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Why Rolex Losing Its Formula 1 Timekeeper Role Could Be a Win

TAG Heuer replaced Rolex as Formula 1’s Official Timekeeper in 2025, but Rolex still backs major endurance races and automotive events. The move may suit its broader motorsport portfolio, though no public evidence confirms a deliberate strategy or financial gain.
Estimate4–5 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team
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TAG Heuer became Formula 1’s Official Timekeeper in 2025, replacing Rolex. The change ends Rolex’s series-wide timekeeping role, not its connection to motorsport: Rolex still lists major endurance races and automotive events among its partnerships. That makes a strategic upside plausible, but there is no public evidence here that Rolex chose to leave, saved a particular amount, or gained commercially from the change.

What changed in Formula 1?

Formula 1 announced on January 6, 2025, that TAG Heuer would return as its Official Timekeeper from the 2025 season. The appointment began alongside Formula 1’s 10-year partnership with LVMH, TAG Heuer’s parent group. Formula 1’s partner listing identifies LVMH as a Global Partner, alongside its maisons Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy and TAG Heuer. The announcement confirms the partnership and term, but does not state its price.

Rolex’s own 2021 announcement described the brand as a Formula 1 Global Partner and Official Timepiece since 2013. TAG Heuer is not new to the series: Formula 1’s partner listing says it previously held the Official Timekeeper role from 1992 to 2003. Its return is a renewal of an earlier relationship.

Formula 1 describes TAG Heuer’s current role as including trackside branding, Fan Zone and Paddock Club activations, and new product ranges. The series also points to the brand’s motorsport history: a Formula 1 team association with Ferrari began in 1971, followed by a McLaren partnership in 1985 and a more recent relationship with Red Bull. Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said, “I am delighted to welcome TAG Heuer as the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 as they start the next stage of their long history in our sport.”

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Why could the change suit Rolex?

Rolex’s motorsport presence is not limited to Formula 1. Its current motor sport page lists the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, Twelve Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also highlights support for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Goodwood Revival.

That portfolio gives Rolex a continuing association with racing and classic automotive culture without the Formula 1 timekeeper title. A case can be made that focusing on established race and event relationships better suits the brand’s image than a single series-wide role. That is an interpretation, not a confirmed Rolex strategy: the available statements do not explain why the relationship ended or disclose the contract terms, Rolex’s return-on-investment assessment or any savings.

Rolex’s racing connection predates its Formula 1 partnership

Rolex’s link to motorsport reaches back decades. Its partnership history says the brand’s motor-sport links began in 1930 with Sir Malcolm Campbell, who set the World Land Speed Record nine times between 1924 and 1935. Rolex partnered with Daytona International Speedway in 1959. In 1963, it named a model the Cosmograph Daytona to symbolize that racetrack connection.

The Daytona history helps explain why losing Formula 1’s timekeeper role need not erase Rolex’s motorsport identity. The brand has other long-running associations, including a race bearing its name, while the Cosmograph Daytona itself connects its watchmaking story to a specific circuit.

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Does the change represent a financial win?

That cannot be established from public figures cited here. Liberty Media’s 2025 Form 10-K reports that sponsorship represented 21.7% of Formula 1’s total revenue in 2025, compared with 18.6% in 2024 and 18.0% in 2023. Those are series-wide shares, not the value of Rolex’s former deal or TAG Heuer’s new arrangement. Formula 1 sponsorship includes such elements as trackside advertising, race title packages, and Global Partner or Official Supplier status.

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The figures show sponsorship is meaningful to Formula 1’s overall business; they do not reveal what Rolex paid, what TAG Heuer pays, or how either arrangement performs for the brand. Without disclosed contract values or Rolex business results tied to the change, a specific cost saving or sales effect would be speculation.

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Rolex and TAG Heuer now occupy different motorsport positions

Brand Documented position Motorsport connections
Rolex Formula 1 described Rolex as Global Partner and Official Timepiece from 2013; the role ended when TAG Heuer took over in 2025. Rolex lists endurance championships, the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, Sebring, Le Mans, Pebble Beach and Goodwood. It traces its motor-sport links to 1930 and its Daytona Speedway partnership to 1959.
TAG Heuer Official Timekeeper from 2025 as part of the start of Formula 1’s 10-year LVMH partnership; it previously held the role from 1992 to 2003. Formula 1 describes trackside branding, Fan Zone and Paddock Club activations, new product ranges, and past or present team associations.

The comparison is about the roles and associations publicly described by the brands and Formula 1, not their sponsorship spending or commercial results. Formula 1’s timekeeper position is a prominent series-wide platform; Rolex’s current listed portfolio spans several races and automotive events.

What the change means for watch buyers

Formula 1 says TAG Heuer’s timekeeper partnership includes new product ranges, and its partner listing identifies the TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection. That establishes a product connection, not a buying recommendation. Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona remains historically relevant to the brand’s racing identity, but the timekeeper handover alone says nothing about either collection’s quality, price, availability or sales.

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Ultimately, Rolex’s departure can be framed as a possible strategic win because its motorsport identity rests on more than Formula 1. Whether it was a deliberate choice or a financial benefit is not established by the available public information.

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