Vintage, artificial patina, and 'rest' on the Azores.
Artisans De Genève has once again customized a Rolex. But this time, not for a random collector, but for the owner of a bespoke clothing brand and managing director of Sotheby’s International Realty France - Monaco, Alexander Kraft. The watch reflects Mr. Kraft's love for vintage cars, which is perfectly combined with his passion for vintage watches.
The base model is the Rolex Daytona Ref. 116500 with a Paul Newman dial. Since the client is very fond of vintage, the entire customization revolves around the aging effect. Specifically, the dial imitates the patina that occurs through the natural aging process due to time and moisture. To age the watch to the desired condition, the dial was sent to 'rest' for six months on the Azores - a place with one of the most humid climates on the planet.
The caramel-orange hue of the dial ('Rusty Dial') is inspired by the cognac color of the leather interior of a vintage Ferrari Maranello® and other cars from Alexander Kraft's personal collection. Complementing the dial, the bezel is made of copper, which also ages beautifully over time.
One of Kraft's wishes was to return the watch to the standards of the 1960s - 1970s. For this, the case was reduced from the original 40 mm to 37 mm. To make the watch lighter, both the case and bracelet were made from grade 5 titanium, which was finished to resemble vintage steel. In keeping with the theme, the chronograph's buttons are also in retro style, as are the rivets on the side links of the bracelet.
The caliber 4130 was converted from an automatic mechanism to one that requires manual winding. The impressive 72-hour power reserve was retained.
The cost of customization services amounted to CHF 32,520.