Few vehicles have shaped Cadillac’s modern identity quite like the Escalade. While the hand-built Celestiq electric sedan serves as the brand’s flagship, the Escalade has arguably done more to define its public image over the past three decades. Introduced in 1999, the SUV became a staple of hip-hop culture and a favorite among professional athletes before finding its way into the garages of C-suite executives and celebrities alike. Now, as Cadillac prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2027, the automaker is marking the occasion with a limited-edition Escalade that draws on its performance heritage through a series of carefully considered design details.

Photography courtesy of Cadillac

The 2027 Escalade-V 125th Anniversary Collector Series starts with an already formidable foundation: the Escalade-V, the SUV’s most powerful version, thanks to a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 producing 682 horsepower. Rather than dramatically altering the vehicle’s familiar silhouette, Cadillac has concentrated its changes on materials, finishes, and details that distinguish the Collector Series from the standard model.

Photography courtesy of Cadillac

Carbon fiber appears across the exterior, framing the grille and covering the mirror caps, lower rear fascia, and engine cover. Unique forged 24-inch wheels are paired with blue brake calipers and dark-finish badging, while heritage V-8 puddle lamps add another commemorative touch. Buyers can choose between two contrasting exterior finishes: Vibrant White Tricoat or Midnight Stone Frost, a color exclusive to the Collector Series.

Photography courtesy of Cadillac

Inside, Cadillac takes a more deliberate approach to color. The black-and-Sheer Gray interior comes alive thanks to Santorini Blue seat belts and stitching, creating a sharp contrast against the otherwise restrained palette. The shade draws from the blue in the Mondrian-inspired pattern of Cadillac’s V-Series emblem and was developed to visually connect the brand’s fifth-generation performance vehicles with its V-Series.R race car. First introduced on the Project GTP concept, Santorini Blue has since appeared across Cadillac’s road cars, racing program, and concept vehicles.

Photography courtesy of Cadillac

That connection between past and present continues through the smaller details. Illuminated sill plates commemorate the anniversary, while exclusive interior badging, floor mats, and a blue key fob complete the treatment.

Photography courtesy of Cadillac

Exclusivity extends beyond the finishes. Cadillac will produce just 252 examples of the Escalade-V 125th Anniversary Collector Series, with buyers able to select their vehicle’s identification number and corresponding serial number. Each exterior color will feature vehicles numbered from 1902 through 2027, referencing the years of Cadillac’s history.

Photography courtesy of Cadillac

Unveiled ahead of the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the special edition also arrives as Cadillac expands its presence in motorsports with its entry into Formula 1. Pricing starts at approximately $239,000, roughly $70,000 more than the standard 2027 Escalade-V. It’s a substantial premium for a vehicle whose mechanical performance remains unchanged, but the Collector Series is ultimately about something other than horsepower: translating 125 years of brand history into a contemporary expression of Cadillac’s performance identity.

Even for those deeply familiar with the watch industry, Roger Dubuis has a knack for releasing watches that shock and surprise. The results occasionally cause collectors and enthusiasts to do a double take, but that’s part of the appeal.

Case in point, the new Roger Dubuis Excalibur The Kabuto Legacy—an extension of the Excalibur collection that put the brand’s métiers d’art artisans back to work on an exceptional set of micro-engraved samurai helmets.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur collection first launched in 2005, featuring a bold new case architecture and skeletonized mechanical watch movements. The collection marked a turning point for the brand, steering its design direction toward a more contemporary aesthetic.

In 2013, Excalibur’s lore took a more central role in the collection through the first of several limited-edition Knights of the Round Table timepieces. The inaugural series was limited to 28 pieces, with each watch featuring 12 individually hand-engraved knights positioned around the dial, their swords drawn and pointed toward the center.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

The series has continued over the years with several other limited editions, but with the exception of a Chinese Zodiac reference in 2021, each has featured traditional European fighters—until now. 

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

Excalibur The Kabuto Legacy is a substantial piece of hardware, especially considering its 45mm case is made of 18K pink gold. However, with this kind of micro-engraving, you need room for the work to shine. Unlike its counterparts, it doesn’t use miniature hand-sculpted figures for its hour markers; instead, it features hand-sculpted kabuto, or samurai helmets. Traditionally, kabutos served as protective armor, but they were also individualized to act as identifying marks in battle. In the thick of combat, a samurai could identify a commander by his helmet’s distinctive ornamentation.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

Here, the kabutos represent 12 commanders from Japan’s unification and the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in the early 17th century. To ensure historical accuracy, Roger Dubuis also consulted Frederik Cryns, a professor of Japanese history who served as a historical consultant on the television series Shōgun. His expertise helped inform the interpretation of the commanders and their helmets.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

