Vertu

Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari Edition

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

Luxury phone brand Vertu is back with another Ferrari-themed device. Based on the recently updated Ascent Ti, the Ferrari edition features a matte black PVD-coated titanium case with a sapphire crystal display, quad-band 3G connectivity and of course Vertu's trademark 24/7 concierge service to arrange everything from roadside assistance to the best nightspots for owners to be seen climbing out of their exotic supercars.

The special edition is further differentiated by red accents from the leather trim on the back to the crackle-finish side grips inspired by a Ferrari engine's cam cover, with the requisite Prancing Horse logo front and back. Only 2,011 examples will be offered this year, with prices expected to reach well into the thousands.

Source

Tags: ascent, ascent ti, ferrari, mobile, mobile phone, phone, vertu, vertu ascent, vertu ascent ti, vertu ascent ti ferrari, vertu ascent ti ferrari edition

Vertu Constellation Quest

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The ranks of the world's wealthy still have their fair share of old money, but self-made millionaires are becoming more and more common. And if you've made it there on your own, it probably took a lot of hard work. While luxuries are due the self-made wealthy, a businessman isn't about to give up the tools that got him there. So while a Vertu phone may seem like a nice indulgence, most businessmen would likely rather keep their Blackberries and all their functionality.

That's where the new Vertu Constellation Quest comes in. It packs all the high-end design features that set a Vertu apart from more common mobile phones, but packs a full QWERTY keyboard and a wider screen to keep its user connected and in the loop.

For the Quest, Vertu has also introduced new features like Vertu Remote Assist that allows the tech support team on call 'round the clock to go into the phone and fix whatever's not working. There's also Vertu City Brief, providing users with fingertip access to information on whatever location they're traveling to. All that and more, packed into a choice of stainless steel (matte or polished) or 18-karat gold case with a leather back and sapphire crystal screen.

Tags: constellation, quest, vertu, vertu constellation, vertu constellation quest, vertu quest

Vertu Opens Rodeo Drive Boutique

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

You might be tempted to think that the days of the diamond-covered cellphone are over but that doesn't seem to be the case. Vertu recently opened its Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills boutique showcasing among other baubles, a $70,000 cellphone made with an 83-carat sapphire, platinum, black leather and rubies. The LA Times reported that at the grand opening there were more than a few enthusiasts in attendance including music producer Quincy Jones and singer Seal.

Everything about the Vertu is luxurious, from the handcrafted jeweled exterior to the ring tones created by famous composers and bands specifically for the phone and the concierge service available at your fingertips. Vertu has been around since 1998, created by Frank Nuovo, who was Nokia's lead designer. Around 250,000 of the phones have been sold. Not iPhone numbers but still impressive for phones that cost five figures.

Tags: beverly hills, cell phone, rodeo drive, vertu

EXCLUSIVE: Fine English Company Founder Benedict Wormald's Ten Essential Luxuries

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Cigars, Luxury Cars & Autos, Writing Instruments, Men's Style, 10 Luxuries

Click above to see Benedict Wormald's 10 Essential Luxuries

The Fine English Company is a recently launched line of luxurious furniture, luggage and lifestyle accessories reminiscent of Britain's colonial past with a contemporary flair, founded by former financial consultant Benedict Wormald. The company was born out of a desire to trade in his City lifestyle in London and turn a lifelong passion for classic British design and antiquities into a business. The Fine English Company's products combine traditional craftsmanship with detailing of exotic animal skins, rare and native woods and veneers to create a range of collectible and desirable objects betokening the best of bespoke British luxury. "I am a great devotee of simplicity and pared down restraint in luxuries," Wormald tells Luxist, "simple items that are executed very well. Luxury to me is not necessarily about adornment or precious materials for vastly inflated prices. I demand a very tactile and aesthetic element from the things I deem to be 'above par'. There is a very definite trend for this that we are seeing in bespoke commissions where people are making much more considered purchases and investing in the construction and execution of the item and not just materials."

Wormald is very passionate about exquisitely made goods and those that are true to the term bespoke, which is increasingly taken in vain. "If you choose to go bespoke from an early age, the lifetime cost is more than borne out in comparison to a larger number of machine made and mass produced brand led products," he notes. "I only wish someone had told me that aged 18! I have Savile Row suits that are as good now at 15 years old as they were new and a good pair of bespoke shoes, a made-to-measure shirt and a bespoke suit will feel more comfortable than any other choice all day and every day - suits only irritate if they don't fit properly and a good suit and shoes will help your posture and the way you comport yourself." Wormald points out that "bespoke need not necessarily be expensive. The power is coming back to the customer to demand something different, something unique to treasure for generations." In the gallery are images of his essential luxuries; continued below you'll find his fulsome explanations about what makes them a must.

