Latest news with #ManofMany
Man of Many
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Man of Many
Man of Many's Staff Favourites—9 August, 2025
By Dean Blake - News Published: 9 Aug 2025 |Last Updated: 8 Aug 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 5 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. With another week behind us, and a weekend to enjoy (even though it's very wet here in Sydney again), it's about time for our weekly collection of Man of Many's favourite things! This week, we're showing off what could be the best horror movie of the year so far, as well as highlighting an upcoming explosive musical tour, some delicious wine, comfy pants, and some laid-back beats. Enjoy! Hickinbotham 'The Peake' Cabernet Shiraz | Image: Nick Hall/Man of Many Hickinbotham 'The Peake' Cabernet Shiraz Nick Hall – Editor-in-Chief When I first got into wine, I started with shiraz. I figured that if you were going to go red, you may as well go hard, leaning into the bold, flavour-rich notes of the iconic Australian drop. In the years that have passed, my preferences have wavered, and I often find myself dipping my toes into the world of pinot noir, but every so often, a drop comes along that changes all that. Just this week, we were lucky enough to sit down with Chris Carpenter, the man behind the classic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard and 2024 Master Winemaker of the Year. In our discussion, Chris took me through the highs and lows of being an international winemaker and why Cabernet remains his favourite varietal. Best of all, he also shared a bottle of the 2022 Hickinbotham 'The Peake', the label's much-loved cabernet shiraz blend. It was, in a word, transcendent. Heavy with notes of blackberry, blueberry and dark chocolate, the bold red provided a remarkably long tannin structure, filling the mouth with an extended feeling of rich, robust intensity. As a firm pinot drinker, The Peake was the ultimate indulgence, so it's little wonder why it remains one of the nation's most revered releases. Favourite Article of the Week: OMEGA x Swatch's New 'Mission to Earthphase' Moonshine Gold Coming This Week Weapons (2025) | Image: IMDB Weapons Dean Blake – Entertainment Writer I was lucky enough to get a chance to check out the brand new horror thriller Weapons earlier this week, and while my interest was already pretty high, the movie somehow delivered on what I wanted and subverted my expectations. I'm not going to spoil anything here, but as with director Zach Creggar's previous flick, Barbarian, Weapons is a sometimes tense, sometimes funny ride through an absolutely horrific situation. Here, though, it's a whole town suffering. 17 kids, all from the same class, have gone missing in the middle of the night, and parents are pointing the finger at class teacher Ms. Grady. Things slowly spiral out of control as individuals throughout the town start getting sucked into the escalating mystery. Again, no spoilers here, but keep an eye out on Man of Many next week for our full review. If you've got any interest in seeing it, I'd honestly advise you to go to the theatre this weekend. Article of the Week: Razer Blade 16 Review: A $7,000 'Portable' Gaming Rig Video of the Week: Exactly why Ferrari's hand-painted fender shield costs $15,000 ONEFOUR | Image: City Recital Hall ONEFOUR's First Ever Sydney Show Aussie hip hop fans rejoice. ONEFOUR are finally getting to perform their debut headline show in Sydney for the first time ever. ONEFOUR have been unable to perform in Sydney for years due to sustained police pressure on venues over concerns about public safety and harmful lyrics effectively blocking their shows. There is an amazing Netflix documentary 'Against All Odds' that showcases their meteoric come up, the police resistance to them performing live, and the debates around freedom-of-expression that arise from that. They have turned streaming platforms on fire with 3.2 million monthly Spotify listeners and amassed over 155 million YouTube views across their videos. The band's current Australian Tour looks insane and the final stop is Sydney. It's going be a huge cultural moment in the Aussie rap game and god damn am I excited. ONEFOUR are being supported by another group I absolutely love called The 046 which just makes this a dream night for me. Long live Aus Rap & Hip Hop. Article of the Week: Male Birth Control Pill Passes Safety Trial in US Video of the Week: How many subscriptions do you pay for? Universal Works' Duke Pant | Image: Universal Works Universal Works Duke Pant Frank Arthur – Co-Founder The Duke Pant from