Nappies, nuclear tiredness, and years of thankless taxiing. Who would be a dad? Father’s Day – June 17th this year – is a rare chance to show your appreciation to the main man of the house. Take that opportunity to bestow him with love and presents – but not necessarily in that order. Wink, wink. Oliver Pickup suggests a few gift ideas to make life easier, for you and him…
For the tech-obsessed Dad: Oculus Go
Facebook acquired leading virtual reality startup Oculus VR in 2014, for a hefty £1.6 billion, and the unrivalled oomph from the tech titan has propelled the organisation to greater heights. Its latest product, Oculus Go, was launched, to universal acclaim, in early May.
Many experts view it as the device that will power VR into the mainstream, finally. At £199 for 32GB, and £249 for 64GB, the price point is certainly accessible to the masses. Crucially, unlike previous iterations, the Oculus Go does not require a smartphone to work. It is a sleek, wireless, standalone gadget that – hurrah! – delivers the quality of VR experience dads have been waiting years for.
It is easily the best product in the flourishing VR market; a “game changer”, if you will. With a rapidly mushrooming number of high-quality games, experiences, apps, and partnerships with media channels (including Netflix and Sky), plus the sensational new Oculus Venues – which allows users to experience music gigs and big sporting events with pals and strangers, virtually – the Oculus Go is next-level amazing.
Buy this for your father and he will be equally generous when it’s your birthday, trust me. And you never know, he might even give you a turn.
The Oculus Go starts from £199 from selected retailers. For more information, visit www.oculus.com.
For the stylish jet-setting Dad: The Weekender Linwood from Buckle & Seam
This is the travel bag your dad deserves. The Buckle & Seam Weekender Linwood is undeniably cool, with its vegetable-tanned premium cow leather exterior and patterned interior. Its stunning aesthetic aside, it is practical, too. Measuring 50cm x 28cm x 25cm, and adjustable in size, it is perfect as carry-on luggage for flights. Further, the Weekender Linwood can house multiple pairs of shoes, shirts, pants, and towels…and an Oculus Go.
The Weekender Linwood is priced £390 and available from www.buckleandseam.com.
For the dab-hand chef Dad: The Uuni Pro outdoor oven
Fact: all dads love pizza. And this wonderful outdoor oven bakes 16-inch pizzas in just 60 seconds. That’s correct: one minute. The new Uuni Pro is the first outdoor oven to include a quad-fuel function, meaning that it is possible to run it on wood, charcoal, wood pellets or gas.
It can reach a temperature of 500˚C in only 20 minutes – phwoar! – and does much more than cook pizzas, quickly. Think breads, roasted meat joints, fish, and so on. The two-door Uuni Pro’s versatility is unparalleled, and dials campsite cooking up a good few notches. This is portable food porn.
It is the latest in a growing list of award-winning outdoor cookers the good folks behind British startup Uuni have crafted – there are many other cheaper options. Little wonder Uuni featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show in America, and has been lauded by Wired, The Wall Street Journal, and a raft of other publications.
At £499 the Uuni Pro is available from uk.uuni.net.
For the bike enthusiast Dad: Blinkers Smart Lighting Systems
Most of us only have one dad, so it’s a good idea to try and keep him as safe as possible. If he is a cyclist – whether hitting the hills at weekends, or battling the traffic on the daily commute, or both – the Blinkers Smart Lighting System could prove to be life saving.
Zurich-based startup Blinkers launched these in mid May with the aim of reducing cycling-related injuries on our roads. The smart lighting system significantly improves communication between cyclists and other vehicles, and pedestrians, in a simple and effective way.
With a set of front, rear and laser lights, a circle is highlighted around the bike to encourage other road users to respect the space. Additionally, cyclists can indicate left or right using a wireless remote control on the handlebar and the rear light shows when the user is slowing down.
The Blinkers Smart Lighting System, designed to be used for up to 20 hours on one battery charge, represents the next generation of bike lights. It is everything your dad needs to be seen, understood and respected by everyone else on the road.
Blinkers lights start from £89 from selected stockists. For more information, visit www.blinkers.bike.
For the musically-minded Dad: Audeara A-01 Headphones
In the crowded headphones market, it’s well worth listening to the people behind the Audeara A-01, which launched in the United Kingdom on June 1 (and is available on Amazon). That’s because Australian startup Audeara has, with the help of doctors, engineered the world’s first full fidelity, noise-cancelling headphones with an in-built hearing test. Dads need to hang on to their senses, and yet so few of them look after their hearing. That’s where the Audeara A-01s can help.
James Fielding, a doctor, drummer, and Chief Executive Officer of Audeara, asks, rhetorically: “You don’t use glasses that aren’t adjusted to your vision; why would you use headphones that aren’t adapted to your hearing?
“We all hear things differently, and we all have a degree of hearing loss. It’s not just every gig you’ve been to; it’s every busy street you’ve walked down, it’s every fire truck that has driven past – they have all damaged your hearing.”
