Pitted against well-established G-Wagon customizers like Brabus and Mansory, Poland’s Carlex Design has its work cut out. “The mission of Carlex is to create and offer the world’s finest lifestyle and collector modifications for the iconic Mercedes G-Class,” the company says on its website. Credit where it’s due, Carlex’s latest custom ride is a frontrunner for the most astoundingly pretty aftermarket G-Wagon to make the rounds this year.

This is the Carlex G63 Fiamma G-Vintage—”fiamma” roughly translates as “fiery,” which accounts for the orange body work that’s been polished to a mirror finish. As Top Gear points out, the most “Vintage” styling cue is definitely the set of 20-inch color-matched rims, which appear to have been heavily inspired by the wheels of the Mercedes 600 “Grosser” luxobarge, produced from 1964 to 1981.

The body has also been raised by 10 cm and widened by 4 cm on each side, and the interior is clad largely in white Nappa leather with orange accents, inversing the exterior’s scheme. Not many other details were given on the Fiamma specifically, other than it was vaguely designed to “shine both on the ski slopes in the morning and under the opera house lights in the evening.” 

“In fashion, similar colors are often used in collections aimed at expressing courage and individuality. Inspiration from fire in interior design results in bold details, such as accents in the color of embers, which add not only style but also energy to the vehicle,” the brand adds. “This combination of classic, elegance, and modernity perfectly aligns with current trends in both fashion and automotive design.”

If no mechanical adjustments were made from the stock vehicle, then it’s got a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that cranks 577 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic transmission, though the enlarged body and heightened ride may affect performance and handling characteristics. One thing’s for sure: The G63 Fiamma G-Vintage is a rolling automotive fashion statement.

The collection, however, remains multi-faceted and should prove useful to enthusiasts across the globe, the watchmaker said. “Whether a professional diver, a daring adventurer, or a connoisseur of finely crafted high-tech timepieces, these are watches defined by the shared passion for pushing the boundaries of what is possible,” Panerai emphasized.

Desert camouflage is the primary inspiration for the new offering, a quartet of watches that fall right in line with the watchmaker’s “mission to design durable and high-performance timepieces for extreme conditions.” The company’s partnership with the Navy SEALs runs deep, whether in the United States or Italy, including a luxury watch testing and training experience as well as its 2023 collection of Navy SEALs-inspired timepieces.

The collection includes the Submersible QuarantaQuattro Navy SEALs PAM01518 with a P.900 calibre movement, the Submersible QuarantaQuattro GMT Navy SEALs Carbotech PAM01513 (boasting a lightweight carbon composite case), the Submersible Navy SEALs Titanio PAM01669 (“tailored for the fearless adventurer”) and the Submersible Navy SEALs Titanio PAM01669 (outfitted with a beefy 47mm case).

Rigorous testing for pressure, water resistance and performance helped prove the mettle of each watch, putting these luxurious yet hard-wearing timepieces through their paces in extreme conditions, just as Navy SEALs themselves might face.

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“Panerai has long held a steadfast commitment to crafting timepieces that embody the ideals of challenge, bravery, team spirit, and adrenaline,” the company said, and it appears this quarter of new additions (available via Panerai starting at $10,200) embodies that same spirit.

S.T. Dupont—renowned for its glamorous craftsmanship and luxury smoking accessories like this lighter that doubles as a skeleton watch—is partnering with high-fashion house Casablanca Paris for a stylish new collaboration. It’s just the latest fashionable release from the French lighter designers, which previously teamed up with a closet full of style giants, including Karl Lagerfeld, The Row, Saint Laurent and Franck Muller.

The newly unveiled partnership, dubbed “The Art of Sport,” celebrates the elegance and heritage of both brands. Casablanca, founded in 2018 by Charaf Tajer, is known for its luxe leisurewear that draws inspiration from classic sports and infuses them with a modern vibe highlighted by bold colors and patterns.

