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Motor sport at the highest level is a combination of speed, courage and engineering expertise. Like few other competitive undertakings, it marries human and mechanical virtuosity to breathtaking effect. Whether it be the split-second intensity of Formula 1 or the more attritional demands of endurance racing, drivers and their technicians apply themselves with focus and dedication as they push the limits of physical, mental and automotive endeavour.
It is therefore no surprise that Rolex – a brand representing quality, precision and reliability – has nurtured broad and deep connections with motor sport over many decades. British racing driver Sir Malcolm Campbell had already been wearing a Rolex Oyster in test conditions for several years when, in 1935, he became the first man to break the 300mph barrier driving his Bluebird at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Since then, Rolex has forged lasting associations with drivers and fans of motor sport. From the opening of the Daytona International Speedway track in Florida in 1959, Rolex was a partner, and four years later it launched the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph. Later renamed the Cosmograph Daytona, it was a classic watch designed to meet the demands of professional drivers and allowing them to measure average speeds of up to 400mph. Every year, a specially engraved edition of the watch is awarded to the winners of the Rolex 24 at Daytona (below) and 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance races.
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Formula 1 lies at the heart of the Rolex commitment to motor sport. The watchmaker has been a global partner of the sport and its official timepiece since 2013, and this year it was also title sponsor of the season’s opening race, the Formula 1 2018 Rolex Australian Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. As F1 enters an era of change, with teams and drivers adopting innovative and sustainable technology, the Rolex pit lane clock – visible at every grand prix – offers a visual reminder of the Swiss brand’s synergy with the precision sport.
There is little to choose between F1 and endurance racing in terms of their need for efficient teamwork and technical reliability in extreme environments. Rolex reinforced its long-standing relationship with endurance racing in 2016 when it became an official partner of the FIA World Endurance Championship. This year’s “super season” consists of eight races on tracks as diverse as Sebring in the US to Japan’s Fuji Speedway, reaching a conclusion in June 2019 at the iconic Le Mans course.
Rolex also supports heritage meetings across the world – events which remember the style and beauty of motor sport’s golden age. It has close ties to the Monterey Classic Car Week and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. In the UK, the luxury watch company has been associated with the Goodwood Revival since 2004. Held each September at the historic Goodwood motor circuit in West Sussex, the Revival celebrates racing in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The winner of the Rolex Driver of the Meeting award receives an engraved Oyster Perpetual Datejust – the first self-winding watch to indicate the date in a window on the dial.
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Achieving something special
The parallels between Rolex and motor racing have not been lost on the sport’s greatest practitioners. Sir Jackie Stewart, three-times Formula 1 world champion and a veteran campaigner for safer racing, says: “The standards of precision and engineering excellence upheld by the highest echelons of motor sport are very similar to those set by Rolex.” A Rolex Testimonee, who this year celebrates a half-century association with the company, he maintains that no other watch company has the same reputation.
Other Testimonees from the motoring fraternity include Germany’s Nico Rosberg, Formula 1 world drivers’ champion in 2016, and nine-times Grand Prix winner Mark Webber of Australia. Webber, who went on to win the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, shares Sir Jackie Stewart’s assessment of the links between motor sport and watchmaking. “In order to be successful in both industries you have to be world-class,” he says. “The drivers, teams and event organisers live by time, whether we are designing a car or up against the split seconds on the stopwatch.”
Perhaps the final word on the subject should go to Tom Kristensen, who achieved a record nine wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and became a Testimonee in 2010. The Dane believes that as well as being the ultimate in design and reliability, a Rolex timepiece can acquire a personal symbolism for the wearer. “A Rolex watch tells the story of a journey or celebrates a special occasion in my life,” he says. “Watches and cars create and forge their own legacy, and when you wear a Rolex you feel you have achieved something very special.”
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