Why Rolex Is Doubling Down On Race Sponsorship With SailGP

The Crown hosts the SailGP event in Geneva for the first time after becoming the title partner of the race series.

n a less-than-blustery recent afternoon in Geneva, twelve identical, state-of-the-art catamarans, each nearly 50 feet in length, jockey for position and search for wind gusts to lift their massive carbon-fiber hulls above the water's surface. When aloft and perched on the thin foils, these multi-million-dollar, wind-driven machines can hit speeds in excess of 100 kilometers per hour (60 mph). Even in the light conditions, they're reaching about half that pace, zipping across the surface of Lac Leman in a series of tacks and jibes seeking the most velocity and the fastest lines around the course.

More than 8,000 spectators take in the action and cheer on the crews in a purpose-built temporary stadium from the shore, amid loud music, data screens, and race commentary following the sailors' shifting positions in short, fast-moving race heats. Each boat represents a different country and a crew that includes at least one woman. As the trimmed sails grow taut with power, they highlight their individual sponsors' logos that help fund the $10 million budget that each team is limited to per season. Perched prominently at the top of the main sail on each and every boat is the Crown logo and brand name of Switzerland's biggest watch company.

Welcome to the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva, a major sporting event for the small Swiss city that also serves as a kind of homecoming for the race series' new title partner. For Rolex, the deal to be the top brand partner for SailGP in 2025 represents its most significant new sporting sponsorship commitment in years. By throwing its substantial financial and brand weight behind the league, Rolex is also signalling what kind of events and athletes it wants to be connected with in the future as its long association with sport, and the top players in each discipline, evolves.

"Their support has been invaluable,'' says Andrew Thompson, the Managing Director of SailGP. "To be side by side with a brand with the prestige of Rolex has really elevated our brand, and it continues to challenge us to make sure that our brand matches their brand,'' he says.