Rolex watches receive a Namibian-style makeover

Artisans De Genève created an unofficial version of the Rolex Submariner 116610 with a dial sourced from Namibia.

Its stylish new look incorporates elements of Namibia and is called the “Heart of Namibia”.

This custom watch is based on the discontinued Rolex Submariner watch, and the dial is made from a piece of Gibeon meteorite with a thickness of 0.3 mm.

The Heart of Namibia timepiece includes a moon phase indicator that uses mother-of-pearl (mother-of-pearl) to depict the moon and a type of quartz (aventurine) to depict the sky.

Luxury goods investment

Paulo Coelho, a Namibian luxury watch dealer, said the nacre, quartz and platinum used in this watch are all produced in Namibia.

“It’s a really beautiful watch, I’m really impressed,” he said.

Although the Heart of Namibia is a one-of-a-kind watch, Coelho said the original owner agreed to have another Rolex Submariner 116610 custom-made by a Geneva craftsman to look like the Heart of Namibia.

“People need to understand that a watch is an investment – its value increases over time. A watch doesn’t depreciate like a car, which loses 10 or 20 per cent once it’s driven off the lot,” he explains.

Handcrafted with precision

According to Professional Watches magazine, the Submariner 116610 Artisans de Geneve Heart of Namibia features a standard 40mm diameter 904L stainless steel Rolex case, a Rolex 3135 automatic movement, a black dial, a black ceramic diving bezel and an Oyster bracelet.

From there, Artisans De Genève disassemble the watch and begin adding their customizations.

The Rolex calibre 3135 is hand-decorated (the balance bridge is hand-bevelled and hand-polished), the bezel has a dark blue ceramic insert with platinum engraving, the central seconds hand is flame blue, and the black dial has been replaced by a 0.3 mm thick Namibian meteorite dial. There is a large opening at 6 o’clock on the dial to install the additional moon phase module (made in-house by Artisans De Genève), which displays in mother-of-pearl.

Additionally, the case is laser engraved with a grainy texture, completing the custom Submariner Moon Phase aesthetic. A special white gold rotor replaces the factory rotor and contains a Namibian meteorite inlay that matches the dial.

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