Gladiatorial Spirit

Presenting the Rolex Testimonee Roundtable with motorsports legends of the past, present and future Sir Jackie Stewart, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber

The speediest racer in the world has nothing to write home about without a device to time his or her laps. From cross-continental rallies and 24hour endurance tests, to the very pinnacle of motorsports as represented by Formula 1, the importance of a timekeeper is thus well known. After all, speed is defined as a measure of distance covered over a measure of time. But, this is not what makes motorsports tick, as it were, because absolutely no one gets into this to clock up the fastest absolute speeds.

In November last year, three Rolex Testimonees – Sir Jackie Stewart, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber – got together to discuss the real appeal of motorsports, while figuring out what the partnership between Rolex and motorsports really means. We present their fascinating conversation in the following pages.

Rolex has been involved in motorsport since the 1930s. As racing drivers, what does this enduring partnership mean to you?

Mark Webber (MW): I think that clearly innovation and pushing the boundaries unites Rolex with motorsport– they’re both synonymous with world-class products. In motorsport, you can never rest on your laurels – the only easy day was probably yesterday, you never know what is around the corner. When Rolex is designing and developing watches, the company is constantly pushing the boundaries of the products’ capabilities.

Sir Jackie Stewart (SJYS): Beyond that too, Rolex has always associated itself with excellence, it goes back a long way. This is demonstrated by the brand’s association with Sir Malcolm Campbell, who broke the World Land Speed Record on Daytona Beach in the 1930s wearing a Rolex watch. When Edmund Hillary climbed Everest in 1953, he was again wearing a Rolex. And when Mercedes Gleitze, the first-ever Rolex Testimonee, crossed the English Channel in 1927, she wore a Rolex Oyster.