The circle begins at 12 o’clock with the shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu—one of the leading architects of unified Japan, whose kabuto features a fern symbolizing prosperity and longevity. The Four Heavenly Kings of the Tokugawa—legendary samurai commanders who fought alongside Ieyasu—are depicted at the 1, 2, 4, and 9 o’clock positions, flanked by other noteworthy figures of the period. The detail in each helmet is remarkable: Each is micro-sculpted from 18K pink gold and hand-engraved, requiring two to three days of work.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

At the center of the dial sits an abstract interpretation of Edo Castle, finished in a deep blue reminiscent of the indigo dye traditionally used in samurai garments. The landmark was home to the Tokugawa shōgun and served as the center of the Japanese government during the Edo period. The miniature structure’s layered construction incorporates several finishing techniques, including polishing, circular brushing, and shot-blasting, to distinguish the individual architectural elements.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

With so much handwork and traditional craftsmanship going into these pieces, one almost forgets the technical expertise beneath the art itself. The watch is powered by the Roger Dubuis RD821 self-winding caliber, which features 14 distinct finishing techniques applied to the movement components. Like other certified Roger Dubuis timepieces, this piece also receives Poinçon de Genève certification, which establishes standards for craftsmanship, finishing, and mechanical performance in Geneva watchmaking.

There’s no arguing that the Knights of the Round Table series from Roger Dubuis will always be a bit niche in terms of market appeal, but there’s something to be said for the brand’s continued investment in traditional craftsmanship and its willingness to reinterpret those techniques in unexpected ways.

Photography courtesy of Roger Dubuis

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur The Kabuto Legacy is limited to 28 pieces, with pricing available upon request.  

The bamboo groves of Kyoto are built on repetition, with segmented stalks rising in close-set ranks as filtered light falls through the canopy overhead. A similar rhythm resurfaces on the front of the 2027 QX80, Infiniti’s full-size flagship SUV, recast as a cubic motif within its double-arch grille. Water and the four seasons follow, inspiring a full-width rear lamp and an ambient palette keyed to spring, summer, autumn, and winter, while omotenashi—Japan’s tradition of anticipatory hospitality—guides the cabin itself.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

The QX80 draws on Artistry in Motion, the brand’s visual language, which centers on what Taisuke Nakamura, Head of Infiniti Design, calls “creating vehicles that express emotion through dynamic movement, and craftsmanship with an extraordinary presence even when standing still.” His team in Atsugi, near Yokohama, shaped most of the SUV with input from colleagues around the world, while designers in the U.S. led the interior.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

Lines and Form

Of all the Japanese references on the QX80, the grille sits closest to Nakamura’s own history. “I grew up in Kyoto, where bamboo forests are a familiar part of the landscape,” he says. “They give you a sense of peace through the graceful power of nature.”

The team distilled the strength and slenderness of bamboo stalks into a geometric pattern inside the double-arch frame, then repeated the motif in digital piano key lights at either side. Together, they lead the eye toward the illuminated emblem at the center, a three-dimensional form meant to evoke a road extending endlessly ahead.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

In profile, a long, nearly flat hood runs into taut shoulder lines, sculpted fenders push the wheels toward each corner, and two character lines taper rearward, carrying the eye along the SUV’s length. Flush door handles and a rear wiper concealed beneath the spoiler keep the body uninterrupted, while the handles work with air curtains in the front bumper to guide air around the vehicle.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

For the back of the SUV, the team turned from bamboo to another element of the Japanese landscape. “Light reflecting on water is always changing, but it feels very calm,” says Nakamura. “We wanted to capture that feeling across the full width of the rear.”

More than 300 LEDs follow a gentle curve from side to side, their layered segments picking up the cadence set by the grille and linking the design end to end. The lamp also joins the welcome sequence that greets the driver when the QX80 unlocks.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

Cabin Craft

Inside, the focus shifts from silhouette to the finer details of the cabin. “Craftsmanship is something you feel before you can explain it,” says Nakamura. “You touch a surface, or you see how light falls on a material, and you understand that someone cared about it.”

In the range-topping Autograph grade, semi-aniline leather upholstery in all three rows features dot quilting with stitching partly completed by hand, extending the same material treatment from the front seats to the third row.

“It gives the seat a warmth that a machine finish alone cannot,” he adds. Open-pore ash trim with laser-cut inlays combines the natural grain of wood with the precision of modern manufacturing.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

For 2027, the Sport grade introduces a new interior color scheme. “We wanted the cabin to feel calm,” says Nakamura. “Graphite creates a very clean, modern base, so the open-pore wood-grain trim and matte chrome accents really stand out.”

Available ambient lighting takes its palette from Japan’s four seasons, moving from soft spring hues and deep summer green to warm autumn tones and a clear winter glow. Light pipes running through the dashboard and doors follow the cabin’s horizontal lines, allowing the color to shift throughout the interior. “It is a simple way to bring the feeling of nature inside the vehicle,” he says.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

Omotenashi also informs how the QX80 welcomes passengers, with features designed around comfort and convenience. Infiniti Light Path illumination greets the driver on approach, while the upper trim levels extend amenities beyond the front row. Sport adds massaging front seats and Biometric Cooling, which directs air to second-row passengers, while Autograph extends massage to the second row and adds heated third-row seats and a chilled console box.

