Best Artisans De Geneve ever? All hail the 'Poetry of lights' Rolex Daytona
Artisans De Geneve Rolex Daytona “Poison Ivy”
Artisans De Geneve, three words that automatically make us think both “Customised” and “Gonna be good” so, who are they?
First off, they aren’t manufacturers, they don’t sell or source watches, and they are not affiliated with any brands.
Artisans De Geneve are a Geneva based independent workshop that offers high end modifications to private clients.
Essentially, you take the watch to them, and they work with you to create your dream, whether thats a skeletonised Nautilus, or a Daytona that has been reimagined as a tribute to a vintage piece using modern specs and materials.
They will only work on authentic watches which are below 5 years of age, and will only work on unpolished examples.
The workshop opened in 2005, and has gone from strength to strength ever since and has a celebrity following ranging from Spike Lee to Juan Pablo Montoya.
These are not simply brand specced watches that have been dipped in DLC and given an aftermarket dial.
Artisans De Geneve is one of the few workshops that take custom pieces to a level way beyond simple tweaks, and while we’re on another level, this is the Artisans Daytona “Poetry of Lights” although I’ve nicknamed it “Poison Ivy” because it is so epically badass.
The base of the creation is a Rolex Daytona full Everose, reference 116505, so comfortably sized at 40mm.
The customisation is absolutely first class and was originally designed for a gemmologist, so the addition of sparklies was always a given.
The bezel is set with 36 perfectly matched deep green Australian sapphires, which took Artisans 2 years to source due to the very specific colour matching of each gem.
They are set into the bezel using an invisible channel and while they are mesmerising, they dont have the razzle dazzle of emeralds, for example.
The light coming from them is deep and almost muted, and the tone is earthy and natural, which blends incredibly well with the warmth of the Everose gold.
52 brilliant diamonds scattered across the shoulders and crown guard act to elevate the hue of the bezel and adds a dose of luminosity to the watch.
Its very hard to describe the balance of the watch verbally, but hopefully the angles that we’ve caputred here really show off just how well Artisans, and their muse, have pulled off the tones on display here, suffice it to say that it really is a Poetry of Light, and a very well executed one at that. It is both natural, muted, and radiant at the same time.
Perfection.
The dial is made from a single block of sapphire with pink gold edged subdials, and sits above the fully skeletonised and decorated Rolex Calibre 4130 which is my (very nerdy) favourite Rolex calibre ever made.
It’s 44 jewel movement with a 72 hour power reserve and has been polished, bevelled, and openworked by Artisans, including the rotor.
A very nifty finishing touch to the whole shebang is the crown, which has a hand machined groove which has been lacquered in green to match the bezel.
It is this level of thought and attention to detail that has Artisans De Geneve reigning supreme over any of the “custom” manufacturers. They are utterly top notch, and this Daytona is an absolute showcase of their skills.
The Poetry of Lights is just brilliant.