The Gentleman Magazine Issue 3 | June/July | Page 14

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
THE START OF A SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP
The roots of Rolex’s affinity for sports and human achievement
can be traced back to the pioneering origins of the company.
In an era when wristwatches were still regarded as fragile items
of apparel, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf was determined to
create a timepiece that would be robust, precise and reliable,
adapting to ever more active lifestyles.
In 1927, the year after Hans Wilsdorf developed the cornerstone
of the company’s success, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch,
the Rolex Oyster, he equipped a young sportswoman, Mercedes
Gleitze, with the innovative wristwatch to swim the English
Channel. At the end of her arduous swim, after more than 10
hours in the water, the watch emerged in perfect working order.
Mercedes Gleitze was effectively the first Rolex Testimonee,
a witness to the uncompromised performance of the Oyster
who also demonstrated its real-life qualities. It became the
wristwatch that defied the elements, an essential feature for
those engaged in exploration or sports.
Since then, Rolex has accompanied many of humanity’s greatest
feats as men and women have broken long-standing record
defying the elements and exploring the globe’s most forbidding
frontiers – from the tallest peaks to the deepest oceans. As they
pushed the boundaries of human endeavour, these men and
women also provided a demanding proving ground for the
Oyster wristwatch, as a robust, reliable and practical timepiece
in any circumstance.
Rolex continues its constant pursuit of perfection to this day,
and in doing so, the brand has become a symbol for elegance
and prestige. It was thus a natural progression for Rolex to
partner with the sport of equestrianism, which shares these
heralding values.
14 | The Gentleman Magazine
The relationships started in 1957 with Rolex’s first equestrian
Testimonee with one of the greatest female showjumpers to
ever represent Great Britain. Pat Smythe became a household
name in the late 1940’s for her international equestrian
accomplishments as well, as for expanding the gender
boundaries for her most-cherished sport.
Smythe’s list of equestrian achievements is long and prolific.
She was the first woman to travel the world competing
internationally, winning major Grand Prix events on her own
horses in more countries than any man or woman had ever
done before. In 1956 she was the first woman to ride in the
Olympics show jumping event and the first ever to win a medal.
Since that pivotal association, Rolex’s support and contribution
to equestrianism has grown and prospered. Today, the brand
is proud to champion many of the sport’s leading athletes and
events; from Brazilian show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa, to Scott
Brash, from Scotland and the historic and prestigious CHIO
Aachen equestrian competition in Germany, as well as the
rise of the iconic Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Rolex
has built on this relationship, which in 2017 marks the brand’s
special 60-year anniversary as the crown in equestrian sport.
SIX DECADES MARKED BY MOMENTS OF GLORY
With exactly 60 years of partnership together, the relationship
between Rolex and equestrianism has contributed to many of
the sport’s greatest moments. One that will be remembered
for all time is when Rolex Testimonee Scott Brash earned
equestrianism’s greatest, most challenging accolade: the Rolex
Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Created jointly in 2013 by CHIO
Aachen, CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ and CHI Geneva,
the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping rewards the rider who
wins the Grand Prix at each of the shows, amounting to three
Grands Prix in succession.