The New Custom Piece: “The Virat Kohli Concept” by Skeleton Concept

Virat Kohli Concept Rolex Daytona

Skeleton Concept, a French Haute Horology atelier that specializes in fine watchmaking and the personalization of exceptional timepieces, releases its new concept made for the champion of Cricket, the Indian batsman Virat Kohli.

The Virat Kohli Concept is an engineering wonder that took 18 months to achieve.

Based on a Rolex® Daytona 116520, this customization took the French atelier 18 months to achieve. And for reasons – they wanted to turn it into a true engineering wonder of cutting-edge technology. From the first designs to the final touches, Skeleton Concept had their master watchmakers work together with the best of horology adjacent professions: a sapphire gem-cutter to laser-cut an immaculate C-shaped dial and a team of Goldsmiths to forge several perfect micro-engravings that add so much texture and personality to the timepiece. The custom-made bezel of the Virat Kohli Concept is exquisite. Made of Titanium, it is black and micro-sanded to add a textured feel to it. The rendering is extremely graceful and the harmony between the materials is stunning to see with the eyes and feel under the tips of the fingers.

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.

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. The case was also modified to embrace the vintage codes of the Daytona while also ablating the crown guards. They have hand brushed the caseback and polished the lugs to create this “mirror-polish” effect for maximum luxury. As per Kohli’s request, the numbers 1 and 8 were highlighted. The timepiece also comes with a second blue rubber strap to fully match the movement.

The timepiece exudes with elegance and sophistication due to the superiority of Skeleton Concept’s craftsmanship.

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.”