A PARTNERSHIP OF THE HIGHEST PERFORMANCE
Driven by its universally recognized excellence, Rolex has built upon its own defining heritage in watchmaking to embrace the high performance of motorsport
Motorsports and watchmaking are united by a shared quest for split-second precision, an unwavering level of dependability and to continually push the limits of mechanical performance. Building upon this parallel, Rolex supports the finest events in motor racing and encourages the global development of this highperformance sport. Based upon a long-standing association that spans back to the 1930s, this venture into innovation continues to foster excellence, and safeguards the heritage in both disciplines of watchmaking and motor racing. The birth of this alliance can be traced back to the period where Sir Malcom Campbell set nine World Land Speed Records and broke the 300 mile-per-hour barrier while behind the wheel of Bluebird in 1935 with a Rolex on his wrist. Many of these legendary runs took place at Daytona Beach, an iconic venue that had earned its prestige over the decades. It is no coincidence that Rolex has also partnered the Daytona International Speedway in the United States since the circuit opened in 1959 at Daytona Beach, Florida – the fastest speedway in the United States at the time. In 1963, Rolex launched the iconic Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph, and a few years later, Rolex added the name ‘Daytona’ to the dial of the iconic chronograph created for racing drivers to mark its connection with the speedway.
Towards Global Partnership
Significantly today, Rolex is a Global Partner and Official Timepiece of Formula 1®, the pinnacle of motor sport, as well as Title Sponsor of the season’s opening race, the FORMULA 1 ROLEXAUSTRALIANGRANDPRIX.Formedin2013,these partnerships ark the culmination of the brand’s history of close ties with motor racing, speed and cutting-edge technology. This technology used daily in Formula 1® is widely considered to be among the most advanced and precise in the world. While Formula 1® is the epitome of speed, endurance racing demands a completely different set of drivers’ skills and specific requirements from the cars. Since 1992, Rolex has been the Title Sponsor of the Rolex 24 At Daytona®, one of the world’s most renowned round-the-clock sports car races. Conducted entirely over a compact 5.73-kilometre closed racetrack, it features a unique combination of a high-banked tri-oval superspeedway and a sweeping, fast infield section. Formalizing a long-standing association with the Speedway and strengthening the link between the 24-hour race and the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona watch. The brand is now so closely tied to the event that aficionados simply refer to it as ‘The Rolex’. Over in Europe, Rolex is the Official Partner and the Official Timepiece for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest sports car endurance race and one of the toughest tests for driver and machine. Held in France since 1923, on a 13.626 km circuit, it combines heritage, endurance and speed. Rolex also partners the 12 Hours of Sebring held annually in Florida. Together, these 3 races are informally known as the Triple Crown of endurance racing. While we admire the robust performance of motorsports, Rolex also partners events that celebrate the beauty of classic cars, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® held annually in California. Featuring the most striking, perfectly restored classic cars, this event is on every classic car aficionado’s calendar, of which
Rolex has been the Official Timekeeper since 1997. On the other side of the pond, since 2004, Rolex has partnered the Goodwood Revival in the UK, one of the world’s most popular and largest historic race meetings staged entirely in the spirit of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Historic racing cars, many valued in the millions of pounds, are paraded alongside the highest quality of competitive racing. The drivers, all determined to be first to the chequered flag, will also be looking to catch the attention of the judges who award the Rolex Driver of the Meeting Award.
Celebrating Human Achievements
The roots of Rolex have always been with the celebration of individual human achievement. In 1968, Rolex formed a close relationship with one of the sport’s most emblematic figures, three-time FIA Formula 1® Drivers’ World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, which still endures today, 50 years later. Sir Jackie has won three FIA Formula One World Championships™ and 27 Grand Prix out of 99 races, and is a pioneer of driver safety in Formula 1®, which has had a lasting impact in the sport. In recent years, two more Formula 1® drivers have joined the Rolex family: Australian Mark Webber, a Rolex Testimonee since 2017, who won nine Formula 1® Grand Prix races and the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship; and German-Finnish Nico Rosberg, the 2016 F1® world champion. In 2010, record nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen, was welcomed as a Rolex Testimonee. He has also triumphed six times at the 12 Hours of Sebring and is the record holder for victories in the race. In keeping with its spirit of pushing the limits of performance, Rolex joined the BLOODHOUND World Land Speed Record project in 2011 as the Official Timing Partner. Not only does motor sport offer a powerful combination of speed, endurance and elegance, it is also the ultimate performance test of man and machine, making it a natural fit for Rolex’s long-standing presence at the frontiers of speed.