Photography courtesy of Infiniti

Both upper grades include a 24-speaker Klipsch Reference Premiere audio system, with four speakers integrated into the roof. Individual Audio lets calls and navigation prompts go to the driver’s seat without interrupting the rest of the cabin. Dual 14.3-inch displays integrate Google Maps, voice assistance, and other connected services directly into the dashboard.

“QX80 has a strong presence from the outside, but inside, we wanted people to feel relaxed and taken care of,” Nakamura says.

The 2027 QX80 is now available at Infiniti dealerships, starting at $85,500.

For a device designed to disappear into the reading experience, even the smallest physical details matter. How it feels in your hand, how light hits the screen, and how you turn a page can all influence whether you’re absorbed in a book or distracted by the technology holding it. With its newly redesigned Kindle lineup, Amazon is reconsidering those details from the inside out. The refresh encompasses the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Colorsoft, introducing thinner profiles, new materials, a more cohesive design language, and an expanded collection of accessories.

Photography courtesy of Amazon

“As we approach Kindle’s 20th year, we’ve been thinking about how we continue to make a product people already love meaningfully better,” says Chris Green, VP of design at Amazon. “Using learnings from our most recent Kindle Scribe refresh, we redesigned this new lineup from the ground up, introducing a consistent design language with flush-front displays and edge-to-edge color plus new colors and aluminum housing.”

Central to that redesign is a new reverse-stack display construction, which Amazon describes as a first for the e-reader category. By rethinking how the display, front light, and touch layers are assembled, the team was able to create a completely flush reading surface, eliminating the raised borders found on earlier devices. The result is a cleaner, more continuous surface that also contributes to thinner, lighter hardware. But reducing weight was only part of the challenge.

Photography courtesy of Amazon

“When you’re holding something in your hand and reading for hours, it’s not just how much it weighs; it’s how that weight sits in your hand,” Green explains. “The closer the device can get to your hand’s natural density, the more it stops feeling like a thing you’re holding and starts feeling like a natural extension of you.”

Photography courtesy of Amazon

This new design language extends across the family, but each model addresses a slightly different reading experience. The six-inch Kindle remains the most portable, now with the option of a matte aluminum housing made from 80% recycled aluminum. The Kindle Paperwhite introduces a thinner, lighter body, while retaining its adjustable warm light.

For the Kindle Colorsoft, the emphasis shifts toward bringing color to the reading experience without sacrificing the qualities that distinguish an e-reader from a tablet. Its redesigned display incorporates nitride LEDs to enhance brightness and color, an oxide backplane to improve contrast, and an ultra-thin optical coating for greater clarity. The goal is to make illustrated books, comics, and other visual content feel more natural on a paper-like screen.

Photography courtesy of Amazon

While the technical changes are largely invisible, the new color palette certainly isn’t. “Customers are telling and showing us that they want their Kindle to express who they are through color,” Green says. “Two years ago, we introduced a matcha-colored Kindle, and it was a success we couldn’t ignore.”

Across the lineup, Amazon has introduced Ube, Seaglass Green, Alpine Sky, Fig, and Graphite—a palette Green says was drawn from café and dessert culture.

Photography courtesy of Amazon

The redesign also introduces a new collection of accessories, including the Kindle Click, a compact Bluetooth remote that lets readers turn pages. A magnetic Page-Turn Cover incorporates physical buttons directly into the case, while a charging dock allows compatible devices to remain upright while charging. Additionally, new covers in knit fabric, plant-based leather, and pebbled leather complement the new devices.

Nearly two decades after the original Kindle debuted, Amazon’s latest redesign illustrates how much room remains for refinement in an established product. The most significant changes aren’t necessarily the ones that immediately catch the eye, but those that make the technology feel less like something you’re holding and more like an extension of the reading experience.

Photography courtesy of Amazon

The new Kindle is available now at amazon.com, starting at $149.99. The Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft will be available October 28, starting at $199.99 and $289.99, respectively.

Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.

For yacht owners arriving in a Mediterranean port, finding a way to explore the surrounding town presents a different sort of transportation challenge. Zipping around on a Vespa might sound charming, but not everyone is made for the scooter life. Italian auto custom shop Garage Italia has created its own take on the classic Fiat 500 Spiaggina to give the yachting crowd a stylish alternative for getting around town.

