The Racing Heritage of Rolex.

It is an understatement to say that the worlds of motorsports and timekeeping are intrinsically connected; after all, drivers must first beat the clock before facing each other on the race track.

Since the dawn of the sport, watchmakers have established partnerships with teams and organizers, supplying watches and chronographs in exchange for publicity.

Sir Malcolm Campbell

The Swiss Rolex was the first watchmaker involved in motorsport as early as the 1930s. The company recognized a valuable opportunity to associate its brand with adventurous drivers, such as Sir Malcolm Campbell.

It was an opportunity that basically knocked on Rolex’s doors. After setting numerous speed records at Daytona Beach during the 1930s, Campbell wrote a letter to Rolex, expressing his admiration for the watch’s performance.

Campbell praised the Rolex Oyster for its accuracy and durability, particularly under the challenging conditions of his record-breaking runs.

Sir Malcolm Campbell was a British aristocrat committed to stabilish the United Kingdom as the leading country in the land speed record world challenge, even if most of his achievements were accomplished in the USA. On September 4, 1935, while driving his Bluebird, Campbell set a new land-speed record of 301.337 miles per hour (484.955 km/h) at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

The Bluebird was a series of specially designed vehicles powered by aeronautical engines. The last model, the 1935 Campbell-Railton Blue Bird (shown above), is equipped with a 37.6-liter, supercharged V12 Rolls-Royce aero engine, capable of producing 2,300 horsepower.

Sir Malcolm Campbell became a global celebrity and a dedicated ambassador for Rolex. This partnership significantly boosted the popularity of the Swiss watchmaker. One of the most lasting outcomes of this collaboration is the iconic Rolex Daytona chronograph series, which was created as a tribute to Daytona Beach, the sacred grounds of speed where Sir Malcolm set most of his records.

Formula One

In 2013, Rolex became the official timepiece and Global Partner of Formula 1. Since then, the Swiss brand has supported the sport by contributing to its technological development, honoring its history, and celebrating its drivers. This long-standing partnership has made Rolex synonymous with Formula One, providing the company with exceptional visibility among fans worldwide.

In a surprising turn of events, Rolex ended its partnership with the F-One circus in 2024. Initially, the company paid $10 million annually, a figure that escalated to an astonishing $50 million per Formula 1 season. This is a significant amount of money, even for the world’s most prestigious luxury watch brand.

TAG Heuer won the bid against its long-time rival, Rolex. The conglomerate LVMH, which owns Heuer, paid the impressive sum of $150 million to reintroduce TAG Heuer to the Formula One arena.

Sports Prototype

Rolex is out of Formula One, but the brand still has deep roots in the World Endurance Championship and IMSA.

Since 1992, Rolex has been the title sponsor of IMSA, but it has announced it will expand its partnership in 2025 as its official timepiece. The news came shortly after Rolex decided to exit Formula 1.

Since 2001, Rolex has been the official timekeeper of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Every year since, the race winners receive a specially engraved Rolex Daytona as a gift. (pictured above)

In 2023, motorsport fans from all over the world celebrated the Centennial edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Rolex is one of the few brands that rarely releases limited or commemorative edition watches. However, the company made an exception to honor this historical event by releasing a special edition of the Daytona “Le Mans” Chronograph, the 126529LN.

The watch (pictured above) became highly sought after by collectors, easily reaching prices of around US$350,000 at auctions.

It might sound contradictory to name a watch after two different racing venues. Still, it is a matter of tradition and celebration of the alliance between the two most celebrated long-duration races worldwide.

The connections between these two iconic racing events go far beyond this special edition Rolex. In 2022, the governing bodies of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona announced a joint renaming of two key chicanes. The bus stop chicane on the backstretch of Daytona was renamed the Le Mans chicane, while the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight at Circuit de la Sarthe is now called the Daytona chicane. This permanent renaming of significant corners at important racetracks formally acknowledges the importance of the upcoming alliance between these two prestigious races.

Conclusion

For almost a century, Rolex watches have been the choice of many legendary race drivers, starting with the fearless Sir Malcolm Campbell.

A.J. Foyt.

Paul Newman.

And Lewis Hamilton, to name a few.

Rolex will not sponsor Formula One for at least the next 10 years. However, this change is not significant. The brand was the pioneering watchmaker in motorsports, and even after all these years, it continues to maintain a strong presence at racetracks around the world.