Caviar, the customization company known for modifying Apple devices with materials like dinosaur bone and meteorite, has a new project. The brand has announced the Masters of Time collection, a series of heavily modified iPhone 17 Pro Max devices designed to physically house high-end Swiss watches in their back panels.
Design Details
Instead of just gluing a watch face to the phone, Caviar has actually built a quick-release mounting system into the chassis. The company calls it the Watch Vault. It’s a mechanical latching system that uses a short-thread ring to lock a compatible watch into the back of the phone. According to Caviar, you don’t need any tools to use it; you just twist a lever, and the watch pops out so you can attach it to a standard strap and wear it on your wrist.
To keep the metal watch cases from getting scratched, the inside of the phone’s mounting cavity is lined with a soft protective material. If you decide to wear the watch rather than keep it in the phone, Caviar includes a decorative metal plate, like a silver cover etched with an astrolabe design, that snaps into the empty slot so the phone doesn’t just have a gaping hole in the back.
The collection is launching with two primary, single-edition models. The first is the Celestial, which is built around a Patek Philippe Celestial. The phone’s modified body is made of 18-karat white gold, blue enamel, diamonds, and a piece of Muonionalusta meteorite. The second model, the Portugieser, holds an IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Squelette. Its chassis features white gold, hand-engraving, and a mix of white diamonds and orange sapphires meant to match the watch’s exposed tourbillon.
Caviar is also showing off concept renders for versions that hold a Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon and a Rolex Sky-Dweller. If you already own a Swiss watch with a case diameter between 42 and 44 mm, the company says it can build a custom chassis specifically for your device.
It is a very strange, highly specific solution for people who want to combine traditional mechanical horology with a modern smartphone. Naturally, the pricing reflects the materials and the target demographic. The white gold Celestial model is priced at $215,360. There is a relatively cheaper titanium option designed for an Omega watch that starts at $49,640. It’s a niche product for a very specific type of collector, assuming they are okay with the added weight of carrying a mechanical watch vault in their pocket.
In related news, Caviar recently unveiled a $10,500 gold-plated iPhone 17 Pro Max inspired by Donald Trump.
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(Caviar)
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