Universal Works is so nice, I bought it twice. These versatile trousers sit at the top of my wardrobe rotation and have already clocked countless miles. With my first pair nearing retirement, I've just ordered a fresh set. Cut in a roomy, wide leg that tapers ever so slightly, they strike the perfect balance between relaxed and refined. The cotton twill keeps things casual, while a single front pleat lends a subtle touch of tailoring, making them easy to dress up or down. For comfort, durability and understated style in one neat package, the Duke Pant is my effortless favourite. Article of the Week: GT-Based Lexus LFR Rumoured to Take On Porsche GT3 RS With 900HP Twin-Turbo V8 Slo Jams with Coffee in the Morning and DJ JLiu Scott Purcell – Co-Founder Coming to you LLIVE from Canada are these silky smooth beats from DJ Jliu. I'm not sure if it's the tempo, but there's something absolutely intoxicating about the way this dude mixes. This is the perfect music and jams to get work done in the morning with a hot coffee. Hosted by 'This Moment' in collaboration with Slo Coffee, they're all about creating a space for slow beats, relaxed vibes, and good company (even as I sit here at my desk working from home!). Article of the week: 10 Best-Selling Utes in Australia Video of the week: When you're just trying to have a quiet weekend
Man of Many
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Man of Many
Feel-Good Friday: Free Brekkie, Fun Runs, and Amphora Whisky
By Dean Blake - News Published: 7 Aug 2025 |Last Updated: 8 Aug 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 4 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. Welcome back to another end-of-week Feel-Good Friday roundup: where we bring you a bunch of cool things happening over the next few days we've spotted so you can get out there and enjoy your weekend. Man of Many is actually taking today off, after winning Media Brand of the Year at the 2025 Mumbrella Awards (humble brag), but we didn't want to leave you high-and-dry, so this week we're delivering you some free breakfast courtesy of Uber Eats, as well as your chance to snag Tassie's first amphora-rested whisky. What does that mean? Read on and find out. Welcome to this weeks Feel-Good Friday. Uber Eats and Harry's Bondi giving away Free Brekkies Uber Eats is delivering a new world-first feature Down Under—'Dine Out', which will give Sydneysiders access to in-venue dining deals. The goal, according to Uber Eats ANZ MD Ed Kitchen (yes, that's really his name), is to help restaurants fill seats. In order to celebrate, Uber will be working with Harry's Bondi to give away 300 free breakfasts: lemon & ricotta croissants with white chocolate and pistachio drizzle, plus a mandarin matcha. All you have to do is get down to Rainbow Studios, Darlinghurst on Saturday morning, 9 August, between 8 and 10 am, and get in line. If you're more interested in the 'Dine Out' experience, you can expect to see crowd favourites Catalina, Fabbrica, Mary's and P&V on there, so get out there and get eating. City2Surf is This Weekend, Has Already Raised $3m Even though this weekend is set to be a wet one in Sydney, thousands of do-gooders are planning to hit the streets for the world's largest fun run: The City 2 Surf. Itself having run for 55 years, the City 2 Surf is a staple event in the city's calendar, and brings people from around Sydney together in a 14 kilometre congested conga line. Starting at Sydney's CBD and ending at Bondi Beach, the run is essentially the pre-game for what ends up becoming a beach-side dance party afterwards. All for a good cause, of course. So far this year the C2S has raised $3 million, but has its sights set on $5 million. Running spots are already booked out, but if you're keen to head to Bondi on the day and celebrate with the rest of the city, we'd advise you to wear your gumboots and raincoat at least. Melbourne Welcomes 'The Artistry' Festival This Weekend Down in Melbourne-town, Queen Victoria Market is going to play host the 'The Artistry' this weekend: a two-day festival filled with live performances, video game tournaments, a sizeable food market, creative workshops, and a multicultural dance party. The event actually kicks off on Friday, 8 August, though, with a free co-ordinated drone show in the skies above Birrarung Marr park, which leads into two full days of good times until Sunday, 10 August. With a broad offering, The Artistry Festival caters to effectively anyone that needs something to do this weekend. At the very least, you could be part of Australia's largest random play dance: a dance celebration where TikTok