Rolex and Yachting

ROLEX AND YACHTING Perpetual Excellence For more than a century, Rolex’s quest for excellence through continuous improvement and innovation has underpinned all of the company’s activities – in its watchmaking and in all its engagements. As part of Perpetual Excellence, Rolex seeks partnerships with individuals and organizations in the arts and in sport who set the highest standards of performance. Note Please note that the following is generic information in line with the “traditional” calendar. However, given the extraordinary circumstances that have impacted the world, the dates of some of these events are likely to change in 2021. ROLEX AND YACHTING As the crown in sailing for more than 60 years, Rolex is the committed partner of yachting’s most prestigious races, regattas, clubs and sailors. It shares the highest standards of excellence with the custodians of yachting’s enduring spirit. PRIVILEGED RELATIONSHIP Rolex has forged a privileged relationship with yachting through the sport’s influential yacht clubs, and today partners some 15 major international yacht races and regattas around the world. They include: Two of the leading offshore races: • the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (Australia), every year in late December. Partnership since 2002; • the Rolex Fastnet Race, (United Kingdom), biennial in August. Partnership since 2001. Highly competitive championships and regattas on closely matched yachts, such as: • SailGP Global Championship, partnered since 2019; • the Rolex TP52 World Championship, partnered since 2017. Other elite events of the yachting season, ranging from regattas for the most modern and powerful yachts to racing that also draws on the heritage of yachting: • the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Sardinia (Italy), every year in September. Partnership since 1985; • the Rolex Swan Cup, Sardinia (Italy), biennial in September. Partnership since 1984; • the Rolex Giraglia, a series of races – inshore and offshore – taking place annually in June, between France and Italy. Partnership since 1998. All reflect the finest spirit of sailing, anchored in partnerships with yacht clubs that reflect the best traditions and elegance of the sport, including: • the New York Yacht Club (NYYC – United States), since 1958; • the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS – Cowes, United Kingdom), since the 1980s; • the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS – Porto Cervo, Italy), since 1985. Rolex also partners three of the most decorated sailors in the sport. Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor of all time and continues to compete at the very top. Paul Cayard is one ROLEX SA | February 2021 | 2 - 7 ROLEX AND YACHTING of the most versatile and accomplished yachtsmen competing at the highest level of the sport. Robert Scheidt is an outstanding racing sailor, having won multiple sailing world championships and Olympic medals. THE BEGINNING Rolex’s association with yachting began in 1958 when the leading Swiss watchmaker formed an alliance with the New York Yacht Club, founder of the America’s Cup competition. The seminal partnership with the NYYC, and later the RYS, provides a lasting bond with historic and pioneering influences on the sport of yachting and its rules. For more than six decades, Rolex has harnessed the passion for yachting by establishing deep- rooted ties with influential yacht clubs all around the world, where sailing enthusiasts rub shoulders with seasoned racers and elite skippers. These prestigious partnerships also extend to major races and regattas on both sides of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Basin. PARTNERSHIPS RACES AND REGATTAS The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia every year, and the Rolex Fastnet Race, organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) every two years, are at the forefront of the leading offshore races. Fiercely challenging and frequently subject to extreme weather conditions off the coasts of 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 and amateur sailors who share the same competitive edge. Rolex has partnered the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race since 2002 and the Rolex Fastnet Race since 2001. SailGP gathers teams representing Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the USA, who race in some of the world’s most famous sailing venues including locations in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. Each one hosts a fleet race contested by eight identical, wingsailed foilers, culminating in a final between the two leaders. Rolex has been Official Timepiece since the inaugural 2019 season. Likewise, the Rolex TP52 World Championship attracts the best sailors from around the world in the highest-level grand prix competition organized for owners of TP52 yachts and their teams. The rules guarantee equally-matched yachts, allowing the skill of the crews to make the difference. ROLEX SA | February 2021 | 3 - 7 ROLEX AND YACHTING The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, is one of the highlights of the Mediterranean yachting season. Against the backdrop of the glittering Costa Smeralda, a sizeable fleet of top-quality Maxi yachts gathers each September at the YCCS in Porto Cervo, Italy, for a week of intense competition off north-eastern Sardinia. The regatta brings together the best skippers and crews with the most modern and powerful yachts of the moment. Rolex has partnered the event since 1985. The Rolex Swan Cup, noted for its sailing spirit, is also organized by the YCCS and showcases generations of high-performance yachts made by Finnish luxury boat builder 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. Organized by the Yacht Club Italiano with the support of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the competition takes place between the exclusive setting of Saint-Tropez, France, and the Italian port of Genoa, via the Giraglia rock situated off northern Corsica. 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, Valletta (Malta), since 2002; • Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, (France), since 2006; • the Rolex China Sea Race, Hong Kong, (China) to Subic Bay, (Philippines), since 2008; • the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, Newport (USA), since 2011; • the Rolex Big Boat Series, San Francisco (USA), since 2002; • the Rolex Circuito Atlántico Sur, Buenos Aires (Argentina) to Punta del Este (Uruguay) since 2008. ROLEX SA | February 2021 | 4 - 7 ROLEX AND YACHTING CLUBS The yacht clubs that organize these prestigious races and regattas are at the forefront of the sport. Each club is defined by its distinctive location and tradition, while sharing common values of professionalism and fair play, and nurturing a sailing community. Major Rolex partners include: • The New York Yacht Club (NYYC): formed in 1844, this prestigious club founded the America’s Cup, the international challenge race series whose roots date back to 1851 when the famous Auld Mug was awarded to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight. It hosted the first-ever transatlantic race in 1866, and had an influential role to play in establishing rules for yachting as a sport. Rolex’s seminal partnership with the New York Yacht Club is the brand’s oldest in yachting, spanning more than sixty years. Today, the club organizes major regattas and has two imposing clubhouses – one in New York City, opened in 1901, and the other on the water in Newport, Rhode Island. Rolex has been a partner of the NYYC since 1958. • The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS): 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 a race around the Isle of Wight, at the end of which the winner was presented with a trophy that would later become 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, most notably the Rolex Fastnet Race. Rolex has been a partner of the RYS since the 1980s; • The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS): founded in 1967 by the Aga Khan, the YCCS stands for 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 Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. Rolex has been a partner of the YCCS since 1985. Rolex is associated with many other clubs worldwide, including: • the Royal Malta Yacht Club, since 2002; • the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (China), since 2007; • the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez (France), since 2006; ROLEX SA | February 2021 | 5 - 7 ROLEX AND YACHTING • the Yacht Club Italiano (Genoa, Italy), since 1998; • the Yacht Club de Monaco, since 2013. WORLD SAILING 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 the Year Awards, recognizing male and female sailors who have distinguished themselves over the course of a year. TESTIMONEES Competing and medalling at five successive Olympic Games since the age of 19 earned British sailor Sir Ben Ainslie the most envied of reputations in the sport. One silver medal and four consecutive golds were reward for an extraordinary commitment and dedication. An 11-time world champion, Ainslie has been named World Sailing’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year on four occasions: 1998, 2002, 2008 and 2012.

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