Rolex and Yachting
For more than a century, Rolex’s quest for excellence through continuous improvement and innovation has underpinned all of the company’s activities – in its watchmaking and in all its engagements. As part of Perpetual Excellence, Rolex seeks partnerships with individuals and organisations in the arts and in sports who set the highest standards of performance.
As the crown in sailing for more than 60 years, Rolex is the committed partner of yachting’s most prestigious races, regattas, clubs and sailors. It shares the highest standards of excellence with the custodians of yachting’s enduring spirit.
PRIVILEGED RELATIONSHIP
Rolex has forged a privileged relationship with yachting through the sport’s influential yacht clubs, and today partners some 15 major international yacht races and regattas around the world. They include:
Two of the leading offshore races:
• the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (Australia), every year in late December; partnership since 2002 • the Rolex Fastnet Race, Cowes (United Kingdom), biennial in August; partnership since 2001
Highly competitive championships and regattas on closely matched yachts, such as:
• Sailgp Global Championship, partnered since 2019 • the Rolex TP52 World Championship, partnered since 2017
Other elite events of the yachting season, ranging from regattas for the most modern and powerful yachts to racing that also draws on the heritage of yachting:
• the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Sardinia (Italy), every year in September; partnership since 1985 • the Rolex Swan Cup, Sardinia (Italy), biennial in September; partnership since 1984
• the Rolex Giraglia, a series of races – inshore and offshore – taking place annually in June, between France and Italy; partnership since 1998
All reflect the finest spirit of sailing, which is anchored in partnerships with yacht clubs that reflect the best traditions and elegance of the sport, including:
• the New York Yacht Club (NYYC – United States), since 1958 • the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS – Cowes, United Kingdom), since the 1980s
• the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS – Porto Cervo, Italy), since 1985
Rolex also partners with three of the foremost sailors in the sport. Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor of all time and continues to compete at the very top. Paul Cayard is one of the most versatile and accomplished yachtsmen competing at the highest level of the sport. Robert Scheidt is an outstanding racing sailor, having won multiple sailing world championships and Olympic medals.
THE BEGINNING
Rolex’s association with yachting began in 1958 when the leading Swiss watchmaker formed an alliance with the New York Yacht Club, founder of the America’s Cup competition. The seminal partnership with the NYYC, and later the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), provides a lasting bond with historic and pioneering influences on the sport of yachting and its rules.
For more than six decades, Rolex has harnessed the passion for yachting by establishing deep-rooted ties with influential yacht clubs all around the world, where sailing enthusiasts rub shoulders with seasoned racers and elite skippers. These prestigious partnerships also extend to major races and regattas on both sides of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Pacific basin.
PARTNERSHIPS: RACES AND REGATTAS
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia every year, and the Rolex Fastnet Race, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) every two years, are at the forefront of the leading offshore races. Fiercely challenging and frequently subject to extreme weather conditions off the coasts of Australia and the British Isles respectively, these races bring a huge sense of personal achievement to those that complete them. They attract large and varied fleets as well as a combination of professional and amateur sailors who share the same competitive edge. Rolex has partnered with the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race since 2002 and the Rolex Fastnet Race since 2001.
Sailgp gathers teams representing Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, Spain and the USA, who race in some of the world’s most famous harbours, including Sydney, San Francisco, New York and Cowes. Each one hosts a fleet race contested by seven identical, wingsailed foilers, culminating in a final between the two leaders. Rolex has been Official Timepiece since the inaugural 2019 season.
Likewise, the Rolex TP52 World Championship attracts the best sailors from around the world in the highest-level grand prix competition organised for owners of TP52 yachts and their teams. The rules guarantee similar yachts, allowing the skill of the crews to make the difference.
The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, is one of the highlights of the Mediterranean yachting season. Against the backdrop of the glittering Costa Smeralda, a sizeable fleet of topquality Maxi yachts gathers each September at the YCCS in Porto Cervo, Italy, for a week of intense competition off Sardinia. The regatta brings together the best skippers and crews with the most modern and powerful yachts of the moment. Rolex has partnered with the event since 1985.
The Rolex Swan Cup, noted for its sailing spirit, is also organised by the YCCS and showcases generations of high-performance yachts made by Finnish luxury boat builder Nautor’s Swan. Rolex has partnered with the regatta since 1984.
