Luxury phones new toy for jet-set
Sunday, April 15, 2007
LUXURY mobile phones are seeking to rival handmade watches for many jet-set consumers, especially business travellers who rely on digital gadgets to tell the time abroad.
At Baselworld, the watch and jewellery industry's largest annual trade fair, telephones draped in diamonds and sapphires were displayed alongside traditional wrist accessories. Some included tools to instantly track flights, convert currencies and check the weather.
The luxury unit of the world's top mobile handset maker Nokia Vertu, displayed sleek telephones ranging from US$4,350 to US$310,000 at its booth in Basel, a few steps from hotel heiress Paris Hilton's new watch collection, in one of six huge exhibition halls heaving with people.
Vertu President Alberto Torres says many of the company's younger customers are more interested in their mobile phones than their watches, unlike older clientele who show deep loyalty to luxury watchmakers such as Patek Philippe, Rolex or Cartier. "The phone has a strong association for a lot of young people," he says.
Some of Vertu's designs are marketed at busy people whose days may feature "breakfast in London, shopping in Paris and a late dinner in New York", offering a virtual concierge service for help with restaurant bookings and gift ordering. Others are wrapped in diamond-perforated leather that resists "almost everything from lipstick to suntan lotion", according to promotional material.
Because they are constantly holding their phones, laying them on dinner tables and otherwise flashing them about, Torres says many wealthy people have become increasingly conscious of the image their handsets projected.
Vertu's sales increased by 140per cent last year and should rise another 100 per cent in 2007, Torres says, declining to specify a dollar figure.
One of Nokia's smallest but most profitable segments, Vertu is approaching the 100,000 per year mark in numbers of handsets sold, Torres says, noting that overall turnover was in line with many medium- to large-sized luxury watch companies.
"We would be a significant brand in the watch industry (in terms of sales)," he says, while stressing that Vertu did not believe the shift to pricier mobiles would prompt the rich to stop buying high-end watches.
"Our customers tend to have several luxury items."
Other companies also featuring luxury phones include Motorola and designers Dolce & Gabbana with a gold-coloured version of the best-selling RAZR model and South Korea's LG which has helped develop a Prada phone to complement Prada accessories. Reuters
At Baselworld, the watch and jewellery industry's largest annual trade fair, telephones draped in diamonds and sapphires were displayed alongside traditional wrist accessories. Some included tools to instantly track flights, convert currencies and check the weather.
The luxury unit of the world's top mobile handset maker Nokia Vertu, displayed sleek telephones ranging from US$4,350 to US$310,000 at its booth in Basel, a few steps from hotel heiress Paris Hilton's new watch collection, in one of six huge exhibition halls heaving with people.
Vertu President Alberto Torres says many of the company's younger customers are more interested in their mobile phones than their watches, unlike older clientele who show deep loyalty to luxury watchmakers such as Patek Philippe, Rolex or Cartier. "The phone has a strong association for a lot of young people," he says.
Some of Vertu's designs are marketed at busy people whose days may feature "breakfast in London, shopping in Paris and a late dinner in New York", offering a virtual concierge service for help with restaurant bookings and gift ordering. Others are wrapped in diamond-perforated leather that resists "almost everything from lipstick to suntan lotion", according to promotional material.
Because they are constantly holding their phones, laying them on dinner tables and otherwise flashing them about, Torres says many wealthy people have become increasingly conscious of the image their handsets projected.
Vertu's sales increased by 140per cent last year and should rise another 100 per cent in 2007, Torres says, declining to specify a dollar figure.
One of Nokia's smallest but most profitable segments, Vertu is approaching the 100,000 per year mark in numbers of handsets sold, Torres says, noting that overall turnover was in line with many medium- to large-sized luxury watch companies.
"We would be a significant brand in the watch industry (in terms of sales)," he says, while stressing that Vertu did not believe the shift to pricier mobiles would prompt the rich to stop buying high-end watches.
"Our customers tend to have several luxury items."
Other companies also featuring luxury phones include Motorola and designers Dolce & Gabbana with a gold-coloured version of the best-selling RAZR model and South Korea's LG which has helped develop a Prada phone to complement Prada accessories. Reuters
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