The Artelier Chronometer, Date

From Oris -

Courtesy of Oris

Here are the details -

Oris Artelier Chronometer, Date
Ref. No. 01 737 7721 4031 LS, Ø 40.00mm 

Courtesy of Oris

• Automatic chronometer movement Oris Cal. 737, based on SW 200-1, with date at 6 o’clock
  
• Multi-piece stainless steel case and stainless steel crown. Water resistant to 5 bar
  
• Sapphire crystal domed on both sides with anti-reflective coating inside
  
• Screwed stainless steel case back with see-through mineral crystal
  
• Silver guilloche dial with applied rose gold plated indices. Rose gold plated
  hour and minute hands filled with Super-LumiNova®. Rose gold plated
  second hand
  
• Dark brown leather strap with stainless steel folding clasp. Also available with
  stainless steel bracelet with butterfly folding clasp 
  

Something borrowed, something blue...

So there I was, walking down State street in Santa Barbara, and what do I see staring back at me but a big Rolex sign and display at 33 Jewels.


But on closer inspection, I saw that these were not your "father's Rolex".

Usually, you think of the Date, Datejust and the Air King - it's not unlike the Model T, you can have any color you want, as long as it's black!  Not so -

A wonderfully vibrant blue Air King has already caught Wendy's eye.

But let your imagination go further - a wonderful yellow date, and a beguiling orange/tangerine colored Air King.

And a pistachio green Date.

Now in fairness, I'm sure that many of you have seen these on Ebay, or some online watch sellers.  But I'd never seen one up-close and personal.  They are really wonderfully done, and the results are better than the average "re-dial".  The original watches are taken apart, serviced, and the dials are sent off to something of a spa treatment.  In the words of 33 Jewels:

"Unique Custom Colored Dial Vintage Rolex Luxury Watches from the 1960s and 1970s.  Built to last more than a lifetime.

These one-of-a-kind vintage Rolex watches with custom colored dials are serviced by an expert watchmaker and beautifully restored to the highest level.

The original dial is carefully painted or metal plated, lacquer coated and has the markers reapplied, luminescence reapplied, along with the application of silver indexes and silver 'batoon' hands."

What is particularly nice is that these updated Rolex's are backed by a 1-year warranty.

If you're in Santa Barbara, check them out!