Spike Lee made history in 2021 as the first Black filmmaker appointed President of the Feature Film Jury at the Festival de Cannes.

For the 74th edition of the festival, the New York filmmaker arrived on the Croisette wearing a watch as distinctive as his cinema and personal style: the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton, an independently personalized Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 created by Artisans de Genève.

The watch combined a blue openworked dial, a skeletonized rose-gold-finished movement, orange chronograph details and a bespoke orange vulcanized rubber strap developed by Rubber B with a Velcro® fastening system.

The strap was not selected from a standard production collection. It was created specifically for Spike Lee’s personalized Daytona, extending the colors of Brooklyn, New York City and the New York Knicks from the watch case to the wrist.

The Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton was independently personalized for private use. Artisans de Genève and Rubber B are independent companies and are not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by or endorsed by Rolex SA.

Quick Answer: What Watch Did Spike Lee Wear at Cannes in 2021?

Spike Lee wore a customized Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Known as the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton, the watch was personalized by Artisans de Genève with:

• A fully skeletonized Rolex calibre 4130
• A rose-gold movement treatment
• A blue ceramic tachymeter bezel
• A blue openworked dial
• Orange chronograph accents
• A blue openworked rotor marked “BKLYN”
• A sapphire display case back
• A bespoke orange Rubber B strap with a Velcro® fastening system

The unique project commemorated Lee’s appointment as President of the Jury for the 74th Festival de Cannes.

Spike Lee’s Cannes 2021 Watch at a Glance

Feature	Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton
Original watch	Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
Base reference	116520
Case diameter	40 mm
Case material	Stainless steel
Bezel	Custom blue ceramic tachymeter bezel
Dial	Blue openworked chronograph dial
Movement	Modified Rolex calibre 4130
Winding	Automatic
Movement finish	Skeletonized, hand-finished and rose-gold treated
Rotor	Openworked blue tungsten rotor with “BKLYN” signature
Case back	Sapphire display back
Water resistance	Reported at 100 metres
Bracelet option	Refinished Oyster bracelet
Rubber strap	Bespoke orange Rubber B vulcanized rubber strap
Closure	Velcro® fastening system
Project type	Unique private personalization

Spike Lee as President of the 2021 Cannes Jury

The Festival de Cannes selected Spike Lee as President of the Jury for its 74th edition, held from July 6 through July 17, 2021.

Lee had originally been selected to lead the 2020 jury, but that edition did not proceed in its traditional form because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cannes renewed the appointment for 2021, making him the first Black person to preside over the festival’s principal competition jury.

The nine-member jury included:

• Spike Lee, President
• Mati Diop
• Mylène Farmer
• Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Jessica Hausner
• Mélanie Laurent
• Kleber Mendonça Filho
• Tahar Rahim
• Song Kang-ho

The jury awarded the Palme d’Or to Julia Ducournau’s Titane.

For Lee, the appointment represented another chapter in a long relationship with Cannes. His films had appeared repeatedly at the festival, and BlacKkKlansman received the Grand Prix in 2018.

Why the Appointment Was Historically Important

The Festival de Cannes has long served as one of international cinema’s most influential platforms.

Lee’s role placed a Black American filmmaker at the head of its main competition jury for the first time. The appointment recognized his influence on modern cinema and his sustained examination of race, politics, identity and urban life.

The milestone also gave the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton greater significance.

The watch was not created for an ordinary premiere or public appearance. It accompanied Lee during one of the most important professional achievements of his career.

The Cool Hand Brooklyn Story

The Cool Hand Brooklyn concept began several years before the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2017, Spike Lee worked with Artisans de Genève on an earlier Daytona personalization inspired by three defining influences:

• Brooklyn
• The New York Knicks
• Paul Newman and the film Cool Hand Luke

The original project used New York’s orange-and-blue palette and incorporated the name “Brooklyn” into the design.

For Cannes 2021, the concept was developed further.

The second interpretation retained the orange-and-blue identity while introducing a completely openworked dial and skeletonized calibre 4130. The new execution became known as the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton.

The Meaning Behind the Name

“Cool Hand Brooklyn” combines two important cultural references.

The first is Cool Hand Luke, the 1967 film starring Paul Newman. Newman was closely associated with the Rolex Daytona, and vintage Daytona watches linked with him became some of the most celebrated chronographs in watch-collecting history.

The second is Brooklyn, the borough central to Spike Lee’s identity and filmmaking.

Lee’s production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, is based in Brooklyn. Films including Do the Right Thing, She’s Gotta Have It and Crooklyn are also deeply connected with the borough.

The watch therefore combines cinema, New York and horology within one personalized design.

The Rolex Daytona 116520 Foundation

The Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton began as a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520.

Introduced in 2000, the reference 116520 was the first production Daytona powered by Rolex’s in-house calibre 4130.

