Artisans De Genève Introduce “The Pearl Project” Patek Philippe 5711 Nautilus

A heavily customized Patek for your pleasure

January 26, 2021

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I’ve previously written about Artisans de Genève. For those not familiar with the Swiss company, it does not produce its own watches. Instead, it’s more of a personal design studio for the collectors who want something a little different for their collection. Previous work from the studio has included a skeletonized Rolex Daytona and Rolex Submariner for two high-profile collectors.

Now, Artisans de Genève is back again and ready to show off the latest project they’ve been working on. This time, the subject is the venerable Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, receiving a complete makeover and exposing some of its magic within. Introducing, “The Pearl Project.”

Artisans de Genève is an independent company specialized in the personalization of timepieces. Artisans de Genève is not affiliated with PATEK PHILIPPE SA nor authorized by them to intervene on their products for any reason whatsoever. This personalization was ordered for his private use by a customer who owns a Patek Philippe® timepiece.

The Pearl Project

The 5711 carries a long heritage and a cult-like fanbase. This is a testament to the refinement and timelessness of Patek Philippe, and Artisans de Genève wished to live up to that while inserting some of their client’s unique personality. The finished result certainly hits that mark and is a mixture of brilliance, madness, and insane bravery. Each detail was carefully thought out and executed by artisans from all over Switzerland.

Surprise, surprise: it actually works.

The two points which immediately jump out from “The Pearl Project” are the forged carbon bezel and skeletonized dial. The bezel is something never before seen in any form on any Patek, let alone a 5711. Out with the classic brushed and polished stainless steel, and in with modern forged carbon fiber. On paper, the combination sounds sacrilegious, I’ll admit, but when presented with the photos is apparently looks far more comfortable rubbing shoulder with the iconic case middle than you might have thought possible. Surprise, surprise: it actually works.

But you know, I think that sacrilege might well be the point. For the owner, their watch is immediately a talking point among watch enthusiast peers and will no doubt generate many a heated debate and conversation. So in that regard, I think, perhaps, it’s the perfect choice for The Pearl Project!

Skeletonization is the name of the game

Patek Philippe has never released a fully skeletonized steel sports watch. The Aquanaut Time Travel has a partially cutaway dial to reveal some of the movement underneath, but that’s the only example I can think of. The Pearl Project’s 26-330 caliber, however, is entirely skeletonized.

This labor of love took Artisans de Genève three years to achieve. The finishing is excruciatingly flawless. Each piece is hand-beveled; some are satin-polished, others are circular-grained. Exclusively, for this project, the Artisans de Genève craftspeople created a balance bridge with a mirror-polished finish. The gold rotor is also skeletonized and beveled by hand. This is very impressive and superb work on display. Whether you like the finished product or not, you cannot deny the level of craftsmanship here. It is simply stunning.

I dig it.

That eye for details also extends to the handset, which was custom-made for this project. The hands are carved, beveled, and satin-finished by hand and provide excellent readability. If this had been my project, I probably wouldn’t have thought of rose gold hands with a stainless steel case, but it works. I dig it. They perfectly complement the rose gold hour markers and the gold-colored components peeking through the skeletonized movement.

Right vs. wrong

I know for a fact that there will be some people reading this, choking on their cornflakes and asking how this was allowed to happen. Others will be looking into their wallets (empty in my case) and thinking they want this piece of epicness on their own wrist right now! Watch modification is a divisive issue in general, let alone when a 5711 becomes its subject. But I suspect that the owner of The Pearl Project is very well aware of this. The project screams of subtle provocation in a really cool way. The watch is GUARANTEED to spark healthy conversation, and if they love the finished product too, isn’t that a prime example of a win-win? I think so.

This is what Artisans de Genève do so well. They allow collectors who want to be a little different to show their personality and spark debate in the process. Not only that, but they can do so knowing their customized watch is still a shining example of the highest craftsmanship. What do you think of this piece? Which side of the debate are you on? Let us know in the comments!

You can find out more about Artisans de Genève here.