The Artisans de Genève La Barrichello project transforms a stainless-steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 into a deeply personal expression of motorsport engineering.
Created for Brazilian Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello, the watch features an extensively skeletonized calibre 4130, an asymmetrical openworked dial, a specially manufactured ceramic tachymeter bezel and a 21-carat gold winding rotor inspired by the mechanical forms of a racing car.
The project was completed by a bespoke black-and-red vulcanized rubber strap developed in Switzerland by Rubber B specifically for the personalized Daytona.
The strap was not selected from a conventional product catalogue after the watch was completed. It was conceived as part of the project, continuing the same black, grey, white and red visual language established by the dial, bezel, movement and chronograph hands.
La Barrichello was independently personalized by Artisans de Genève at the request of its owner. Artisans de Genève and Rubber B are independent companies and are not affiliated with, sponsored by, authorized by or endorsed by Rolex SA.
Quick Answer: What Is La Barrichello?
La Barrichello is an independently personalized Rolex Daytona reference 116520 created by Artisans de Genève for former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello.
The project includes a hand-skeletonized Rolex calibre 4130, an openworked black dial, a custom ceramic bezel, black ADLC-treated pushers and crown, a sapphire display back and a 21-carat gold openworked rotor.
Rubber B developed a dedicated black-and-red Swiss-Made rubber strap specifically for the project. Contemporary descriptions of the commission state that the strap was required to be durable, flexible and timeless while reflecting Barrichello’s preferred racing colors.
La Barrichello Specifications
| Feature | Artisans de Genève La Barrichello |
| Original watch | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona |
| Base reference | 116520 |
| Case diameter | 40 mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Asymmetrical hand-skeletonized dial |
| Bezel | Custom black ceramic tachymeter bezel |
| Crown and pushers | Black ADLC treatment |
| Movement | Modified self-winding Rolex calibre 4130 |
| Rotor | Openworked 21-carat gold with black ADLC treatment |
| Movement finishing | Skeletonized, beveled and refinished by hand |
| Frequency | 28,800 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | Approximately 72 hours |
| Water resistance | 100 metres |
| Case back | Transparent sapphire |
| Strap | Bespoke black-and-red Rubber B strap |
| Estimated personalization work | Approximately 260 hours |
Published technical coverage consistently identifies the original project as a 40 mm steel Daytona 116520 retaining its automatic calibre 4130, approximately 72-hour power reserve and 100-metre water-resistance rating after modification.
Rubens Barrichello and the Daytona
Rubens Barrichello competed in Formula 1 across 19 seasons, recording 11 Grand Prix victories and 68 podium finishes. His career included prominent periods with Ferrari, Honda, Brawn GP and Williams.
The Cosmograph Daytona was a natural foundation for his personal watch project.
Rolex developed the Daytona around the requirements of professional motor racing, equipping the chronograph with a tachymeter scale for calculating average speed. For Barrichello, however, the connection to racing needed to extend beyond the name and bezel.
He wanted the watch to resemble high-performance machinery.
The finished personalization therefore exposes its movement, changes the conventional dial architecture and introduces components inspired directly by racing-car engineering.
Barrichello described the result as possessing the unique movement, shapes, curves and mechanical character of an individual Formula 1 car. Artisans de Genève continues to present his testimonial as part of its official personalization archive.
The Rolex Daytona 116520 as the Foundation
The original La Barrichello began as a stainless-steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520.
Introduced in 2000, the 116520 represented an important generation in the history of the Daytona because it was the first production reference powered by Rolex’s in-house calibre 4130.
Its original specifications included:
- A 40 mm stainless-steel Oyster case
- A steel tachymeter bezel
- Screw-down chronograph pushers
- An Oyster bracelet
- A self-winding chronograph movement
- Approximately 72 hours of power reserve
- Water resistance to 100 metres
The 116520 was replaced in 2016 by the Daytona reference 116500LN, which introduced a factory ceramic bezel.
For La Barrichello, Artisans de Genève did not simply make the steel 116520 resemble the later ceramic reference. Its custom bezel, open dial, case finishing and exposed movement created a substantially different watch.
A Daytona Reimagined Through Motorsport
The primary objective was to give the Daytona the mechanical character of a racing car.
Rather than conceal the calibre beneath a conventional dial, Artisans de Genève opened the watch and made the movement part of the exterior design.
