Mizuno has pushed the race-day shoe into almost absurd territory with the new Hyperwarp 96, a carbon-plated racer that weighs approximately 96 grams for a single shoe in size 27 cm. That makes it one of the lightest high-stack racing shoes ever produced and puts it one gram below adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 by the manufacturers’ published figures.

The number in the name is no coincidence. Mizuno has stripped away almost everything that does not contribute directly to performance, while still keeping a 39mm heel and 36mm forefoot stack. The resulting 3mm drop stays below World Athletics’ 40mm maximum for road racing, and Mizuno says the shoe is approved for competition.

The midsole is made entirely from a new material called MIZUNO ENERZY XP+ Limited Edition. Instead of molding the foam into its final shape, Mizuno machines the midsole and removes material from areas that are not considered essential. The approach helps explain how the company managed to combine a substantial amount of cushioning with such an extreme weight.

Beneath the foam sits a full-length 3D carbon-fiber Smooth Speed Plate. The unusual three-dimensional construction is designed to provide both propulsion and stability, while a cutout beneath the heel removes additional weight. Mizuno has effectively chosen to keep a full carbon plate while finding other places to save grams.

The upper takes the weight-saving philosophy even further. The Dual Skin Upper eliminates both conventional laces and internal straps, using a precisely engineered TPU-fiber structure instead. Different areas have different fiber densities and orientations, creating a tighter structure around the lower foot and a lighter construction higher up. The result is closer to a fitted shell than a traditional running-shoe upper.

There is also a surprisingly important story behind the development process. Mizuno says improvements to its Osaka research facilities now allow engineers to create a new prototype within roughly 48 hours after receiving feedback from testers. That rapid development cycle helped the company repeatedly refine the shoe while chasing its extreme weight target.

The Hyperwarp 96 will be produced in just 696 numbered pairs worldwide , with each shoe receiving a serial number and a special presentation box. The limited run is another reference to the 96-gram weight. Mizuno plans to release it on December 4, 2026, initially through its own online store and retail locations, with selected running retailers following in 2027. The Japanese price is ¥88,000, while European pricing has been reported at around €500.

For most runners, the Hyperwarp 96 will remain more of a technological showcase than an everyday racing shoe. With fewer than 700 pairs being produced, almost nobody will actually get to train or race in one. That may be the point. Mizuno says the technologies developed for the 96 will influence future Hyperwarp models, meaning the real legacy of this extraordinarily light shoe could be found in the more accessible running shoes that follow it. And don’t forget o check our list of the most expensive shoes ever.

CIGA Design has created a watch that tells a remarkable mountaineering story in motion. The Everest China 65th Anniversary is the brand’s first automaton timepiece, combining a piece of genuine Mount Everest bedrock with a miniature mechanical scene depicting one of the defining moments of the first Chinese ascent of the mountain.

The watch commemorates the 1960 expedition that reached Everest through the North Ridge. At the treacherous Second Step, around 8,700 meters above sea level, climber Liu Lianman repeatedly attempted to overcome the obstacle before deciding to help his teammates by becoming a human foothold. Three members of the expedition eventually reached the summit the following morning.

CIGA Design has recreated that moment directly on the dial. A tiny climber slowly makes his way upward while another figure supports him from below, turning the dial into a miniature mechanical scene. The automaton activates at noon and midnight, completing its ascent in around five minutes before returning to its starting position for the next cycle.

The dial itself is made from genuine Everest bedrock collected near the mountain’s foothills. Because the stone is brittle and difficult to work with, each piece requires an extensive manufacturing process involving cutting, laser shaping, and CNC engraving. CIGA Design says the process takes around 30 days, meaning every dial retains its own natural texture and variations.

The watch is housed in a 45mm Grade 5 titanium case measuring 13.6mm thick. Instead of conventional hour markers, engraved notches around the case indicate the hours. The skeletonized hands are shaped like mountaineering ice axes and use Swiss Super-LumiNova for visibility in low light.

Powering the automaton is CIGA Design’s self-developed CD-10 automatic movement. It operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour, uses 21 jewels, and provides a 42-hour power reserve. The movement is visible through the sapphire caseback, where the words attributed to Liu Lianman during the climb are engraved as another connection to the story.

The climbing theme continues onto the black fluororubber strap. The North Ridge route is embossed into the material, tracing the journey from approximately 5,200 meters to Everest’s 8,848.86-meter summit. CIGA Design also says that a mountaineer and longtime friend of the brand wore a one-off version of the watch while reaching the summit via the North Ridge in May 2025, completing an unusual connection between the original expedition and the modern timepiece.

