Artisans de Genève is an independent company specializing in the personalization of timepieces. Artisans de Genève is not affiliated with Rolex SA nor authorized by them to intervene in their products for any reason whatsoever. This personalization was ordered by one of their customers who own a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona timepiece and the watch was created for his own private use.

For this particular Honey Green Daytona, their client, a vintage watch enthusiast, entrusted Artisans de Genève with a styling exercise that turned into a true challenge to modify his yellow gold Rolex Daytona ref. 116508 while working with only a particular green that he had always dreamt of. He was looking for a particular green, somewhat dark, close to an English green, but with a slight blue touch to bring notes of elegance. It had to wear a vintage look; every detail had to pay homage to the very first watches he cherished.

“For me, green represents hope, freedom, and a certain sweetness of life. I have worn this color through every new stage of my life. I always thought that it was a color that needed to be more present in watchmaking, and I never found my ideal shade of green: a green that would have the elegance of blue while keeping its originality and intensity. As a vintage watch enthusiast, I wanted my timepiece to have this inimitable vintage style. Entrusting this project to Artisans de Genève was an obvious choice. They are alchemists of color and know-how”. Mr. S.L .

The signature elements were designed to bear a refined look while working the perfect match of colors: green and gold. In bakelite, the bezel insert gives the feel of the first timepieces. The challenge was to make the green blend with each finish: sunray, bakelite, and gold case.

The brilliance and strength of yellow gold, with the softness and poetry of majestic green. In this personalization, the dial along with the matching bakelite bezel are the centerpieces. The sunray finish expresses all the complexity of its green. The counters are sandblasted with gold powder, giving the piece a vintage elegance.

Artisans de Genève reworked each part of their client’s timepiece to refine its allure including machining the case to match the shape of vintage watches, while the rotor is adorned with a côtes de Genève finish and circular polishing, realized by hand. The case has been machined and polished by hand, and the original pushers have been replaced by “Millerighe” ones, completing the vintage feel.

The balance and automatic bridges are beveled by hand and embellished with a Côtes de Genève. Each finish brings depth and a play of lights to the modified movement which in this case is the Rolex Calibre 4130. The transparent sapphire glass back allows one to fully appreciate the movement and rotor. The upper automatic bridge and the balance bridge are hand-beveled, embellished by Côtes de Genève, and circular satin-brushed finishings.

The vintage touch on the watch is further elevated by the client requesting a supple alligator leather strap in green equipped with a folding clasp that they especially developed and engraved for him.

Sticker Price Undisclosed. However, based on their other projects and what we’ve seen in the secondary market, this personalization cost at least $30,000 USD on top of the watch that had to be supplied by the owner for personalization. For more info on Artisans de Genève click here.