The result combines several motorsport references:
- An openworked movement recalling exposed automotive engineering
- A rotor shaped in the spirit of a racing wheel
- Red and white chronograph details
- Black ADLC-treated controls
- A tachymeter scale extending to 500
- A bespoke black-and-red Rubber B strap
- Brushed and matte surfaces resembling functional competition equipment
The watch remains recognizable as a Daytona, but almost every visible component has been reconsidered.
The Skeletonized Calibre 4130
The most technically significant part of La Barrichello is the transformation of Rolex calibre 4130.
Artisans de Genève completely disassembled the movement before selecting bridges and components to be opened, reshaped, beveled and refinished.
Skeletonization requires material to be removed without compromising the stability or operation of the calibre. The remaining structures must support the gear train, chronograph mechanism, barrel and regulating components while creating a visually coherent arrangement.
In La Barrichello, the openworked construction reveals elements normally hidden beneath the dial, including parts of the mainspring barrel and chronograph works.
Hand-Beveled Bridges
The bridges were finished with pronounced straight lines and hand-executed bevels.
Artisans de Genève worked with specialist Philippe Narbel on the interior angles. These sharp internal bevels are particularly demanding because they cannot be completed entirely by automated machinery.
Every transition must be formed and polished while preserving a precise meeting point between adjacent surfaces.
The angular execution helps give the movement the appearance of an engineered automotive component rather than a traditionally decorated dress-watch calibre.
Approximately 260 Hours of Work
Contemporary reports state that approximately 260 hours were required to complete the personalization.
That figure included:
- Movement disassembly
- Skeletonization
- Hand beveling
- Component refinishing
- Dial modification
- Rotor manufacturing
- Case refinishing
- Bezel production
- Crown and pusher treatment
- Reassembly and testing
The time should be understood as applying to the complete personalization rather than only the openworking of the movement.
The 21-Carat Gold Rotor
Although much of the movement appears monochromatic, one of its principal components is made from 21-carat gold.
Artisans de Genève manufactured a new openworked automatic rotor inspired by the shape of the wheel or hub design associated with Barrichello’s race car.
The rotor was:
- Manufactured from 21-carat gold
- Machined into an openworked form
- Beveled by hand
- Finished with a black ADLC coating
The dark treatment conceals the conventional appearance of gold while preserving the material’s weight, which is useful for an automatic winding mass.
Through the sapphire case back, the rotor appears as a moving mechanical element that directly links the movement to the automotive inspiration of the project.
The Openworked Asymmetrical Dial
La Barrichello does not retain the standard dial of the Daytona 116520.
The conventional surface was replaced by a heavily openworked structure that leaves the movement visible beneath the chronograph indications.
Only the essential chapter rings and counters remain.
The dial includes:
- An enlarged 12-hour counter
- Black subdial rings
- Red and white chronograph indications
- An asymmetrical layout
- A redesigned peripheral flange
- Individual luminous hour markers
- Reworked and hand-painted hands
The enlarged 12-hour register disrupts the traditional symmetry of the Daytona. This creates a more technical composition that recalls the unequal arrangement of gauges within a competition car.
The matte black treatment also helps the exposed metal components remain visible without introducing excessive reflection.
Red, White and Black Chronograph Details
Color is used sparingly throughout La Barrichello.
The watch is primarily defined by steel, black surfaces and the exposed silver-toned movement. Red and white details are then used to identify key chronograph functions.
The 12-hour counter is particularly prominent, while the other registers use more restrained black-and-white indications.
The chronograph hands have an arrow-shaped design with red and white finishing, and the seconds-counter markings were also treated with red.
These details are repeated by the red inscription on the ceramic bezel and the central accent of the Rubber B strap.
The effect is controlled rather than decorative. Each color serves to connect the separate components of the watch.
The Custom Ceramic Tachymeter Bezel
The steel bezel of the original Daytona 116520 was replaced by a black ceramic bezel created for the project.
Although it resembles the ceramic bezel used on the later Daytona 116500LN, it has distinct markings.
The La Barrichello scale extends to 500, compared with the 400-unit maximum used by the contemporary factory ceramic Daytona. It also carries a red tachymeter inscription that reinforces the project’s racing identity.
The bezel changes the appearance of the watch in two ways.
First, the black ceramic frame creates a strong boundary around the skeletonized dial.
Second, the red tachymeter text establishes the color that continues through the counters, hands and custom strap.
Black ADLC Crown and Chronograph Pushers
The screw-down winding crown and chronograph pushers were treated with black amorphous diamond-like carbon, commonly described as ADLC.
This dark treatment distinguishes the controls from the stainless-steel case and gives the right side of the watch a more technical appearance.
