Caviar, the Dubai-based luxury customisation brand, has unveiled photos and a video of an iPhone adorned with a Rolex Daytona. The piece is the first in a series that seeks to merge horology with the cutting-edge innovation of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

From time to time, a news piece will cross my desk about a new luxury or lifestyle product that causes me to question if there is a need for it and whether it can offer any necessary benefit to a person’s life.

Creations such as a car capable of travelling well over 200mph, a ridiculous-looking handbag or clothing with an astronomic price tag, or something as useful as a bowler hat with sleeves will often make me sigh and roll my eyes. I was somewhat concerned that a mobile phone adorned with a watch would fall into the same category.

I will admit that I was in two minds about whether to write this piece as it mentions the name Rolex. Fifteen years ago, I decided I would never directly write about the watch brand following a conversation with what could best be described as a very arrogant member of the company’s PR team.

Although my overall stance hasn’t and will not change, I have decided to make an exception as this piece is not about the watch brand itself and is more of an appreciation of Caviar’s goal of creating the unexpected.

Caviar was established in Dubai in 2011 and specialises in luxury customisation. With their latest creation, they have brought together two design icons, a Rolex Daytona (Ref: 116518LN – 0078) and merged it with an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the result of this can best be described as art.

It took the people at Caviar a month and a half to craft to create the piece, and it is the company’s way of showing the world that engineering has no boundaries.

Integrating the Rolex watch into the iPhone is just one facet of the overall artistic composition. For example, the phone body is in the style of a racing car from the 1930s. It includes intricate 18K gold speedometers and switches on the phone’s surface, visually representing a supercar’s dashboard.

Caviar is on a mission to create a unique niche in the luxury world. Although it has stated that its iPhone 14 Pro with the embedded Rolex Daytona watch is a symbol of prestige, I feel it is more a brilliant example of craftsmanship, and as Caviar states, “It encapsulates the essence of pushing boundaries and reaching new heights, both in the realm of horology and technological advancement.”

Returning to this piece’s title, is it art or folly? In the main, what Caviar has created is undoubtedly a piece of art that should be displayed with pride rather than put to actual use, as it shows what is possible. However, if the piece were purchased by someone to use to display their wealth for egotistical purposes, for me, it would quickly become folly.

In total, Caviar will be producing three iPhone/Rolex Daytona models. The price for Caviar’s iPhone with a Built-in Rolex Daytona starts from $168,000. You can read more about the company, its products and services at https://caviar.global/.

Caviar has produced a video of their new creation, which is available to watch on YouTube.

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