moves meet K-Pop fandom. Or just eat some delicious food. Whatever floats your boat, really. Australia's First Amphora-rested Whisky Could Be Yours If you're used to the idea that whisky is aged in porous, wooden barrels, let me be the first to tell you that there is, in fact, another way. Amphora are a type of vase, traditionally made out of clay or ceramic, typically used in ancient Greece, and it's being used by Tassie distiller Callington Mill to deliver a fresh spin on whisky. It's a 4,000-year-old technique being brought back for modern use, with Callington having aged its first Amphora-rested drop for the past two years in a 350-litre clay amphora—and you could get your hands on one of the first drams bottled. The distillery is running a ballot to see who'll get the right to purchase its first-of-a-kind whisky (for AUD$199), which'll be drawn in three lots between the 11 and 13 August. If that sounds like something you're interested in, check it out in the link below.
Man of Many
4 days ago
- Man of Many
Razer Blade 16 Review: A $7,000 'Portable' Gaming Rig
By Dean Blake - News Published: 6 Aug 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 13 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. High Point Low Point Verdict The Razer Blade 16 is a sturdy, powerful gaming laptop with some serious chops, a good keyboard, and a beautiful OLED screen. Gaming performance is hurt a bit by how poorly optimised most games are these days, taking the shine off its core use-case. If you think you can get use out of the 5090 GPU and Ryzen 9 CPU, and can afford it, there's a lot to love here. Scroll horizontally to view full table In my eyes, gaming laptops have always found themselves fulfilling an interesting, but somewhat incongruous fantasy to the PC gamer. The goal is to deliver the specs, power and freedom associated with gaming on a highly-specced out desktop PC, but with the added benefit of it being mobile. Need to travel a lot for work? A high-end laptop will give you the ability to play in your off time. Don't have room for a complete desktop setup in your home? A gaming laptop on a kitchen bench will do the job! The issues start mounting, though. These things are exorbitantly expensive for all but the most devout, often costing a premium on-top of already expensive pre-built desktops. Yes—it's cheaper to build your own desktop, but not everyone wants to do that (trust me, it's a pain in the ass when something goes wrong and you just have to figure it out). They're also portable in the sense that they'll fit in a bag and you can take them somewhere else, but they're heavy, bulky, loud, and often, hot to use. Battery life is poor, and they've tended to fall more on the gamer-chic side of design, which effectively makes them an eyesore for anyone that isn't in love with UFOs or RGB. For quite a while, however, Razer's Blade line has delivered a powerful, design-first option for would-be PC gamers. It looks more like a MacBook than a spaceship, and that pesky green snake logo can be covered up with a sticker or something if you really don't want to advertise your nerdiness on work trips. Razer Blade 16 | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many When Razer approached me to check out its latest and greatest, the 2025 Razer Blade 16 equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, I jumped at the chance. It's been a while since I spent any meaningful time with a gaming laptop, and I wanted to see how they've evolved. We tested the ~AUD$7,000 model, which comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU, NVIDIA's 5090 laptop-class GPU, and 32GB of ram. That is to say that this is just about the best of the best when it comes to raw power in a laptop form factor. There's a lot to love about the Blade 16— a big and beautiful OLED screen, enough power to play most games (though we'll get into that further below), and the brand's signature high level of build quality are all there. It's one of the most cutting-edge piece of hardware I've tested so far, and yet I also found using it a baffling experience. I'm no stranger to the quirks of PC gaming, but hadn't really considered the place of high-powered laptops within the current gaming space for some time. I had anticipated that the benefits of things like frame generation and DLSS would improve the laptop gaming experience, but that isn't necessarily the case: and it's not really Razer's fault, either. Tech Specs Razer Blade 16 (2025) Price AUD$3,699.95 to AUD$7,999.95 OS Windows 11 Home Internals – CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 Series with Radeon 