Gallery: Fine English Company Founder Benedict Wormald's 10 Luxuries

Tags: Aston Martin, Benedict Wormald, bespoke, Fine English Company, Holland Holland, JaegerLeCoultre, Kilgour, London, Savile Row, Turnbull Asser, UK, Vertu

Continue reading “EXCLUSIVE: Fine English Company Founder Benedict Wormald's Ten Essential Luxuries”

Vertu Launches V Accessories Collection

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Writing Instruments

Vertu has come out with a new range of stylish, high-tech accessories created to complement the brand's pioneering range of luxury, handcrafted mobile phones like the new Constellation Ayxta.

First previewed at Baselworld, the inaugural collection features a luxury Vertu V Bluetooth Headset and Vertu V Memory Card reader together with contemporary versions of the traditional ballpoint pen and a collection of small leather goods.

The Vertu V Bluetooth Headset (right) for $730 is made from stainless steel and high quality resin. The resin combines low weight and high strength properties in a scratch resistant material with an ability to be hand polished to achieve a lifetime lustrous finish.

The Vertu V Memory Card Reader for $490 is a discreet USB memory stick with the ability to expand its memory capacity via a micro SD card. A three stage connection process also enables users to easily transfer data between a Vertu handset and computer.

The Vertu V Ballpoint Pen for $330 has a masculine look in black and steel. With a perfectly tuned twist mechanism it's ergonomically balanced. The small leather goods collection completes the range with its matching accessories cases made from Vertu's highest quality black saddle leather.

Tags: Bluetooth, mobile phone, MobilePhone, USB, Vertu

Vertu Releases New Constellation Ayxta Flip-Phone

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Rich folks like Vertu. (They must, otherwise Nokia wouldn't keep on making ten-thousand-dollar mobile phones, now would they?) But some like flip-phones better than the candy-bar form factor that has characterized its offerings until now. So ostensibly to satisfy such discerning customers, Vertu has released the new Constellation Ayxta.

Like the Ascent, Signature and the existing Constellation model, the Ayxta features luxurious hand-craftsmanship, leather trim and access to the company's bespoke concierge service, on call around the clock from anywhere in the world. The Ayxta's clamshell form also packs a 3-megapixel camera with flash, an 8-gig micro-SD slot and 3G wireless connection. Which by themselves may not warrant the phone's $6,500 - $8,500 asking price, but then companies like Vertu would argue that the whole of its product is more than the sum of its parts.

Source

Tags: constellation, Constellation Ayxta, ConstellationAyxta, mobile, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, vertu, vertu constellation, Vertu Constellation Ayxta, VertuConstellation, VertuConstellationAyxta

Vertu's Next Special Edition: Ascent Ti Neon

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Another day, another special-edition Vertu. The premium mobile phone company seems to crank them out with regularity, and we recently reported on the Carbon Fibre Collection. Now reports from the mobile phone world indicate that Vertu is already working on the next special version.

Dubbed the Ascent Ti Neon, it's reportedly been redesigned to fit more snugly into the hand, plus they've replaced the leather on the standard model (which is anything but "standard") with neon-colored rubber. The price tag is expected to approach the $10,000 mark when it hits the market in October.

Source

Tags: ascent neon, AscentNeon, cell phone, CellPhone, mobile, mobile phone, MobilePhone, neon, phone, vertu, vertu ascent, vertu ascent neon, vertu ascent ti, vertu ascent ti neon, vertu neon, VertuAscent, VertuAscentNeon, VertuAscentTi, VertuAscentTiNeon, VertuNeon

EXCLUSIVE: Vertu President Perry Oosting's Ten Essential Luxuries

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Writing Instruments, Celebrity Shopping, Men's Style, 10 Luxuries

Click above to see Perry Oosting's 10 Luxuries

Welcome to our new feature, "10 Luxuries." For each installment a notable figure in the world of luxury, tastemaker or stylish personality will tell us about the 10 necessary luxuries they simply cannot do without. Related quotes and images of each item can be found in the gallery.

