How did you discover Artisans de Genève?

"A picture of a watch somebody posted on Instagram. I think it was a gold Daytona with green. I thought it was absolutely stunning. Then I started researching Artisans de Genève and realized they were doing really high-end work."

Why did you choose Artisans de Genève for your project?

"When I was eighteen, I worked a summer job and walked by a Rolex store. I saw a Daytona 6263 in the window of an official Rolex dealer in Brussels . It was love at first sight. Little did I know that it was going to become the quintessential watch of my whole life. That’s the object I find the most representative of what I think a great sport watch should be. When I saw what Artisans de Genève were doing, my work with them was to recreate that watch without being exactly that watch and personal touch , Something that would have evolved through all the years I’ve been on earth. Maybe I would like it to be dark blue instead of black. We did very little change because basically I think that watch is perfect."‍

Are you more of an enthusiast or a collector?

"I just like things. I like old cars. I like cars in general. I collect cars. I love watches. I think anything object-related — furniture, watches, cars — anything that has a soul. Something that was built with passion, with craftsmanship. I’m not so much of a collector. To me, collecting is wearing. I’m not collecting to leave it in a safe. I think you should buy what you love and you should wear it."‍

What does personalization mean to you? 

"It’s never too late to recreate something you miss. I created this watch to replace this emptiness… that loss. When you encounter an object, you have a relationship with it. It gives you pleasure. It’s not really about telling the time."

Tell us about your creation.

"The watch Artisans de Genève made for me is what that watch would look like today. It has the automatic movement. I’ve been able to swim with it, work with it. I do everything with it, i dont mind scratching it , all my watches are worn as if they were very common, i strongly believe you have to wear a watch not the watch wearing you .. in other words I never thing of what is on my wrist .. i think its the only way to wear a watch naturally and effortlessly If I have to screw something or build something at the house, I’m wearing it. I wanted the blue that’s almost black.

The original was black, so I wanted to have a little bit of a twist. Because I wear a lot of blue. Dark blue is a color that I like. A lot of my clothes are dark blue, a lot of my cars are blue. It works with my complexion. It works with my aesthetic. I flew to Genève to make sure the blue they were making was the blue that I wanted."

A memory you’d like to share?

"The craftsmanship only works because it’s so high. When you recreate an object like this, unless the craftsmanship is at the highest level, you shouldn’t do it. I showed it to my Rolex specialist. He looked at it and said: “This is top notch.” The level of detail is just perfect. That’s why it works. They took something great and made it even a little greater. That’s exactly what happened with this watch."