VIRAT KOHLI
ONE OF THE BEST CRICKET BATSMEN IN HISTORY, ASKED SKELETON CONCEPT TO DESIGN A UNIQUE TIMEPIECE.
Born in 1988, the international Indian cricketer and former captain of the India National Cricket team plays as a right-handed batsman in the Indian Premier League. Virat Kohli is considered one of the best batsmen of his era and definitely one of the best batsmen in the history of the sport. As the captain of the India national cricket team, he won – to this day- 40 matches out of 68, making him one of the most successful Indian Test captains.
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
THE VIRAT KOHLI CONCEPT
We were delighted to have been contacted by Virat Kohli last year. He asked us to customize a Rolex Daytona 116520 and turn it into a unique timepiece. The famous Cricket batsmen wanted a unique design, one that would surpass “anything he has seen before”. The color Navy blue resonated with him and his only request was that the timepiece would wear this color and be highlighted with 24k Gold on the screws as well as the numbers 1 and 8 on the dial of the watch. And thus… the year long creation process of the Virat Kohli Concept started.
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
A TRUE CHALLENGE FOR OUR MASTER WATCHMAKERS ~ AN ARTISANAL WONDER
With this new customization concept, our master watchmakers and craftsmen aimed to illustrate the harmonious balance between what might initially appear as irreconcilable “opposites.” – whether it was the combination of vintage design codes with extremely modern cuts and shapes of the movement; or the ancient know-how of horology with the best of what technology has to offer today. All this without compromising the superiority of Skeleton Concept’s craftsmanship and the elegance that the timepiece exudes with.
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
A TEXTURED MOVEMENT WITH EXTREME ATTENTION TO THE SMALLEST DETAILS
The Virat Kohli Concept has quite a few particularities. First, the bezel: made of Titanium, it is micro-sanded in color black to add a textured feel to it. The bezel is completed with a customized “C”-shaped sapphire dial, which required the most meticulous laser work from our specialist in sapphire gem-cutter. The rendering is extremely graceful and has required arduous attention to make sure no micro splinters known in our profession as “sour marks” would hinder the precise transparency of the dial.
The movement of the timepiece is bicolor, with a dominant “Bleu Horloger” corresponding to the navy blue Kohli desired, as well as a 45° handmade bevelling in a sumptuous steel gray. The cut of the movement was scrupulously designed and cut out to maximize the transparency of the Skeleton of the timepiece. To add more sensation to this new concept, the master watchmakers have decided to texture even the smallest mechanical components of the movement such as the wheel bridge. In the same breath, they chose to have the rich blue highlighted with 24k gold tainted on the crown and the balance wheels, as well as the screws of the movement. In terms of artisan craftsmanship, it is this extreme attention to details that prevailed and added so much sophistication and refinement to this personalized timepiece.
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
THE VIRAT KOHLI CONCEPT, AN ENGINEERING WONDER THAT DEFIES THE LIMITS OF HAUTE HOROLOGY
This timepiece contains the best of each of the watchmaking adjacent professions. We have asked the best team of goldsmiths to create a positive engraving of Virat Kohli’s name on the textured bezel as well as on the numbers and markers. The positive engravings add noticeable contrast to the black sanded bezel. The result is stunningly beautiful to see with our eyes and feel under the tips of our fingers.
The hands of the original watch were purposely replaced by Skeleton Concept. Instead, custom-made white hands highlighted with navy blue were crafted to match harmoniously the underlying movement.”
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
THE VINTAGE CODES AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN SEAMLESS HARMONY
The case was also modified to embrace the vintage codes of the Daytona. Our team of master watchmakers have worked tirelessly to ablate the crown guards. They have hand brushed the caseback and polished the lugs to create this “mirror-polish” effect for maximum luxury. For the final touch, they asked the goldsmiths to do one last positive engraving of Virat Kohli’s name, this time as a signature stamp on the side of the case. The game of contrast on the steel is at his summum. Skeleton Concept has pushed the limits of the expertise of its master watchmakers to the extreme. The timepiece comes with a second blue rubber strap to fully match the movement.
This concept is the quintessence of artisanal and ancient savoir-faire, with the best of what technology has to offer to the world of Haute Horology nowadays. This is a unique timepiece, a true engineering prowess.
Word of Virat Kohli
“This customization is a true mastery. I couldn’t hope for a more captivating timepiece. My concept is harmonious and the attention to details is something I have never seen before on such a tiny object. Skeleton Concept is part of the very restricted list of Haute horology brands capable of this level of precision. I am sure the Virat Kohli Concept will be hard to match – I couldn’t be more proud to sign my name on it.”
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
Specifications
MODEL CASE
40 mm, Oyster steel
OYSTER ARCHITECTURE
One-piece case middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown
DIAMETER
40 mm
MATERIAL
Oyster steel and 24k gold
BEZEL
Fixed, with Titanium, engraved tachymetric scale.
WINDING CROWN
Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system
CRYSTAL
Scratch-resistant sapphire
DIAL
Sapphire
WATER RESISTANCE
Waterproof up to 100 metres / 330 feet
MOVEMENT
Perpetual, mechanical chronograph, self-winding
CALIBER
4130, Manufacture Rolex
PRECISION
-2/+2 sec/day, after casing
FUNCTIONS
Centre hour, minute and seconds hands, small seconds hand at 6 o’clock.
Second time zone with independent rapid-setting of the hour hand.
Chronograph (centre hand) accurate to within 1/8 of a second, 30-minute counter.
at 3 o’clock and 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock. .
Stop seconds for precise time setting..
OSCILLATOR
Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring.
WINDING
Bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
POWER RESERVE
Approximately 72 hours
BRACELET
Oyster steel with flat three-piece links
BRACELET MATERIAL
Oystersteel
CLASP
Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with
Skeleton Concept is a handcraft atelier that specializes in watch customization.
They neither manufacture and/or sell timepieces. Skeleton Concept is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Rolex SA or any of its subsidiaries. The personalization of the watches are carried out meticulously while staying true to the essence of the original brand manufacturers.
Skeleton Concept personalizes the authentic timepieces entrusted by its customers, by revealing and sublimating their horological skeleton – principaly their case as well as the movement that composes them. This exclusive creative work is the result of the know-how of its craftsmen and master watchmakers, which is carried out in accordance with the essence of the manufacturers of the original brand.
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