Photography courtesy of Garage Italia

At its core, the Spiaggina is a humble Fiat 500. The “Cinquecento,” as it’s called in Italian, was created to be to Italy what the Mini Cooper was to Britain and the VW Beetle to Germany: small, basic transportation to bring mobility to the masses in the post-WWII era. The original Fiat 500 Jolly, also known as the Spiaggina, transformed that practical foundation into a doorless, open-air vehicle designed for leisurely drives along the Mediterranean coast. With its distinctive woven seating and removable canopy, it became a fixture of Italian resort culture.

Photography courtesy of Garage Italia

The Garage Italia remake distinguishes itself from its forebears by using electric power, with a rear-mounted motor delivering 13 horsepower and 60 lb-ft of torque. Hardly muscle-car statistics, but it’s enough to get the convertible up to more than 45 miles per hour. The 11 kWh battery gives it 87 miles of range on the WLTP test cycle. That should be more than enough for short trips around coastal towns, while electric power eliminates the need to carry additional gasoline aboard a yacht.

Photography courtesy of Garage Italia

But the other way this Jolly stands out is a bit more obvious: it’s extensively customizable. The sheet metal comes in 18 shades (off-menu colors are also an option), and the weather-resistant roof, cushions, and other components are available in dozens of fabric patterns from Italian textile company Mariaflora. The seats are handcrafted by Bonacina, an Italian furniture maker specializing in woven designs since 1889, and are available in natural or tinted rattan or Polycore, a composite material designed to withstand sun and salt exposure. Even the flooring takes its cues from the marine world, using durable, waterproof EVA material from ItalDek. And as with Porsches, Ferraris, and all sorts of other exotic machinery these days, you can configure your ideal version on its maker’s website.

Photography courtesy of Garage Italia

At €85,000 (around $97,000) before options and taxes, this electric runabout costs roughly as much as a BMW 7-Series. It’s a considerable departure from the Fiat 500’s affordable origins, but practicality has never been the point of the Spiaggina. With its open-air design, handcrafted materials, and seemingly endless customization options, Garage Italia has transformed a humble Italian icon into something closer to a bespoke design object on wheels.

Photography courtesy of Garage Italia

Even if you don’t know the Porsche 550 Spyder, you probably recognize it. The nimble little roadster became a racing icon in the 1950s, claiming glory at events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana, while also earning a permanent place in pop culture as the car associated with James Dean. Now, 75 years after it was created, Porsche is celebrating the 550 Spyder in a somewhat unconventional way: with a smaller-than-life, fully drivable replica.

Photography courtesy of Hedley Studios and Porsche

The 550 Spyder J isn’t a model car, not in the sense you’d normally think of one. It’s 80% the size of its inspiration, although it still has enough room to carry two people. The original 550 was powered by a four-cylinder boxer engine—its mini-me is motivated by electrons. The base version makes 8 kW, or about 11 hp, and tops out at 40 mph. Opt for the RS Package, and both the batteries and power double, bringing output to 16 kW (21 hp) and top speed to 50 mph. (Don’t worry about getting passed on the highway, though, because it isn’t street legal.)

Photography courtesy of Hedley Studios and Porsche

The 550 J—the letter stands for “junior”—is the byproduct of a collaboration between Porsche and Hedley Studios, a United Kingdom-based company that specializes in building small-scale drivable replicas of some of the most iconic vintage automobiles, such as the Ferrari Testa Rossa and Bugatti Type 35. To deliver maximum fidelity, Hedley scanned actual cars and pored over archival material from Porsche’s own archives, crafting a near-identical recreation from more than 1,300 components.

Photography courtesy of Hedley Studios and Porsche

Like a real brand-new Porsche, the 550 J is highly customizable. Hedley offers an array of historical and modern colors for the carbon-fiber body and many shades of leather and faux suede inside, plus access to the Porsche 911’s massive Paint-to-Sample off-menu palette and a deep well of liveries inspired by historic racers, with decals and racing numbers to match. Bodywork such as cowls and tiny windshields can be specced or avoided, too. But if that still leaves a customer concerned about spying an identical 550 J to their own, there’s a Bespoke program for even more alterations.

Photography courtesy of Hedley Studios and Porsche

Odds are good buyers will never see another 550 J parked next to theirs, though. Just 250 copies are planned worldwide, and while Hedley and Porsche don’t mention the price, Top Gear reports it starts at £69,500 (around $93,000) before any options or taxes.

Photography courtesy of Hedley Studios and Porsche

Learn more about the Porsche 550 J at 550j.com.

Sitting low on three wheels, with a cushioned seat and a basket at either end, Rover cuts a distinctive figure among the scooters and e-bikes circulating through downtown Denver. The electric trike comes from Veo, a shared micromobility provider operating in more than 60 cities and universities, and 50 are now in service as the company gathers early rider feedback ahead of a citywide rollout.

Photography courtesy of VEO

The company designs and manufactures its vehicles in-house, and in early 2024, it began working with hundreds of riders and more than 20 organizations, among them the Parkinson’s Foundation and Capitol Hill Village. Findings from its 2025 annual rider survey, in which 24% of respondents identified as having a disability, also fed into the process, informing everything from Rover’s riding position to its cargo arrangement.

