Watches and cigars, watches and whisky, watches and cars, but have you every heard of watches and candles?

Couple weeks ago, it was a very windy Saturday, I was waiting for my girlfriend to finish her duties planned for that particular day. I had around 45 minutes to pass. Normally, I would stay in my car and listen to radio, however not this time. I glanced around I noticed a big building, which caught my attention instantly, as it wasn’t a typical building for this area. I decided to leave my car and see what’ inside.

It turned out to be one of those furniture shops with fancy set-ups of each room, you could think of furnishing. I was passing by some fancy sofas, nicely finished tables and comfy beds with a face impression pretty much like ‘hmm… I might buy it’, even though I wasn’t planning to spend a dime. After a while, I reached a whole different section. There was this nice, actually not nice – neither nice nor unpleasant, let’s just call it ‘distinctive’ smell of wax. As I am not one of those types of people, who are fond of buying every kind of small accessories or decorations, I thought this section of the shop is not for me and I was sure I would never buy there anything. Then, to my own destruction, I spotted a nice and neat display of candles from, as I read – the world’s oldest candle company – Rathbornes. I was stunned by the elegant design of packaging and the candle itself. 

The first candle I smelled was the one I fell in love with. I bought this little candle without even thinking. Dublin Dusk – smoked oud and ozonic accords, whatever the latter means. This one is the nice combination of refreshing and bold scents – though it’s not overwhelming.

Remember, when I first saw the candle in the store, I was playing a game of scents and watches, trying to match particular watch brand or model with a scent. This could be a fragrance or literally everything that comes to you mind when you the watch. 

I instantly thought of an IWC Portuguese IW500101, the reference in 18K rose gold. I may not be a huge fan of Portuguese collection, especially in stainless steel, however this solid gold example has surprised me. Beautifully finished case with almost borderless bezel, see-through case-back, an automatic movement with astonishing 7-day power reserve and of course – the dial!

What strikes immediately is the bold IWC Schaffhausen logo and two over-sized sub-dials with small seconds and 7-day power reserve. At the bottom, at 6 o’clock position we’ve got, of course… an over-sized date display. Everything is complemented by gold Arabic numerals. When it comes to IWC watches and its design, I like to tell myself that IWC have 2 design teams – first one, where there are people in their 20s and 30s and the second one with people in their 80s and 90s, and they are battling on which style should IWC follow – modern or old, conservative – a Portuguese is a mixture of both.

There are certain watches, which just beg to be created in sold gold and this IWC is the best example of that. 

What’s common about Dublin Dusk candle and the IWC Portuguese, they are both luxury in several ways. The first one gives you a touch of elegance, as soon as you smell it, the second one, when you actually wear it. Besides, they both give you this impressive sense of satisfaction, as they are created with impeccable craftsmanship.