Caviar has taken a break from turning iPhones into small monuments and is now selling magnetic backplates for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Caviar iPhone 17 Pro Max Genesis collection swaps permanent chassis surgery for snap-on luxury, led by a $4,490 model called Relict that contains a real Tyrannosaurus rex fossil fragment. It is the kind of accessory that says ”I have taste” and ”I also have too much money” in one breath.
The Russian luxury modifier is aiming for buyers who want something more dramatic than a case but less irreversible than a full custom build. That middle ground matters: magnetic accessories are easier to swap, easier to show off, and easier to justify when the next shiny thing arrives. Caviar is clearly betting that the flex is in the attachment, not the screwdriver.
Relict brings a fossil to the back of your phone
Relict is limited to seven units and uses aviation-grade titanium, alligator leather, smoky gray-to-white Himalaya finishing, and blue jewelry enamel. The fossil sits inside a checkmark-shaped decorative element on the back panel, which is either delightfully absurd or exactly what a six-figure phone-adjacent object should be. Caviar has done this sort of maximalism before, but the fossil gimmick gives it a sharper hook than the usual gold-and-leather routine.
- Relict: $4,490, limited to 7 units
- Proteus: $1,630, limited to 99 pieces
- Stimulus: $1,910, limited to 99 pieces
- Vector: $1,910, limited to 99 pieces
- Orion: $2,060, limited to 99 pieces
The rest of the Caviar Genesis lineup
If fossils are not your thing, Caviar has four lower-priced options. Proteus pairs blue hand-crafted crocodile leather with silver aviation titanium, while Stimulus and Vector both use black PVD-coated titanium and black crocodile leather, separated only by their enamel accents: orange for Stimulus, black for Vector. Orion goes for gold PVD-coated titanium, blue crocodile leather, and blue enamel to mimic the night sky. Each module is magnetic, so the heavy plates can be swapped without tools.
The pricing is pure Caviar: extreme, limited, and built for bragging rights rather than mass appeal. But the move away from permanent modification is smarter than it sounds, because it broadens the audience from collectors willing to commit to a single outrageous look to buyers who want to rotate their indulgence like a watch strap.
Caviar keeps leaning into luxury excess
The company says the Genesis accessories ship in its signature gift boxes, because apparently the unboxing experience also needs a wardrobe. Caviar has recently shown off other over-the-top iPhone 17 Pro Max concepts too, including one with a built-in vault for Swiss watches and another $10,500 gold-plated edition inspired by Donald Trump. That tells you where the brand is headed: less ”phone accessory,” more ”conversation starter with cellular service.”
Expect Caviar to keep mining this niche. The company has found a formula that costs a fortune, moves in tiny numbers, and guarantees attention every time Apple launches a new flagship. For everyone else, the real mystery is simpler: who exactly is asking for a T-Rex fossil on their phone, and why does that answer feel so on-brand?