Rolex Wins Lawsuit Against Custom Atelier Skeleton Concept

On February 12th, 2025, Rolex won a significant lawsuit against Skeleton Concept, a French atelier known for modifying Rolex watches. The Paris Judicial Court ruled that Skeleton Concept infringed on Rolex’s trademarks and engaged in unfair competition, awarding Rolex €710,000 (~$784,000 USD) in damages.

This ruling reinforces the precedent set throughout Rolex’s four-year legal battle with Artisans de Genève, which concluded last year, clarifying the line between acceptable personalization and trademark infringement.

We first learned of the Skeleton Concept ruling via The Fashion Law, with additional reporting by Paris-based lawyer Agathe Zajdela, who published an article on the topic on March 28th.

Who Is Skeleton Concept?

Skeleton Concept specializes in high-end customizations, particularly of Rolex watches, often of Rolex Daytonas. Their modifications go far beyond aesthetics, often involving intricate structural changes such as re-machining dials, altering cases, modifying movements, and engraving crystals. Their work appeals to collectors who want something distinctly personalized, far from Rolex’s standard offerings.

Why Rolex Took Skeleton Concept to Court

Rolex filed suit in 2022, accusing Skeleton Concept of trademark infringement and unfair competition. Prior to the lawsuit, Rolex had issued a cease-and-desist letter asking the company to stop its operations—a request that was ignored. According to Rolex, the atelier’s continued use of Rolex trademarks, combined with deep structural modifications—like re-engraving logos on altered parts and marking watches as “Swiss Made” despite the work being done in France—created confusion around whether Rolex officially endorsed or authorized the products.

Skeleton Concept argued their modifications were legally permissible, invoking trademark exhaustion (meaning once Rolex sells a watch, they cannot control how it’s modified or resold). However, the court rejected this defense.

Why the Court Ruled for Rolex

The Paris court sided with Rolex primarily because Skeleton Concept’s deep structural modifications and use of Rolex trademarks could mislead customers into thinking Rolex endorsed these custom watches. 

The court also cited Skeleton Concept’s misleading “Swiss Made” labeling as unfair competition, awarding damages accordingly: €600,000 ($663,000 USD) for trademark infringement, €100,000 ($110,500 USD) for reputational harm, and €10,000 (~$11,000 USD) related specifically to the inaccurate “Swiss Made” claims.

Context: The Artisans de Genève Precedent

Image Source: Artisans de Geneve

To understand the significance of the Skeleton Concept ruling, we need to revisit Rolex’s four-year legal battle against Artisans de Genève. In 2024, the Swiss Supreme Court clarified strict guidelines for watch customization, establishing that customizations must clearly be portrayed as independent aftermarket modifications, explicitly separate from Rolex’s official branding or endorsement.

Following that case, Artisans de Genève altered their branding and marketing significantly, clearly distinguishing their independent work from Rolex’s trademarks and explicitly labeling their creations as customer-requested customizations.

Skeleton Concept’s case reinforces this precedent. Unlike Artisans de Genève, Skeleton Concept continued prominently featuring Rolex trademarks and branding practices inconsistent with these clarified legal boundaries.

Final Thoughts

The Skeleton Concept case serves as another clear indicator that Rolex isn’t necessarily opposed to watch customization—but they strongly oppose any marketing or branding practices that blur lines around their official involvement. Custom Rolex watches aren’t going anywhere, but how they’re marketed will be under closer scrutiny than ever before. 

Images Courtesy of Skeleton Concept unless otherwise stated.