The Rolex Giraglia is the Mediterranean’s oldest offshore race and enjoys a fine heritage. Organised by the Yacht Club Italiano with the support of the Société Nautique de Saint-tropez, the competition takes place between the exclusive setting of Saint-tropez, France, and the Italian port of Genoa, via Giraglia Rock, situated off northern Corsica. Rolex has been associated with the race since 1998.
Rolex also partners with a host of other yacht races around the world, including:
• the Rolex Middle Sea Race, Valletta (Malta), since 2002 • Les Voiles de Saint-tropez, (France), since 2006
• the Rolex China Sea Race, Hong Kong, (China) to Subic Bay, (Philippines), since 2008
• the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, Newport (USA), since 2011
• the Rolex Big Boat Series, San Francisco (USA), since 2002
• the Rolex Circuito Atlántico Sur, Buenos Aires (Argentina) to Punta del Este (Uruguay) since 2008
PARTNERSHIPS: CLUBS
The yacht clubs that organise these prestigious races and regattas are at the forefront of the sport. Each club is defined by its distinctive location and tradition, while sharing common values of professionalism and fair play, and nurturing a sailing community. Major Rolex partners include:
• The New York Yacht Club (NYYC): Formed in 1844, this prestigious club founded the America’s Cup, the international challenge race series whose roots date back to 1851 when the famous Auld Mug was awarded to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight. It hosted the first-ever transatlantic race in 1866, and had an influential role to play in establishing rules for yachting as a sport. Rolex’s seminal partnership with the New York Yacht Club is the brand’s oldest in yachting, spanning more than half a century. Today, the club organises major regattas and has two imposing clubhouses – one in New York City, opened in 1901, and the other on the water in Newport, Rhode Island. Rolex has been a partner of the NYYC since 1958
• The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS): Founded in 1815 in London by owners of big yachts, the club swiftly became associated with the British royal family. By the 1830s, it had created the first ocean race and, in 1851, staged a race around the Isle of Wight, at the end of which the winner was presented a trophy that would later become known as the America’s Cup. This historic club selects an exclusive membership from the sport, and its clubhouse, The Castle in Cowes, is a backdrop for the start of many great yacht races, most notably the Rolex Fastnet Race. Rolex has been a partner of the RYS since the 1980s
• The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS): Founded in 1967 by the Aga Khan, the YCCS stands at the forefront of yachting excellence. Nautical influence is felt throughout the stylish, modern clubhouse and the marina in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, often accommodates some of the world’s most splendid yachts. In 2012, the YCCS extended its influence to the Caribbean, opening a luxurious clubhouse and marina in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. Rolex has been a partner of the YCCS since 1985
Rolex is associated with many other clubs worldwide, including:
• the Royal Malta Yacht Club, since 2002 • the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (China), since 2007
• the Société Nautique de Saint-tropez (France), since 2006
• the Yacht Club Italiano (Genoa, Italy), since 1998 • the Yacht Club de Monaco, since 2013
PARTNERSHIPS: WORLD SAILING
Off the water, Rolex participates in the development of yachting through its support of World Sailing, the sport’s governing body, and the annual Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, recognising male and female sailors who have distinguished themselves over the course of a year.
TESTIMONEES
Competing and medalling at five successive Olympic Games since the age of 19 earned British sailor Sir Ben Ainslie the most envied of reputations in the sport. One silver medal and four consecutive golds were reward for an extraordinary commitment and dedication. An 11-time world champion, Sir Ben has been named World Sailing’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year on four occasions: 1998, 2002, 2008 and 2012. Since retiring from Olympic sailing he has been knighted and his career has focused on winning the America’s Cup, something he achieved in 2013 with an American team and to which he is still dedicated as leader of a British team. Sir Ben became a Rolex Testimonee in 2019.
United States yachtsman Paul Cayard is one of the most accomplished sailors on the international circuit, having competed successfully at the top level in diverse disciplines in the sport for more than 30 years. A talented yachtsman, skipper and tactician, he is a seven-time world champion, has taken part in the America’s Cup seven times and twice in the Olympic Games, and won major offshore races. Named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year in 1998, he was inducted into the Sailing World Hall of Fame in 2002 and joined the Rolex family of Testimonees in 2000.
With more than 174 victories to his name, Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt is one of the most decorated racing sailors in his categories. A five-time Olympic medallist, including two gold medals, and 13-time world champion in the Laser and Star classes, Scheidt sets out to push limits every time he takes to the water. He was named World Sailing’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2001 and 2004. Robert Scheidt has been a Rolex Testimonee since 2009.