As technology firms try to reproduce the look and feel of luxury products, Montblanc has gone one better. It’s teamed up with Samsung to take its smartphone game to a whole new level
Some things go everywhere with you. Take the wristwatch, for example. Whether or not it’s a simple, but stunning, Piaget set upon your wrist, or a Hublot crafted out of some futuristic and so-far completely unheard of element, what you wear says a lot about who you are as a person.
As do other items, your pen, your briefcase, the notebook you unsheathe during meetings. And – while they are mostly thought-of as digital tools – gadgets are increasingly under scrutiny, also.
Testament to that is the rise of the iPhone, the fall of BlackBerry, and a slew of new devises that ditch scratch-worthy plastic in favour of tactile leather and metal.
It’s not enough that your phone can do email, when placed upon a boardroom table it must depict the same sort of luxury lifestyle as the rest of you.
At the moment there are two notable examples of this in the tech sphere, Vertu and Savelli. Both take the barebones of a smartphone and – using only the finest materials – create something wonderfully tailored and unique to its owner.
The production process of these phones are more akin to the world of luxury Swiss watchmaking than of a technology company, championing attention to detail over mass production. The result is a smartphone of rare quality and style, wrapped in exotic leathers and decorated with precious stones.
The only drawback, obviously, is the price. And the problem with that, especially in the world of technology, is that within a few years that phone/tablet/smartwatch will need an upgrade, lest fade in to the mist of obsolescence. But there is another way, and Montblanc is betting on its future.
Montblanc has a rich history in leather accessories, as proven by its investment in a new leather facility outside of Florence, and it’s known in the business for combining a technological approach to leathered, with historical experience of the trade. And far from jumping head first in to the unknowns of gadget production, it’s chosen to work with one of the market leaders – Samsung – to create a range of high-end accessories that combine the best of both businesses.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Note 5 are leaders in their class; next-gen devices that match slimmer cases with increasingly powerful insides that are more than capable of dealing with any challenge that may befall a modern-day smartphone.
But while the Korean tech giant has done well to improve the design, these phones hardly befit a CEO of style and stature.
Enter Montblanc’s smartphone covers that integrate themselves in to both phones (meaning they are so much more than a simple case).
The leather is worked in the same exacting standards as any other of the maison’s goods, complete with the intricate stitching, artisanal quality and Montblanc emblem emblazoned on the front.
It’s understated but undeniably stylish, and when it comes time for an upgrade you can just pop it off and attach it to another Samsung device. After all, good style never becomes obsolete (unlike your smartphone).