Introducing The Cyano — Artisans De Genève’s First Personalized Audemars Piguet Watch

Artisans de Genève is not the only company creating personal interpretations of grail watches from Rolex and Patek. Still, I feel that ADG deeply respects the clients’ base models while meticulously improving details. Adding interest and bespoke detailing to an already accomplished design is a delicate subject, but to me, Artisans de Genève is on the podium with the best. And this time, there’s big news in the form of the workshop’s first personalized Audemars Piguet timepiece. Introducing the Cyano, a customized Royal Oak ref. 15500.

Having honed their skills on Submariners, Daytonas, and the odd Aquanaut, these artisans from Geneva have now dealt with the venerable Royal Oak. I’ve been to their atelier and had the chance to get some wrist time with a few pieces, and my impression is one of respect for their subjects and the formidable skills of their watchmakers. With last year’s neon-touched Daytona for Adam Levine, the bar was set pretty high in my book. Well, Mr. Bar, prepare to move a few notches up for the Cyano.

The backstory of the Artisans de Genève Cyano

There is much more to a watch from Artisans de Genève than meets the eye. And even if each intricate, hand-polished component speaks volumes, ADG’s approach to each personal subject is equally fascinating. We have to include the client when talking about Artisans de Genève’s first customized Audemars Piguet watch, the Cyano. You see, ADG works under private commissions only, and each pièce unique is exactly that. Each one is based on dialogue and a studied approach. Mr. Cyrus Z is the instigator of Artisans de Genève’s first personalization of a Royal Oak, giving his 41mm ref. 15500 a new, skeletonized visage.

As a collector for 15 years, Mr. Z handed over his Royal Oak at an important stage in his life to celebrate the birth of his daughter and the role his father had played in his life and collecting journey. As Mr. Z so eloquently said, “Since she was born, I’ve realized just how much time eludes us and that it’s now my turn to pass on what I know, as my father did so admirably.” His thoughts are represented through an intricate take on the 4302 caliber’s skeletonization, done entirely by hand and framed within an outer chapter ring in sky blue.

A Royal Oak but not as we know it

The grail-worthy steel case and bracelet of the ref. 15500 have stayed as they were, providing a recognizable monochrome frame with a dark, octagonal difference. Replacing the well-known stainless steel bezel, here, we have the brutalist look of 26-ply forged carbon. This bezel’s two parts, including a Grade 5 titanium base, endow the case with a strong architectural quality for full water resistance. The marbled black color also creates a fantastic contrast to the icy-fresh and legible blue chapter ring. On this, we find a touch of red in the “Swiss Made” text along with recognizable but stubby luminous hour markers.

One of my favorite details is the inscribed “Audemars Piguet” plaque between 9 and 12 o’clock. This detail differs from AP’s in-house skeletonized efforts, and perhaps it is an improvement. Overall, this sky-blue frame and the flame-blued hour markers present a bright contrast to the menacing bezel and the intricacies within. Matching the indices with are the well-known AP hands, thermally blued and donning a red tip on the center seconds hand.

A dial of open-worked delights

Without a dial as such, the Cyano it’s an honest and intricate celebration of the 4302 movement’s architecture. There is much to unpack here, with bridgework endowed with hand-pierced openings and anglage. Let’s take the balance bridge as an example if only to open your mind to the man-hours behind the craftsmanship. An integral part of the mainplate, this component is already complex in shape. Shaped from one block of hardened steel, it has been skeletonized, beveled, and rounded by hand. Have a closer look at this single part of the movement. It has been altered by a lone, patient, and skilled craftsman using a burin, a traditional jeweler’s tool.

Final thoughts on the Artisans de Genève Cyano

Skeletonization, along with customization, is an acquired taste. For me, though, both aspects only accentuate the evergreen nature of the Genta design. Look at every part of the movement, detailed to the best of the ADG’s abilities and, honestly, to a higher degree than the base caliber. That says a lot, and it shows. With each stroke of a tool in the hands of an ADG artisan, the microcosmos of the 4302 caliber has been accentuated, even improved upon. As with any ADG creation, the cost is between the client, Mr. Cyrus Z, and the small atelier on Rue Ferdinand-Hodler.

Fratelli, my watch-collecting brethren, what are your thoughts? Would you be happy enough with the grail love of actually acquiring a Royal Oak? Or, if you had the means, would you consider spending the same again or even double to get a pièce unique? Let me know in the comments.