25 Years at Le Mans

Rolex has been the Exclusive Major Partner and Official Timepiece of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 25 years. It is the world’s oldest and most prestigious endurance race, putting drivers and machines through a gruelling 24 hours on the 13.626 km Circuit de la Sarthe. The overall winners receive specially engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytonas, with “Winner” and the year marked on the caseback. Gotta collect them all. The 2026 race delivered a story worthy of the anniversary: Rolex Testimonee Nyck de Vries and his #7 Toyota Racing teammates climbed from 14th on the grid to take victory, ahead of the #20 BMW M Team WRT and the #8 Toyota Racing entry.

Few understand the race better than Rolex Testimonee Tom Kristensen, who won it a record nine times and earned the moniker “Mr Le Mans”. He began his career at Circuit de la Sarthe 29 years ago and has watched the event evolve over the decades. The Dane says: “My journey at Le Mans started in 1997 with my debut win. As soon as I got in the car and I took the lead, I could feel it was the beginning of something special. I still remember winning my first watch and later becoming a Testimonee in 2010.”

Before the race, de Vries had unfinished business after finishing second with Toyota Racing in 2024. The Dutch driver, who joined the Rolex family of Testimonees earlier this year, said: “As an endurance racing driver, this is the most important race of the year. It’s a much-loved event for everyone, not just motor sport fans – which tells you how special this race is and how much people cherish being part of it. A win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans carries all the history, all the prestige, all the unique characteristics which make this achievement so sought after. My ambitions for the future never stop. Right now, at the top of my list is winning Le Mans. I want to write a small line of history in that book.”

Days later, he had written exactly that line of history and finally claimed the winner’s Daytona.