Rolex Wins Trademark Lawsuit Against French Custom Watchmaker Skeleton Concept

On 12 February 2025, Rolex secured a legal victory in its case against Skeleton Concept—a French atelier known for modifying Rolex watches. The Paris Judicial Court ruled that Skeleton Concept had infringed Rolex’s trademarks and engaged in unfair competition, awarding Rolex €710,000 in damages (approximately £610,000 at current exchange rates).

This outcome builds on the precedent set during Rolex’s earlier legal battle with Artisans de Genève, offering clearer guidance on where personalisation ends and trademark misuse begins.

The ruling was first reported by The Fashion Law, with further detail provided by Paris-based lawyer Agathe Zajdela in a 28 March article.

Who Are Skeleton Concept?

Skeleton Concept is a high-end customisation studio best known for heavily modified Rolex Daytonas. Their work goes beyond superficial changes—often involving re-machining dials, reshaping cases, modifying internal movements, and even engraving crystals. The aim is to deliver unique, highly personalised watches that look and feel far removed from standard Rolex models.

Why Rolex Took Legal Action

Rolex initially filed suit in 2022, accusing Skeleton Concept of trademark infringement and unfair competition. Prior to that, Rolex had issued a cease-and-desist letter requesting the atelier stop operations involving its watches. The request was ignored.

At the heart of the case were Skeleton Concept’s continued use of Rolex trademarks and deep-level modifications. For instance, they were re-engraving the Rolex crown on altered components and labelling the watches as “Swiss Made”—even though much of the modification work took place in France. Rolex argued this created the impression that the brand had authorised or endorsed these watches, which it had not.

Skeleton Concept countered with a trademark exhaustion defence, claiming that once Rolex sells a watch, it can no longer control how that watch is altered or resold. The court did not accept this argument.

Why Rolex Won the Case

The Paris court ruled in Rolex’s favour primarily because Skeleton Concept’s structural modifications and use of trademarks could mislead customers into thinking Rolex was officially involved.

The court also cited the use of “Swiss Made” on watches that were heavily modified in France as a form of unfair competition. Damages were awarded as follows: €600,000 (approx. £515,000) for trademark infringement, €100,000 (approx. £86,000) for reputational harm, and €10,000 (approx. £8,600) specifically for misleading “Swiss Made” claims.

Background: The Artisans de Genève Precedent

Image Source: Artisans de Genève

To understand the wider implications, it’s worth looking at Rolex’s previous four-year legal battle with Artisans de Genève. That case concluded in 2024 when the Swiss Supreme Court set out clear guidelines for watch customisation: if a company modifies Rolex watches, it must explicitly present those modifications as independent and clearly separate from Rolex’s branding.

Following that decision, Artisans de Genève adjusted their marketing, removing any suggestion of brand affiliation and clearly identifying their watches as bespoke, client-requested alterations.

Skeleton Concept, by contrast, continued to use Rolex’s trademarks prominently and did not adapt its branding in line with the legal precedent.

Final Thoughts

This latest ruling reinforces Rolex’s legal position: they don’t oppose the idea of customised watches, but they do take issue with branding and marketing that implies official approval or involvement.

Custom Rolex watches will continue to exist, but moving forward, the language and presentation around them will face sharper scrutiny—especially when it comes to trademarks and national origin labelling.