Photography courtesy of VEO

“For too long, shared micromobility has excluded many disabled people and others who don’t feel comfortable using a standing scooter or pedal bike,” says Anna Zivarts, director of the Nondrivers Alliance and author of When Driving Is Not an Option.

Photography courtesy of VEO

Rover’s two baskets offer space for groceries, luggage, or mobility aids, with cargo capacity up to 100 pounds. Throttle assist reduces physical strain and eases climbs, while the three-wheel design provides greater stability. A top speed of 10 miles per hour suits neighborhood travel.

Rover joins four other Veo vehicle types already operating in Denver, where the company has a fleet of 9,000 shared bikes and scooters.

Photography courtesy of VEO

“The future of micromobility is about giving more people the confidence to ride,” says Candice Xie, Veo’s co-founder and CEO. “For years, we’ve worked to open up micromobility to new riders—from pioneering seated scooters to developing our first electric trike alongside disability advocates and older adults. Rover is our most community-informed vehicle to date, shaped in partnership with the people it was built to serve.”

Photography courtesy of VEO

For now, Rover is available only through Veo’s shared micromobility fleet in Denver and is not available for individual purchase.

The rise in retro-style tech signals a significant shift in consumer electronics, as both established brands and startups move away from all-in-one devices and embrace more purpose-built alternatives. This trend is driven by more than just nostalgia: These gadgets reflect a growing desire to reduce screen fatigue, combat social media addiction, and return to a simpler time before the constant noise of online connectivity and digital saturation. 

Aesthetically, the market is pushing back against the uniformity of modern smartphones that conceal everything behind sleek, opaque shells. In contrast, the resurgence of transparent and semi-transparent designs from the 1980s and ’90s offers a sense of distinction and authenticity. Being able to see an instrument’s inner mechanics, even without technical understanding, can create a greater sense of connection to the object itself. Rather than hiding how a device works, transparency makes its components part of the design.

The following products integrate contemporary functions—such as Bluetooth connectivity and high-capacity power support—within the familiar formal language of a bygone era. Wrapped in translucent shells of icy blue, neon green, and clear polycarbonate, these gadgets turn internal components into visible design elements. Whether shaping a standalone keyboard or handheld console, this transparent aesthetic offers a tactile counterpoint to our increasingly screen-based lives without sacrificing contemporary performance.

9 Transparent Tech Gadgets Bringing Retro Design Back

Photography courtesy of Beats by Dre

1. Beats Studio Buds +

The transparent version of Beats Studio Buds + arrives as a striking example of mechanics-forward design. By shedding the opaque, monolithic casings typical of contemporary, increasingly infinitesimal audio, Beats has put the earbuds’ inner workings on display. The frosted aesthetic takes on the minimalist yet organic quality of space-age design, perhaps even the shifting interior backdrop of a Jamiroquai music video. With up to 36 hours of listening time with the charging case, this product proves the transparent retro-tech trend hasn’t come at the cost of the latest performance advancements.

Photography courtesy of Analogue

2. Analogue3D Prototype Limited Edition

A modern console designed to play original Nintendo 64 cartridges, the Analogue 3D Prototype Limited Edition is a high-fidelity homage to the golden age of gaming. It pairs compatibility with original N64 cartridges with 4K output and contemporary hardware. Wrapped in a limited-edition semi-transparent shell available in Ghost, Glacier, Atomic Purple, Extreme Green, and Ocean, the console evokes the tactile thrill of Saturday mornings for many millennials.  That’s what it offers, nothing more. No chat notifications pop up, and no split video-call screens show opponents in faraway places chiming in. 

Photography courtesy of MoMA Design Store

3. Holo Digital V2 Camera by Manual

This transparent camera by Manual embraces the intentional imperfections of early digital, lo-fi photography, a welcome alternative to the hyper-processed, over-enhanced images of contemporary smartphones. Housed in a clear, revealing chassis that highlights its internal circuitry, the Holo Digital V2 nods to a more considered mode of image-making, even if the result is grainier than what is deemed acceptable these days. It strips away the digital noise, focusing instead on the tactile experience of the click and capture. The V2 is set for release at MoMA Design Store in September. 

Photography courtesy of Mondo

4. Mondo Freestyle Transparent Headphones

The Mondo Freestyle Transparent Headphones harness the zany postmodern aesthetics of ’80s audio gear with contemporary, crystalline updates. Bright orange ear cushions contrast with the transparent earcups, revealing the drivers within and turning the functional act of listening into sartorial spectacle. Beyond nostalgia, the decidedly old-school set pairs 36mm drivers with Bluetooth 5.3 and up to 22 hours of playtime. It’s a playful, hardware-forward accessory that prioritizes the visceral experience of music over the invisible, often slippery, software-locked passivity of standard earbuds.