The new collection features three distinct lines: Mosaic, Tennis, and Leather Goods. The Mosaic line (pictured above) showcases intricate metalwork and lacquer techniques with a new line of luxe lighters, humidors, ashtrays and fountain pens. The Tennis collection reimagines S.T. Dupont’s accessories with illustrations inspired by tennis courts and ancient Greek architecture, while the Leather Goods drop offers a range of cigar pouches and document holders crafted from premium leather in Casablanca’s signature colors.

The eye-catching collab serves up a stylish union befitting S.T. Dupont’s elevated heritage and Casablanca’s modern design sensibility for discerning smokers and collectors alike. The S.T. Dupont x Casablanca Paris collection is available now worldwide.

Speyside distillery The Glenlivet is not in the business of making ridiculously old whisky, but based on today’s news, it the Scottish distillery may have just been waiting on a perfect cask. It seems they’ve found it.

The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition, 55 Year Old, is a single-cask single malt from one of the most well-known names in scotch whisky. The “Eternal Collection” is set to become an annual release, according to the distillery, and while there’s no word on the ages of future releases, this announcement suggests that the team at The Glenlivet has finally figured out how to make an old expression really incredible.

The Glenlivet is admittedly late to the extreme age game, and not just in relation to their now 200-year history. Distilleries like Benromach, Benriach, Highland Park, Highland Park again, Glenrothes, and plenty of others you’re probably already aware of have crossed the 50-year threshold in recent years.  

More interestingly, however, The Glenlivet isn’t even the first to release a The Glenlivet whisky above age 50. Several years ago, independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail released an 80-year-old expression of The Glenlivet whisky that was distilled in 1940, and other releases from independent bottlers have likewise crossed the distillery’s own threshold of 30 years for their Cellar Collection. 

So why is The Glenlivet finally doing this now? Part of the answer might simply be “because they have the right whiskies reaching maturity,” but it’s important to look at The Glenlivet’s unique spirit profile a more complete answer. 

The Glenlivet has always been a lighter and brighter whisky than other Speyside and Highland distilleries. Like Glenmorangie or Aberfeldy, The Glenlivet is leans toward floral and fruit-forward flavors—the opposite of the smoke-forward malts of Islay or oily sherry-dominant whiskies like Macallan and Glendronach. 

The problem is that those light and floral flavors are often the first to disappear as a whisky ages. That’s fine when your intention is to drop a syrupy sherry bomb or an oaky tannin bomb. When, however, a distillery is trying to preserve those light and bright flavors, the cutoff is rarely this far forward in time, making casks like this one truly rare. According to the distillery, that iconic The Glenlivet character shines through on this 55-year-old expression. 

It starts with a nose of “autumn” fruits: a “gentle sweetness of poached pears, heady citrus notes of ripe, sun-drenched Seville oranges, deeper note of sticky dates,” and the “deep warmth of toasted hazelnut” are counterbalanced by the “indulgent richness of dark chocolate” and the “enveloping, spiced warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg.” On the palate, The Glenlivet described warming flavors—“blackcurrant jam, vanilla fudge and dark chocolate; balanced with zesty orange and crystalized ginger before closing with a touch of warming clove spice.” The finish is subtly warming, dry, and spicy, without losing this fruity character’s complexity.

At an ABV of 42.2 percent, this whisky is certainly not the high-proof cask strength you’d expect from an American single cask, but that lower proof point also allows for more of the fruity nuances of flavor to shine through. 

The Glenlivet, for its part, is managing expectations by limiting this and future Eternal Collection releases to single casks, which makes sense both for the price point and the rarity expected of super-ultra-mega-premium single malt releases. Only 100 bottles of this whisky are being produced for the global market. The $55,000 price tag is similar to other recent releases in this age range, though this one should be set apart as something special. The Glenlivet took 200 years to deliver something of this magnitude—let’s hope they get to the second one much sooner.

G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for perspectives on drinks, and stuff.

It’s a fitting extension of the singer’s long-running affinity for Marshall, especially as the iconic California band celebrates 30 years of debut album Dookie and 20 years of the hard-charging, statement-making American Idiot.

