As the markets begin to heal and the recession comes to a close, investors are beginning to regain their confidence. A good example of this is the recent investments in a European start-up that is hoping to make an impression in the growing luxury mobile phone market.

Reuters has more:

Celsius X VI III, which was founded by four thirty-somethings a few years ago, has an ambition to take the 500-year old tradition of hand-made watches and use it to make a mobile phone that would replace chips and electronics with moving parts.

In total, about €3.3 million has been invested in the company, according to the Reuters article. It appears that they are marketing to the Lambda personalities in the luxe market. The company’s co-chief executive confirms this:

“Our target is the man who owns a few sports cars and is an aficionado of Swiss watches,” said Edouard Meylan, co-chief executive of Celsius, who plans for customers to keep his mobiles for decades rather than tossing them aside after a year.

Are mobile phones the new “hot item” in the luxe market? Judging by the size of this investment, it appears some have confidence that it will be.

A little follow-up on Rolex from an article (subscription only) about the Baselworld watch fair in Monocle magazine:

Swiss watch brands are patriotic to a fault. Rolex is one of the few high-end manufacturers that does not stamp "Swiss Made" on the watch face in the belief that Rolex defines Switzerland rather than the other way around.

An iconic brand is one that defines its country. But is it easy for Rolex to define Switzerland because it’s, well, Switzerland? Can larger, more controversial nations have iconic brands in the same way?

[via Kottke]