Is it a cell phone, watch or a little bit of both?
While many consumers continue to feel the pain of today’s recession, luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer thinks Tuesday was the perfect day to unveil its first luxury cell phone: the MERIDIIST.
Its starter prices ring in ranges that most would consider entirely unaffordable: 3,500 Euros (or approximately $4,723) to 4,500 Euros (or approximately $6,072).
While that price is likely too rich for many people’s blood, TAG Heuer even says “some diamond-finished models with prices starting at 8,500 Euros are already on the horizon”.
That’s approximately $11,470 or, for some, the price of a car. But with the MERIDIIST, TAG Heuer clearly isn’t trying to be affordable nor is it trying to appeal to a broad array of people.
Instead, TAG Heuer’s MERIDIIST is directly competing with luxury phone brands such as Vertu, which is the designer cell phone brand of the more affordable Nokia.
MERIDIIST is a collection of seven TAG Heuer luxury cell phone models that are all made of 316L stainless steel with various keyboard finishes.
“A range of colors and materials (i.e. genuine calfskin leather or alligator skin) is available to customize the back of the phone. [This] provides clients with the ultimate opportunity to design their phones according to their most luxurious tastes,” according to TAG Heuer.
Want to know what I love most about this unveiling? When you walk into a Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless store, you’re just a customer. When you buy (or window shop) for a MERIDIIST from TAG Heuer, you’re a client.