Maserati returns to the field at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Modena, February 2023 – The time has come for a new meet on clay in the Principality of Monaco, where the biggest names in world tennis will be coming together with the House of the Trident’s most elegant and iconic models. For the second year running, Maserati is taking to the courts at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, as the tournament’s main sponsor and official car.
Maserati is combining its values of style, competitiveness and sporting passion with an event that for over a century – in the magnificent setting of the Principality of Monaco – has brought together the quintessence of all things unique, from performance to the most refined luxury.

Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. Roaring in California

Competitive impetus has always been a major factor in the soul of Maserati, the ideal ally when it comes to the highest levels in the world of sport. It is perfect to represent the timeless appeal of one of the most enthralling disciplines, which shares the same values of excellence, tenacity and dedication with the Italian brand.

The renewal of the winning partnership between Maserati and the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will result in the opportunity to write a new chapter of love for sport, for an international audience. A recurring feature of the Trident’s narrative, its cars at the forefront of design and technology will star on the roads of the Principality – as impeccable ambassadors of one of the most exclusive events in the world – to epitomise the DNA of the Modena-based manufacturer.

Maserati MC20 Cielo

The first European event in the ATP Tour Masters 1000 series will enliven the stands from 8 to 16 April, when the biggest names in the tennis firmament will be ready to compete for one of the most coveted titles in the season. Throughout the tournament, the players and guests will be travelling aboard the Maserati fleet, to take part in style, even off the court.

Maserati S.p.A.
Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars, immediately recognisable for their extraordinary personality. Thanks to their style, technology and innately exclusive character, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and have always been a benchmark for the global automotive industry. A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance and safety, currently available in more than seventy markets internationally. The ambassadors of this heritage are the Quattroporte flagship, the Ghibli sports sedan and the Levante – the first SUV made by Maserati, all models characterised by the use of the highest quality materials and excellent technical solutions. The Ghibli and Levante are now also available in hybrid versions and are the first electrified cars from the Trident brand. A complete range, equipped with 4-cylinder hybrid V6 and V8 petrol engines, with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive. The Trofeo Collection, comprising Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante, equipped with the powerful 580- hp V8 engine, embodies the performance DNA of the Trident brand. The top of the range is the MC20 super sports car, powered by the ground-breaking Nettuno V6 engine, incorporating F1-derived technologies available in the power unit of a standard production car for the first time.

Skeleton Concept reimagines the Rolex GMT-Master II Batman for Paris Saint-Germain footballer Presnel Kimpembe

PRESNEL KIMPEMBE

Presnel Kimpembe was born on August 13, 1995 in France, to a Congolese father and Haitian mother. Named after his maternal grandfather, for him the value of family has always been of utmost importance. Passionated with football since a young age, Kimpembe took his first steps in football at the age of 10 years old. He made his professional debut for Paris Saint-Germain in 2014 and participated in the UEFA Champions league for the first time in February 2017. Presnel Kimpembe was born to become a winner: he won his first “French champion” title with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. France and the rest of the world had the pleasure to discover his talent and joviality over the summer of 2018, during which he was crowned World Champion with Didier Deschamps’ french team “les Bleus”. Since then, Kimpembe keeps playing for PSG as a centre-back with the club’s emblem bolted to his heart.

THE KIMPEMBE CONCEPT

When we first met with Presnel Kimpembe, we discovered a very passionate and creative man with a special sense of aesthetics and fashion. It’s not for nothing that Kimpembe began his own streetwear collection in 2020. Once the football player finds an interest in something, he wants to get to the bottom of it, understand and master the subject to its smallest details. That’s also what happened during the process of creating his exclusive Skeleton Concept timepiece.

Never doing things halfway, Kimpembe challenged our watchmakers into skeletonizing his Rolex® GMT-MASTER II “Batman”. A real technical challenge that has never been taken up by any other team of master watchmakers before us. Another requirement was to keep the “sportswear” aspect of the timepiece and intensify the blue color on the bezel, since it is his signature color.

A TECHNICAL FEAT

Due to the particularity of the movement and its 2 complications (the date disc and the second GMT time zone), hundreds of hours of hard work and several sketches were needed to create the design and craft it. Our master watchmakers had to use a lot of ingenuity and creativity in order to find the technical solutions to keep the complications working all the while skeletonizing the cutout of the dial and the rest of the movement in a harmonious and flattering way.

The density of the original movement of the GMT-Master II, required a particular attention. A special sandblasting treatment was made in order to keep the consistency of the timepiece and add a matte aspect to its visual beauty. The movement has been fully refined. Its color is a beautiful pale Oyster steel gray that enhances the bi-color blue and black bezel – carefully chosen by the World cup Champion, Kimpembe. The matte bracelet in Oyster steel fits perfectly with the color palette chosen for this design.

Skeleton Concept reimagines the Rolex GMT-Master II Batman for Paris Saint-Germain footballer Presnel Kimpembe

A FLOATING VISUAL EFFECT ON THE MOVEMENT

The smooth handmade anglage adds life and volume to the movement that is achievable only in haute horology. The strong-edged plate with its Rubi creates a nice and delightful reflection of the light. Thanks to the superposition of the Sapphire module of the date, the numbers on the dial seem to be “floating”, as if suspended in air…. almost transparent.

We also gave Kimpembe a special nod: the number 3 on the date module is in blue – as “3” is his number on the football team. The Kimpembe Concept turned the GMT-Master II watch into a dynamic and elegant timepiece. The skeletonized timepiece is of exceptional finesse, the result is exquisite.

PRE-ORDER

WORD OF PRESNEL KIMPEMBE

“Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve always been a fan of everything that has to do with customization. I have been lucky to learn more about the fascinating and complicated world of horology, thanks to the master watchmakers of Skeleton Concept. The process of personalizing my timepiece has been marvelous to me. I feel blessed and lucky to wear such a unique timepiece.”

Specifications

MODEL CASE

Oyster, 40 mm, Oystersteel

OYSTER ARCHITECTURE

Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown

DIAMETER

40 mm

MATERIAL

Oystersteel

BEZEL

Bidirectional rotatable 24-hour graduated bezel.

Two-colour blue and black Cerachrom insert in ceramic,

moulded numerals and graduations

WINDING CROWN

Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system

CRYSTAL

Scratch-resistant sapphire, , Cyclops lens over the date

WATER RESISTANCE

Waterproof to 100 meters / 330 feet

MOVEMENT

Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding, GMT function

CALIBER

3186, Manufacture Rolex

PRECISION

-2/+2 sec/day, after casing

FUNCTIONS

Centre hour, minute and seconds hands.

24-hour display. Second time zone with independent rapid-setting

of the hour hand. Instantaneous date.

Stop-seconds for precise time setting

OSCILLATOR

Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring.

High-performance Paraflex shock absorbers

WINDING

Bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor

POWER RESERVE

Approximately 72 hours

BRACELET

Oyster, five-piece links

BRACELET MATERIAL

Oystersteel

CLASP

Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with

Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link

Tag Archive for: Rolex

Maserati returns to the field at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Skeleton Concept reimagines the Rolex GMT-Master II Batman for Paris Saint-Germain footballer Presnel Kimpembe

Specifications