A tribute to the French footballer Blaise Matuidi

One of Skeleton Concept masterpiece’s from 2021 is the 40mm stainless steel Rolex GMT Master-II ‘Matuidi Concept’ – a tribute to the French footballer Blaise Matuidi who earlier played for Inter Miami and France national team, with whom he won the World Cup in 2018.

The timepiece features a fully transparent 3D dial with green and black details so the wearer can see its skeletonized movement. The watch is limited to 40 pieces worldwide; all sold out.

Overall Watch Description 

The 34-year-old great soccer player, who was born and raised in France, starred during his tenure with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. Of course, we must not overlook his role in the France national squad, “Les Bleus,” including his World Cup victory in 2018. He is currently a member of David Beckham’s Inter Miami, where he keeps showing off his midfield skills. 

Skeleton Concept has teamed with Blaise Matuidi to create the Matuidi Concept, its newest custom Rolex. Inspired by a Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN, the timepiece has been entirely skeletonized, with the face and movement designed in collaboration with the ex-PSG and Juventus star.

Skeleton Concept is known for adding subtle symbolic elements to their adaptations, and the Matuidi Concept will be no exception. Because Matuidi’s player identity for the majority of his career was 14, they decided to accent the “14” in green on the date section. This special nod had to have had an impact on the FIFA champion.

The company opted to strengthen the piece’s black and green hue palette; the GMT-Master II text on the dial, as well as the GMT indicator, are green vs. a black dial. Likewise, the matte green section ring and wound rotor also serve as a tribute to Matuidi’s workplace, the football pitch. 

The black dial has been changed with a green open-worked dial and newly designed indices that match the case. A Skeleton Concept symbol has been laser engraved in white on the sapphire glass just above the dial. On the bespoke sapphire crystal date disc that has also been made bright, Matuidi’s #14 has been highlighted with a unique green numeral. On the dial edge, a gear train bridge has been skeletonized and provided the same matte green coating as the rotor, date wheel, as well as chapter ring. 

The automated winding mechanism has been redesigned. As a result, it offers the 3186 movements a stronger sense of depth, and luminescent material has been added to the hourly markings, hands, as well as sapphire crystal.

The casing and bracelet have been given a whole matte protective coating rather than alternate cleaned and matte surfaces as they were original. The ceramic bezel, as well as the markers, such as the stock, and the green 24-hour GMT pointer, are all the same as when they left the workshop.

Indeed, Skeleton Concept went “above all expectations” with their newest customizable watch, adhering to their product slogan. Besides, it’s also the first timepiece from the French customization firm to feature its own identity instead of the donor piece.

Price tag: unavailable; the last known price was USD 60,000.00

Photo: Skeleton Concept