Armstrong himself favors the Marshall JCM900 and the Plexi 1959SLP amplifiers, and Marshall notes that a modified version of the Plexi 1959SLP is now tagged as the “Dookie Mod” for its role in the making of the band’s best-selling album to date.

With the new Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. Wireless Headphones, listeners get specs Armstrong himself would love, including 70 hours of wireless ANC playtime and stunning Soundstage spatial audio technology developed by the acclaimed audio brand.

Marshall is also building off its next-gen Major lineup of headphones, using its customizable “M” button for seamless navigation through Spotify or EQ settings. Auracast technology, which Marshall calls “futureproof” is also designed to allow audio sharing amongst other Marshall devices (again, likely useful for an on-the-go rocker like Armstrong).

Marshall says the headphones, adorned with the instantly recognizable Marshall logo and available online now for $350, were “designed for true music lovers.” The company also noted its focus with the new set revolved around making it “feel like your favorite musician is in the room with you.” For good measure, a hard case lined in red velvet (designed to mimic a guitar case, of course) offers a luxe way to transport these stylish headphones, although a foldable design also aids in portability.

Every detail was carefully considered as Marshall developed its latest set of groundbreaking headphones, said Kenny Wong, Marshall design director. “Monitor III delivers a sound that is wide, well-balanced, detailed and enjoyable. Soundstage spatial audio takes the music out of your head and onto a virtual stage around you, making you feel immersed and revealing subtle layers in your favorite records.” For now, if catching an ear-splitting, exceptional Green Day anniversary performance isn’t in the cards, a new set of Billie Joe Armstrong-approved headphones is just the ticket.

They’re all beauties in various ways—Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong’o, Sienna Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Winehouse, Anne Hathaway, Milla Jovovich and Taylor Swift. Together, they span decades of pop culture, often bridging different eras; but what else do they have in common? All have caught the eye—and lens—of famed Danish photographer Marc Hom, who specializes in “capturing our favorite celebrities in a vulnerable light, highlighting their personality and attitude.”

There’s plenty of the latter on display in a new exhibition and accompanying book of Hom’s most iconic images from the past 30 years. The impressive show was staged at the Fenimore Art Museum in upstate New York, overlooking Otsego Lake and near to a house Hom owns. It “offers visitors a new way to experience photography in an ever-changing environment,” as many of Hom’s larger-than-life portraits—11 feet tall—are weatherproofed and mounted on the museum’s sweeping lawn in Cooperstown.

The perfect venue for Hom, who has always followed his own path, and who conceived the unorthodox display method. The book, Re-Framed, from German luxury and art publisher teNeues, is both companion piece to the exhibition and retrospective, including all the portraits displayed at the Fenimore along with the story of the show’s development, providing “documentary-style” insights into Hom’s process.

In his introduction to the book, The New Yorker staff writer and Vogue contributing editor Nathan Heller recounts Hom’s transition from control freak in his early days as fashion and celebrity photographer for Harper’s Bazaar to adopting a more fluid approach. “One of the defining qualities of an artist’s mind is to be always in motion, building on known methods and reframing what came just before,” Heller notes. “For Hom, a breakthrough arrived when he began to loosen his claims on control and embrace what he calls the ‘magic of the unexpected.’ ”

Heller recounts that, “Instead of poring over notebooks in advance, he made a project of being alert to what took form before his camera. His work became less about creating a world than discovering it. ‘Open-mindedness is something that you learn,’ he has said. ‘Maybe you have an idea at the start, but then something completely different happens—and it’s better.’ ”

He writes that Hom’s most intimate portraits “catch the sudden glamour hidden in the moments between moments: Lupita Nyong’o slumped against the arm of a sofa, Wiz Khalifa with his feet in a pedicure bath and a joint blazing between his lips…. Brought into the quiet museum, these color photographs seem thrilling reports from a far-flung and intensely human world.”

Hom has never eschewed commercial work, learning from the example of his photographer father that the life of a starving artist often leaves much to be desired. But his ad campaigns for the likes of Gucci, Patek Philippe, Hugo Boss and Max Mara burnish rather than diminish his more artistic endeavors, while allowing him the freedom to pursue personal projects. His work for various magazines, including W, Vanity Fair, Vogue, The Face and “Esquire, attests to that. For his part, Hom has said he aspires to a timeless aesthetic that echoes early influences like Irving Penn and Peter Lindbergh, the latter of whom he encountered while working for Harper’s Bazaar.