880M Graphics – GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series – RAM: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB – Storage: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB Display – 16' QHD+ 240Hz OLED – 2560 x 1600 Networking – Wi-Fi 7 – Bluetooth 5.4 Ports – 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A Ports – 2x USB 4 Type-C Ports – MicroSD Card Reader – HDMI 2.1 Output – 3.5mm combo port Battery 90Whr rechargeable LiPo battery Dimensions – 17.4mm x 250.5mm x 355mm – ~2.14 kgs Scroll horizontally to view full table Razer Blade 16' | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Razer Blade 16' | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Razer Blade 16' | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Why Trust Us Here at Man of Many, we use a wide variety of technology. We're not fans of any one brand, like to get our hands on the latest-and-greatest tech before we call it the next-best-thing, and we've built up extensive experience in reviewing tech as a publication over the past 10 years. The author of this article, Dean Blake, is Man of Many's technology journalist, and has followed the industry for years. He's reviewed a fair bit of the competition, and was provided the product by Razer for the purposes of this review. No money exchanged hands, and all opinions expressed are those of the author and haven't been seen by Razer ahead of time. For more information on our independence, testing and review guidelines, you can read our full editorial policies here. Razer Blade 16 compared to my long-dead Razer Blade 15 | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Razer is Still King of Gaming Design I feel like I've mentioned in every PC hardware review I've written that I'm not a fan of the gaudy gamer stylings inherent in a lot of such products, and Razer has done a good job of avoiding that trap for years. It's clear where Razer got its design inspiration from: the Blade looks like what'd happen if you dipped an older, beefier MacBook Pro in black paint, and that is not an insult. Apple's design team has been on point for years, and if you're going to steal from anyone it might as well be the ones setting the trends. The brushed aluminium unibody chassis of the laptop feels solid, looks good, and stands out. You can always tell a Razer product when you see it: it does attract a lot of fingerprints and dust, though, so keep a good microfibre cloth handy. This year's device is actually a redesigned chassis—though you'd be forgiven for not being able to tell just by looking at images online. Razer cut out as much bulk as it could, which certainly helps the laptop feel a bit more portable. I had to pull a broken down Razer Blade 15' from a few years ago (more on that later) to really soak the size difference in, which you can see in the image above. Razer Blade 16 | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many In terms of its usability: the trackpad is also among the best I've used on Windows, beaten only by Microsofts own Surface laptops. I'd still prefer a decent mouse over a trackpad when it came time to game, but when out and about it'll absolutely do as a means of interacting with the OS. The keyboard, too, feels good. I think scissor-based switches are not ideal for a gaming device, and that's what we're getting here, but I imagine having anything more 'mechanical' would significantly add to the laptop's size and bulk. That isn't really what Razer is going for here: it's sleek and compact, which fits the Blade just fine. Plus, the brand improved key travel, which does go some way in making the Blade's keyboard a bit better to actually use on a daily basis. The screen is of the same high quality as the rest of the build: a vibrant 16 OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and a native resolution of 1600p. It's honestly one of the most beautiful screens I've seen in a laptop, and made particularly tense moments in the caves of Sons of the Forest pretty damn memorable. OLED screens can get real dark, and when you're exploring a cave filled with cannibals the difference between the greyish-black of other displays and the true-black of an OLED stands out. Back on the surface, the forest itself was vibrant and colourful, which also looked great. But how did it run? Tunic on Razer Blade 16 | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many The Thorny Issue of Frame Generation I'm keenly aware that there have been plenty of improvements to PC hardware in the years since I last had something cutting edge—super resolutions and frame generation chief among them—but