While Swiss watchmaker Hublot unveiled its ForbiddenX line at a glam party in Dubai in December, the introduction of the pricey timepieces in Houston this week was more than sufficiently swank for the 75 VIP guests.
The Marque at CityCentre (that posh membership club on the west side) hosted the event that combined rare Scotch tastings with hand-rolled Arturo Fuente X cigars (considered tops in the world) and presentations of the timepieces priced from $13,000 to $60,000. Conveniently, The Marque has a private cigar lounge as well as a veranda where smoking stogies is de rigueur.
The connection between fine cigars and high-end timepieces? According to the Hublot website, "Arturo Fuente ForbiddenX watches feature real tobacco leaves in their dial, the same leaves as those used to create the prestigious ForbiddenX cigar. These leaves were sent from the Fuente Estate in Santo Domingo to the Hublot Manufacture in Switzerland so that the engineers could insert them in the dials via a high-tech process where epoxy resin is used to make them stable and rigid."
Karl Herzog, Arturo Fuente & Co. vice president, and Dr. Akash Bhagat, managing partner of The Marque, welcomed guests along with The Marque's cigar sommelier Jonathan Fiant and director of member relations Alyssa Pasek.
Among those receiving this coveted invitation were di Stefano Suits owner Stefano Kalepari in from Los Angeles, Manny Higuera, Bobby Dixon, Travis Rucker, Dan Vazquez, Erica and Doug Brown, Carmina Zamorano and Rafael Chavez, Kim Vo, Justin Po and Leslie and Byron Ellis.
Arturo Fuente & Co. veep Karl Herzog, from left, The Marque managing partner Dr. Akash Bhagat, and di Stefano Suits owner Stefano Kalepari.
