A 1936 Lancia Astura

The throaty roar of revving engines echoed off Monte Carlo’s famous casino and the neighboring Hotel de Paris as drivers prepared for the start of the Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run last April. The brand, which celebrates travel, has sponsored seven of these elite classic rallies around the world since 1993. Christian Philippsen, who is in charge of the jury and car selection, reviewed more than 120 applications for the 42 slots, selecting only exceptional cars to create a jaw-dropping $300-million field that included William Evans’ 1913 Isotta Frachini IM, Arturo Keller’s 1938 Mercedes-Benz 500K (which was awarded the best of show prize), Bruce Meyer’s 1929 Bentley 4 ½ liter, Michael Leventhal’s 1950 Ferrari 166MM, and Thomas Price’s 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, a car so rare that a similar model recently sold for more than $30 million.

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Maurice Sandoz, a mid-20th-century writer and composer, applied his keen eye and very deep pockets to amass a collection of exceedingly rare timepieces and objets d’art. One such piece is an early-19th-century enameled and jeweled double-barrel pistol that releases a singing bird and a whiff of perfume when the trigger is pulled. The pistol by Frères Rochat, several Fabergé creations including the Imperial Swan Egg and dozens of other mechanical masterpieces from the collection of the Edouard and Maurice Sandoz Foundation are on display at Mechanical Wonders: Antique Automatons and Contemporary Watchmaking through November 26 at A La Vieille Russie, a New York City antiques dealer.

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© 2011 Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved DACS. Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates

While watchmakers use technical creativity to measure time, artists and designers recently sought to creatively interpret time at O’Clock—time design, design time, a Panerai-sponsored exhibition that runs through January 8, 2012, at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, Italy. At the exhibit’s opening on October 11, Panerai’s CEO Angelo Bonati spoke about the importance of design in watchmaking and one of the stars of the show, English artist Damien Hirst. “He has always been an avid collector of our watches,” said Bonati, who took credit for suggesting the use of Panerai dials as a medium. Hirst obliged with two spin paintings: the large Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting and a zoomlike version on the same theme, Beautiful Fractional Sunflower Panerai Painting. For both pieces, Hirst adhered dozens of varied Panerai dials without hands to the psychedelically painted canvases in a vibrant expression that conveys a sense of time flowing by.

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Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous in Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.

Sailing yachts and motor yachts rarely convene at the same event, so the inaugural Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous last March presented an unusual opportunity for the two camps to mingle on the docks of the new Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Marina in Virgin Gorda, located on the island’s tranquil North Sound. As the sun set, owners and local dignitaries gathered for the marina’s official ribbon cutting ceremony, where David V. Johnson, chairman of Michigan-based real estate developer Victor International, and His Highness the Aga Khan, the founder and current president of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) in Sardinia, discussed their special partnership.

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Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht Regatta

As today’s America’s Cup carbon fiber speed demons embody state of the art marine technology, classic wooden yachts hearken to a more genteel, nostalgic era of sailing. Each April, devotees of elegant wooden boats converge on Antigua in the Caribbean to indulge their passion for sailing’s more romantic side at the annual Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, sponsored by Panerai watches. This year’s event drew about 60 competing boats from all over the world, classified as Vintage (launched before 1950), Classic (built between 1950 and 1975), and Spirit of Tradition (modern boats built with classic styling).

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1938 Bugatti 57S Atlantic 640 (Michael Furman)

While car enthusiasts and industrial design devotees have long admired the artistry of the automotive realm, the art world, for the most part, has remained unmoved. One exception, however, is Ralph Lauren’s famous collection of museum-quality sports cars that are currently the stars of The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection, which will be on exhibit at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs from April 28 through August 28. Curator Rodolphe Rapetti selected 17 of Lauren’s most audacious and obsessively restored treasures, which chart the history and height of European automotive history from the 1930s through the 1990s. Standouts include two of the world’s most precious cars: a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO and a 1938 Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic Coupe, which inspired Lauren’s new Sporting Automotive watch with a dial made of elm burl wood. While the Bugatti is estimated in the $30- to $40-million range, the watches are considerably more approachable at around $13,000. Other exhibit highlights include a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Scaglietti, a 1956/1958 Jaguar XKS and a 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza 8C 2300. Sexy and sensuous, these curvaceous automotive sculptures evoke admiration from gear heads and aesthetes alike. Yet, one must not forget they are really more at home cruising in top gear on road and track.