The World Sailing governing body has extended its long-running commercial tie-up with luxury watch brand Rolex.
Through a renewal unveiled yesterday – extending a deal that has, in total, run for 24 years already – Rolex will carry on as title sponsor of World Sailing's annual 'world sailor of the year' awards.
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The winners of those awards (one male, one female) are crowned each year at the World Sailing awards (the 2025 edition of which took place earlier in November), and presented with an "engraved Rolex timepiece."
The tie-up between the two parties began back in 2001, and was last extended in October 2020 (with the award having initially got underway in 1994).
The deal struck in 2020 had been due to expire at the end of 2025, and was valued by GlobalData Sport as worth $2.75 million in total.
David Graham, chief executive at London-based World Sailing, has commented: "Rolex shares our passion for excellence, performance, the spirit of sailing, and this extension reflects a shared commitment to celebrating the sport’s top athletes. The enduring nature of this support serves to elevate the Rolex World Sailor of the Year and to inspire the next generation of sailors.”
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By GlobalDataIn terms of Rolex's existing partnerships across top-tier sailing, last November the brand signed up as the inaugural title partner of the international SailGP series for the next 10 years.
The tie-up means the series will be known as the Rolex SailGP Championship through 2033-34.
The watch brand also sponsors a plethora of events and properties in the worlds of women's tennis, cricket, motorsport, and more.
Other World Sailing sponsors, meanwhile, include the likes of international logistics company Kuehne+Nagel, Musto, and digital sailing platform Virtual Regatta.
