Ulysse Nardin's first smartphone

What is it? Just in case you were in the market for the world's most expensive mobile phone (recognised by the Guinness World Records, no less), we thought we'd let you know that the Swiss luxury watchmaker Ulysse Nardin's first smartphone, the Chairman, is now available for order. What's special about it? There are luxury smartphones and there are luxury smartphones. But when it was first revealed in 2009 ("You can't take your Ferrari to the club, so why not have something equally ostentatious in your pocket?" was the peg), what we thought was most original about the Chairman phone was the rotor kinetic power system integrated at the back of the device which generates additional power and supplements the battery. It's a hybrid smartphone, get it? If you can afford the starting price of $12,800 (Dh47,017), we doubt charging up a phone will be the least of your problems, but it's a cool talking point — and it looks good. Beyond that, the phone, manufactured by luxury device experts SCI Innovations, features more than 300 handmade parts and — are you ready? — aerospace-grade aluminium alloy, rhodium-plated parts, carbon fibre, 18-karat rose gold casing, 22-karat gold rotors and sapphire crystals. In case that's not quite the luxury you were looking for, there's also a "Diamond" limited edition (of which only a hundred have been made), which features 3,000 round and brilliant cut diamonds mounted on an 18-karat white gold case. Technically, the Chairman is powered by Android and is 3G-compatible. The 3.2-inch capacitative touchscreen made of sapphire crystal also features a cool James Bond-style biometric fingerprint recognition. There's a 32GB on-board memory and an 8-megapixel camera. The Chairman also comes with a handcrafted speaker and a charging dock, which is also a storage box for your additional accessories and adapters when you're jetting around the world. An additional $5,000 (Dh18,366)-a-year membership will grant you a twice-a-year clean, polish and software-upgrade service and insurance, just in case you're the clumsy type. Remember, only 1,846 units of the Chairman will be made, which is also the year Ulysse Nardin was founded. So when is this available in the UAE, and for how much? The Chairman is now available for order on Uncells.com. Prices start at $12,800, depending on specifications. Or you could check with BinHendi Watches & Jewellery, who are the exclusive retailers of Ulysse Nardin watches in the UAE. Call 04 434 1421.