In endurance racing, time is what separates champions from other competitors and rewards those who prevail.
Drivers must navigate fatigue, changing conditions and relentless competition, while teams make split-second decisions that can determine the outcome of races lasting six to 24 hours.
For Rolex, whose relationship with motor sport stretches back to the 1930s, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is a natural arena in which to celebrate the qualities that define both the sport and the brand – precision, resilience and the ability to perform under pressure.
In 2026, Rolex celebrates 10 years as Official Timepiece of the championship, a decade that has coincided with one of the sport’s most exciting eras.
Since the partnership began in 2016, the WEC has witnessed the introduction of the Hypercar class in 2021, to the historic transatlantic alignment in 2023 and the championship’s 100th race in 2025.
Through it all, the Rolex Pit Lane Clock has remained a familiar presence, quietly marking the passage of time as drivers and teams push themselves to their limits.
As the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship heads towards its final three rounds, the stakes are rising.
Following the Lone Star Le Mans in Texas from Sept 4 to 6, the championship travels to Japan for the 6 Hours of Fuji from Sept 25 to 27, before making its way to Spain for the 6 Hours of Barcelona from Oct 16 to 18.
The season will then conclude in Italy at the 6 Hours of Monza from Nov 6 to 8, where the Hypercar champions will finally be crowned.
And, as has become tradition, the culmination will carry an especially significant reward: a specially engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, presented by Rolex to the season champions of the Hypercar class.
A commitment spanning decades
Endurance racing is fundamentally a test of time. Its greatest contests demand not only speed, but consistency, discipline and the ability to perform under pressure for hours on end.
These qualities have made the WEC a natural fit for Rolex, whose relationship with motor sport stretches back almost a century.
The story began in the 1930s, when British racing driver and land-speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell wore a Rolex Oyster while setting World Land Speed Records on Daytona Beach.
From there, the watchmaker’s involvement in motor sport expanded to encompass some of the discipline’s most prestigious events, championships and personalities.
Today, Rolex’s motor sport portfolio includes the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as three of endurance racing’s most celebrated contests: the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Partnerships also include the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion since 2001 and Title Sponsor since 2010,
Official Timepiece of The Quail by The Peninsula, A Motorsports Gathering since 2005, Official Timepiece of the Goodwood Revival and Title Sponsor of the Rolex Drivers’ Club since 2004.
The connection is also represented by generations of exceptional drivers.
Motor sport legend Sir Jackie Stewart joined the Rolex family of Testimonees in 1968, followed by figures including nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in 2010 and former 2015 FIA World Endurance Champion and multiple Grand Prix winner Mark Webber in 2017.
The relationship continues to evolve with a new generation.
Among them is British driver Jamie Chadwick, who continues to break new ground in motor sport.
In 2026, she joined Genesis Magma Racing as reserve driver for its inaugural Hypercar campaign, becoming the first woman to hold that position within the class.
Her progress reflects another dimension of endurance racing’s appeal: a sport rooted in history, but continually opening the door to new talent, new technology and new possibilities.
Most recently, Nyck de Vries, a leading figure in the WEC with success across multiple disciplines, joined as a Rolex Testimonee in 2026.
“Such a successful and long-standing relationship is a mark of absolute trust and exemplifies the qualities that are essential to us: loyalty, precision, elegance and excellence,” says FIA World Endurance Championship Chief Executive Officer Frederic Lequien.
“These are values that Rolex and the FIA WEC wholeheartedly embrace and share. Rolex as a brand is synonymous with the pinnacle of international endurance racing, and we take great pride in having a partner that is so deeply engaged with everything we do.”
Few events illustrate the relationship between Rolex and endurance racing better than the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In June, Circuit de la Sarthe in France provided the defining moment of the 2026 WEC season so far, as Rolex celebrated its 25th anniversary as Exclusive Major Partner and Official Timepiece of the race.
First partnering Le Mans in 2001, Rolex has since become an enduring presence at an event where the relationship between time and achievement is impossible to ignore.
This year’s 94th edition delivered its own remarkable chapter when the #7 Toyota Racing Hypercar, driven by de Vries and his teammates, fought back from 14th place on the grid to take victory after 24 gruelling hours.
It was Rolex Testimonee Nyck de Vries’ maiden Le Mans triumph – achieved during his third appearance in the Hypercar class – and an especially significant milestone given that he had joined the Rolex family of Testimonees earlier in the year.
The victory also illustrated why endurance racing is as much about resilience as raw speed.
The team encountered setbacks during the race, yet continued to fight, ultimately executing the tactical decisions required to bring the #7 car to the front.
For de Vries, the achievement carried an added sense of significance.
“It feels like the stars were aligned. I’m incredibly relieved and grateful for such an achievement. Le Mans chooses you. There were so many times during the race where we felt like we had no chance at all, we were just focused on collecting points for the FIA World Endurance Championship – it proves that you should never give up and always hang in there,” he said after the race.
Standing alongside him was another member of the Rolex family,
Rolex Testimonee Tom Kristensen, whose record nine Le Mans victories make him uniquely qualified to understand the scale of the achievement.
A new chapter
For de Vries, 2026 represents both continuity and a new beginning.
The Dutchman entered his fifth WEC season and his third year competing with Toyota Racing, but began the campaign with a new distinction having joined the Rolex family of motor sport Testimonees.
That association reflects a career that has crossed multiple disciplines and continues to evolve.
In endurance racing, de Vries has found a setting in which speed must be combined with patience, teamwork and strategic thinking – qualities that were tested to the fullest at Le Mans.
His victory at Circuit de la Sarthe was therefore more than another addition to his list of achievements.
It represented the fulfilment of a goal he had wanted to accomplish and created an immediate connection between the new Rolex Testimonee and one of the most important chapters in Rolex’s own motor sport story.
Symbol of achievement
At the end of the WEC season, when the Hypercar champions are crowned, they will receive specially engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona watches from Rolex – a fitting reward in a championship where every second can influence the final result.
The Daytona has become inseparable from the world of motor sport. Its name itself evokes Daytona Beach and the watch’s longstanding association with racing, while its reputation has been shaped by generations of drivers and champions.
These watches mark the culmination of an extended journey: thousands of kilometres raced, countless hours spent testing and preparing, decisions made under pressure and the ability to remain focused long after fatigue sets in.
That philosophy mirrors Rolex’s broader approach to achievement.
The brand’s relationship with motor sport is built around recognising not just the moment of victory, but the journey to reach it.
Behind every position in the standings lies a season of preparation, endurance and persistence.
For those competing for the Hypercar crown, the prize will ultimately be measured not only in championship points, trophies or celebrations, but in time itself – and in a watch that will forever mark the moment when all those hours of effort finally became history.
