The Rolex Daytona La Montoya – Watch Modification at Its Finest

The issue of modding – in watches – has always been one of the most disputed. And, we have to tell you, a lot of mods are really not that groundbreaking, but mostly cosmetic. You take a famous watch and paint it black. Oh, what a surprise! But some, instead, are different. Or way different in the case of the Rolex Daytona La Montoya — a Rolex skeleton dial watch.

What is the Rolex Daytona La Montoya?

It is a Rolex Daytona “modded” by Artisans de Genève to meet the taste of Juan Pablo Montoya – who is considered to be one of the 50 best racers of all time, and is, as you might assume, a watch addict.

The Colombian racer, who has raced successfully in almost any kind of car championship on the face of Earth, is a huge Daytona fan.

“I’ve always been passionate about the Rolex Daytona, I probably have seven or eight of them – I won the Rolex 24 three times, and it’s a watch that really relates to all of my racing. So I was amazed when the idea came along to do a skeleton Daytona. Artisans de Geneve went far beyond anything I could ask for”.

 Juan Pablo Montoya

A watchmaking workshop based in Geneva, Artisans de Genève offers an exclusive service of watch modification based on styles that they propose.

This means that they take “stock” watches, manufactured by the most prominent Maisons, like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Rolex, and then modify them upon request on a very limited number in their workshops in Switzerland, through the patient work of independent and highly skilled craftsmen.

And the quality of their “modding” can be seen in the result of their interventions: the Maison has plenty of (exquisitely) modded watches in their lineup – with most sold out.

The Caseback

Regarding the La Montoya, one of the pet peeves of Rolex owners is that they cannot peek inside their timepieces. Rolex has never made an open case back.

True to their origins as tool watchmakers, the House of the Crown creates watches featuring a closed case back, which needs special tools to open as well.

So, this was one of the first design features to work on while creating the Montoya. The back lid of the watch has been substituted by a sapphire glass back case, which shows the (highly customized and decorated) Rolex watch caliber 4130 in all its glory.

The ring around the sapphire crystal has been engraved with “Les Artisans de Genève” and “Juan Pablo Montoya” together with the individual number of the limited edition (yes, there are only 50 Montoyas around the world).

The Dial

Then we pass to the opposite side – the dial. And we discover that the Geneva-based lab has done much to render this Rolex classic mean and lean.

The dial has been substituted by a custom-made bezel with a tachymeter that has been created by milling a forged carbon block. And the display of the sub-dials – painted in several colors, à la Zenith El Primero Rainbow, adds a subtle element of color, inspired by the Colombia flag, to the face of this sultry timepiece.

The Movement

Now we come to the core part of the modding: the movement.

Almost every part of the 4130 has been touched by the Artisans. And brought to another level of sophistication.

The movement has been entirely skeletonized.

Many of the plates and bridges have been cut and opened – also the mainspring drum – and also the weight of the rotor, which has been made in 21k grey gold, polished with a circular finish. Almost all of the surfaces have been brushed, beveled, and polished by hand, creating a beautiful effect of anglage – but with a very high-tech, futuristic mood.

“Artisans de Geneve embodies what I wanted in somebody who would build a watch for me. They are that somebody that was happy to remove limits to how a watch should be built”.

Juan Pablo Montoya

The skeletonization of the watch has a justification in the racing world: every pound saved makes a racing car more competitive – and we can easily imagine Juan Pablo Montoya urging the Artisans to remove this and that inside “his” watch to make it leaner.

But what was not removed, for certain, was the charm of this timepiece, which looks perfectly at its place at a race track. And if you are seriously wanting to impress someone, you could instead make a go for the Gold La Montoya – which substitutes stainless steel with 18k yellow gold.

“The more I look at this timepiece, the more I like it,” says Montoya, and we are not doubting it. Its appearance is pretty striking.

For some more background, check out Artisans de Genève’s video covering the story of the Rolex Datyona “LaMontoya”.

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