Its original configuration included:

• A 40 mm stainless-steel Oyster case
• A stainless-steel tachymeter bezel
• A three-register chronograph dial
• Screw-down chronograph pushers
• A screw-down winding crown
• An Oyster bracelet
• A closed steel case back
• An automatic chronograph movement
• Approximately 72 hours of power reserve
• Water resistance to 100 metres

Very little of the standard watch’s visual character remained unchanged in the Cannes personalization.

Artisans de Genève introduced a ceramic bezel, skeletonized dial and movement, new hands, new case treatments, a display back and a bespoke Rubber B strap.

A Fully Skeletonized Calibre 4130

The principal technical feature of the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton is its extensively modified Rolex calibre 4130.

Artisans de Genève dismantled the movement before opening and refinishing its bridges and components.

The movement was:

• Skeletonized by hand
• Sandblasted
• Circularly brushed
• Hand-beveled
• Treated with a rose-gold finish
• Reassembled and regulated
• Displayed through a sapphire case back

Unlike some manually wound Artisans de Genève projects, the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton retained its automatic winding system.

The custom rotor therefore became one of the project’s most important visual elements.

The Blue “BKLYN” Rotor

The automatic rotor was recreated in tungsten and finished in blue PVD.

Its openworked center incorporates the letters:

BKLYN

The abbreviation transforms a functional movement component into a direct tribute to Brooklyn.

Rose-gold lettering coordinates with the treatment applied to the movement and the hands visible from the front of the watch.

Through the sapphire case back, the rotor creates a connection between the mechanics of the chronograph and Lee’s personal identity.

The Blue Openworked Dial

The original Daytona dial was replaced by a blue skeletonized structure.

Instead of concealing the movement beneath a solid surface, the openworked construction reveals the rose-gold-finished calibre below it.

The dial includes:

• Blue chronograph-counter rings
• Orange counter accents
• Rose-gold applied hour markers
• Rose-gold Dauphine-style hands
• A larger counter at 6 o’clock
• A peripheral seconds track
• Exposed movement architecture

The combination of blue, orange and rose gold could easily have become visually excessive. The open construction instead distributes the colors across separate functional elements.

Blue provides the principal structure.

Orange marks selected details.

Rose gold creates contrast against the darker dial and bezel.

A Larger Counter at 6 O’Clock

The chronograph counter at 6 o’clock was enlarged compared with the standard Daytona layout.

This breaks the conventional symmetry of the original reference and gives the dial a more contemporary, personalized appearance.

The larger register also creates a focal point beneath the central hands, while the skeletonized spaces around it preserve visibility of the movement.

The Blue Ceramic Tachymeter Bezel

The original stainless-steel bezel of the Daytona 116520 was replaced with a specially manufactured blue ceramic bezel.

The bezel carries a tachymeter scale used to calculate average speed over a measured distance.

Its blue surface coordinates with the dial and rotor, while orange details continue the New York Knicks-inspired color palette.

The ceramic component also creates a stronger frame around the exposed movement than the polished steel bezel of the original watch.

Bitter Orange and Lee Blue

Descriptions of the project refer to its principal colors as Bitter Orange and Lee Blue.

These colors reflect:

• The New York Knicks
• New York City’s traditional orange-and-blue palette
• Lee’s recognizable personal style
• The original Cool Hand Brooklyn project

Orange also appeared throughout Lee’s Cannes wardrobe, including his distinctive eyewear and clothing.

The watch therefore formed part of a larger visual identity rather than appearing as an isolated accessory.

The Bespoke Orange Rubber B Strap

The custom Rubber B strap is one of the defining elements of the Cannes watch.

Created in orange vulcanized rubber, it was developed specifically for the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton and equipped with a Velcro® fastening system.

The strap was not a universal band adapted to the case. It was designed around the architecture and visual identity of the personalized Daytona.

Why Orange Was the Correct Choice

A blue strap would have repeated the dominant color of the bezel and dial.

A black strap would have reduced the connection with the New York Knicks and Lee’s Cannes wardrobe.

The orange Rubber B strap creates deliberate contrast.

Its color connects directly with:

• The dial accents
• The ceramic-bezel details
• Lee’s orange eyewear
• New York Knicks colors
• The original Cool Hand Brooklyn theme

The strap allows the orange accent to move beyond the case and become one of the first elements noticed on the wrist.

Not a Standard Production Strap

The orange strap should be described as a bespoke Rubber B execution created for the personalized watch.

Although Rubber B manufactures production Velcro® Series straps for selected Rolex, Omega and Audemars Piguet models, the Cool Hand Brooklyn configuration was developed specifically for Spike Lee’s project.

A production Rubber B strap may use a related closure system, but it should not be presented as the original Spike Lee collaboration strap.

The Velcro® Fastening System

The Velcro® closure gives the watch a distinctly technical and contemporary profile.