The Everest China 65th Anniversary is priced at $1,699, although CIGA Design’s current international store lists it at $2,059. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters and comes with a hidden 316L steel clasp.

Rather than simply placing an Everest logo on a conventional watch, CIGA Design has built the entire object around the mountain and the people who climbed it. The rock becomes the dial, the climbing route becomes the strap, the ice axes become the hands, and the ascent itself becomes a mechanical animation. The result is less a conventional commemorative watch than a miniature piece of mountaineering history that happens to keep time. Also don’t forget to check our list of the best black watches for men.

The phrase “rock guitar” has finally been taken completely literally. A creator known as BeBeau Builds has constructed a fully playable acoustic guitar using actual slate stone instead of the wood traditionally used for guitar bodies.

The project started with an ordinary acoustic guitar. BeBeau kept its neck and fretboard, then built an entirely new body around them using 18 individually cut pieces of slate. The stone sections were mounted around a 3D-printed internal skeleton, creating a rigid structure strong enough to handle the tension of the strings.

Slate turned out to be a surprisingly practical material for the experiment. Unlike a solid block of stone, it naturally separates into relatively flat layers, making it possible to cut individual pieces and assemble them into the curved shape of a guitar. Getting those pieces to fit was another matter. Differences in thickness and small cutting errors caused the first assembly attempt to fail, forcing the entire structure to be taken apart and rebuilt.

The finished guitar weighs just under 49 pounds, making it dramatically heavier than a conventional acoustic instrument. It is heavy enough that carrying it around is hardly practical, but the experiment was never really about creating a replacement for a wooden guitar.

What makes the result particularly interesting is that it actually sounds like a guitar. When played unplugged, the slate instrument produces a surprisingly familiar acoustic tone. The main differences are reduced volume and shorter sustain rather than an entirely unfamiliar sound. The build does have some imperfections, including a slightly incorrect neck angle that affects tuning when the strings are fretted.

The final surface was treated with mineral oil, giving the slate a darker, polished appearance while helping protect the stone. Visually, the result looks almost like a piece of geological sculpture that happens to have strings attached.

This kind of experimentation is also pushing guitar design in a completely different direction, with concepts such as this stringless electric guitar questioning whether traditional strings and bodies are even necessary for making music.

BeBeau’s experiment joins a growing collection of unconventional guitars made from materials that seem completely unsuitable for traditional instrument building. Previous experimental instruments have been constructed from cardboard, LEGO bricks, coffee beans suspended in resin, and other unexpected materials.

The slate guitar is perhaps one of the most literal examples yet. It is far too heavy to replace a normal acoustic and hardly practical as an everyday instrument, but that was never really the point. The project demonstrates just how much freedom there is in guitar construction once the usual assumptions about wood and traditional materials are removed. And, perhaps most importantly, it proves that a guitar made from actual rock can genuinely sound good.

Realme has turned its latest smartphone collaboration into something much more elaborate than a themed phone. The realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition combines Hogwarts-inspired details with a collector’s package designed to look like Harry Potter’s own school trunk.

The phone itself keeps the hardware of the standard realme 16 Pro, including a 6.78-inch 144Hz AMOLED display, MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max 5G processor, 200MP main camera, and a massive 7,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging. The Harry Potter treatment is almost entirely visual, but Realme has put considerable effort into making those details feel connected to the story.

The rear panel features a brown leather-like texture with an Argyle pattern inspired by the Wizard’s Chess scene. A Hogwarts crest sits prominently in the center, while the camera module has been redesigned to resemble the eyes of Hedwig, Harry’s snowy owl. Even the metallic frame gets a small reference, with “Welcome to Hogwarts” engraved into the side.

The packaging is where this edition becomes much more interesting. Instead of arriving in a conventional smartphone box, the phone comes inside a vintage-style trunk designed as a replica of Harry’s school luggage. The limited-edition bundle contains a Hogwarts acceptance letter, a train ticket, house-themed bookmarks, character postcards, a Hogwarts-embossed phone case, and a collectible pin.

Only 5,000 units of the special edition are planned worldwide, turning the packaging itself into part of the collectible. Realme is also keeping the Harry Potter references relatively restrained on the device, allowing the trunk and accompanying accessories to carry much of the storytelling.

The realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition is scheduled to launch in India on September 21, 2026, with pricing expected to be announced at launch. It follows Realme’s previous collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, the realme 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition.

