Does a modified Rolex hold its value? Luna Skye is releasing 15 reworked vintage Rolex Datejust 36 watches – the LA-based fine jeweller’s fans include Meghan Markle, Angelina Jolie and Miley Cyrus

Nov 26 , 2023

Luna Skye’s modified Rolexes can cost up to US$21,925. Photo: @lskyejewelry/Instagram

The trend of luxury watch modification goes back to the 1970s, and companies like Bamford Watch Department and Artisans de Genève have defined the market

Luna Skye’s founder and creative director Samantha Conn picked the Rolex Datejust 36 to customise because she grew up seeing her mother wearing one

In California in the early 1970s, Kirk Rich, a third-generation employee at his family’s watch shop, began to make waves in the luxury timepiece industry for his dial modifications. At the time, Rich wasn’t the only person repainting faded dials, or adjusting brand names on Tudors or Rolexes per customer whims, or swapping out indicators to create the “California style” featuring both Arabic and Roman numerals. But his name passed to dealers around the country and inspired generations of third-party watchmakers.

Since then – and even though modifying a wristwatch can disrupt its resale value – watch customisation has grown into a collectors’ market of its own, led by names underscored with defined aesthetics, such as Bamford Watch Department and Artisans de Genève.

Fine jewellery brand Luna Skye releasing 15 reworked vintage Rolexes. Photo: @lskyejewelry/Instagram

Joining the California modification heritage forged by Rich, Los Angeles-based fine jewellery brand Luna Skye is set to release a 15-piece reworked vintage Rolex capsule collection, comprising five units of three different styles. The foundation for all 15 watches is a two-tone Rolex Datejust 36 on a jubilee bracelet – 10 feature fluted bezels, five are domed. Each yellow gold and steel watch was sourced by an expert dealer in Los Angeles and carefully restored before the customisation work.

“The two-tone Datejust 36 is the perfect embodiment of the classic Rolex and, personally, I grew up watching my mum wear hers all the time,” says Samantha Conn, Luna Skye’s founder and creative director. “It’s something that I had a really strong personal tie to. I wanted to start with that.”

Conn started Luna Skye in 2013 as a brand for fine jewellery staples – items that could be worn frequently (or even every day), through every season. Her intention was to build collections of pieces that avoided jewellery trends, and that paired well. Fans of her jewellery releases already include Meghan Markle (who wore the brand’s graduated three-prong diamond choker to a charity event in New York), Angelina Jolie and Miley Cyrus.

Luna Skye’s reimagined Rolexes don’t depart far from the original. Photo: @lskyejewelry/Instagram

Conn was always intrigued by watches as a means of creative expression, but intimidated by the market. In early 2023, inspiration for a vintage watch reimagining struck. “When designing these watches, the difference was that instead of coming up with something that was just true to us and our creative vision as a brand, we tried to tie it back to the bones of the Rolex design,” she says.

“There are so many reimagined Rolex watches out there that take away from the beauty of the design that the brand is known for. I wanted to make sure that we kept the integrity of and respect for the classic design while adding my own personal touches,” Conn adds.