Mika Häkkinen wearing a watchmaker blouse

The Mika Häkkinen Challenge

For race car drivers, nothing counts more than time. A constant copilot, it sets the rhythm of each race, each step, each moment. And there’s no other object that symbolizes a driver’s relationship with time more than his watch. Double Formula 1 world champion Mika Häkkinen came to us with a personalization that would reflect his philosophy in life: to keep moving forward, no matter what the obstacle. The Mika Häkkinen Challenge is the perfect blend of the classic watchmaking codes and high-speed world of Formula 1.
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
watch crown with orange border
skeleton blue dial
main plate sketch
watch'hands sketch

Mika’s
Guidelines

0000
Base Rolex® 116520
Grade 5 titanium bezel, with an anthracite treated surface, patented technology
Skeletonized and sandblasted dial, anthracite treatment, blue and orange color scheme.
Minutes and Hours hands sandblasted at the center, polished on the outside.
Sandblasted, beveled, nickel palladium finished manual-winding movement, 72H power reserve.
Extra-flat titanium case back with sapphire glass.
Millerighe pushers
blue seconds hand of The Mika Häkkinen Challenge
oyster bracelet Mika Häkkinen

The merging
of codes

0000
Seeking a truly dynamic design for his customization Mika Häkkinen chose orange and light blue shades to recall the race tracks he triumphed on The titanium dial is entirely openwork—a new design exclusively developed for the champion —and stylish black and blue counters complement the look. The hour and minute hands are sandblasted in the center and polished on the outside, and the seconds hand makes a statement with its hand-painted orange arrow.
Mika Häkkinen wearing a loupe

Focus

0000
Titanium bezel

The Bezel

The bezel has a patented titanium finish that we developed exclusively. It brings contrast and lightness to the timepiece. The piece features the engravings “Tachymeter” painted in orange and “Titanium G5” painted in blue.
skeleton blue dial

The dial

The dial was given a new cutout with a symmetrical rendering, reminiscent of car racing. It has been sandblasted, then finished with an anthracite coating. The hour and minute hands are sandblasted in the center and polished on the outside.
millerighe pushers Mika Häkkinen

The Crown

An orange border was added to the middle of the crown, giving the customization a sporty edge.
The Mika Häkkinen Challenge personalization
“The culmination
of everything that
I’d wished for
Mika Häkkinen. Race car driver
Time can be your ally or your worst enemy. My whole career has been about being on time. When a race begins, it’s my only objective. The technicality played a key role in the project, largely through the watch’s skeleton movement. When I met Artisans of Genève, I was immediately struck by their passion and their quest for perfection. Owning a personalized watch is a real privilege, and this project was the culmination of everything that I’d wished for.
Mika Häkkinen, F1 pilote
the Mika Häkkinen Challenge timepiece
Ref: AG-MK.4130/MKH-BH-26
Recto
4130 skeleton caliber
Ref: AG-MK.4130/MKH-BH-26
Verso
4130 skeleton caliber
4130 skeleton caliber
skeleton dial of Mika Häkkinen

Manual winding
movement

0000
The 4130 movement of Mika’s watch has been skeletonized in homage to a Formula 1 engine—a design that demanded extreme precision, finesse and an exceptional performance. Each piece has been cutout, sandblasted and angled by hand. Every element conjures the spirit of a race car. Mika Häkkinen wanted to combine this bold design with manual winding, a trademark of vintage watches.We removed the automatic device and replaced it with a mechanism that has a 72-hour power reserve. The original case back has been replaced by a titanium one with sapphire crystal, allowing the skeletonized caliber to be seen underneath.
leather strap with a double folding clasp
Mika Häkkinen watch with a leather strap
skeleton back of Mika Häkkinen challenge timepiece

Made-to-Measure
Strap

0000
Mika Häkkinen wanted a second bracelet. We exclusively designed one for him in alligator leather, enhanced with orange stitchings. We combined it with a steel folding clasp developed by our artisans.
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

0000
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.