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

The Shades of Blue Challenge Project came to fruition after their client requested an intense, deep blue color scheme. In order to find the perfect one, Artisans de Genève sought out the world’s rarest artisans, who specialize in everything from silk to ceramics, to discover how they use color. Next, they spent many hours of work, discussions, triumphs and failures to pinpoint the desired color. This special blue is the cornerstone of this personalization, and they applied it to the matte dial as well as the bakelite bezel. The counters were coated in a sky blue with electric blue glints, and the hands were flame-blued by hand.

Color is a complex artform. Both passionate and subtle, this quest for perfection was founded on the savoir-faire that is deeply ingrained in the Artisans de Genève artisans’ DNA. Hundreds of hours spent experimenting, assembling pigments, associating them with different materials and mixing different colors. All with the aim of creating a completely unique personalization. This particular client wanted to give their watch a vintage look, relying on the color blue. In collaboration with him, Artisans de Genève searched for the perfect color and all its nuances. A meticulous work incarnated by The Shades of Blue Challenge.

“Blue is my favorite color because it conveys refinement and excellence, values that I strive for in my day-to-day. When I approached Artisans de Genève to define and create my ultimate blue, I thought that it was an impossible task. However, in each step of our hunt for the perfect blue— we achieve to marry each element with each watch part— to create a pure poetry.” Mr. B.S. The Collector that Commissioned the Project

In watchmaking, blue is an exceptional color. It evokes an air of sophistication and breathes elegance into each timepiece. We were particularly passionate by this project our client thought inconceivable. It was exciting to search for the perfect shade with him, to work with different pigments, materials and pairings until we reached a result that was as close as possible to what he had in mind: a monochrome blue, or rather a harmony of blues, in a vintage casing.

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 case has been machined and polished by hand, the original pushers have been replaced by “Millerighe” ones, completing the vintage feel.

The vintage look of the Artisans de Genève Shades of Blue Challenge Project is like looking at a time capsule of a rare and unique reference 6263 with a blue color scheme. Flawlessly executed, this project is one of our favorite ones from Artisans de Genève.

The Vintage touch on the watch is further elevated by the client requesting a supple alligator leather strap in blue and equipped with a folding clasp that they specially 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.