For fans, the appeal here is clearly about the entire object rather than simply owning a smartphone with a familiar logo on the back. Realme has essentially turned the unboxing into a trip to Hogwarts, with the phone serving as the centerpiece of a much larger piece of Harry Potter memorabilia.

G-Shock has given its G-STEEL collection a significant design rethink with the new GST-W1000D. The Japanese brand keeps the toughness and unmistakable presence of the G-STEEL line, but replaces some of its more aggressive visual elements with a cleaner, more cohesive design.

The biggest change is the bezel. Instead of the familiar octagonal construction seen on earlier models, the GST-W1000D uses a broader, more sculpted bezel that flows directly into the bracelet. The lugs have been made smaller and pulled inward, creating the impression that the case and bracelet are almost a single piece of metal.

G-Shock has also used four different finishing techniques across the stainless-steel exterior. Mirror polishing, circular hairline finishing, straight hairlines, and honing give different surfaces their own character while adding depth to the otherwise restrained design. The bracelet receives the same treatment, combining polished and brushed surfaces for a more premium appearance.

The 45.5mm case remains unmistakably substantial, but the revised proportions make it feel more balanced on the wrist. The watch is 13.2mm thick and offers 200-meter water resistance, preserving the ruggedness expected from a G-Shock while making the design considerably more versatile.

Inside is G-Shock’s Tough MVT.2 solar-powered quartz movement with automatic time adjustment. The analog display is accompanied by three subdials providing functions including world time, stopwatch, countdown timer, and calendar information. City names are engraved around the bezel, while the watch can also connect to the Casio Watches smartphone app for additional settings and automatic time correction.

The GST-W1000D will initially be available in black, blue, and green configurations, with the blue version receiving a black ion-plated bezel. The international release is scheduled for October, although pricing and US availability have yet to be confirmed.

The new G-STEEL is interesting because G-Shock has managed to make one of its most rugged watches look considerably more refined without stripping away the character that made the collection popular. The GST-W1000D still looks tough, but the cleaner proportions and carefully finished steel give it a sophistication that makes it just as comfortable with a tailored outfit as it is outdoors. And be sure to check Casio’s Most Expensive Watch Ever.

Long before automakers routinely built bespoke hypercars for wealthy collectors, two Americans decided to create their own dream machine. The result was the 1953 Cadillac Elegante, a spectacular one-off that combined American engineering, Italian coachbuilding, and the imagination of designer Albrecht von Goertz.

The project began with commercial artist Harry Birdsall and his friend Joe Mascari, who wanted something radically different from the Cadillacs coming out of Detroit. Their starting point was unconventional. A 1953 Cadillac Series 62 convertible chassis and running gear had been damaged in a dealership fire, and Birdsall acquired the remains for his ambitious project.

For the design, the pair turned to Albrecht von Goertz, who was still relatively early in his automotive career. His involvement is particularly interesting in hindsight because just a few years later he would create the BMW 507 and BMW 503, establishing himself as one of the most influential designers of the era.

The completed design was sent to Turin, where Carrozzeria Rocco Motto spent around 30 months hand-forming the aluminum body. The chassis was lowered by roughly eight inches, creating a dramatically lower profile than the standard Cadillac. Its long nose, sharply sculpted rear fins, wraparound windshield, and aircraft-inspired proportions gave the Elegante the appearance of a futuristic concept car even though it was fully functional.

Its most spectacular feature was the hydraulically operated retractable hardtop. A complex chain-and-sprocket mechanism took around two minutes to raise or lower the roof, an extraordinary piece of engineering for the early 1950s. The car also received a custom Lucite steering wheel and extensive gold-plated bronze trim.

Inside, the extravagance continued with deep red Italian leather, red carpeting, and gold detailing across the dashboard, instruments, door panels, and other components. The exterior was finished in an iridescent mother-of-pearl white with a gold-painted roof, creating exactly the kind of visual impact its creators wanted.

The Elegante made its public debut at the 1955 New York International Auto Show, where it became one of the event’s biggest attractions. The New York Times even reported on it under the headline “Gold-Plated Car Becomes a Fact.” Birdsall and Mascari hoped to build ten additional examples at around $20,000 each, but the plan never became reality.

The car remained with various owners after Birdsall’s death in 1960. In 1992, his son Richard Birdsall finally managed to buy it back for the family and began a painstaking restoration that lasted 16 years. The completed restoration later won the People’s Choice Award at the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

Now, more than seven decades after it was created, the Elegante is being offered publicly for the first time since its construction. Its appearance at auction is a rare opportunity to acquire something that sits somewhere between a concept car, a coachbuilt classic, and a piece of postwar American design history.

