Aera P1
About two years ago I bought a beautiful P1 Pilot Watch from British Watchmaker AERA. It’s one of my most favourite things. After a chance encounter with AERA’s founder, Jas, I have become an advisor to the business and am lucky to be able to get to know this fascinating company from the inside.
The P1 has been out of stock for some time now, having sold out of their initial run. I’m delighted to say that a new batch is due in 2026 and can now be pre-ordered, along with the equally refined D1 Diver, for delivery in H1 of 2026. These are exceptionally designed timepieces with a unique visual language and a refined build.
Sigma BF
Sigma’s BF feels like an industrial-design statement that happens to be a camera. It’s built around extreme visual and tactile simplicity: a clean aluminum body, minimal seams, and a deliberate absence of clutter. The control philosophy matches the shell: fewer physical inputs and a UI-first workflow, with haptic controls and a pared-back on-screen interface that aims to keep you in a calm, focused shooting state.
With such a magnetic design, you’ll want to have it around you all the time. They should have called it the Sigma BFF.
Moebe x Penguin Book Stand
Danish design outfit Moebe Design Studio have hooked up with Penguin to produce this dynamic book stand that you can use in a multitude of ways. It can be used as a traditional bookend, but also as a display, or a stand for a book you’re currently working you way through.
JetClock
JetClock is a nifty little desktop clock with a twist: it doesn’t just tell the time, it keeps an eye on the sky above you. By pulling in live data from ADS-B broadcasts, it can show you the aircraft currently passing overhead - a simple visual at a glance, plus all the nerdy metadata if you want to dig in. Think of it as a tiny, always-on version of apps like FlightRadar24, living quietly on your desktop.
What makes it especially charming is how effortlessly it turns background noise into something tangible. You’re answering emails, bouncing between tabs, and there it is: a little prompt that the world is moving - people travelling, cargo crossing borders, routes stitching cities together - all while you’re sat at your desk. It’s practical in the sense that it’s real information, but it’s also oddly calming: a small window into a bigger system operating 40,000 feet above your head.
JetClock was designed by Olly Rees, who lives under the flight path in West London. You can read his blog post on how the JetClock was brought to life here.
JetClock Image Copyright JetClock
Counter Print Books
Founded in 2008, by Céline Leterme and Jon Dowling, Counter Print is a wonderful online bookstore, specialising in art and design books. I’ve used them several times for gifts; their collections range from collectable or out of print originals, to luscious new art tomes and some deliciously designed cookbooks like ‘Salad for President’.
Punkt MP02 Phone
Jasper Morrison has updated his design for the Punkt phone in the form of the MP02, a mobile phone which focussed a lot on form but with very minimal function. What’s interesting with this new iteration is that it features 4G LTE and hotspot capabilities. These can’t be used from the phone itself, but, rather for tethering a second phone or tablet. That would seem a bit strange on the surface, but seems like a perfect use case for travel. Simply buy a foreign pay-as-you-go SIM card on arrival in a foreign country, use the Punkt phone for local calls and tether your smartphone (which is likely locked to your domestic network) or tablet for web, maps etc.
Punkt MP02 | Image Jasper Morrison
Punkt MP02 | Image Jasper Morrison
Hay Sowden Water Bottle
There are a lot of water bottles on the market but this is probably my favourite. The Sowden Water Bottle from Hay comes in a range of colours and starts at £29.99.
Hay Sowden Water Bottle | Image Copyright Hay
Monokel Eyewear
Monokel Shiro Sunrise | Image Copyright Monokel
Monokel Shiro Sunrise | Image Copyright Monokel
Monokel Shiro Sunrise | Image Copyright Monokel
