Rolex at Monterey Classic Car Week

By Stephen Watson

A 1950 Talbot T26C during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

“Motorsports are about precision; it’s about endurance, it’s about the reliability of the machine—it’s the perfect tie-in to why Rolex is here” said a brand representative at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance car show held last week in Monterey, California. The show marked the final day of Monterey Classic Car Week and included an elegant afternoon lawn party at the Quail Motorsports Gathering and competitive racing at the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca racetrack for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion celebrates 60 years of racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The iconic Paul Newman Cosmograph Daytona coming up for auction from Phillips in New York on October 26 has reignited interest in the relationship between Rolex and auto racing, with all eyes on the first-time sale of one of the most famous chronographs in the world. From the Rolex 24 at the Daytona International Speedway to its current sponsorship of Formula One, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring at the FIA World Endurance Championship, the link between Rolex, and motorsports is the stuff of legend.

Sir Jackie Stewart at the Quail Motorsports Gathering.

The Best of Show recipient at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was a 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer owned by Bruce R. McCaw.

A 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (driven by Chase Johnson), a 1989 Mazda 767-B (owned by Mazda North America Operations) and a 1960 Cooper T5249, owned/driven by Jimmy Domingos (race group 2B, Formula Junior- Front Engine and Drum Brakes) take to the track before the kick of the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

The lawn at The Quail Motorsports Gathering.

CEO of Rolex USA Stewart Wicht and Sir Jackie Stewart congratulate Bruce R. McCaw on his Best of Show award with his 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2017 Prizewinning Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona and the Rolex Race Award of Excellence Trophy with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the background.