I'm always more interested in how a game will run 'natively' on hardware. Call me old school, but the idea that I can insert 'fake' frames to make a game look, but not play, smoother doesn't particularly appeal to me. Still, testing this laptop gave me a good insight into how this new feature works in today's modern gaming landscape. I tested quite a few games, mostly modern titles from the past few years, to get a gauge on just how powerful the 5090 is on its own, as well as with all the little bells-and-whistles turned on. My goal with PC gaming is always to hit a stable 60fps at minimum. Here's what I found, testing games at the device's native resolution of 1600p, as well as incrementally stepping down to 1200p and 800p where necessary. Game / Settings Average Frame Rate Monster Hunter Wilds, Benchmark (2025) – 1600p, Ultra, Performance Mode – 1600p, Ultra, Performance Mode, Frame-Gen – 1200p, Ultra, Performance Mode – 1200p, Ultra, Performance Mode, Frame-Gen – 30.5fps – 59.54fps – 30.5fps – 60.18fps Black Myth Wuckong, Benchmark (2024) – 1600p, Ultra, Performance Mode – 1600p, Ultra, Performance Mode, Frame-Gen – 1200p, Ultra, Performance Mode – 1200p, Ultra, Performance Mode, Frame-Gen – 800p, Ultra, Performance Mode – 800p, Ultra, Performance Mode, Frame-Gen – 20fps – 34fps – 28fps – 45fps – 38fps – 60fps Sons of the Forest (2024) – 1600p, Ultra – 1200p, Ultra – 30-75fps – 30-80fps Resident Evil 4: Remake (2023) – 1600p, Max Settings – 1200p, Max Settings – 40-50fps – 70-90fps Doom (2016) *cinematics are locked to 60fps – 1600p, Ultra – 1200p, Ultra – 80-170fps – 80-190fps Scroll horizontally to view full table As you'll see from the table above, most 'modern' games technically run, but not in an ideal state unless you utilise the likes of frame generation. See, any time you turn on the frame-gen option to introduce new, AI-interpolated frames in-between the ones the game actually renders, you're introducing input latency – making the game play worse in the hands. Monster Hunter Wilds and Black Myth Wuckong are some of the most demanding games on the market today, and, honestly, playing them on the Razer Blade 16 wouldn't be a good time between the fast-paced gameplay and input latency. The same is true of Sons of the Forest, my gaming groups most recent multiplayer project. Yes, it did reach highs of 80fps, but I also saw it drop as far as sub-30fps depending on the environment and/or what you're doing. Add two more players to the mix, and things got really janky. To be fair to Razer, that game also crashed an inordinate amount of times on both the Blade and my own personal desktop, so maybe Sons of the Forest is just a bit broken. Razer Blade 16 | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Going back in time a bit to something like 2016's Doom or even 2023's Resident Evil 4: Remake, and you'll see just how much better a well-optimised game can run without needing to dip into fake frames. I very much doubt you'd be buying an expensive gaming laptop to play a game from 2016, but it shows that it can be done. The difficult truth here is that you can spend AUD$7,000 on a brand new, top of the range gaming laptop from a very reputable brand like Razer and still end up with a pretty subpar experience—solely because the games themselves are so poorly optimised. That's not Razer's fault, but it does take some of the shine off of one of the main reasons for buying a gaming laptop: to play newer PC games with the freedom of a portable device. The whole point of these technologies were to make well optimised games run better, not poorly optimised games run okay, and the fact that this issue extends to almost every corner of gaming now makes it quite a sticky subject. Razer Blade 16 | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Battery Life is Still Poor I don't think there's much that can be done with batteries in such a powerful device, honestly. Every component needs so much juice to work its magic that that the 90Wh battery is drained within about 5 hours with relatively regular use. Do something more demanding like, oh I don't know, gaming, and it'll be empty far sooner – usually within an hour. Razer is keen to note that the Blade can be charged to about 50 per cent in half an hour or so using the beefy 200W+ charging brick, and that's true, but batteries only have so many charges in them before they start to lose capacity, and eventually it'll stop holding juice the way it used to. I'm speaking from experience here. Despite being a desktop PC gamer now, once upon a time I actually owned a Razer Blade laptop as my main gaming rig. I