blue hands on the Shades of Blue watch by artisans de geneve

“Shades of Blue”

“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
Color is a complex artform. Both passionate and subtle, this quest for perfection was founded on the savoir-faire that is deeply ingrained in our 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. Our client wanted to give their watch a vintage look, relying on one single hue: blue. In collaboration with him, we searched for the perfect color and all its nuances. A meticulous work incarnated by The Shades of Blue Challenge.
Artisans De Genève is an independent watchmaking workshop offering handcrafted timepiece customization and restoration services. We are neither associated nor affiliated with the brands of the timepieces we work on. We carry out our work at the sole request of our customers, on their own timepieces and for their private use only. The work presented was commissioned by one of our customers. This presentation reflects our know-how and has no contractual value.
Secure my own service
black and white picture of a man wearing his custom Artisans de Genève watch
“Shades of Blue” - Artisans de Geneve
Drawing in white and blue of a watch dial
“Shades of Blue” - Artisans de Geneve
drawing of a watch case engraved artisans de geneve

Inspirations

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Base Rolex® 116520
Matte dial with an intense blue, sky blue counters.
Blue bakelite bezel.
4130 movement beveled and polished by hand, handmade balance bridge.
Blue rotor
“Millerighe” pushers.
Steel bracelet and avy alligator strap with a homemade steel folding clasp

Color Scheme

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Midnight Blue

ref. CAG 0311

Bahamas Blue

ref. CAG 0303

Soft Blue

ref. CAG 0301
The Shades of Blue Challenge custom watch closeup
blue rotor engraved Artisans de Genève
Display of blue dial, rotor and wheel custom by Artisans de Geneve

Intense Blue

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Our client wanted an intense, deep blue. In order to find the perfect one, first we sought out the world’s rarest artisans, who specialize in everything from silk to ceramics, to discover how they use color. Next, we spent many hours of work, discussions, triumphs and failures to pinpoint the desired color. This special blue is the cornerstone of this personalization, and we 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.

Focus

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“Shades of Blue” - Artisans de Geneve

The Bezel

The bakelite bezel is a nod to vintage watches and is colored in the shade that we created with our client: intense blue.
“Shades of Blue” - Artisans de Geneve

The Dial

The dial reveals a matte piece with sky blue counters, especially conceived and developed by our artisans. They enhance the overall intensity of the timepiece and elegantly contrast with the steel hands.
“Shades of Blue” - Artisans de Geneve

The Rotor

The rotor was given the color blue using an ancestral technique.
Blue dial watch
Gil, watchmaker at Artisans de Genève
“A harmony of blues
in a vintage case.
Gil. Craftsman
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 Shades of Blue Challenge blue rotor
watchmaking wheel

An Artisanal
Approach

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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 strong “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.
4130 balance bridge

The Vintage
Touch

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At our client’s request, the leather alligator strap completes The Shades of Blue melody and perfects its vintage look. It has a folding clasp that we specially developed and engraved.
Steel folding clasp
navy alligator strap by artisans de geneve

What’s Your
Shade ?

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Dark Blue, Bahamas Blue, Soft Blue, our artisans have developed countless colors to fulfill our client’s projects.You can now choose between an exclusive range of colors to create your own shade
shades of three blue
Artisans De Genève is an independent watchmaking workshop offering handcrafted timepiece customization and restoration services. We are neither associated nor affiliated with the brands of the timepieces we work on. We carry out our work at the sole request of our customers, on their own timepieces and for their private use only. The work presented was commissioned by one of our customers. This presentation reflects our know-how and has no contractual value.
Secure my own service

Some of our
Past Challenges

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You can discover below some challenges that we took for our clients. We are ready to take the one you will give us on your own favorite timepiece.