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Football manager Andrea Pirlo spotted wearing Artisans De Genève

When Andrea Pirlo stepped into the spotlight as Juventus's newly appointed manager in the summer of 2020, it was not only his tactical credentials that drew attention. On his wrist sat a bespoke Rolex Submariner heavily reworked by Geneva independent atelier Artisans De Genève — arguably the most technically ambitious personalisation a Submariner can receive short of replacing the movement altogether.

The watch is built on a standard Rolex Submariner platform but subjected to Artisans De Genève's signature skeletonisation process applied to the calibre 3130 automatic movement. The atelier removes material from the mainplate and bridges through CNC machining and hand-bevelling, exposing the gear train, escapement, and free-sprung Microstella balance wheel. Every edge is then chamfered and mirror-polished by hand — a technique borrowed from haute horlogerie and rarely seen on sport-watch calibres. The result is a movement that rivals many manufactures costing five times the price in terms of visual finish quality.

The dial is fully openworked, allowing an unobstructed view through to the decorated movement. A carbon fibre insert replaces the standard ceramic Cerachrom bezel inlay, adding a motorsport-adjacent material that resonates with Pirlo's known aesthetic preferences. Rose-gold-tinted bridges contrast against the anthracite tones of the skeletonised plate, creating a palette that is simultaneously restrained and technically theatrical. The Oyster case and Oyster bracelet retain their original Rolex dimensions and water resistance credentials to the extent permitted by the custom dial opening.

Artisans De Genève commissions of this nature are fully bespoke and not catalogued; each piece is a single-unit project negotiated directly between the client and the atelier's designers. This means no two Pirlo-commissioned pieces are alike, and the watch carries a cultural provenance that no retail purchase can replicate. The atelier has worked with other high-profile clients across football, Formula 1, and music, but personalised builds co-designed by the client themselves are the rarest tier of their output.

From a market perspective, Artisans De Genève bespoke commissions are priced case-by-case and rarely appear on the secondary market. When they do, they command a significant premium over the donor Rolex value, driven by the labour involved and the celebrity provenance. For collectors, this piece represents the intersection of Swiss independent watchmaking craft and sporting cultural identity — a combination that ages well in both auction rooms and horology discourse.