If you are a tennis lover, especially The Championships, Wimbledon, you will notice that the clocks on the tennis ground are all Rolex. It is not an advertisement, just simply the scene in every Wimbledon, because Rolex is the official timekeeper of the event. You may even notice that some of the players are wearing Rolex watches. You may be wondering what Rolex has to do with Wimbledon and you may have heard of Rolex Wimbledon watches. The blossoming relationship now extends to other Grand Slam tournaments, including the Australian Open.
So, below is the story of their partnership that has lasted for over four decades.
The perfect partnership
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament worldwide, dating back to 1877. It was first held at the All England Croquet Club and is the origin of lawn tennis, becoming the only major tournament played on grass. All payers must wear white outfits and the court officials’ uniform is green and purple. Of course, purple for so long has symbolised royalty. Wimbledon has to maintain is prestige; even when the Wimbledon uniform was contracted to an external party, only Ralph Lauren could meet the expected high standards demanded of the designs. Consequently, when Rolex decided to partner with the tennis tournament, only Wimbledon could pass the test of prestige. Their commitment to ensuring that they always provide the best services and products has seen the collaboration since 1978 when Rolex became the official timekeeper of Wimbledon.
The Wimbledon Rolex that was first introduced in 2009 was a Rolex Datejust II. The dial features Roman numeral markers outlinde in the classic emerald-like-green colour that resembles the green grass on the Wimbledon courts; the face colour on the dial is slate grey.
There is also a two-tone version of the Wimbledon watch available in yellow and white gold. This is meant to resemble the court clocks used for the tennis game. It is full stainless steel with white Rolesor, yellow gold Rolesor and Everose Rolesor.
It goes without saying that Rolex and Wimbledon are the perfect match for committing tradition, quality, and attention to detail.
Elements of the partnership
Choosing Wimbledon as the first partner in the world of tennis meant Rolex has to put its bet forward by picking winners as its brand ambassador. The selection has seen the watch manufacturer picking tennis players such as Caroline Garcia, Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov. However, the most significant ambassador for Rolex is Roger Federer, 39, who first won Wimbledon in 2003. He has won a record of 8 Wimbledon titles since. Federer has proudly represented the Rolex brand since 2006. Rolex organised a special celebration in 2018 to mark the brands 40 years in tennis with special campaigns that placed current tennis stars including Federer. The ads featured the tagline “it doesn’t just tell time, it tells history”.
Although Wimbledon has taken place since 1877 and Rolex joined the tournament around a century later, the luxury brand will continue to play a role in the Grand Slam event for many more years to come.