Rolex was founded in 1905 as Wilsdorf and Davis in London. Chosen for its ease of pronounciation in any language, the name Rolex was registered by founders Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in 1908. Rolex produced trench watches during World War I, and afterwards the company relocated to Geneva due to poor economic conditions in the UK at the time. Rolex has been owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation since 1960.
Pre-F1
The association between Rolex and Formula One was predated by the company’s earliest forays into motorsport in the 1830s with Sir Malcom Campbell, perhaps best known for pre-F1 Grand Prix and land speed record exploits. It was the city of Daytona, Florida, where Campbell had set several records, that would go on to shape what’s perhaps the most iconic Rolex model, the Cosmograph “Daytona” which today enjoys an inseparable association with motorsports.
Sir Jackie Stewart
Any fan of Formula One and/or the Daytona will likely know that three-time F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart is a longtime ambassador of Rolex. Stewart has featured in Rolex ads, and owns a plethora of Rolex watches. Some were courtesy of his Formula One successes, such as a Daytona for winning the Monaco Grand Prix or a King Midas gifted to him for winning his first F1 title while others were personal purchases.
Official Timekeeper of Formula One
Rolex became the Official Timekeeper of Formula One in 2013 after taking over from Hublot, and has also since been the title sponsor of individual races such as the Australian Grand Prix. Tudor, the sister brand originally conceived by Hans Wilsdorf as a lower priced alternative to Rolex, has also joined the Formula One grid in 2024 as a sponsor of the Visa Cash App RB F1 team. Rolex revealed that they were ending their Formula One tenure that same year, with LVMH officially announced as its replacement on October 2, 2024.
Artisans de Genève
Perhaps the closest we get to an official Rolex Formula One watch is by Artisans de Genève, the renown independent Geneva-based watchmaking workshop. Artisans de Geneve have worked with former Formula One drivers including Juan Pablo Montoya, Rubens Barrichello, and Mika Häkkinen to create custom Daytona models, respectively named La Montoya, La Barrichello, and the Mika Häkkinen Challenge.
References
https://paultan.org/2012/12/06/rolex-to-be-official-timekeeper-for-f1-from-2013/
https://monochrome-watches.com/watches-formula-1-episode-1-history-rolex-official-timekeeper/
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-replaces-hublot-as-official-formula-1-racing-timekeeper/
https://monochrome-watches.com/interview-sir-jackie-stewart-talks-watches-rolex-relation-f1/
https://www.chrono24.com/magazine/formula-1-watches-p_23897/
https://www.blackbookmotorsport.com/news/f1-australian-grand-prix-rolex-title-sponsor-albert-park-2023/
https://www.tudorwatch.com/en/tudor-mag/news/tudor-returns-to-motorsport-with-visa-cash-app-rb-f1-team
https://athlonsports.com/racing/f1/inside-f1/news/f1-news-lvmhs-tag-heuer-to-replace-rolex-as-official-timekeeper-for-formula-1-150-million-deal-announced-nb333
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/les-artisans-de-geneve-la-montoya-rolex-daytona-watch/
https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/the-mika-hakkinen-challenge/5667852/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KUshRNMIk