bought it just before the pandemic hit, and it helped fill my days trapped inside with the likes of Final Fantasy XIV, Valheim, and eventually the then newly-released Elden Ring. But, disaster struck! The laptop's battery died on me after a year or two and I spent months attempting to replace it with something reliable. I failed, and after trying a number of third party options, I gave up. Razer doesn't offer replacement batteries for sale in Australia, and by the time the issue had occurred my laptop was out of warranty so I was SOL. That sucks for me, obviously, but I'm not sure what Razer could do here to fix the issue moving forward, either: it's simply a downside of putting so much top-of-the-line tech into something you can put in a backpack without any major improvements to battery technology. I can't say that the same thing will happen with someone else's Blade, but I can say that I'm far from the only person to have issues with the Blade's battery: a cursory look at r/RazerSupport on reddit will prove that. Razer Blade 16' | Image: Dean Blake/Man of Many Man of Many's Verdict In all, the Razer Blade 16 is a fantastic premium Windows PC, filled with the latest tech and, depending on how much you spend, quite a few years of use ahead of it. It's a shame, though, that modern PC games struggle to work properly even on dedicated rigs, making the prospect of more compromised gaming laptops a much harder sell than they otherwise would be. I don't think this is a good value-for-money purchase, but I think if you're looking at buying a gaming laptop you probably already know that. As far as gaming laptops go, though, this is just about as top-of-the-line as you can get.
Man of Many
02-08-2025
- Man of Many
Man of Many's Staff Favourites—2 August, 2025
By Dean Blake - News Published: 2 Aug 2025 |Last Updated: 1 Aug 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 7 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. With another week behind us, and a weekend to enjoy (even though it's very wet here in Sydney), it's about time for our weekly collection of Man of Many's favourite things! This week, we're celebrating being named as Media Brand of the Year at last week's Mumbrella Awards, highlighting a petition that could get you an extra day off each year, and showing off an easy way to try on some new sunnies ahead of summer. We don't want to waste any more time: here's our Staff Favourites for this week! Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 | Image: Nick Hall/Man of Many Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Nick Hall – Editor-in-Chief If you have been following our Staff Favourites for a while, you might have noticed that I am a big fan of Sennheiser's wireless earbuds. I've used the True Wireless 2s for years and have always appreciated the noise cancellation features and clean, crisp audio. But after accidentally stepping on them and sending them hurtling into the ether, I've found myself in need of a new pair. Thankfully and somewhat unexpectedly, the team at Sennheiser hooked me up with a set of Momentim True Wireless 4 earbuds, and I have to say, they are out of this world. More structured and robust than previous generations, the True Wireless 4s take the much-loved design and elevate it in new and interesting ways. This edition is the first to feature Sennheiser's latest Auracast broadcast audio functionality, which essentially allows you to broadcast your audio content from the source to as many headphones as you like, protected by a password. It's a handy little addition that is great for travel, particularly when I'm trying to show a colleague or friend what I'm tuning in to. Aside from that, the True Wireless 4 model continues Sennheiser's top-tier audio functionality. The sounds coming out of these teeny, tiny earbuds are truly impressive, and I've been testing them out with a range of different genres, soundscapes, and films. Make no mistake, these are among the most versatile earbuds on the market, and I couldn't be happier to have a set of Sennheiser back in the rotation. Favourite Article of the Week: What's New on Netflix in August 2025 A Massive Thank You Scott Purcell – Co-Founder This week, my pick isn't a new product, tv series, or a cool discovery. It's you, our readers. I'm still trying to process last week's news that Man of Many was named the 2025 Media Brand of the Year at the Mumbrella Awards. Hearing our name announced was a surreal and unforgettable moment, and that initial shock has given way to immense pride, not just in our team but in the entire community we've built. It sort of goes without