Photography courtesy of Lofree

5. 1% Transparent Mechanical Keyboard by Lofree

Lofree makes perhaps the ultimate expression of the “clear” trend with the 1% Transparent Mechanical Keyboard, rendering every keycap, switch, and chassis component in crystal-clear, ice-like polycarbonate. Typing becomes a rhythmic, mechanical performance, exposing the underlying circuit board and the precise movement of every stroke. Each keystroke takes on more visceral and technical weight. It’s a far cry from the sterile, silent surfaces of standard office equipment. 

Photography courtesy of MedRetro

6. ModRetro Chromatic

The ModRetro Chromatic handheld is a sleek evolution of retro gaming hardware, pairing clear late-90s aesthetics with updated technology and a lower price point. Its see-through casing reveals internal components, including the curved traces of its circuit board, a nod to an era when boards were laid out by hand. With a sunlight-readable sapphire glass display that matches the original Game Boy’s 160 × 144 resolution and compatibility with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, the device brings classic games to a contemporary handheld. The console comes in smoke, purple, green, and red transparent finishes, alongside the original Chromatic’s solid-color options.

Photography courtesy of MoMA Design Store

7. Retro Beeper Portable Power Bank

For a time, beepers (also known as pagers) were an essential communication device, a step in the call-and-response process that has now been collapsed into smartphones and altogether replaced by text messaging. “Calling back” the small, hip-mounted accessory in what can only be described as an unabashed nostalgic exercise, the Retro Beeper—available through MoMA Design Store—has taken on new relevance by powering other digital devices. But it isn’t merely pager-shaped: The 10,000mAh power bank can also exchange 86 preset messages with other Retro Beepers within range, complete with an audible beep. Its credit-card-sized form packs 30W fast charging, proof of how far portable power has come.

Photography courtesy of Sharge

8. Shargeek 170 Transparent Power Bank

The Shargeek 170 Transparent Power Bank turns the mundane necessity of portable charging into a high-tech design statement. By revealing its internal battery cells and circuit board through a transparent, prism-like form, it turns the engineering behind its 24,000mAh capacity and 170W maximum output into part of the aesthetic. A clear departure from the nostalgia of other retro-tech novelties, the device still borrows from the efficacy of transparent design to achieve a degree of authenticity.

Photography courtesy of MoMA Design Store

9. Seletti BIC Pen Lamp

With sculptural wit, the Seletti BIC Pen Lamp transforms the familiar BIC Cristal into a functional luminaire, scaled up 12 times. With this release, the Italian brand is playing up the fact that there’s potential in formally code-switching one typology into another. The pen’s clear body houses an LED tube where its ink cylinder would normally sit, while the familiar cap completes the oversized silhouette. Designed by Mario Paroli, the lamp can be mounted to a wall or suspended from the ceiling.

Portable speakers tend to look like … well, portable speakers. They have conspicuous details that make it immediately clear it’s designed to survive a trip outdoors. Andover Audio wanted to change that with FreePlay, its first portable Bluetooth speaker: The goal was to build in durability while leaving most of the visual evidence behind.

“We didn’t overcook the design with multiple folds, excessive protective elements, or extraneous features typically found on ruggedized audio products,” explains Bob Hazelwood, Andover Audio’s Director of Engineering and Product Management. Instead, the Boston-based company gave the nine-pound speaker a relatively restrained silhouette, fold-down handle, and earth-toned finishes in Ivory, Olive, and Slate. It’s an aesthetic intended to move as comfortably between a bookshelf and a backyard as the speaker does.

Photography courtesy of Andover Audio

FreePlay’s curved front is punctuated by radial grilles that expose the arrangement of its four front-facing drivers rather than concealing them behind a continuous grille. Hazelwood sees something familiar in the decision: the compact home audio systems of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when speakers and their components were meant to be seen. Here, that Y2K-era reference has been pared back into a decidedly simpler portable form.

The restraint is deliberate. Rather than pointing to a particular object as inspiration, Hazelwood cites Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles for Good Design, and especially the idea that good design should involve as little design as possible. The team tested new ideas against Rams’ principles during development.

That simplicity on the outside belies one decision that shaped nearly everything inside: Andover refused to abandon stereo sound simply because the speaker was going portable. FreePlay uses two 25mm dome tweeters, two 5.25-inch woofers, and a 160mm rear-mounted passive radiator, with its voicing informed by the company’s home audio systems.

Photography courtesy of Andover Audio

“Stereo was the big one,” Hazelwood says of the engineering compromises the team refused to make. “That decision defined the format more than any other.” While the drivers sit too close together to create the expansive separation of a traditional stereo setup, he argues that maintaining two channels preserves a sense of depth and reality that can disappear when a stereo recording is electronically summed into mono.

