Asian millionaires snap up the Rolls-Royce of cell phones: Vertu

The latest status symbol among Asians is the snob phone which carries the name Vertu and sold exclusively in Canada by Holt Renfrew.

Manufactured by Vertu, an independent unit of wireless communications giant Nokia, the achievement icon is a quickly becoming a must have for the millionaires especially in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore.

Many Asian millionaires, celebrities, high-flying professionals and ladies who lunch are flashing Vertus made of precious metals, ceramic and leather at one another in Asia's corporate boardrooms and country clubs, said a news report from Singapore.

Vertu, which started selling its phones in Asia two years ago, refused to disclose sales figures as a matter of policy but a senior executive claimed sales are doubling every six months.

"It's seen as an achievement icon," Eric Lee, Vertu's sales director for the Southeast Asian and Pacific region, "Deep down inside they are not looking for gadgets and cameras, they are buying into an attitude."

Based in London, Vertu has offices in Paris, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong, with a select roster of dealers in 20 countries and territories, including Kuwait, Macau and the United Arab Emirates, places where conspicuous spending is not seen as a social crime.

Lee reckons that the typical Vertu customer earns around 300,000 US dollars a year, which is not surprising considering the phones' price tags.

The flagship Vertu model is a platinum-cased Signature model, costing US$32,000 dollars. The yellow gold version costs 18,500 dollars. The "entry level" Vertu is a leather-clad Ascent model, worth a mere US$4,700 dollars.

At this price range, you don't buy a mere phone but, in the words of Vertu brochures, a "luxury personal communication instrument" made with the same attention to detail as Swiss chronometers and Italian sports cars.

Vertu's flagship Signature models are made of more than 400 separate parts, compared to 30 for an ordinary mobile phone, and employ materials used in luxury watches such as sapphire crystal faces.

The phone keys respond to the touch firmly, thanks to bearings, while the ear speakers are tuned to hi-fi stereo standards.

Handstitched leather sourced from Scandinavian herds and often used in seats of custom-made Rolls Royces are used to decorate or cover Vertu phones.

Vertu also sells exclusive designer accessories like leather bags and phone cases to match the phones.

Finally, buying a Vertu means joining an exclusive international club.

Owners have access to a 24-hour Vertu Concierge hotline activated by a button on the phone.

The service is manned by "lifestyle experts" who assist customers with travel, dining, shopping and other needs, like finding tickets to a sold-out show or a good plumber.

"We can find an English-speaking doctor in Beijing, if there is one there," said Lim.