The organisation’s research has discovered that “an increasing number” of 30-year olds have the hearing health usually associated with someone twice that age, alarmingly. The innovative headphones use the knowledge of the hearing test to “tailor the sound perfectly for you”, continues Dr Fielding, who adds: “You get your favourite music, the way it was intended.”
Dads can test their hearing as many times as they like with the Audeara A-01 headphones, and therefore monitor their audio health over time. The promise is that with these cans, it will not deteriorate as quickly as it otherwise might, because these headphones change with you. With these, headphones are no longer just passive magnets for signal conversion; they’re now sophisticated tools for personalised sound reproduction. That is music to any dad’s ears.
Available from Amazon.com priced at £299. For more information, visit www.audeara.com.
For the outdoors Dad: Orvis
When it comes to rural pursuits, there’s one name that’s synonymous with the English countryside – the outfitters and masters of fly-fishing, Orvis. This Father’s Day, they’re celebrating those unique words of wisdom passed down through the generations with ‘Dad’s Rules’.
There’s a range of gift ideas, from Oxford check shirts, sweaters and hoodies, vests and accessories.
Of particular note, their own brand of ‘casting’ shirts, at £79, have a various design characteristics, from being mesh-lined for ventilation as well as a built-in SPF40 sun block and sunglasses cloth sewn into the hem, making it perfect for anything from hillside hiking in the UK to exotic bone fishing in Belize.
For more information, visit www.orvis.co.uk.
For the Dad that wants to get away: A ‘Festa del Papa’ in Tuscany
Renaissance Tuscany has created the ultimate family package that promises to spoil dad during a break to the picturesque Serchio Valley to celebrate Father’s Day. Upon booking the package, guests will be gifted a pair of Thomas Royall swim shorts for father and child to enjoy in the beautiful sunshine in Tuscany. The family can also enjoy an authentic pizza-making class in the heart of Italy with the hotel’s Head Chef, whilst dad can relax with a spa treatment to help relieve the stress of everyday life.
The Festa Del Papa package includes a two-night stay for a family of four, vouchers for Thomas Royall swim shorts / swimsuit for father and child, a relaxing spa treatment for dad to relieve muscle tension and a pizza-making class for the whole family.
The package is priced from £1,015 for a family of four, excluding resort fee. For more information, visit www.renaissancetuscany.com. And for Thomas Royall swimwear, visit www.thomasroyall.com.
For the Dad who just wants to celebrate: Remy Martin VSOP
Why have champagne when you can have cognac? If cognac is the champagne of fortified spirits, then Remy Martin is the champagne of cognac. And, as the latest expression of its forward-focused mind-set,
Rémy Martin has invited internationally-renowned artist and digital designer Matt W. Moore (known, simply, as ‘MWM’) to introduce the next visual chapter of its centuries-old story – brought to life through an exclusive VSOP Limited Edition and revolutionary Augmented Reality app. See how we’re tying this back into the tech?
Rémy Martin has long celebrated art in the UK, but this special collaboration, born from shared values of creativity and audacity, brings its traditional Cognac-making craftsmanship into a modern, cosmopolitan setting.
Driven by the power of digital, Matt W. Moore has created a visual narrative for the brand using his iconic “Vectorfunk” abstract graphics to generate new, colourful energy and harmonise history. Natural elements like grapes and leaves have been blended with vibrant geometrics, all inspired by the Cognac region, and even the brand’s cherished mythical centaur has been reimagined into artistic splendour.
If that’s not unique enough for you, you can make Dad feel even more exclusive knowing there are only 60 bottles available in the UK.
Available from 7th June, Rémy Martin x Matt W. Moore VSOP Limited Edition is launching exclusively in Selfridges at an RRP of £44.99.
And it wouldn’t be an Arbuturian gift guide without a nod to a scotch. Here’s our selection for your old man this time…
Bruichladdich: Port Charlotte
Over a decade in the making, Bruichladdich distillery has released Port Charlotte 10, its heavily peated Islay single malt whisky.
Since reopening in 2001, the distillery has been driven by principles of authenticity, provenance, traceability and transparency. Bruichladdich’s whiskies are conceived, distilled, matured and bottled only on Islay, unchill-filtered and colouring free, using Islay spring water.
Distilled from 100% Scottish barley and matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and second fill French wine casks, the Port Charlotte 10 is described by Bruichladdich’s Head Distiller as having notes of coconut, vanilla custard and lemon honey, combined with smoked oysters and sun baked salty sand.
Decanted in a bespoke bottle, the intricate design reflects the modernist values of the distillery, while the opaque green glass nods towards the ‘Islay’ category of whisky.
Port Charlotte 10 – Heavily Peated 10-year-old Islay Single Malt. RRP £50 – 700ml. Available from specialist whisky stores from June 2018.
Go on, have a wee dram with Dad this Father’s Day…