The same thinking informed how the speaker was tuned. Rather than emphasizing bass and volume as its default character, Andover applied the standards for frequency balance and dynamic linearity it uses for its home products. For occasions when projection matters more than neutrality, a dedicated Loud Mode adds 6dB of output.

Developing a speaker that could preserve those priorities outside the home proved to be one of the project’s more difficult challenges. FreePlay carries an IP67 dust- and water-resistance rating, but Hazelwood says conventional methods of reaching that standard introduced acoustic compromises the team wasn’t willing to accept. Finding and testing materials and construction techniques that could provide the necessary protection without sacrificing the desired sound became a significant part of the roughly two-year development process.

Photography courtesy of Andover Audio

Andover had some experience to draw from. The company previously developed speakers for a major motorcycle manufacturer, work that required rigorous testing for environmental exposure, dust, and vibration. That knowledge helped shape FreePlay’s testing approach.

The resulting speaker can run for up to 24 hours at moderate listening levels and includes Bluetooth 6.0 and LE Audio support, a USB-C port with bidirectional charging, Qi-compatible wireless phone charging, and a 3.5mm auxiliary input. Physical controls on top handle the essentials without requiring an app, while side-mounted utility bars provide attachment points for straps or clips. Multiple speakers can also be linked through Party Mode, which supports synchronized playback across as many as 100 FreePlay units.

Even its subdued colors reflect Andover’s ambition for longevity. Rather than following the brighter palettes often associated with portable electronics, the team chose natural shades intended to live quietly alongside interiors and outdoor spaces. As Hazelwood puts it, “Natural tones are aesthetic comfort food.”

It all comes back to a fairly straightforward proposition: What happens when a home-audio company makes something meant to leave home? For Andover, the answer wasn’t to redesign hi-fi around the visual language of outdoor gear, but to make its existing principles more portable—or, as Hazelwood describes the idea, to put “a handle on your Hi-Fi.”

Photography courtesy of Andover Audio

The Andover Audio FreePlay is available from Andover Audio and Amazon for $429.

Loud, colorful statement watches tend to arrive with summer, but vivid color has also become increasingly visible across the watch world. Industry heavy hitters have embraced brighter palettes, including Rolex with its multicolored Jubilee-motif Oyster Perpetual 36 and the recent Audemars Piguet x Swatch collab. The Hublot Big Bang Sapphire Sky Blue fits neatly into that landscape, while building on the brand’s decade-long experimentation with color and transparent materials.

Photography courtesy of Hublot

For the past 10 years, Hublot has made sapphire-cased watches a significant part of its material experimentation. Where the material presents significant challenges in machining and finishing, Hublot has made those technical constraints a recurring part of its design language. The brand has released numerous sapphire-cased timepieces, including several pieces using colored sapphire. With its latest addition to the sapphire arsenal, Hublot returned to clear sapphire with the new Big Bang Sapphire Sky Blue, released in July and limited to 100 pieces globally at $84,300.

Photography courtesy of Hublot

This latest release centers on the brand’s distinctly complex Big Bang multi-piece case, with its construction fully visible through the transparent material. The 44 mm clear case is paired with a structured sky-blue rubber strap, and thanks to the brand’s quick-release system, owners can swap to a variety of alternative straps at the push of a button without tools.

Powering the watch is Hublot’s Manufacture HUB1201 Meca-10, a manually wound movement whose skeletonized architecture draws on mechanical construction systems. Its 223 components include two parallel mainspring barrels that deliver a 10-day power reserve, along with a rack-and-pinion system that creates the movement’s distinctive dual power-reserve display. Rather than relying on a conventional dial to carry the color, Hublot pairs a matte sky-blue skeleton dial with matching movement bridges, making the mechanics part of the color story rather than hiding them behind a conventional dial.

Photography courtesy of Hublot

This new version of the Meca-10 offers a sharp visual contrast to its counterparts: Nearly all other Meca-10 models are finished in shades of black, gray, and gold, giving them a more austere, almost brutalist aesthetic than the Big Bang Sapphire Sky Blue.

Pairing the sky-blue dial and movement bridges with a clear rather than tinted sapphire case also sets the watch apart from other models in Hublot’s current lineup. The Big Bang Unico Water Blue Sapphire, for example, features a light blue-tinted sapphire case and a silver skeletonized movement. Here, reversing that relationship shifts the color from the case to the watch’s inner architecture, with the transparent sapphire providing an unobstructed view.

Photography courtesy of Hublot

That combination brings together two threads Hublot has been developing for a decade: sapphire cases and the exposed mechanical architecture of the Meca-10, both of which the brand introduced in 2016. In the Big Bang Sapphire Sky Blue, the transparent case puts that architecture on display while the sky-blue dial and bridges give its individual components greater visual definition.