The original Daytona alternates polished and brushed surfaces. For La Barrichello, the case was refinished with a more uniformly matte and brushed character, while the black crown and pushers add contrast.
The combination resembles the functional finishes used on components designed to limit glare and withstand repeated handling.
A Sapphire Case Back
A standard Daytona 116520 has a closed metal case back.
Artisans de Genève replaced it with a sapphire display back, allowing the reworked calibre 4130 and custom gold rotor to be viewed directly.
Without this modification, much of the movement finishing would remain hidden.
The sapphire back transforms the rotor from an internal mechanical component into one of the defining visual features of the watch.
Despite the modifications, contemporary specifications state that La Barrichello retained water resistance to 100 metres.
The Bespoke Rubber B Strap
The Rubber B strap is central to the identity of La Barrichello.
It was developed specifically for the project in black and red—the same colors used throughout the dial and ceramic bezel.
Contemporary coverage of the commission states that Artisans de Genève worked directly with Rubber B because the strap needed to satisfy three requirements:
- Resistance
- Flexibility
- Timeless design
The strap was manufactured in Switzerland from black-and-red rubber to complement Barrichello’s requested color scheme.
Not a Generic Daytona Strap
The La Barrichello strap should not be described simply as an aftermarket alternative added to the watch.
Rubber B’s collaboration archive identifies The Rubens Barrichello as a dedicated project alongside the Transparent Zinal, Spike Lee, Armstrong and Arolla collaborations.
The strap was developed around the design of this particular personalization.
Its black outer construction continues the ceramic bezel and ADLC-treated controls. The narrow red center detail connects directly with:
- The tachymeter inscription
- The chronograph hands
- The counter markings
- The motorsport theme
The strap therefore performs both a technical and visual function.
A Strap Built Around the Watch
The black-and-red execution creates an integrated transition from the case to the wrist.
A conventional solid-black strap would have preserved the technical character but lost the connection with the red details of the dial.
A brighter red strap would have competed with the openworked movement.
The selected design limits the red to a narrow center accent, maintaining the monochromatic character while allowing the racing color to continue beyond the case.
The result is one of the most recognizable bespoke Rubber B collaborations.
Rubber B and Artisans de Genève
La Barrichello forms part of a larger creative relationship between Rubber B and Artisans de Genève.
Rubber B has developed special straps for independently personalized watches including:
- The Rubens Barrichello project
- The Transparent Zinal
- The Spike Lee project
- The Armstrong project
- The Arolla project
Rubber B’s role varies according to each commission. The strap is designed around the case, materials, colors and narrative established for the individual watch rather than selected as a universal accessory.
For La Barrichello, the principal requirement was to translate the visual codes of Formula 1 into a strap that remained refined enough for a personalized Daytona.
Bracelet or Rubber Strap?
La Barrichello has been photographed on both a refinished Oyster bracelet and the custom Rubber B strap.
Each configuration creates a different interpretation.
On the Oyster Bracelet
The steel bracelet:
- Preserves more of the original Daytona architecture
- Matches the stainless-steel case
- Gives the watch greater visual weight
- Connects it to the original reference 116520
On the Rubber B Strap
The custom rubber strap:
- Reinforces the black ceramic and ADLC components
- Continues the red racing accents
- Places greater emphasis on the openworked dial
- Creates a more technical motorsport presentation
- Visually separates the personalized watch from a standard steel Daytona
The Rubber B configuration communicates the purpose of the project more clearly because the strap participates directly in the color and material concept.
Original Steel Project vs. Rose-Gold Barrichello Version
Search results and published images can create confusion because Artisans de Genève later produced a related rose-gold Barrichello execution.
The original article discussed here concerns:
Rolex Daytona reference 116520
- Stainless-steel case
- Predominantly black, grey, white and red palette
- Black-and-red Rubber B strap
A later interpretation used:
Rolex Daytona reference 116505
- Everose-gold case
- Gold and black movement details
- Related skeletonized architecture
- Black-and-amber Rubber B strap
The watches share the Barrichello design language but are based on different Daytona references.
This article should remain focused on the original steel 116520-based La Barrichello to avoid combining specifications from the two executions.
Is La Barrichello an Official Rolex Model?
No.
La Barrichello began as an authentic Rolex Daytona reference 116520 owned by the client. The personalization was carried out independently by Artisans de Genève.
Rolex SA did not design, authorize, manufacture or approve the modified watch.
Artisans de Genève describes itself as an independent workshop that personalizes watches at the request of their owners for private use. It does not represent the projects as official models from the original manufacturers.
