The luxury watch world is no stranger to bizarre collaborations, but a project that surfaced in early February 2026 has set a new bar for the “gross-out” factor. A Spanish street-art collective known as Milfshakes (founded by content creator Nil Ojeda) recently went viral for creating a one-of-a-kind Rolex Oyster Perpetual with a dial “hand-painted” by houseflies.
While the high-end watch market usually prizes sterile precision, this piece, titled “Time Flies,” was created using the biological processes – specifically the regurgitation – of thousands of insects.
The science of biological art
The creation process was as meticulous as it was controversial. The collective began by removing the dial from a genuine Rolex and placing it inside a sterile glass chamber. The group put the watch dial in a glass box filled with a swarm of houseflies that were fed sugar water mixed with colourful, plant-based dyes.
Watch the process here:
Because flies digest food by spitting up fluids to dissolve it, they naturally left behind tiny splashes of color on the watch face. Over the course of a few days, this ongoing process created a random, dotted pattern of colors; impossible to recreate by human hands.
The raffle and reactions from the public
Rather than selling the piece to a private collector, the group decided to give it away through a global raffle. Entry required the purchase of a €3 digital screensaver, which acted as a ticket. While the raffle drew in thousands of entries, it also sparked a massive wave of disgust across social media.
On platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), many watch traditionalists called the project “disrespectful” and “sanitarily questionable,” with some users jokingly asking if the watch came with a lifetime supply of disinfectant.
Despite the backlash, the project was a massive success for the collective. Younger collectors and art enthusiasts praised the watch as a clever satire of the luxury industry. One user commented, “this is so weird and brilliant at the same time!” while another user pointed out that in the world of the wealthy, even vomit can become a status symbol if it’s rare enough. The winner of the raffle was announced during the first week of February, walking away with what is now being called the most exclusive “petri dish” in history.