Speaking with Hutch Hutchison, Head of Design, Vertu at a recent media preview of the new Vertu Constellation, I’m very much taken how this industrial designer has gone from designing military defence systems to luxury phones. That said, he’s quick to point out that he doesn’t design a “luxury phone” in so much as his raison d’etre was simply just to build “the best phone ever”. He draws analogy to Louis Vuitton, pointing out that the luxury trunk and luggage maker didn’t start out that way but was merely looking to build a better trunk- easier to carry and with less weight, “they ended up being called luxury,” he proffers. While Vertu didn’t start off with price points which reflects that ambition, they have certainly not scrimped on corners, everything in the Constellation I hold in my hands is solidly built and well engineered. I’m in fact most drawn by a quote from a Japanese lady-friend of his which uses to sum up his feelings on the latest Vertu Constellation, “When things have been around for a hundred years, they have soaked up enough humanity that they start to develop a soul.”
“When things have been around for a hundred years, they have soaked up enough humanity that they start to develop a soul.”
5 Reasons to Own the New Vertu Constellation
1. Soul: While it certainly hasn’t been a hundred years since its founding, each Vertu phone carries it with some of the most tactile leathers I’ve ever encountered. The luxurious calf (or exotic skin depending on your level of customisation) comes from an over 150 year old tannery (incidentally one which supplies a famous handbag maker), specially chosen for its superior quality, natural grain and texture. More importantly, each unit is entirely handmade by a single crafter, as evidenced by the signature engraving of the person who assembled your phone, hidden behind the SIM card tray. Bonus: Ever watched how Prince Hakeem was awakened each morning by a choir in the movie Coming to America? Well, Vertu Constellation comes with amazing birdsong ringtones performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl9ZEjSdQyI
2. Superior materials and craftmanship: Remember that vaunted Nokia indestructibility? Well, Vertu is a spin off from them and though no longer owned by the Finnish company, retains its legendary hardiness. According to field tests, the latest Constellation has been able to take everything thrown at it including getting driven over by a car. The sapphire crystal screen and the forged grade five titanium alloy (found usually on race cars and spacecraft) is 2.5 times stronger than stainless steel and half its weight. At the launch event, I personally flung a 200g steel ball at the screen and the sapphire crystal held its ground like a man. But all the components do not an excellent phone make, each Constellation is handmade to uncompromising standards by individual artisans in the village of Church Crookham, England.
3. Exceptional technology: Yes, it’s true, that Mr. Hutchison once commented that Vertu will never be on the cutting edge of technology. That said, it’s one thing to be equipped with the latest tech and something else to ensure that all the components play nice and work beautifully together. The Constellation might not be bleeding edge high tech but the thought that goes into industrial design imbues the phone with audio and visual clarity courtesy of 4.3″ HD scratchproof sapphire crystal screen and polarising and filtering layers to keep glare and reflections to a minimum. The amplifier on the Constellation is also perfectly tuned, granted there’s little to no bass reproduction, a common limitation when it comes to miniaturised phone speakers but the engineers have managed to optimise output to provide the highest possible performance without distortion. Bonus: the Uplink noise cancellation equips the new Vertu with rear microphones which take in environmental sounds for purposes of “cancelling” the surrounding when you speak into the front microphone giving you clarity for each and every call you make.
4. A life extraordinary: Ensconced in the side of the svelte luxury phone is the Vertu Key, cut from ruby. But it’s not just any key, But a button press into a host of exclusively curated benefits and services. Using geo-location services, the phone delivers a host of tailored privileges near you and then your invite is just a concierge call away.
5. (Close to) Absolute security: Armed with Vertu Certainty, the phone protects you, your phone and your data through expert partners and best-in-class technology. In terms of personal protection, buttons can be configured to send immediate assistance to you like armed guards depending on your arrangements. Kaspersky antivirus and anti-theft protection keeps your data secure and ‘Silent Circle’ keeps your phone calls, texts and video calls secure over any network- meeting important needs in this age of global NSA snooping.
The full interview will appear in the Dec quarterly issue of The Millenary.
