain to work its magic with FlexFuel. The result is “the most extreme Bentley ever”.
The Tibaldi for Bentley Supersports collection follows its own tradition, with every fountain pen and roller ball sharing materials and aesthetic details consistent with the vehicles they symbolise. As acknowledged by Aquila: “The close collaboration between our engineers and Bentley’s design team of Robin Page, head of Interior Design, and Jonathan Punter, resulted in the creation of an outstanding pen, which encapsulates the features of Bentley’s most powerful car ever.”
As interpreted by Tibaldi, the pens lose nothing in translation. To represent the spirit and soul of the Continental Supersports, the Tibaldi Supersports’ pen barrel and cap boast knurled bands echoing the design of Bentley switchgear. Each pen features Tibaldi’s unique pocket clip terminated in a rolling ball. And every writing instrument adheres to Tibaldi’s respect for the Divine Proportion, the ratio between the pen’s cap and the visible portion of the barrel when the pen is closed, equalling the ratio of 1.618.
For the Supersports pen to voice instantly its extreme functionality and purpose, Tibaldi’s designers turned to carbon fibre – the material most evocative of modern technology – with solid aluminium trims. Materials such as these enable the Supersports to be both lighter and stronger; every time an owner raises a Tibaldi for Bentley Supersports pen, that sensation will be recalled. Addressing the exclusivity of the actual car, the manufacture will be limited to 630 fountain pens and 630 roller balls. The number of pieces manufactured corresponds with the horsepower of the actual vehicle.