“It’s about being able to still look at my own photographs 10 or 15 years from now and not say, ‘Oh, this is such a ’90s picture, or this is from the mid 2000s,’ ” he has said. “The only thing that should give the period away is the people [in the photographs] getting older.” Heller points out, “The long past captured in a moment’s fleeting frame, the photographer’s ability to trace transformation through a second look: These are the themes of Hom’s exhibition, but also of the career that he has built across a world of accelerating change.”

“Photography is a popular medium, now more than ever; we travel the Earth with cameras in our pockets,” Heller sums up. “But it is also an art form, and the path toward that higher function comes—now more than ever—through the work of reconsideration, of holding images half-lost and forgotten to the standard of small monuments, reexamining what they tell us, not only of the past but of the present and the course ahead.”

In another 30 years, we predict Hom’s images will be part of many museums’ permanent collections, with the next generation of photographers revering and studying his work.

The Tag Heuer Monaco already boasts proper pedigree, performance and style winding its way through racing’s most iconic moments, as the Monaco was a trusted favorite of Steve McQueen (among others). The actor and famed driver “quickly became a style icon in his own right,” the watchmaker said, sporting a Monaco all the while. With its distinctive square case, Calibre 11 movement and water-resistant design, the timepiece was built for practically anything both beyond the wheel and off the track.

Fast-forward to 2024. The latest edition of the Monaco, in addition to its customary precision performance, pays tribute to old-school racing liveries, when drivers used country-specific colors rather than sponsors to differentiate their vehicles. British racing green makes a bold splash on the sleek 39mm chronograph in this instance.

And since the Monaco’s 1969 arrival, the watchmaker notes that “the brand has continuously been drawing a line through decades of history connecting the Maison to the world of motorsport.” Fittingly, Dutch champion Formula 1 racer Max Verstappen showcases the new Monaco Chronograph in Racing Green, a move that secures Tag Heuer’s legacy now and in the future (at least, if Verstappen’s streak of lightning-fast racing performance holds true).

The use of racing green in British autosports runs deep, as the winning shade made its first appearance in a 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup victory by driver Selwyn Edge. As the watchmaker notes, the color continues to appear today in impressive cars both on and off the course.

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Indeed, “every element of the TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Green is inspired by historical British racing cars and their white and yellow touches,” Tag Heuer said. Even the dial design nods to 1920s and ’30s-era engine-tuned dashboard designs.

Tag Heuer took care in engineering this watch for streamlined performance, using a lightweight Grade 2 titanium case and a green perforated racing strap, which the company notes nods to “classic British gentlemen aesthetics.” Tag Heuer also calls the timepiece the “perfect watch for the perfect gentleman driver,” with just 1,000 individually numbered timepieces on the market. For about $10,800, another handsome piece of Tag Heuer racing history can grace your watch collection.

Horror movie sequels rarely live up to expectations, but when it comes to scary cigars, Tatuaje just dropped another special-edition stogie collection that’s perfect for spooky season.

The Tatuaje Monsters package is an annual limited series of cigars. Each release since 2008 has been themed after a horror icon, from Frankenstein’s Monster to Dracula, Chucky to Jason Vorhees. Founder Pete Johnson created a total of 14 blends for the monstrous collection, but if you missed out on those releases, you’re in luck because he’s brought them all back for a gift set called the “Monster Smash.” For this 2024 collector’s set, each previous release has been recreated in a uniform size—a 5 1/4 x 52 box-pressed robusto.

That includes all 14 monsters, described somewhat cryptically in the special edition box as follows:

• Frank 
• Drac 
• Face 
• Wolf 
• Mummy 
• JV13 
• Jekyll 
• Hyde 
• Krueger 
• Michael 
• Chuck
• Tiff 
• Bride
• Creature

Tatuaje may not be a luxury name alongside Davidoff and the well-known Cuban brands, but for 21 years, founder Pete Johnson has employed some of the best factories and cigar rollers in Nicaragua and the U.S., and for nearly all of that time his cigars have found their way onto revered lists like the Cigar Aficionado Top 25. 

