PRESS RELEASE
Rolex signs global partnership
with Formula 1™
Geneva, 5 December 2012 – Rolex, the leading luxury watchmaking brand and
a pioneer of sports sponsorship, will become a major long-term partner of
Formula 1™ from 2013 as Official Timekeeper and Official Timepiece. This reinforces Rolex’s commitment to motor racing and its support of global sport at the
very highest level.
This new partnership with the pinnacle of motor sports brings together two leaders in
their fields who share a passion for performance, precision, excellence and innovation.
It is part of a strategic move by Rolex to focus its sponsorship activities on ventures
chosen for their strong symbolic value and their global resonance.
Pushing the limits of technology
“This is an exciting step for us at Rolex as the fit between Formula One and our brand
feels very natural and, like all great partnerships, needs little explanation,” said Gian
Riccardo Marini, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex SA.
“In our respective fields, Rolex and Formula One embody the spirit of adventure, su­perla­
tive engineering and a strong desire to push the limits of technology. These aspir­ations
are enormously appealing to younger generations,” he added.
“Our self-winding mechanical watches – like the dedicated drivers’ chronograph, the
Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona – are packed with technological innovation and
human know-how, all thanks to our engineers’ and watchmakers’ passion for detail,”
said Mr Marini.
“Rolex watches are symbolic of the quest for the highest level of performance and
re­li­ability that is epitomized by Formula One. Over the last 50 years both Rolex and
Formula 1 have grown into world-leading aspirational brands and there will be many
fantastic opportunities that we can enjoy together,” added Mr Marini.
the partner of choice for F1™
For Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One group, “Without question Rolex is
the partner of choice for a world class sporting series like Formula One.”
Rolex signs global partnership with Formula 1™ PAGE 1/ 4
“The brand’s prestige, the excellence of its watches as well as Rolex’s passionate and
long-standing commitment to motor sports gives it true credibility. This partnership is
something that many people interested in Formula One will have been waiting for and
should rightly be excited about. Rolex has incredible sporting heritage and therefore
Formula One is the right place for Rolex to be,” added Mr Ecclestone.
In its capacity as Formula 1™ Official Timekeeper and Official Timepiece, Rolex will
give the time in different locations during each Grand Prix. The Rolex logo will also be
positioned around the circuit and at several corners during Formula 1™ races. Rolex’s
presence in Formula 1™ is due to develop over the coming seasons.
Time-honoured passion for motor sports
For Rolex, the partnership with Formula 1™ is part of a long history of close ties with mo­
tor racing and speed. The brand has been associated since the 1930s with a number of
major personalities in the field, including Sir Malcolm Campbell, who broke the 300 mile
per hour (483 km/h) barrier in 1935 at the wheel of his World Land Speed Record car
Bluebird. Sir Malcolm was wearing a Rolex Oyster.
In the late 1950s, the Swiss watchmaker became a partner of the Daytona International
Speedway in Florida. In 1963, the circuit gave its name to the legendary chronograph
Rolex created for racing drivers, the Cosmograph Daytona.
Since the late 1960s, Rolex has counted motor racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart, one of
the most celebrated Formula 1™ drivers of the last 40 years, among its family of promi­
nent Testimonees. Sir Jackie won three Formula One World Championships™ (1969,
1971 and 1973) and 27 Grand Prix races. He is also widely recognized for his commit­
ment to F1 driver safety during the 1970s.
Unerring commitment to performance
“I am delighted that Rolex, a very unique brand that chooses its relationships very care­
fully, and Formula One have entered into a partnership,” said Sir Jackie Stewart. “The
Rolex Daytona timepiece and its constant technological development over 50 years are
fine indicators of Rolex’s unerring commitment to performance and the brand’s timeless
values.”
“Having worked with Rolex for more than 40 years and given my on-going involvement in
Formula One, I think this is a superb partnership and one that will be hugely success­ful,”
added Sir Jackie.
Rolex signs global partnership with Formula 1™ PAGE 2/ 4
Partnerships with strong symbolic value
Mr Marini said: “In some respects, through its strong symbolic value and its global
reach, our partnership with Formula One mirrors our recent support for initiatives such
as James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge expedition to the deepest reaches of the
ocean in March 2012. A feat that is both human and technological, and has worldwide
resonance”.
In keeping with this spirit of pushing the boundary of technological endeavour, Rolex
joined the Bloodhound SSC World Land Speed Record project in 2011 as the Official
Timing Partner. The Bloodhound team is aiming to set a new record of 1,000 miles per
hour (1,600 km/h) with a cutting-edge supersonic jet- and rocket-powered car, inspiring
the next generation of scientists and engineers.
In the same vein, Rolex announced in spring 2012 its support for Neuropolis, a worldclass neuroscience hub based in Switzerland which aims to improve understanding of
the human brain using computational biology. This innovative approach, on the frontier
of scientific research, builds on the power of supercomputers to simulate biological
processes.
Rolex is a major partner of many of the most prestigious and iconic events, organiza­
tions and personalities in selected sports, especially golf (e.g. The Open Championship),
­tennis (e.g. Wimbledon) and yachting (e.g. Rolex Sydney Hobart).
About Rolex
Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an
unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its Oyster watches, all cer­
tified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and
prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at
the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first wa­
terproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism
introduced in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history.
A truly integrated manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces inhouse all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to
the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet.
Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, science, the spirit of enter­
prise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activ­ities as well as
philanthropic programmes.
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About Formula One™
Formula 1™, which began in 1950, is the world’s most prestigious motor racing com­
petition and the world’s most popular annual sporting series. In 2012 the FIA Formula
One World Championship™ was watched by over half a billion unique television viewers
in 187 territories, and ran from March to November spanning 20 races in 19 countries
across five continents. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of the Formula
One group, founded by CEO Bernie Ecclestone and holds the exclusive commercial
rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™.
officiaL webSITE
www.rolex.com
For more information on
Formula ONE™ visit :
Formula1.com
rolex Media contacts:
Virginie Chevailler,
Switzerland,
+41 22 302 26 19
[email protected]
Carla Uzel,
United States,
+1 212 758 77 00
[email protected]
Andrew Herne,
China,
+852 2525 6156
[email protected]
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