Rolex Renews Long-Term World Sailing Awards Partnership

Swiss luxury watch maker Rolex has renewed its partnership with The World Sailing governing body. 

The extension sees Rolex reprise its role as the title sponsor of World Sailing’s annual ‘World Sailor of the Year’ awards, a partnership which first began in 2001. The deal struck in 2020 had been due to expire at the end of 2025, and is reportedly in the US$2.8m range.  

The winners of those awards (one male, one female) are crowned annually at the World Sailing Awards (the 2025 edition of which took place earlier in November), and presented with an “engraved Rolex timepiece.”

David Graham, chief executive at London-based World Sailing, stated, “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.”

According to ASN data, Rolex (21.2%, ~US$30.3m) has the largest share for its category in the Asian sponsorship market since Q123, with a quarterly average investment of almost US$2.7m during this period. As for sailing partnerships in the region, it has an existing one with the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club reportedly worth US$340k. Globally, the Swiss brand has a long-term partnership through 2033/34 as the title partner of the SailGP series, which was clinched last November. 

Meanwhile, the forecast for Q425 is forecasted to hit a robust US$5.5m+, a rise of almost 2.1 X of the usual average, after a muted 2025, which has so far seen a collective sponsorship investment of a mere US$355k over the last three quarters.