The watch should therefore be described as:
An independently personalized Rolex Daytona 116520 by Artisans de Genève.
It should not be called an official Rolex collaboration, factory Rolex edition or Rolex-produced limited edition.
Is the La Barrichello Strap Available Separately?
The black-and-red strap was developed specifically for the Barrichello project.
It should not be presented as a regular-production strap available for every Daytona owner.
Rubber B does manufacture Swiss-Made integrated vulcanized rubber straps for compatible Rolex Daytona references, including production black-and-red configurations for selected models. Those products must be selected according to the exact watch reference, bezel generation and clasp system.
A standard-production Rubber B Daytona strap may share visual elements with the Barrichello design, but it should not be described as the original bespoke collaboration strap.
Why La Barrichello Remains Important
La Barrichello was introduced during a period in which independent personalization workshops were changing the way collectors viewed established luxury watches.
The project demonstrated that customization could extend beyond a new dial color or surface coating.
It involved:
- Reconstructing movement components
- Opening and finishing the calibre by hand
- Manufacturing a new gold rotor
- Creating a new dial architecture
- Replacing the bezel
- Refinishing the case
- Developing a reference-specific strap
- Preserving the watch’s chronograph performance and water resistance
The result is not subtle, but it is coherent.
Every major component connects to the same idea: translating the materials, instruments and colors of motorsport into a mechanical chronograph.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Artisans de Genève La Barrichello?
La Barrichello is an independently personalized Rolex Daytona reference 116520 created for Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello. It features a skeletonized calibre 4130, custom ceramic bezel, sapphire case back and bespoke Rubber B strap.
Which Rolex Daytona was used?
The original steel project was based on the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 with a 40 mm stainless-steel case.
Is the movement still automatic?
Yes. The La Barrichello calibre 4130 remains self-winding and uses a custom 21-carat gold automatic rotor finished in black ADLC.
How long is the power reserve?
Published specifications list approximately 72 hours of power reserve.
How much work was required?
Artisans de Genève reported approximately 260 hours of work for the complete personalization.
What is the rotor made from?
The custom openworked rotor was manufactured from 21-carat gold, beveled by hand and treated with black ADLC.
Who made the strap?
Rubber B developed and manufactured the custom black-and-red rubber strap in Switzerland for the Barrichello project.
Was the strap made specifically for this watch?
Yes. The strap was developed around the design requirements of La Barrichello and is recognized in Rubber B’s official collaboration archive.
Is the custom strap VulChromatic®?
The strap uses a black-and-red construction, but available historical sources do not consistently identify the original bespoke strap by a specific current-production Rubber B technology name. It is therefore safest to describe it as a custom black-and-red Rubber B strap.
Is the bezel an original Rolex ceramic bezel?
No. The original 116520 had a steel bezel. Artisans de Genève produced a custom ceramic bezel for the personalization.
Is La Barrichello water-resistant?
Published specifications state that the personalized watch retained water resistance to 100 metres.
Is it an official Rolex collaboration?
No. The personalization was completed independently and was not authorized or approved by Rolex SA.
Is there a gold version?
Yes. A later related project was based on the rose-gold Daytona reference 116505 and used a black-and-amber Rubber B strap.
Final Assessment
The Artisans de Genève La Barrichello is more than a skeletonized Daytona.
Its importance lies in the consistency of its execution.
The calibre 4130 was disassembled, opened and finished to reveal its chronograph architecture. The gold rotor introduced a moving component inspired by racing machinery. The asymmetrical dial, ceramic bezel, black controls and red chronograph details translated the visual language of Formula 1 into the 40 mm Daytona case.
Rubber B completed that composition with a strap created specifically for the watch.
Its black construction preserves the technical, monochromatic character of the project. Its narrow red accent continues the colors of the bezel and counters without overwhelming the exposed movement.
The strap does not merely hold La Barrichello on the wrist. It connects the personalized case, dial and movement to the complete design.
That relationship makes La Barrichello one of the most significant collaborations in Rubber B’s history: a Daytona personalization in which the strap was not an addition, but an essential part of the original vision.
La Barrichello was independently personalized by Artisans de Genève at the request of its owner. Artisans de Genève and Rubber B are independent companies and are not affiliated with, sponsored by, authorized by or endorsed by Rolex SA. Rolex, Cosmograph Daytona and related trademarks are the property of Rolex SA. Rubens Barrichello did not authorize or sponsor this editorial article.
Follow Us on Instagram
