Rolex on the podium !

“This is an exciting step for us at Rolex as the ?t between Formula One and our brand feels very natural and, like all great partnerships, needs little explanation,” said Gian Riccardo Marini, Chief Executive Of?cer of Rolex SA.

“In our respective ?elds, Rolex and Formula One embody the spirit of adventure, superlative engineering and a strong desire to push the limits of technology. These aspir ations 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.

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.”

“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™ Of?cial Timekeeper and Of?cial 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.

For Rolex, the partnership with Formula 1™ is part of a long history of close ties with motor racing and speed. The brand has been associated since the 1930s with a number of major personalities in the ?eld, 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 prominent 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 commitment to F1 driver safety during the 1970s.

“I am delighted that Rolex, a very unique brand that chooses its relationships very carefully, 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 ?ne 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 success ful,” added Sir Jackie.

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 Of?cial 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 scienti?c 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, organizations and personalities in selected sports, especially golf (e.g. The Open Championship), tennis (e.g. Wimbledon) and yachting (e.g. Rolex Sydney Hobart).

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 certi?ed 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 ?rst waterproof 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 in- house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and ?nishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, science, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic programmes.

Formula 1™, which began in 1950, is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition 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 ?ve 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™.