On June 10 and 11, the historic Circuit de la Sarthe racetrack in France bore witness to an exceptional contest that will forever be etched in the annals of motorsport history - the Centennial 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This celebrated racing series, integral to motoring technology, turned 100 over the course of those two days. The stories and legends that emerged from this race over the years, from the drivers to the machines, have created motorsport history. The recent "Ford vs Ferrari" movie from 2019 highlighted one such momentous event, when the blue oval bested the prancing horse at the 1966 Le Mans, ending Ferrari's winning streak.
First held in 1923, the world's most prestigious endurance race has tested human and technical performance to its limits for its entire run, and will continue to do so. As the Official Timepiece of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001, Rolex champions this commitment to motoring excellence around the clock, adding to its prestige as part of what made this race and its conquerors titans of motorsports.
THE RACE
Just before 4pm Central European Time, the cars perform their formation lap, led by a Porsche with 75th anniversary livery. As the clock closes in on 4pm, the Le Mans theme, Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra," swells over the speakers, signaling that the race is about to commence. The race director is heard over the pilot's intercoms: "All cars to assume race positions."
"We're about to go racing," says the race commentator, his British composure hiding his excitement. As the classic Zarathustra hit its crescendo, the cars pass by NBA superstar Lebron James, one of the guests of honour, enthusiastically waving the French tricolor, and then they are off! The engines roar as the cars get up to speed, with an early collision between a Porsche and a Toyota not slowing things down.
Bu hikaye WOW Singapore dergisinin Issue 70 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye WOW Singapore dergisinin Issue 70 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Worth Its Weight
TAG Heuer scored an unexpected win with the Carrera Chronograph Skipper in the recent past, so the brand returned it to regular production in steel last year. For 2024, red gold marks the Skipper's triumph
When Imitation Is Criminal
In the second part of our special on the phenomenon of counterfeiting in watchmaking, we look at some surprising reasons behind consumer demand
The Conversation: Greater Expectations
With Geneva Watch Week behind us, the editors exchange views on the novelty showcases, the novelties themselves and all the watch news that is fit to print and some that is not)
GOLDEN HOURS
The first timekeepers may not have been cased in any precious metal but, given how precious time is, gold and silver soon made their marks here
FINE TIME
Precious metals promise to put the fine’ back into fine watchmaking, after years of being overshadowed by more prosaic materials. This special section continues the journey we began last issue, with a deep dive into that most desirable of all metals, gold. Of course, platinum is also back...
RED DAWN
Grand Seiko celebrates the 20th birthday of Spring Drive with a special edition Chronograph GMT SBGC275 with a unique dial
NEW DEPTHS
Breguet surprises with the gem-set Marine Chronograph 5529, opening up new vistas for the collection
NEW AND NOTED
As you might expect, we have been covering Watches and Wonders Geneva since it began as a physical fair in 2022 and of course when it was confined to the ether, from 2020.
OPEN SEASON
The world's biggest and most important watch fair gets a little bigger and a little better. As for the watches, they got more than a little precious...
GREAT LEAP FORWARD
With the Portugieser Eternal Calendar, WC demonstrates its mastery in the realms of the calendar and moon phase complications