This week in watches: Adam Levine reveals custom Rolex Daytona

EACH WEEK, we’ll be taking a look at the hottest news, developments and rare sightings in the watch world—what’s ticking, what’s trending and what’s causing jaws in various corners of the watch internet to drop. We’ll highlight new brand releases, celebrity watch spots and general news for all you horologically-minded enthusiasts.

Love it or hate it, it’s impossible to go past the revelation of Adam Levine’s custom Rolex Daytona, which independent watch customisation workshop ‘Artisans de Geneve’ revealed via Instagram this week. The bespoke timepiece, which was commissioned by the Maroon 5 lead singer, has watch collectors in two minds—some say it’s a work of art, whilst others are quick to dismiss it as nothing more than a “Franken-watch”. It begs the question: is it a crime to customise a watch of high regard, such as the Rolex Daytona?

Elsewhere, legendary guitarist and musician—and subsequently one of the world’s most avid watch collectors—John Mayer picks up the first Rolex Day-Date 36 “Jigsaw Puzzle”, a whimsical timepiece launched earlier this year at Watches & Wonders in Geneva.

Keep scrolling for all that dropped in the watch world this week.

1

Adam Levine reveals his customised Rolex Daytona

The unprecedented collaboration between Adam Levine and Artisans de Geneve is titled ‘Unveiling Neon’, and sees the artist’s personal Rolex Daytona 116508 customised in such a way that, no matter what way you look at it, love it or hate it, showcases the innovation and craftsmanship the independent watchmaking studio has become renowned for.

“I like classic watches, but I also want mine to be unique: it was very important for me to have something that resembles me, a unique piece that stands out from all the others,” Levine said. “I wanted to give my Daytona 116508, a little something extra.”

The result is a daring, bold but creative reimagination of the iconic Rolex Daytona. Some are calling it a “monstrosity” while others are praising its uniqueness in an often saturated market place. Whichever way you view it, Levine has a 1 of 1 customised Rolex Daytona that you’ll never see again.

2

John Mayer collects one of the world’s first Rolex “Emoji” watches

If you’re a watch enthusiast, by now you would have come to realise that 1), John Mayer has one of the greatest watch collections in the world, and 2), his watch knowledge is seriously impressive. It then makes a lot of sense that Mayer being the watch nerd he is, gets first dibs on the seriously fun, ultra-cool Rolex Day-Date 36 “Puzzle Dial” watch—aka, the “Emoji” watch. Mayer’s newest watch addition was featured as part of Rolex’s special-edition releases for 2023, and is crafted from 18k white gold with a highly-desirable blue turquoise “puzzle” dial, also set with multi-coloured baguette-cut sapphire markers. The best part of this watch is just how non-serious it is; you’ll find words of encouragement via the day window like “Happy” and “Peace” replace days of the week, and a quick glance at the date window each day will showcase a series of emojis, like a love heart.

3

Thieves escape with up to $16m in jewellery from a Piaget store in Paris

Piaget, the “watchmakers watchmaker”, is this week making headlines for all the wrong reasons: according to reports, armed robbers raided its Parisian boutique, escaping with over $16m in jewellery and watches. While an investigation is underway, such occurrences of theft are becoming a common cause for worry in Europe, with savvy thieves targeting luxury watch and jewellery boutiques, as well as individuals carrying expensive timepieces and jewellery.