The Elegante is particularly fascinating because it predates today’s obsession with one-off commissions by decades. It was created simply because its owners imagined a car that did not exist and were willing to spend the time and money to make it real. The result still looks extraordinary today, which may be the best possible evidence that their idea was worth pursuing.

Urwerk has created a pocket watch that takes the concept of mechanical timekeeping to an almost ridiculous level. The UR-1001 Amadeus is a unique piece that combines futuristic horological engineering with hundreds of hours of traditional hand engraving.

The watch was created in collaboration with Austrian engraver Florian Güllert, who normally spends his time decorating high-end firearms. Working with a raw titanium case presented a completely different challenge, requiring Güllert to spend around 500 hours over three months transforming the surface with intricate Baroque-inspired decoration.

The result is unlike almost anything else from Urwerk. The 106 × 62 × 23 mm case is covered with elaborate acanthus leaves and ornamental patterns, while the caseback features a Gothic-inspired rose window surrounding the movement. Even the winding crown has been transformed into a small fluted crown-like sculpture.

Inside, however, the watch remains unmistakably Urwerk. The front combines satellite hours, retrograde minutes, an annual calendar, day and night indication, and a 39-hour power reserve. The mechanical display is surrounded by a stark black instrument panel, creating a fascinating contrast with the ornate exterior.

The most absurd feature appears when you turn the watch over. The caseback contains an oil-change indicator designed around five-year service intervals, a counter that tracks 100 years of operation, and a linear scale that ultimately reaches 1,000 years. The millennium indicator advances only when the mechanical movement is actually running, meaning the watch has effectively been designed to record the passage of a millennium.

That idea is part of what makes the UR-1001 Amadeus so fascinating. It is not really about whether anyone will ever see the 1,000-year indicator reach its final mark. It is about creating an object intended to outlive its owner and potentially pass through generations.

Urwerk has not announced a price for this one-of-a-kind commission. Considering the complexity of the movement, the unique titanium case, and the roughly 500 hours of hand craftsmanship, it was never going to be an ordinary pocket watch.

The UR-1001 Amadeus ultimately feels less like something designed to be owned and more like something designed to be preserved. It treats time as something measured not just in seconds and minutes, but in decades and centuries, turning an already unconventional Urwerk creation into a mechanical monument to the passage of time. Also be sure to check our list of the most expensive watches.

Harley-Davidson has spent more than a century building a visual identity around motorcycles, chrome, leather, and mechanical character. Now that identity has been turned into something rather unexpected. In collaboration with Austrian hi-fi manufacturer Pro-Ject Audio, the company has created a premium turntable whose entire chassis is shaped like Harley-Davidson’s famous Bar & Shield logo.

The design is more ambitious than simply putting a Harley badge on an existing record player. Pro-Ject has made the logo itself the foundation of the turntable, creating a sculptural silhouette that immediately connects the machine to the motorcycle brand. The chassis is milled from solid MDF without hollow sections, helping reduce unwanted resonance, while a precision-machined aluminum top adds rigidity and a distinctly industrial appearance.

The materials reinforce the connection to Harley-Davidson. Polished aluminum and stainless steel are combined with a genuine leather platter mat inspired by the look and feel of a motorcycle saddle. A heavy 300mm glass platter sits above a diamond-cut aluminum sub-platter, while a 915-gram Harley-Davidson record puck adds substantial weight to the playback system.

Pro-Ject has also paid serious attention to the tonearm. The 8.6-inch S-shaped aluminum arm is hand-polished and uses a removable headshell, making cartridge changes easier for owners who want to upgrade their setup later. The turntable comes fitted with a Pro-Ject Pick it PRO moving-magnet cartridge, so it can be used straight out of the box.

Underneath the visual drama is a belt-driven system designed for serious hi-fi use. The heavy rotating assembly has a total moving mass of 2.75 kilograms, while electronic switching allows users to change between 33 and 45 rpm without manually adjusting the belt. Height-adjustable damped feet help isolate the turntable from unwanted vibration.

Handmade in Europe and available by special order, the Harley-Davidson Turntable costs $3,299. Pro-Ject has not announced a fixed production quantity, making the collaboration particularly appealing to collectors who want something far removed from a conventional piece of audio equipment.

