Mondaine Travel Alarm Clock

We featured the Mondaine Swiss Railway Watch some time ago. It's  a watch based on the Swiss Railway Station Clock, displayed in every Swiss railway station since the 1940s. Well, with the success of the watch has come a variety of spin-offs, including the Mondaine Travel Alarm Clock.

It's obviously similar to both the station clock and the watch, but with the added advantage of night vision so you can see the time in the dark as well as an alarm function,  a brass outer case and leather carrying case.

Available online for £125.

Find out more at the Panik Design website

Pierre Paulin Little Tulip chair

No prizes for guessing why this Tulip Chair is so named.

Designed by Pierre Paulin in 1965, this flower-shaped seat stands on a polished aluminum base, with an upholstered seat in a choice of fabrics and leathers in a range of colours.

A timeless design that still looks ahead of the game today. You can pick one up from £622, dependent on your choice of fabric.

Find out more at the Twenty Twenty One website

V&A's Jack Kerouac On The Road poster

An interesting piece of vintage art on the V&A website - the Jack Kerouac On The Road poster.

It's actually the sleeve art for the 1958 publication of the beat generation classic, published by Andre Deutsch. And the artist might surprise you too - it was Len Deighton. Yes, that Len Deighton, before he moved into bestselling novels himself.

Sized at 59cm x 84cm, you can pick one up for £15.

Find out more at the V& Shop website

Retro TV W/C 31st August 2007

Barry Murphy once more trawls the TV and radio guides (so you don't have to) to find anything worth tuning into this week. All listings are for UK terrestrial TV, Freeview and national radio, with the shows running from Friday 31st August to Thursday 6th September.

Highlights of the week

TV

As part of BBC 4's Hidden Lives season, this week features repeat showings of some great documentaries.
On Monday 3rd, Arena: Joe Orton: a Genius like Us - A profile of the darkly comic playwright Joe Orton, exploring his family life, sexuality and short-lived career which was ended when he was murdered by lover Kenneth Halliwell. On Wednesday 5th, Arena: The Strange Story of Joe Meek - A profile of the eccentric, pioneering 1960s record producer who committed suicide in 1967. And on
Thursday 6th, Arena: The Brian Epstein Story - Profile of the Beatles' first manager, who died of a drug overdose in 1967. Features interviews with family and friends, and a look at the birth of the Merseybeat sound.

Vespa beach towel

OK, the summer is almost over, but if you're heading off a spot of late sun - or just want to plan ahead for next year - you can pick up this Vespa beach towel.

And it's a very smart item, using a repeated retro-styled apple design to great effect, sneaking in a 'Vespa' apple at the bottom.  It's made of 100 per cent cotton that's both soft and highly absorbent, measuring 100 x 150cm.

Available online for 42 Euros (around £28).

Find out more at the Vespa website