Rolex Celebrates Automotive Excellence At Pebble Beach
Four Rolex-sponsored events at the prestigious Pebble Beach Road Race honoured the elegance, traditions and splendour of motor racing.
California’s Monterey Peninsula has been home to the Pebble Beach Road Race since 1950, and Swiss watch manufacturer Rolex has championed four unique events at this celebration of motoring excellence each August for decades, continuing its involvement in motorsports since the 1930s.
This past August, the Rolex commitment included the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, each of which brought together like-minded car enthusiasts to immerse themselves in tradition and witness the future of engineering.
“Rolex has always set the standard and is perfectly aligned with these classic automotive celebrations where we can learn so much about the evolution of the car,” says no less an authority than Sir Jackie Stewart, a three-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion and one of the most famous race drivers in history, who in 2023 marked his 55th year since joining the Rolex family of testimonees. “The elegance and splendour of the machines that race at Monterey, as well as those on show throughout the week, represent the ultimate in motoring aesthetics. These events underline Rolex’s commitment to the sport, ensuring the achievements of the past will be remembered and their legacies will last forever.”
The same may well be said about Sir Jackie. A gentleman of impeccable style and grace, the Scotsman may have even flashed his trademark smile to opponents as he raced past them to take yet another checkered flag in a career filled with them. Dashing and daring, elegant and exceptional, Stewart’s association with Rolex is a perfect fit since those words can also be used to define the classic Rolex timepieces.
The fine engineering and style of sports cars have also been a perfect marriage for Rolex, a brand recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products, symbols of perpetual excellence, elegance and prestige. Rolex famously pioneered the development of the wristwatch and many major watchmaking innovations, including the world,s first waterproof wristwatch, the Oyster, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self- winding mechanism, invented in 1931. Rolex is actively involved in supporting exploration, culture and sports, a prime example being the August Pebble Beach Road Race events. Rolex Monterey
Motorsports Reunion The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
commenced with the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which welcomed as many as 450 high-revving racing automobiles, including historic Formula 1 cars and Can-Am and Trans- Am machines racing over four days on a track that includes the legendary Corkscrew turn, one of motorsport’s ultimate challenges, one that features a five-and-a-half storey elevation change. A captivating motoring museum in motion, the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance Presented by Rolex sent more than 150 cars on a picturesque journey that included one of the most scenic roadways in America. Departing the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Tour travelled along sections of 17-Mile Drive and Highway 1 to Big Sur before returning to the starting point. Rolex has supported the Tour as its official timepiece since 2007, which during this year’s car week provided the first glimpse of the many extraordinary automobiles as each entrant sought to prove their car’s roadworthy qualities ahead of the judging at the Sunday conclusion.
“ROLEX HAS ALWAYS SET THE STANDARD AND IS PERFFECTLY ALIGNED WITH THESE CLASSIC AUTOMOTIVE CELEBRATIONS.”
The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023 and its 18th with Rolex as its official timepiece sponsor, The Quail is considering to be a highlight of the week. It is here here that many of the world’s leading manufacturers and independent coach-builders choose to launch their avant- garde models and innovative prototypes. The featured themes gracing the greens of the Quail Lodge & Golf Club this year included “The 50th Anniversary of the 1973 RS Carrera,” “The Early Bentley 1950s R-Type Coupe,” and “Eyes on Italian Design,” in an exhibition of beautifully maintained and pioneering machines.
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
The pinnacle of the Pebble Beach Road Race was reached on the concluding Sunday of car week. This year, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on the Concept Car Lawn at the Pebble Beach Golf Links paid tribute to some of the most famous manufacturers in motorsports history. As a tribute to Porsche’s 75th anniversary, a curation of historically significant models from 1948 to 1973 was displayed, including Porsche’s most important and successful prototypes and race winners. Ahead of the Italian manufacturer’s eagerly awaited return to the top class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year, Lamborghini marked its 60th year at the Concours, while McLaren — one of the longest-running teams still competing in Formula 1 — celebrated its 60th year of world-class competition. To conclude the event, Rolex honoured the Best of Show recipient in recognition of its dedication to excellence.
Sir Jackie Stewart often commented that motor racing was the ideal convergence of man and machine. The four events championed by Rolex at this year’s Pebble Beach Road Race car week certainly celebrated the elegance, style, achievement and prestige of automotive traditions and, in doing so, honoured perpetual excellence — a fitting homage to the history of Rolex itself.
