Affluent Page Presents A Safe Bet

Your most opulent timepieces shouldn’t simply be placed on a mantlepiece. They deserve to be protected and preserved in style. Karl Lagerfeld had this in mind when he teamed up with Döttling, the world’s most prestigious and expensive manufacturer of safes.

Together, Döttling and Lagerfeld created “Narcissus,”inspired by the mythological character who fell in love with his own reflection and died because he was too consumed by it. Narcissus owners may find themselves falling in love with the stainless steel body and high-gloss chrome-plated aluminum covering the luxury safe.

What began as a simple locksmith shop grew to become Döttling, and now most of the company’s pieces carry a six-figure price tag.

Döttling’s attention to detail and superb craftsmanship are its hallmark for creating spectacularly designed, one-of-a-kind, luxury safes and vaults. Each one is crafted based on a client’s specifications.

The company uses only the finest materials, including 24-karat gold leaf, decorative fittings, and finely tailored calfskin, zebra, and bird feathers, to adorn the exterior and interior of its safes. Add state-of-the-art security technology, and you have a high-tech home safe wrapped in opulent, old-world charm.

Based in southern Germany, the safe manufacturer was founded in 1919 by Ernst Döttling, the great-grandfather of current head Markus Döttling.

Döttling produces five lines of safes.

The Bel-Air resembles a stylish trunk, but inside the nearly five-foot-high compartment are 16 watch-holders and three drawers. The Chameleon can be built to any size and specification to accommodate cocktail bars, jewelry compartments, watch winders, and lockable drawers—all customized based on a client’s wishes. For the stylish female clientele, Döttling presents Pauline, a Belle Époque high-security case, named after Markus Döttling’s daughter. Standing nearly four feet tall, Pauline contains perfectly finished drawers for jewelry and documents, accented with finely tailored materials.

Döttling’s Legends series consists of rare antique safes, all meticulously and carefully restored. Whether it’s an early 20th-century Wilhelminian security cabinet, a 19th-century Napoleonic coffre-fort, or an 18th-century Italian compartment, Döttling outfits the safes with state-of-the art technology and uses superior materials for customization.

The Narcissus is Döttling’s latest creation. Exclusivity is certainly part of the concept. Only 30 models will be made, one of which is already owned by Lagerfeld. The safe boasts the claim of being the world’s most expensive one, priced at $340,000.

“I’ve designed a safe that I would like to own and which will stand in my home,” said Lagerfeld. “Markus Döttling built it for me.”