Neato Botvac Connected
Robot Wars is back on our screens after 15 years, which has whet our appetites for battle-ready machines. We don’t suggest any job-holding man own a remote controlled car with a circular saw taped to it, so opt for a robot vacuum cleaner that you can control from your phone instead. The Wi-Fi enabled Neato Botvac uses a built in camera to plan the most efficient route and if its potent suction and precision brushes miss any crumb, you can wage war or dirt manually via an app. Available at Maplin, priced £549.99.
Macassar Ebony Watch Winder
File this one under the list of things to buy when you become stinking rich. Second only to hiring a houseboy to keep your automatic watches ticking over, a winder is the most lavish way to stop your timepieces seizing up when not in use. This example by French fine cabinet maker Elie Bleu is crafted from exquisite Macassar ebony wood and has enough room to simultaneously wind and display three watches at any one time. Available at The Conran Shop, priced £1,997.50.
Oopsmark Grapple Clothing Hook
Who needs a wardrobe when you can have a grappling hook? If one too many after work means clothes can’t quite make it to the hanger, at least protect their shape by keeping them off the ‘floordrobe’. Inspired by horse tack used to hang up saddles in barns, the Oopsmark clothing Hook uses four-pronged steel hooks wrapped in a sleek strip of coiled vegetable tan leather. Available at The Brotique, priced £50.
Technics 1200 Turntable
This month the analogue videotape era will meet its end as the last remaining VCR producer winds up production. But if the vinyl resurgence is anything to go by – with tech companies turning out new sleek turntables – it won’t be dead for long. Case in point: the Technics SL-1200, last seen in 2010, is making a return to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The model that was once the go-to standard for DJs and audiophiles wouldn’t look out of place in a modern man-cave. Available from late 2016 at Technics, priced tbc.
BW-Air Jetpack
Something for those who have a jetpack-shaped hole in their lives. To celebrate the return of golf to the Olympic Games, Oakley has teamed up with double Masters champ Bubba Watson to create the world’s first ever golf cart jetpack. The futuristic flying machine, named the BW Air, can fly at an altitude of 3,000ft and reach a top speed of around 50mph. That should help get a bird’s eye view of the green. Available to pre-order for delivery in late 2017 at Martin Jetpack, priced around £150,000.
British Colour Council Mugs
In 1934, the bods at the British Colour Council decided on the official shades of everything from postboxes to the Union Jack. More than 80 years on, the spectrum has been reproduced by the same brand behind the original Pantone mugs. So while you might never own a battleship, you can at least know what one looks like. Available at Designed In Colour, priced £12.
Linley Cocktail Box
Cocktail culture is alive and well, but even the best boozehound would struggle to fix an Old Fashioned without the right equipment. The Linley Cocktail Box contains all the tools of the tipple trade including a shaker, martini glasses, olive sticks and even a mirror etched with classic recipes, so you can at least look like you know what you’re doing. Available at David Linley, priced £16,000.
‘1970’ Cushion Cover
New York City in the 1970s was a world away from the gentrified metropolis of today. But for all its troubles, the era gave us some fairly ballsy style moves. Inspired by the same effortless cool, Bella Freud has created this statement cushion cover, knitted from rich merino wool and bright enough to bring disco memories flooding back. Available at The Conran Shop, priced £150.