Using the finest rare ingredients, from hand squeezed Bergamot, to jasmine at twice the price of gold, Penhaligon's was founded in London in 1870 by its founder William Penhaligon, an Englishman living in an age of excess and flamboyance, William was witty, wildly creative and always inspired by the unusual. Hammam Bouquet was Penhaligon's first scent, dreamed up by William in 1872 after inhaling the steam and sulphurous aromas of his neighbouring Turkish baths. Over 135 years since the doors of the Penhaligon's barber shop first opened on Jermyn Street, in London, where William's hugely precious archives continue to inspire and inform everything they do, just like Armin Strom continues to work on skeletonization the way its founder used to do it. Penhaligon's scents are captivating and exhilarating just like the delicate whirlwind created by the tourbillon spinning inside the Armin Strom Tourbillon Skeleton Air. At the end of the day tourbillon is the french word for whirlwind.
Today, their scents are still made in England using the finest rare ingredients and bottled in the original design conceived by William Penhaligon. The clear glass bottle with a distinctive ribbon-wrapped stopper is the tell tale of one of this exquisite fragrances, just like the flawless skeletonization in an Armin Strom watch is the tell tale of what they stand for.
Within the portfolio of 34 unusual and distinctive fragrances —each designed to elicit a response—, there's a palette of intense experiences that continually add on. Without a doubt our favorite is Halfeti. This sophisticated fragrance draws inspiration from the lavish goods traded with Turkey in the early 1900s. Goods that included exotic florals, spices, soft leathers and precious fabrics. The fragrance is named for the small Turkish village of Halfeti, where enchanting “black” roses grow on the banks of the Euphrates river. Dark and mysterious, the roses are an intense shade of crimson, so dusky they appear to be black.
Halfeti is an exquisitely opulent woody floral, dazzling in the glow of luxurious golden saffron, decorated with bright citrus, green armoise and woody cypress. An exquisitely multifaceted rose is set like a precious jewel amongst a silken bouquet of sweet florals. The lavish drydown with its overdose of dusky patchouli heart leads into a melange of decadent resins, oud and amber, alongside velvet textured sandalwood and a suede-like leather.
This delicious fragrance comes with head notes that include: grapefruit, bergamot, green notes and armoise. The heart notes include: lavender, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, saffron, violet, cinnamon, rose, jasmine, cypress and muguet. Lastly the base notes are fueled with leather like the one on the hornback strap on the Armin Strom Tourbillon Skeleton Air, oud, amber, resins, cedarwood, patchouli, tonka, vanilla, sandalwood and musk. In all a manly, virile fragrance like no other.
If you are ready to smell like no one else around you, Penhaligon's is the way to go. A line of fragrances for the real connoisseur and most discerning watchlifestylers.
Sticker Price $200 USD —watch not included. Sticker Price for Armin Strom Tourbillon Skeleton Air $86,100 USD. For more info on Penhaligon's click here and for Armin Strom here.