The appeal of this turntable is ultimately about more than motorcycles or vinyl. Pro-Ject has taken Harley-Davidson’s visual language and built the entire product around it without abandoning the engineering expected from a serious hi-fi component. The result is a rare collaboration where the branding is not simply decoration. It is the architecture of the product itself.

What happens when a simple chrome sphere becomes the building block for an entire furniture collection? Designers Reza Raeisifar and Saber Abar have answered with the Wishes Collection, a limited-edition series that turns interconnected metal spheres into chairs, benches, tables, lighting, and even a small home for pets.

The idea is remarkably simple. Every piece begins with the same spherical module, repeated and connected to create increasingly complex forms. The designers drew inspiration from structures found in nature, including coral reefs, honeycombs, and bone, where intricate forms emerge from the repetition of relatively simple elements.

The spheres are made from Grade 404 stainless steel with a nickel-chrome finish, giving the collection its highly polished appearance. The result sits somewhere between furniture and sculpture, with the reflective surfaces making each piece change depending on its surroundings.

The rocking chair is perhaps the most unexpected example. Its rigid chrome spheres are combined with curved wooden runners and a soft cushion, creating a contrast between industrial metal and something designed for comfort and movement. The regular chair and bench follow the same principle, pairing polished steel structures with red or velvet cushions.

The collection also includes a pet house built from the same spherical system. What looks like a miniature architectural structure becomes a surprisingly playful shelter, proving that the modular concept can work at very different scales.

A floor lamp takes the idea in another direction. Here, the spheres are no longer supporting weight but interacting with light, reflecting it across their polished surfaces and giving the object an almost jewelry-like quality.

The name Wishes is tied to the designers’ idea that something meaningful can emerge through many small actions repeated over time. The collection turns that metaphor into a physical design system, using one simple shape to create an entire family of objects.

The result is unusual without feeling random. Instead of introducing a different visual language for every piece, Raeisifar and Abar commit completely to the sphere, showing just how versatile a single geometric element can become when it is given enough room to evolve.

Spyker has returned once again, and this time it has brought something that feels almost deliberately out of step with the modern supercar industry. The new C8 Preliator XXV Coupé is a limited-run hypercar with an 800-horsepower V8, a six-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive, and an aluminum body shaped largely by hand.

The car marks another chapter for a Dutch marque that has already disappeared from the automotive scene twice. Founder Victor Muller has revived the company again, presenting the Preliator XXV at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. Only 25 examples will be built, with each car individually commissioned.

The name Preliator means “warrior” in Latin, and the numbers certainly support it. An Audi-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 produces 800 horsepower and 1,000 Nm of torque, sending all that power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Spyker claims a top speed of more than 217 mph.

The manual gearbox is perhaps the most important part of the experience. Its exposed mechanical linkage is one of Spyker’s signature design elements, leaving the driver with a direct connection to the transmission. There are no paddles or automated shifts to hide a bad decision. Miss a downshift, and the car will let you know.

Instead of carbon fiber, Spyker has chosen aluminum for the bodywork. Every panel is hand-formed by Coventry Prototype Panels in England, while the aluminum spaceframe is built in-house. Each car reportedly requires around 2,100 hours of hand assembly, turning every example into something closer to a piece of automotive craftsmanship than a conventional production car.

The design also carries references to Spyker’s aviation heritage. A dramatic fin stretches from the roof toward the rear deck, recalling the company’s 1919 C1 Aerocoque and its early aircraft manufacturing history. The front intake feeds the V8, while exhaust outlets emerge directly from the rear deck. Even the taillights are shaped to resemble aircraft afterburners.

Inside, the aviation theme continues with turned aluminum surfaces, illuminated analog gauges, toggle switches, and an integrated head-up display. An intricate isogrid pattern inspired by aerospace engineering appears throughout the car, including the grilles, vents, pedals, and seat stitching. Spyker even gives the car a “butterfly mode” that opens the doors and rear clamshell together at the press of a button.

With a dry weight of 1,525 kg and carbon-ceramic brakes, the Preliator XXV combines its old-school construction philosophy with serious performance. Around €1.6 million is expected to be the price, although Spyker has not officially confirmed it, and most of the 25 cars were reportedly already claimed during Monterey week.

The C8 Preliator XXV may be one of the strangest new hypercars to appear in 2026, but that is precisely the point. While the rest of the industry moves toward electrification, automation, and increasingly digital driving experiences, Spyker has gone in the opposite direction. It has built an 800-hp machine where the driver still changes the gears by hand, aluminum is shaped by human hands, and the mechanical hardware is intentionally left on display. And don’t forget to check our list of the most expensive cars in the world.