But the Tatuaje Monster series has an equally long (and for its creator, exhausting) history. Johnson debuted the first Monster—The Frank — in 2008. In homage to Frankenstein’s monster, the cigar was big and squarish. At the time, Johnson sold the limited collection to just 13 brick-and-mortar stores because that was the number he could supply with the tiny run of smokes. The Frank was released in a production of just 666 13-count boxes. 

Those boxes, shaped like coffins, were numbered and decorated differently each year with (fake) blood spatters, ski masks, and other gorgeous artworks in the campy spirit of classic horror films. Johnson released The Drac (a sharply pointed torpedo), The Wolfman (a shaggy-footed torpedo), and a number of other monster-inspired smokes. 

Johnson kept the 13-store format for his future releases, but almost everything else changed—especially demand. “It caught on a little sooner than I expected it to,” Johnson told CigarPress a few years ago.  The 666-box production run was amended with non-collector boxes for fans who just wanted one or two cigars—those afraid of missing out on the occasion but not about to commit to (or even find) a $200 box. 

There have been a few sequels and remakes of these cigars over the years. Johnson released the Littler Monsters about a decade ago, then the Skinny Monsters in 2017, and a 13-cigar Monster Mash in 2021. Halfwheel has a fantastic comprehensive guide if you want to see a release timeline.

This year’s package includes all 14 cigars in a book-like hinged double slide box. For $175, it’s a great way to light up some nostalgia—cinema and cigar alike .But the best news is that Tatuaje produced a total of 13,000 boxes for 2024. While it’s still a relatively small run, at least the prospect of tracking a set down for yourself isn’t as scary as it has been in the past. 

G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for perspectives on drinks, and stuff.

The previous-gen Ducati Panigale V4 already verged on perfection. Its 1,103-cc “Desmosedici” V4 engine—so named for the desmodromic valve-timing system first implemented by Ducati in the 1950s to achieve more uniform power delivery—was developed from a prototypical race-only MotoGP powerplant. At the hands of rider Álvaro Bautista, the Panigale V4 has won the past two titles in the Superbike World Championship, the pinnacle competition series for production street bikes. It’s the two-wheeled equivalent of a Ferrari SF90 Stradale—a thoroughly race-bred machine that will test your ability at a track and then carry you home on public roads. In late July, Ducati announced the new seventh-generation Panigale V4. And the early consensus is that, even with a seemingly immaculate pedigree, the superbike has somehow gotten even better.

“Ducati’s mission is to enrich people’s lives through technologically sophisticated motorcycles characterized by sensual beauty,” declared Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali when presenting the bike during the Ducati World Première. “The new Panigale V4 continues a history of successes and unforgettable models, which represents the maximum expression of our values of style, sophistication and performance.”

This is the first Ducati in 30 years to employ a double-sided swingarm, which is arguably the most substantial change when compared to the preceding Panigale V4’s single-sided swingarm. There was something undeniably cool about seeing the rear wheel almost float in the space beneath the tail when viewing the old model on its throttle side, but as the RideApart site points out, MotoGP bikes employ double-sided swingarms in pursuit of ultimate performance because, among other reasons, they’re lighter. Indeed, this new Ducati Hollow Symmetrical Swingarm, connected to MotoGP-derived suspension linkages, helps shed 8.4 pounds off the rear. Thanks to the weight loss and a 37-percent decrease in lateral stiffness, the new swingarm should improve traction when exiting corners and increase feel under acceleration.

While the swingarm’s performance benefits may be obvious, many are contending that aesthetic value has suffered. Perhaps Ducati anticipated this gripe, as press materials cite the Ducati 916—widely praised for being one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever—as having inspired the new Panigale V4’s design. The similarities can best be seen in profile, where the balanced horizontal line, created by raising the Panigale V4’s front and lowering its rear, becomes most apparent. The rear-view mirror supports were mounted inside the fairing to further accentuate this line, while the rear LED unit’s “double C” shape and narrow tank are two more elements evocative of the 916.