saying that Frank and I, and the team, very much built Man of Many as if we were our own audience. We want to feature and explore the things that we find interesting, but we also know that it's a pretty rare occasion that we ourselves will actively engage with, comment on or share an article we've consumed outside of Man of Many. Truth be told, we know much of our audience is fairly passive and private. But when we look at the stats behind the scenes, like the time spent on site, the categories engaged with, and the private letters or messages we received, we know there's a deep passion for what we do and the topics that we cover. So to all of the passive consumers, active readers, absolutely loyalists, this award truly belongs to you. Everyone who reads, subscribes, and supports our work. In an era where the media landscape is facing unprecedented challenges with the rise of AI, your engagement and support mean everything. It's what allows us to continue doing what we love, and hopefully what you love too. This journey began over 13 years ago as a passion project between two friends, Frank and I, who knew very little about the media industry. I came from a background in finance and Frank from industrial design. We started this from the ground up, fueled by late nights and a shared love for the things we were discovering. To see that simple idea grow into a brand recognised on stage is really a testament to the dedication of our incredible team that we get to work with. They are the engine and are a small but mighty group who consistently punch above their weight. It's their love and care that our readers so often tell us they notice in our work, and that feedback is what truly means the world to us. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for sharing this journey with us. We are incredibly excited about what's to come and about continuing to share our passions with you. Favourite article this week: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 Review: A Massive Leap Forward for Foldables Favourite video this week: Cast of 'The Castle' on Aussie Mischief Mudgee | Image: Mudgee Region Tourism It's Time for an Extra Public Holiday in NSW Marcus Hurley – Sales & Partnership Manager Now, I was unaware that we New South Welshmen/people were being denied a full 48 hours of public holidays compared to our counterparts in the other states and territories. When I discovered this news, I was maybe not shocked, but certainly open to some Public Holiday equality. You can imagine my delight when I found out Mudgee Region Tourism is already on top of it. Its 'Mudgee Monday Petition' aims to get the attention of those in power and make equality a reality. To quote the tourism body, 'it's outrageous!'. Here at Man of Many, we have the privilege of leaving an hour early on Friday afternoons. Now, an hour may not sound like much, but the psychological impact is hugely positive, so imagine the benefits of 2 extra public holidays throughout the year: to reset, or finally head down to Canberra for the long weekend to visit my parents. Actually, maybe I'll just invite them to meet me in Mudgee. Either way, I am on board and you should be too! Favourite article of the week: ASICS' GEL-KAYANO 32 Harnesses Advanced Geometry to Deliver Maximum Comfort Favourite video of the week: Sydney Whiskey Month 2025 Wrap Up Vision Direct Sunglasses | Image: Supplied Vision Direct Sunglasses Harry Parsons – Head of Branded Content It was time I finally pulled the pin and grabbed myself a proper pair of sunglasses, a decision that will no doubt force me to change my care habits for the pile of cheaper pairs sitting on my bedside. As a time-poor individual who rarely gets the chance to head down to the mall, I jumped online and shopped via Vision Direct. I was honestly blown away not only by the range of sunglasses but, more importantly, by the sophisticated 'Try On' feature. Utilising my laptop's camera, I accurately lined up my face and tried on a wide variety of frames. Now, I know this isn't new tech, but Vision Direct's iteration is the most impressive I've used. The sizing was spot-on, it cleanly tracked head movements to show what the glasses look like from a side angle, and so on. It even served as a guide, telling me my face shape and suggesting the ideal glasses to suit. It felt as if I had a consultant sitting right next to me. If you're looking to upgrade your pair, whether you're time-poor or just not sure what suits you, I highly recommend giving this a try. Disclosure: Man of Many received a pair of sunglasses for free from Vision Direct for the purpose of review.
