As engines roared to life on the 2025 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, the thunderous sound not solely marked the start of motorsport’s most gruelling race, but additionally one other defining chapter in Rolex’s longstanding dedication to endurance racing. The 63rd version of this iconic occasion at Daytona Worldwide Speedway noticed the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963 defend its title, securing Porsche’s twentieth total victory in spectacular trend.
“Drivers, begin your engines,” declared Grand Marshal Jamie Chadwick – a Rolex Testimonee, one of many world’s most adorned feminine racing drivers, and the primary lady to imagine this prestigious position. Reflecting on the occasion’s depth, she stated: “I’ve adopted the Rolex 24 for a few years, so to witness the race firsthand as Grand Marshal is one thing I’ll keep in mind endlessly. It has been spectacular to see how powerful this race is, from the difficult circuit to the steep banking and the various midnights. I’d like to return as a competitor, and to have an opportunity of profitable a Daytona watch as a Rolex Testimonee could be the last word prize – one that’s really earned.”
Rolex’s hyperlink with the legendary race dates again to the Sixties, and was formalised in 1992 when it turned the Title Sponsor of the occasion. Right this moment, winners obtain a specifically engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona in Victory Lane, the last word image of triumph at Daytona Worldwide Speedway®.
This 12 months’s grid noticed 61 groups tackle the punishing calls for of 24-hour racing. By way of bone-chilling evening winds, relentless mechanical pressure and round-robin driver swaps, adaptability and grit had been key. Matching the profitable group with 781 laps across the 5.73km tri-oval circuit, the #60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing claimed second place, adopted intently by the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963 entry.
From France to Florida: Le Mans and past
Rolex’s bond with motorsport started within the Thirties, when British racing icon Sir Malcolm Campbell broke land velocity data whereas sporting a Rolex Oyster, subjecting it to the identical unforgiving situations as his automotive, Blue Hen. This early partnership laid the muse for the Swiss Manufacture’s enduring help of motorsport’s most outstanding figures and occasions.
Foremost amongst them is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest and most revered endurance race held at Circuit de la Sarthe. Since 2001, Rolex has been the Unique Main Accomplice and Official Timepiece of the French basic. The a hundred and first version in 2024 delivered one of the aggressive races in current reminiscence. The #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P clinched victory, edging out high contenders from Toyota and Porsche in a discipline that showcased the perfect of contemporary endurance racing.
Le Mans additionally leads the cost in innovation, with pioneering initiatives resembling MissionH24 that goals to introduce hydrogen-powered automobiles to the grid, aligning with the race’s long run dedication to zero-emission mobility. Forward of the primary occasion final 12 months, followers loved a world-first preview of H2 class hydrogen prototype autos, which showcased groundbreaking expertise poised to redefine endurance racing’s future. Organiser and Rolex associate, the Vehicle Membership de l’Ouest (ACO), has already embraced sustainable biofuels and is on monitor to attain carbon neutrality by 2030 – a imaginative and prescient that echoes Rolex’s personal pursuit of mechanical excellence by means of precision, innovation, and duty.
Learn Extra: The Rolex Land-Dweller Turns Hearsay to Revelation
Finishing what auto fanatics consult with because the triple crown of endurance racing, the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida provides one other layer to Rolex’s motorsport involvement. Since 1952, Sebring’s cracked concrete runways have examined suspensions and sanity in equal measure. Because the occasion’s Official Timepiece, Rolex upholds its custom of rewarding efficiency below strain. Many Le Mans-bound groups head to Sebring each March, braving its punishing floor to fine-tune their equipment for the season’s longer hauls.
Rolex can also be the Official Timepiece of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), a worldwide circuit of races that mirrors the variety and complexity of latest motorsport. From Qatar to Fuji, the championship challenges groups with various climates, surfaces, and tactical calls for. The collection can also be a significant testing floor for rising applied sciences, resembling hybrid propulsion and vitality restoration programs, areas the place Rolex’s concentrate on innovation aligns naturally.
Jenson Button, Rolex Testimonee and 2009 FIA Components 1® Drivers’ World Champion, who joined the WEC ranks this 12 months after debuting final season: “I’ve learnt a lot and I discover it extremely rewarding that at 45 years previous, I’m nonetheless studying and bettering as a driver. Working with teammates has additionally taught me rather a lot about compromise; as drivers we’re naturally egocentric, a attribute which doesn’t prevail within the WEC. I’m very a lot wanting ahead to this season and I really feel we now have the potential to combat on the entrance and win races.”
Celebrating Motorsport Heritage
Whereas Rolex helps motorsport’s future, it additionally safeguards its previous. Nowhere is that dedication extra evident than on the Goodwood Revival, the world’s most acclaimed celebration of basic motor racing. Held each September in West Sussex, England, the occasion sees followers and race legends relive the golden period of motorsport, full with classic automobiles, interval apparel, and the sound of carburetted engines echoing by means of the English countryside.
Learn Extra: How Rolex Helps To Preserve the Golden Period of Motor Racing Alive
In 2024, Rolex marked 20 years because the Official Timekeeper of the Revival. Rolex Testimonee and legendary three-time FIA Components 1® Drivers’ World Champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, honoured the event by unveiling the unique Tyrrell Shed – the birthplace of his 1971 and 1973 championship-winning machines. Following meticulous restoration, the shed was moved to the Goodwood Motor Circuit to protect the lasting legacy of British racing innovation. The occasion additionally set a world-first by operating each race on sustainable gasoline, proving that heritage and innovation can coexist harmoniously.
Throughout the Atlantic, the custom of honouring motorsport’s previous is echoed each August at Monterey Automotive Week in California, the place Rolex has performed an integral position for over 25 years. Celebrating half a century of historic racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion options over 400 meticulously restored automobiles in spirited competitors. Button, who raced his putting 1952 Jaguar C-Kind right here, added: “I really like this occasion; it’s electrical. It was further particular to drive my C-Kind right here at an occasion so intently linked to Rolex, and to race alongside so many various artistic endeavors. There’s a lot historical past on this sport, and the Reunion showcases the vastness of motorsport in a method that the subsequent technology can admire.”
Moreover, the Pebble Seaside Concours d’Class® and the Rolex-supported Pebble Seaside Tour d’Class® boast an unimaginable show of automotive magnificence. Successful Better of Present on the 2024 occasion was a 1934 Bugatti Kind 59 Sports activities, marking the primary time a preservation-class car claimed high spot. Automotive proprietor Fritz Burkard mirrored on his specifically engraved prize: “What’s most stunning about this second is that, for the primary time, somebody from Switzerland has gained the Concours and to win a Swiss watch makes it further particular – the Rolex 1908 is beautiful.”
A Legacy of Progress and Innovation
It’s simple that Rolex and motorsport are certain by a shared pursuit of efficiency, precision, and the relentless drive to push boundaries. From the legendary Rolex Oyster worn by Sir Malcolm Campbell throughout his Thirties velocity document makes an attempt to the backing of hydrogen-powered prototypes and sustainable fuels as we speak, Rolex has remained on the forefront of mechanical innovation. But, past engineering prowess, the partnership is equally rooted in emotion: the eagerness, perseverance, and human triumph that outline the spirit of racing.
Learn Extra: Rolex 24 at Daytona 2025 Pushes Limits of Man and Machine
This story was first on WOW #78 Imaginative and prescient 2025 Problem
For extra on the newest in luxurious watch reads, click on right here.