Perry Oosting became president of Vertu, the world's leading luxury mobile phone manufacturer, earlier this year. He joined the company with extensive experience in the luxury industry via senior roles held at several blue chip brands including Bulgari, Prada, Gucci and Escada.Vertu uses the finest materials from the world of watchmaking, automotive design, aeronautics, and jewelry to create truly unique mobile phones of unparalleled craftsmanship and exclusivity, such as the new Ascent Ti Carbon Fiber. Vertu is also the only phone in the world to ever receive a hallmark from the Swiss Assay Office, the organization that guarantees the quality of the world's finest watches. In the gallery, Oosting reveals his 10 essential luxuries, from his favorite hotel, watch and car to shoes, wine, writing instrument and more, and tells us what makes them a must.

Gallery: Vertu President Perry Oosting's 10 Luxuries

A good vintage Bordeaux St Emilion from France or Brunello from Italy

Tags: Boucheron, CEO, Churchs, Italy, Maserati, mobile phone, MobilePhone, Mont Blanc, MontBlanc, Perry Oosting, PerryOosting, Prada, Tiffany Co., TiffanyCo., Vertu

Vertu Lightens Up With New Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Collection

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

The market for big-bucks luxury cell phones may be shrinking, but that isn't about to stop Vertu. The premium division from Swedish telecom giant Nokia comes out with a new motorsport-inspired special edition every year, and Vertu has no intention of letting a little economic hiccup derail their plans. So while others cancel theirs, Vertu has launched the new Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Collection.

Comprised of four special edition phones with various applications of the high-tech and dazzling material, the collection tops out with the $9,800 Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Edition. The latest collection follows the same path as the previous Ferrari editions and Racetrack Legends series, giving those with deep pockets and a penchant for everything automotive a new mobile phone to covet.

Gallery: Vertu Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Collection

Tags: carbon, carbon fiber, carbon fibre, CarbonFiber, CarbonFibre, cell phone, CellPhone, mobile device, mobile phone, MobileDevice, MobilePhone, phone, vertu, vertu ascent, vertu ascent ti, Vertu Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Collection, Vertu Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Edition, vertu carbon, vertu carbon fiber, vertu carbon fibre, VertuAscent, VertuAscentTi, VertuAscentTiCarbonFibreCollection, VertuAscentTiCarbonFibreEdition, VertuCarbon, VertuCarbonFiber, VertuCarbonFibre

The Recession Means Less Bling Bling On The Ring Ring

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

In the nearly five years that Luxist has been around we've seen a lot of expensive cell phones. But could we be reaching the end of an era? Wired's Gadget Lab chronicles the shrinking market for luxury cell phones. Bang & Olufsen which made the Selene phone got out of the mobile phone market last year. Recently Motorola, which makes the Aura, has scaled back its luxury phones canceling the Ivory E18, which was expected to sell for around $3,000.

Frank Nuovo, former chief of design for Nokia and current head of Vertu, maker of some of the world's most expensive phones, isn't scared. He says that the concept is the same as a fine watch or car and that there will continue to be a market for these types of phones. Vertu offers a wide variety of phones from the subtly luxurious to attention-getting phones like the ones made in partnership with Boucheron which are studded with a variety of gemstones. The company is proceeding apace, the latest handset, the Carbon Fibre Ascent Ti will sell for $9,800 when it comes out in August.

One thing the article doesn't mention is those in the phone bedazzling business, those who take existing phones and cover them in gold or set them with diamonds. There aren't any figures on how these businesses are doing in the recession but given the drop in jewelry sales it may be that these businesses are also experiencing similar lowered sales.

Source

Tags: mobile phones, MobilePhones, vertu

The Classicist: Kanye's Blacked-Out Rolex.... & Everything Else

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping, Men's Style, The Classicist

Rapper, producer, designer, and tastemaker Kanye West could obviously have any watch in the world. The one he chose is a customized all-black Rolex Submariner by Swiss firm Black-Out Concept (above), on a black nylon NATO spec strap. Kanye made a decision a while back that Rolex would be his signature watch brand, but he wanted to add his own twist; Black-Out's version was perfect. "It looks hard, it looks really cool," he explained in naming the watch one of his 10 style essentials. "It's a new take on a classic watch." He also likes the fact that they take a Rolex and literally "paint it black" (coat it, actually).