Man of Many
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Man of Many
Return of the Rabbits: Franck Muller and #FR2's Bold New Collaboration
By Rob Edwards - Sponsored Published: 31 Jul 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 4 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. Few things have the potential to turn heads within the Man of Many office like a partnership linking the worlds of haute horlogerie and urban streetwear. Combining the esteem and elegance of a supreme watchmaker with the devil-may-care attitude of a cutting-edge clothing label will always produce something compelling, but when those involved happen to be the Swiss masters of invention and refinement at Franck Muller and the playful streetwear gurus of the Tokyo-based firm #FR2, well, the results speak for themselves. Not for the first time, this partnership has given us plenty to be excited about. Building on a 2023 collaboration that saw the launch of a limited-edition #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard timepiece, Franck Muller and #FR2's triumphant return consists of not one, not two, but three striking new watches, and we were fortunate enough to go hands-on with them in Franck Muller's elegant new Sydney boutique. Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat This trio of irreverent and sporty surprises comes in the form of the #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition references, each of which is a vibrant and slightly provocative celebration of the spirit of summer. Available exclusively across the Asia Pacific, each colourway is strictly limited to 300 pieces and playfully illustrates #FR2's iconic Fxxking Rabbits in a summer-ready beach scene; catching a wave on the Surf Blue colourway, lounging on the Heatwave Red, and hiding in lush greenery on, you guessed it, Tropical Green. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller These spirited scenes are vividly brought to life with the kind of attention to detail Franck Muller is renowned for. An illustrative example of the impish attitude these watches embody can be found in the repositioning of the date window from the 6 o'clock position to 2 o'clock, where it forms a sun shining down on the rabbits at the centre of the scene. This fun take on the watchmaking arts is further emphasised by the way each scene springs to life after dark, thanks to the watches' liberal use of Super-Luminova across their dials and skeletonised obelisk hands. Plus, the watches' graphic nylon straps, printed with bold streetwear-inspired elements, act as the final flourish, while the leather backing ensures maximum comfort for the wearer throughout the day. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller Having Fun is a Serious Business The #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition releases are certainly playful in nature, but there is serious watchcraft on display here. This was evident from the moment we managed to get our hands on them, as the quality of the materials and construction, as well as the bold nature of the imaginative engineering, are undeniable. The iconic tonneau-shaped Vanguard case has never looked quite like this before. Rendered in a composite of glass and fibre that combines lightness of weight with robust construction, these watches are designed to stand up to everyday wear while ensuring they turn heads everywhere you go. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller According to Franck Muller, the process used to create cases of such a deeply saturated hue required glass to be first melted at 1,500°C and drawn into extremely fine threads, before being cooled and formed into sheets at 700°C. From there, the sheets were impregnated in special colour baths to attain their rich and vibrant colour, before being compressed into fibreglass composite blocks. The result is certainly striking, and a fitting tribute to Franck Muller's technological innovation. Inside, this technological know-how continues with each piece powered by the self-winding MVT 2536-SCDT2H, an artfully constructed movement of 191 components and boasting a power reserve of 42 hours. It's a suitably premium engine for these striking timekeeping machines. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller A Celebration of Summer As Franck Muller states, 'Summer is not just a season, but a state of mind,' and these #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition timepieces capture that notion with aplomb. From the carefree abandon of the rabbits that occupy their dials to the sheer technical wizardry that goes into making every piece, these watches boast personality and refinement in equal measure. If you would like to embrace the summer spirit by securing one of these limited-to-300 pieces for yourself, you can only do so by paying a visit to one of Franck Muller's elegant Asia Pacific boutiques. We cannot recommend such a visit highly enough.