Nothing has spent years making earbuds you can recognize from across the room. With the new Ear (3a), the London-based tech company is asking what its earbuds can do beyond playing sound. The answer is Audio Snapshot, a feature that essentially treats the earbuds like a screenshot button for audio.

A pinch of both earbuds can capture up to a minute of audio from music, podcasts, lectures, and other media, including up to 30 seconds before the recording starts. The audio snippet is saved directly to 32 MB of onboard storage before syncing with the Nothing X app, where it can be replayed, edited, transcribed, or shared.

Photography courtesy of Nothing

“With our products, we look for experiences and interactions where we can look at our phones less and be more in the moment,” a spokesperson for the Nothing Design Studio tells Design Milk. Whether walking, commuting, or exercising, the team saw an opportunity to capture ideas without interrupting whatever the listener was already doing.

Rather than introducing another screen or interface, Nothing built Audio Snapshot around the same physical pinch gestures used to control playback. The company hopes users might gradually assemble personal libraries of memorable audio much like screenshots accumulate in camera rolls.

Ear (3a) can also record calls and meetings for approximately two hours, with an audible notification alerting participants. Like Audio Snapshots, call recordings sync to Nothing X for editing and transcription.

Photography courtesy of Nothing

The new capability required some rethinking inside the earbuds, without letting the additional hardware dictate the device’s appearance. “Onboard storage for Audio Snapshot is only one part of a bigger puzzle,” the design team explains. “We also have to think about balancing battery sizes and the ergonomics of how the case opens.”

Color offers another point of distinction: The stems are still transparent, while the charging case evolves from the previous Ear (a) with refined contours and a more geometric form. For the case, the team drew inspiration from bubbled pill packaging, shrink-wrapped materials associated with the Finish Fetish art movement, and Josef Albers’ “Homage to the Square.”

The studio also pushed the boundaries with color: Ear (3a) is available in black, white, yellow, and a particularly saturated pink. The team’s reference board ranged widely, including Sanzo Wada, Elsa Schiaparelli, the Strawberry iMac, Milk Makeup packaging, Paris Hilton, James Turrell, and Love Hultén’s synthesizers.

Photography courtesy of Nothing

Alongside the new colors and recording capabilities are more conventional upgrades, including a larger 12 mm dynamic driver, Hi-Res Audio Wireless, Static Spatial Audio, and Wideband Active Noise Cancellation up to 45 dB. Nothing also added an XS ear tip to the existing S, M, and L options, as well as a redesigned nozzle intended to improve fit.

The most interesting update to Ear (3a) isn’t found in its conventional audio upgrades or new colors. By giving a familiar gesture an entirely new job, Nothing is experimenting with an idea that feels surprisingly obvious once it exists: if we’ve spent years saving whatever catches our eye, why shouldn’t we be able to do the same with whatever catches our ear?

Ear (3a) is available from us.nothing.tech for $99.

Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.

Historically, residential backup power has been defined by bulky, industrial hardware—unwieldy generators and oversized batteries relegated to the utility room or basement out of aesthetic necessity. Jackery, a California-based home energy company, is changing this convention with FridgeGuard. The ultra-slim smart battery blends in seamlessly with stainless steel appliances. Contoured with sleek, rounded edges reminiscent of laptops and portable chargers, FridgeGuard can stand alongside other high-design kitchen appliances.

Photography courtesy of Jackery

A 2026 iF Design Award recipient, FridgeGuard represents a significant pivot for Jackery. Moving away from the brand’s signature rugged orange-and-black colorway, the unit debuts a sophisticated silver finish and a minimalist silhouette. The shift reflects a broader effort to transform backup power from utilitarian equipment into an object that feels at home in contemporary interiors. At just 2.6 inches thick and weighing 23 pounds, Jackery says it is the world’s slimmest and lightest refrigerator backup solution.

Photography courtesy of Jackery

Beyond its appearance, FridgeGuard is engineered for the specific high-draw demands of compressor-driven appliances. The unit features FridgeSafe Technology, which includes a sub-10ms UPS switchover to ensure that refrigerators never lose power during a grid failure. This instant response is critical for protecting temperature-sensitive items such as groceries and medications. With a 1024Wh capacity, a single unit provides up to 15 hours of off-grid runtime, which can be doubled to 30 hours when paired with an expansion battery. It can also power other household devices and appliances, including desktop computers, televisions, defibrillators, and air-conditioning units.

Photography courtesy of Jackery

The product can also integrate into a broader smart home system via remote monitoring and time-of-use scheduling, allowing users to charge during off-peak hours to reduce energy costs. For installation, homeowners can choose between floor-standing, bracket-mounted, or wall-mounted configurations, further emphasizing its role as a permanent, integrated lifestyle asset rather than simply emergency equipment. Its somewhat retro-style dial adds to its pared-back yet distinctive aesthetic. Together, these details reinforce the idea that residential backup power no longer has to be tucked away—it can be thoughtfully designed as part of the home itself.