Black-Out Concept was founded in 2007 by Fabrice Letellier in Geneva. An avid watch collector, racecar driver and all-round exotic car enthusiast with the means to indulge his passions, the idea was born when Letellier had some of his supercar collection given a matte black treatment, i.e. blacked-out. Next he decided to do the same with his Rolex, and soon some of his fellow car and watch aficionados followed suit. Obviously there was a market for it. Letellier contracted with one of Geneva's best watchmakers to perfect the black out process for timepieces, which is done using two low-friction, scratch-proof finishes used by the military, PVD and DLC (diamond-like carbon).

Black-Out also creates customized blacked-out cars, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and Aston Martin; the Black-Out package on the latter (see the gallery) costs about $40,000. They do customized matte black motorcycles as well built on a Harley-Davidson base, blacked-out Vertu Ascent cell phones - basically anything you can think of that would look better in all black. In addition to the Submariner they also black out several other Rolex models, including the GMT II, Daytona, Milgaus, and Deepsea, as well as other brands like Panerai, Bell & Ross and Audemars Piguet. Letellier has his own high-end watch brand in the works as well.

Gallery: Black-Out Concepts

Of course, Black-Out aren't the only ones to offer blacked-out Rolexes; we've written before about Bamford & Sons' $30,000 PVD Daytona and other models, as well as Jacques Picard's $18,000 DLC Deepsea. (No, we don't know who thought of it first.) Black-Out doesn't actually sell watches, however, they customize yours at a cost of €5,000, or about $7,000, which includes Fed-Ex'ing to and from Geneva, and a set of three different straps including the NATO. So you can in fact get the look of the far more expensive models for much less - if you pick up a used Submariner in the $5,000 range - yet still have a watch that's every bit as exclusive, not to mention Kanye-approved. You can contact Black-Out's U.S. representative Christian Ginet at blackoutconcept@mac.com for more info.

Tags: Aston Martin, AstonMartin, black, Black-Out Concept, Black-outConcept, Ferrari, Geneva, Harley-Davidson, Kanye West, KanyeWest, Lamborghini, motorcycle, Panerai, Rolex, Rolex Daytona, Rolex Submariner, RolexDaytona, RolexSubmariner, supercar, Switzerland, Vertu

Athem Diamond Vertu Constellation

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

I consider it a sign of faith in the endurance of the world economy that diamond-covered phones are still hitting the market. Luxury designer Knalihs Athem has created the Diamond Vertu Constellation Gold. Each phone is done in 18K gold and covered with more than 1500 brilliant cut diamonds. The handset can be personalized with initials, lucky number, logo or anything else you have in mind. Prices, including the Vertu handset, start at $25,000.

Source

Tags: diamonds, knalihs, knalihs athem, KnalihsAthem, vertu

Vertu Phones For Boucheron's 150th Anniversary

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

As we saw a couple months ago, to celebrate Boucheron's 150th anniversary, the jeweler is partnering with other companies to create some amazing pieces. Two years ago Boucheron and luxury phone maker Vertu created extravagant bejeweled snake phones. The seven signature phones each contain 388 mechanical parts and each has a removable jeweled charm. Each has a gold case and a different design of pavé jewels. No word on the price yet but they are assumed to be into the six figures at least.

[via Chip Chick]

Gallery: Boucheron 150th Anniversary Vertu Phones

Source

Tags: boucheron, cell phones, CellPhones, vertu

Damien Hirst for Vertu?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Art

Prolific and controversial artist Damien Hirst is no stranger to commerce. He has created a line for Levi's and sells his own bracelets, paint kits and other items. But his next rumored collaboration is intriguing. Fashion Week Daily reports that Hirst may be working with Vertu on a new luxury phone. Vertu has created lines with car brands and jewelers but they haven't worked with an artist yet. Certainly Hirst, who once covered a skull in diamonds, is no stranger to bedazzlement so the two should get on perfectly.

Gallery: The World of Damien Hirst

Source

Tags: damien hirst, DamienHirst, vertu

Vertu's $25,000 Ferrari Phone

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

Like our pals at Autoblog we are a bit mystified as to why this phone has a Ferrari gear gate on it but it does look cool. The latest phone from Vertu is the Vertu Ascenti Ferrari 60. The phone is titanium and covered in Ferrari leather which can be replaced as needed through Vertu's service package that includes a free checkup every six months as well as the other features standard with Vertu phones such as their concierge service. There are just 60 of the phones available and they sell for $25,000.

[via Sybarites]

Source

Tags: cell phone, ferrari, phone, vertu

Vertu

Featured Galleries

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular

Also on AOL