The powertrain has also been improved—the base Panigale V4’s standard alternator, oil pump and gearbox drum come from the hardest-core performance-minded variants of the previous Panigale. Most of the engine remains largely unchanged; it’s still a stressed element of the chassis, and it’s got four camshafts that move 16 valves. The U.S. version’s power output changes negligibly, with a peak 209 horsepower coming at 12,750 rpm and 89.5 pound-feet of torque at 11,250 rpm. However, several new pieces of MotoGP-inspired componentry have been brought aboard, one of which is Ducati Vehicle Observer. According to Ducati, this algorithm “is able to evaluate a high number of kinematic and dynamic parameters that influence bike behavior and calculate acceleration, forces on the tires and the maximum torque that the vehicle can support.” This capability further enhances the Panigale V4’s comprehensive rider-aid suite, which includes traction control, slide control, wheelie control, launch control and engine brake control.

The all-new dashboard is also lifted straight from Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini’s MotoGP bikes. The 6.9-inch screen, which was optically bonded to ensure readability in all conditions, features a “Track” display that shows a series of new parameters. Among them are “g-Meter,” which indicates the g-force value when leaning, accelerating and braking; “Power & Torque,” which displays the percentage of power and torque delivered in any given moment; and “Lean Angle,” which shows the instantaneous lean angles alongside the throttle level and the pressure exerted on the brakes. A time-split table, with T1, T2 and T3 icons indicating the performance obtained in different sectors of a track, uses the same white, gray, orange, and red colors seen in MotoGP.

Perhaps the single most promising piece of data provided by Ducati is that the Panigale V4, priced at $25,995, is one second quicker than the outgoing model around the company’s test track. And that’s just the base bike: For $33,895, the Panigale V4S offers even racier features, like lighter alloy wheels and an upgraded electronically controlled Öhlins NPX/TTX suspension, ensuring more milliseconds will be dropped from lap times. The next-generation Panigale V4R, the ultimate expression of the Ducati Corse racing program in a road bike, will likely be announced at some point in the near future. Who knows? This generation of Ducati Panigale V4 just might bring about superbike perfection

The covetable and often-hard-to-find bourbon makes for a natural source of inspiration alongside ruggedly stylish boots from the Michigan bootmaker. Case in point: Past partnerships between the two have even incorporated Pappy Van Winkle barrel wood into the boots themselves. Suffice to say, the latest and greatest Wolverine x Old Rip Van Winkle Batch IV Boots continue to check all the right boxes in terms of timeless style and countless nods to stellar bourbon.

This year’s edition brings “freshness to the collaboration,” Wolverine noted, using a workwear-friendly wedge sole hailing from the famed Wolverine 1000 Mile line. That the boots arrive in time for the middle stretch of National Bourbon Heritage Month is a fitting crossover, and design cues drawing from America’s spirit are present from the ground up in the latest envy-inducing pair.

Wolverine is no stranger to boozy partnerships, having teamed up with Dragon’s Milk on a beer-inspired set of durable 1000 Mile Boots back in 2021. The new Wolverine x Old Rip Van Winkle Boots (set to retail for $424.95 online while supplies last) draw their deep color from the ” rich caramel and wood notes of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year,” while the tongue is adorned with a hand-numbered Old Rip Van Winkle woven label.

Better still is the fact that the first 100 buyers of the fast-selling boots will receive a special-edition duo of Wolverine x Old Rip Van Winkle coasters featuring bourbon barrel wood. And in a further nod to what Wolverine calls “timeless American craftsmanship,” a portion of proceeds will benefit student-focused workforce development organization SkillsUSA.

Between a fresh silhouette, handsome leather sure to get better with age, and a natural pairing between rich bourbon and finely crafted leather boots, the latest from Wolverine and Old Rip Van Winkle is (nearly) as covetable as Pappy whiskey itself.