How Rolex grew its network with the sailing world

For over 60 years, Rolex has harnessed the passion for yachting and its popularity by establishing deep-rooted ties with influential yacht clubs across the globe, where sailing enthusiasts rub shoulders with hardcore racers and elite skippers.

Rolex’s first sponsorship of a yacht race started in 1958 in New York with the America’s Cup and Rolex became the first Official Timepiece of the world’s oldest sporting trophy. Until 1983 every winner also walked away with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner.

Rolex has partnered the Rolex Fastnet Race since 2001 and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race since 2002.

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 every twoyears, are at the forefront of the leading offshore races.

Fiercely challenging and frequently subject to extreme weather conditions off the coastsof 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 sailing talent and Corinthian amateurs who share the same competitive edge. 

In a similar vein, the Rolex TP52 World Championship attracts the best sailors from around the world in the highest-level Grand Prix competition organised for yacht owners and their teams. The rules guarantee similar yachts, allowing the skill of the crews to make the difference.

Rolex has partnered the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup since1985. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Italy, the regatta is one of the highlights of the Mediterranean yachting season.

Against the backdrop of the luxurious Costa Smeralda, a sizeable fleet of top-quality Maxiyachts gathers each September 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.

The Rolex Swan Cup is also organised by the YCCS, with regattas held off the club’s marinas in Porto Cervo and the British Virgin Islands in alternate years, showcasing generations of high-performance yachts made by Nautor’s Swan. Rolex has partnered 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 in conjunction with the Société Nautique deSaint-Tropez, the competition takes place between the exclusive setting ofSaint-Tropez, France, the Giraglia rock off northern Corsica and the Italian port of Genoa. Rolex has been associated with the race since 1998.

Rolex also partners a host of other yacht races around the world including the Rolex Middle Sea Race (partners since 2002), Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez (since 2006), Rolex China Sea Race, from Hong Kong to the Philippines (since 2008), Rolex NewYork Yacht Club Invitational Cup (since 2011), Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco (since 2011) and Rolex Circuito Atlántico Sur from Argentina to Uruguay (since 2008).

In 2021, Rolex has partnered with SailGP as the Official Timepiece for the inaugural season, which involves six national teams representing Australia, China, France, Great Britain, Japan and the UnitedStates, each comprising five onboard crew. Racing takes place in stadium-stylesailing venues in five of the world’s most famous harbours: Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes and Marseille.

The yacht clubs that organise these prestigious races and regattas are at the forefront of thesport. Each club is defined by its distinctive location and tradition, while sharing common values of professionalism and fair play, and nurturing a sailing community. The New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron remain key partners.

Founded in 1844, the prestigious New York Yacht Club was a co-founder of the America’s Cup in 1851 and hosted the first-ever transatlantic race in 1866. It also had an influential role to play in establishing rules for yachting as a sport.

Rolex has been a partner of the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) since the 1980s. 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 the trophy that later became 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.

Rolex has been a partner of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) since 1985. 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 the British Virgin Islands.

Rolex is associated with many other clubs worldwide including the Royal Malta Yacht Club(since 2002), Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (since 2007), Société Nautique deSaint-Tropez (since 2006), Yacht Club Italiano (since 1998) and Yacht Club de Monaco (since 2013).

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 theYear Awards, recognising male and female sailors who have distinguished themselves over the course of a year.

Rolex counts sailors of extraordinary ability and stature among its Testimonees. The outstanding success enjoyed by Sir Ben Ainslie, Paul Cayard and Robert Scheidtis, a reflection of the values they embody. Their constant drive for excellence, the passion they have for their sport and their determination always rise tothe occasion bestow further prestige on the many titles they have won.

With five medals, four of them gold, Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor in history. Since retiring as an Olympian in 2012, the Brit has worked tirelessly to becomea driving force within the elite world of America’s Cup competition. A Cup winner with a United States team in 2013, the four-time Rolex World Sailor of the Year now leads a British one in the quest for the holy grail of yachting.

Cayardhas competed at the highest level in sailing for decades and is also a multiple Olympian and America’s Cup competitor. Arguably the American’s greatest achievement was in the discipline of offshore racing, winningthe Whitbread Round the World Race at his first attempt.

Scheidt represented Brazil at six successive Olympic Games, winning medals at five, including two golds and a silver in the Laser class and silver and bronze inthe Star. With 12 world championship titles and two Rolex World Sailor of theYear awards, Scheidt remains an inspiration within the sport.

“Rolex is one of the most respected sponsors in the sport. The reputation of its timepieces is matched by its reputation a sa true partner to the clubs and competitions it supports,” explains Cayard.

And, for Scheidt, the relationship succeeds for one simple reason: “The constant quest for perfection and desire to master the elements are mutually appreciated by Rolex and sailors alike.”

In an era when wrist watches were still regarded as fragile items of apparel, he was determined to create a wristwatch that would be robust, precise and reliable, adapted toever more active and sporting lifestyles.

Founder Hans Wilsdorf envisaged a pioneering watch that would be robust, precise and reliable, and he used the marine chronometer’s precision as a benchmark to produce theworld’s first wristwatch-chronometer in 1914. After Rolex pioneering the questfor precision in wristwatches, in 1926 it invented the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, the Rolex Oyster, thanks to a case equipped with an ingeniouspatented system consisting of a screw-down bezel, case back and winding crown.

It has always strived to reach the pinnacle of achievement and push what is possible in watchmaking. Since then the brand has looked to test its professional watcheswith some of the most adventurous people out there, developing the Rolex Professional watches, such as the and Explorer II, the Cosmograph Daytona, Submariner and the Yacht-Master and Yacht-Master II in some of the most extreme conditions on earth.

The latter was developed with an innovative mechanical countdown timer especially for thepreparatory stage of regatta racing (which can make the difference between winning and losing) and have become intrinsically linked with sailing’s elite level – rewarding and aiding the very best in yachting competitions.

This commitment tosuperior performance extended to the realm of sporting excellence, where Rolexis a leading and trusted partner.