SpotlightAn Ode To Captain Kohli: The Tissot Chrono XL Classic Virat Kohli Special Edition

A man of style, swagger and supreme talent, Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli is always on the prowl for success. His relentless passion for the game and confidence has been unparalleled since the time he started playing professional cricket. Despite personal upheavals and worldwide media scrutiny, Kohli has emerged as one of the best batsmen in the world, across formats. At the age of 29, the swashbuckling captain has achieved insurmountable cricketing records and grown from strength to strength as an aggressive and unstoppable force. He has been a recipient of the Padma Shri, Arjuna Award and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. His fierce winning mentality and awe-inspiring grit make him a complete winner.

Constantly in the limelight for his antics on and off the field, Kohli’s confidence levels have remained undeterred throughout, in turn adding to his mature persona as a cricketer. Recently turned vegan, Kohli is not known for mincing his words and is highly regarded as a charismatic leader by his peers as well as competing teams. This has helped him in earning the tag of being one of the 100 most influential people in the world, accorded by Time magazine. News of his sartorial choices and dedication towards fashion and fitness is always doing the rounds. Hence it only makes sense that Tissot decided to honour its brand ambassador with an exclusive creation—the Tissot Chrono XL Classic Virat Kohli Special Edition.

On September 26, 2018, the cricketer unveiled his own special edition collection of watches with the Swiss watch brand in a high-profile event in Mumbai. Also gracing the occasion were other athletes such as basketball player Satnam Singh, budding tennis star Karman Kaur Thandi, amateur golfer Aadil Bedi, swimmer Shivani Kataria, squash player Sachika Kumar Ingale, racing driver Jehan Daruvala, and boxers Pinky Rani and Manoj Kumar. All these sporting icons are a part of the Virat Kohli Foundation.

Gushing over this special edition watch, Tissot’s president, François Thiebaud said in a statement, “This is the first time we have launched a special edition for a cricketer and I feel extremely proud since it is for Virat, who has excelled in every aspect of the sport and has aced innumerable records.”

Hinting at the youth icon’s excellence and honouring him in more ways than one, this dandy watch endorses Kohli’s pure admiration for the colour blue—the colour of the Indian jersey. Ensuring utmost precision, akin to the calibre of its muse, is the quartz chronograph movement fitted in this watch. The stunning blue dial also features details in white, a colour that occupies a place of pride on the Indian cricket jersey as well. The pristine hue is seen in the bold and beautiful Arabic numerals, the date window at four o’clock, the two large hands, the ‘T’-tipped chronograph seconds hand, and the markers in the sub-dials at three, six and nine o’clock.

The numeral marker for 20 seconds on the running seconds sub-dial has been replaced by 18, which stands out in red, and represents the captain’s Indian team jersey number and the colour of the Swiss flag. Another extremely special feature in this chronograph that lends the ‘Virat Kohli touch’ is his navy blue logo and signature engraved on the white silk-printed caseback.

The navy blue leather strap adds a certain ruggedness with a touch of panache—an attitude that only India’s run machine can command. This timepiece is limited to 3018 pieces only, with 18 indicating Kohli’s jersey number and 30 relating to his milestone 30th birthday, which he will celebrate on November 5 this year. “I’m thrilled to launch a personalised Tissot Chrono XL Classic edition,” Kohli shared at the occasion. “My three years of association with Tissot have been a wonderful journey. I was totally involved in the designing of this line and I hope you all like it as much as we do.”