Compared with a conventional steel bracelet or tang buckle, the fastening system allows the strap to wrap continuously around the wrist and places the closure within the design of the rubber itself.

The system contributes to:

• Rapid adjustment
• A secure fit
• Reduced visual interruption
• A lighter sports-watch configuration
• A more unconventional appearance

For a highly personalized skeletonized Daytona, the Velcro® closure is more consistent with the experimental character of the watch than a traditional leather strap would have been.

The Strap as Part of the Original Design

The Rubber B strap was not a secondary addition after the watch had been completed.

The colors, case treatments and strap were conceived as one composition.

The orange rubber:

• Extends the dial color beyond the lugs
• Contrasts with the blue ceramic bezel
• Frames the stainless-steel case
• Connects the watch with Spike Lee’s wardrobe
• Distinguishes the watch from a standard Daytona
• Reinforces the New York Knicks identity

This is the central reason the collaboration matters.

The strap does not merely secure the watch. It completes the visual narrative.

Oyster Bracelet or Rubber B Strap?

The Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton was presented with both a refinished Rolex Oyster bracelet and the custom Rubber B strap.

Each configuration changes the character of the watch.

On the Oyster Bracelet

The steel Oyster bracelet:

• Preserves a stronger relationship with the original Daytona 116520
• Matches the stainless-steel case
• Creates a more traditional luxury-sports profile
• Allows the dial and bezel to provide most of the color

On the Orange Rubber B Strap

The bespoke Rubber B strap:

• Makes the orange-and-blue palette more prominent
• Creates a stronger Knicks connection
• Gives the watch a more individual appearance
• Reinforces the experimental skeletonized design
• Produces a lighter and more technical presentation
• Connects the watch with Lee’s Cannes wardrobe

For the 2021 Cannes appearance, the orange Rubber B configuration communicated the purpose of the project more clearly.

Spike Lee’s Filmmaking Career

Spike Lee is a filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, actor, author and educator whose work helped transform modern Black cinema.

His major films include:

• She’s Gotta Have It
• Do the Right Thing
• Mo’ Better Blues
• Jungle Fever
• Malcolm X
• Inside Man
• BlacKkKlansman
• Da 5 Bloods

Lee received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman. He has also received an honorary Academy Award, BAFTA recognition, Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards and the Cannes Grand Prix.

He is a graduate of Morehouse College and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has also served as a professor and artistic director within NYU’s Graduate Film program.

Cinema, Brooklyn and Personal Style

Lee’s watches frequently reflect the same visual language seen throughout his films and public appearances.

The Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton combines:

• The colors of the Knicks
• The identity of Brooklyn
• A reference to Paul Newman
• The Daytona’s motorsport history
• Contemporary skeletonized watchmaking
• A bespoke Rubber B strap

The project is therefore more personal than a conventional celebrity endorsement.

It translates elements of Lee’s life and creative identity into a mechanical object.

Is the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton an Official Rolex?

No.

The watch began as an authentic Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116520 owned by the client.

The modifications were completed independently by Artisans de Genève. Rolex SA did not design, manufacture, authorize or approve the personalized configuration.

The correct description is:

An independently personalized Rolex Daytona 116520 by Artisans de Genève.

The watch should not be described as an official Rolex collaboration, factory Rolex edition or Rolex-produced limited edition.

Was the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton a Unique Watch?

The 2021 skeletonized execution was presented as a unique piece created according to Spike Lee’s specifications.

It should not be confused with the earlier 2017 Cool Hand Brooklyn project, which was offered as a limited series of personalized watches.

The 2021 watch differs through:

• Its fully skeletonized calibre
• Its openworked blue dial
• Its rose-gold movement treatment
• Its blue “BKLYN” rotor
• Its Cannes connection
• Its bespoke orange Rubber B Velcro® strap

This distinction is important when describing the history of the project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Assessment

Spike Lee’s appointment as President of the Jury at the 2021 Festival de Cannes was a historic moment in international cinema.

The Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton was created to recognize that achievement through a watch deeply connected with Lee’s identity.

Artisans de Genève transformed the Daytona 116520 with a skeletonized calibre 4130, rose-gold finishing, a blue ceramic bezel, an openworked dial and a blue “BKLYN” rotor.

Rubber B completed the project with a bespoke orange vulcanized rubber strap using a Velcro® fastening system.

The strap’s importance extends beyond its color.

It carries the Knicks-inspired orange beyond the dial, creates contrast with the blue bezel and transforms the personalized Daytona into a complete expression of Brooklyn, cinema and Spike Lee’s unmistakable style.

The watch can be worn on its steel Oyster bracelet, but the orange Rubber B strap tells the story more clearly.

It is not simply the attachment beneath the Cool Hand Brooklyn Skeleton. It is one of the elements that defines it.

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.

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