Racing superstar Danica Patrick has joined a long list of motorsports superstars that have signed up to compete in the 47th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 24-25, 2009. The grueling 24-hour race demands the very best from the competitors if they are not only trying to win, but also even finish. As a trailblazer, Danica Patrick last season became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race. Although she failed to finish the Rolex 24 in 2006, she is back after taking a year off and ready to go for the blue ribbon. With natural talent and instinctive daring, Danica has the inner qualities necessary to win. If only Danica had a Rolex on her wrist before the race, she might see how the precision timepiece reflects the qualities she tries to achieve on the speedway.

If Danica Patrick could be given a lead on a Rolex watch to acquire, which Rolex ladies watch should she get to aid her in her cause? Although many of the professional men’s Rolex watches like the GMT Master II or the Daytona would do just fine, Danica needs a watch that reflects her style and class both on the raceway and on the red carpet. Melrose Jewelers happens to have a watch in stock that would meet Danica’s needs. The Ladies 2T Rolex Datejust is a spectacular watch showcasing the stunning Submariner Blue Diamond Dial. Its Oyster bracelet offers a modern appearance and is quite eye-catching with the combination of glossy Stainless Steel and 18k Yellow Gold, reflecting Danica’s balance between professional sports and fashion.  Lastly, the .7ct Beadset Diamond Bezel set in 18k White Gold surrounds the magnificent dial and adds to the already glamorous appearance of this masterpiece. Such an incredible watch matches the blue colors of racing while offering the professional perfection of a Rolex. With the added diamond, it provides the glamour that a star like Danica Patrick not only needs, but also demands.

Danica competed in the Rolex 24 in 2006, but the team finished 50th after a mechanical breakdown. “I had such a good time,” said Patrick of her 2006 Rolex 24 start. “So many drivers come together for this event. Of course everyone wants to win and do well. But there’s such camaraderie at this. I’m just really grateful to come back to this team again. To be with a group of drivers like this, we have a great chance at winning this race.” Danica Patrick, who races with Andretti-Green Racing in the IndyCar Series, will spend this weekend’s test getting familiar with the Daytona Prototype again. She has plenty of memories from her lone 2006 start.

“There wasn’t a ton of running so it was hard to get a real feel of how the rhythm of the race goes and how it goes through the night and into the next day,” Danica said of her 2006 Rolex 24 experience, which cut short due to mechanical failures. “I’ll definitely be asking questions as we go along about that. I remember what it feels in the car and how it was around here and I think that will be able to carry over but also the car has improved too.” Hopefully, both the racing car and Danica’s team have improved because she deserves the opportunity to win the Rolex 24 and receive a Rolex watch as the prize for such a victory. Danica Patrick is a class act, and she would look perfect with a Rolex on her wrist.

Continuing the support it has given since 2003, Rolex underwrote the entire cost of the Rita Hayworth Gala for the Alzheimer’s Association, which took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Attendees at this year’s event included Dan Ackyroyd, Ivana Trump, Bryant Gumbel and Deborah Norville. Since 2008 marked the 25^th anniversary of the gala, which was started by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan to honor the memory of her mother, actress Rita Hayworth, the star-studded event was nothing less than inspiring in 2008. With no expense spared with the support of Rolex, the party raised millions of dollars. Since its inception, the Rita Hayworth Gala has succeeded in raising more than $50 million for the research and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Since Rolex has joined the team in 2003, the event has become one of the most profitable charitable nights of the calendar year.

Since the very beginning, Rolex has been known as a creator of luxury watches of the highest quality and precision, setting both endurance and performance records. Side by side with the very best watches, Rolex also has supported philanthropic causes since day one. In World War II, Hans Wilsdorf replaced the Rolex watches that had been stolen from British prisoners of war, allowing them to defer the cost until after the conflict. Wilsdorf had a entrepreneurial vision in both the business and the philanthropic worlds, believing his company could make the very best watches while helping to support charities and causes across the globe. Upon the death of his wife in 1944, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wildorf Foundation in which he left all of his Rolex shares. The establishment of the foundation would guarantee that a good percentage of the company’s future income would go to charity. The company is still owned by a private trust, and shares are not traded on any stock exchange. As a result, Rolex is a huge supporter of philanthropic events and charities.

The decision by Rolex to continue to underwrite the Rita Hayworth Gala in order to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association is a perfect example of Wilsdorf’s vision coming true. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan experienced the pain of the disease when her mother, one of the most celebrated stars of the 1940s, experienced an onset of Alzheimer’s disease extremely early in her life. Alzheimer’s Association-funded researchers have made great strides in diagnosis, treatment and interventions. If he were alive today, Hans Wildorf would be proud that Rolex is supporting such a worthy cause. Mind you, he also would be astounded by the continued innovation and quality of Rolex watches.

In an emailed statement on December 20, 2008, Rolex Group, the Swiss watchmaker, named Finance Director and respected ZKB baker Bruno Meier as head of management after Chief Executive Officer Patrick Heiniger resigned. As respected as the Rolex watches the company makes, the resignation of Patrick Heiniger came as a major surprise, ending almost half a century of leadership under the Heiniger family. Heiniger replaced his father Andre in 1992 who was the first executive to lead the company since the brand was created by Hans Wilsdorf in 1908. With Meier’s ascension to the top post, it will be the first time in the history of Rolex that the company has not been run by either Wilsdorf or a member of the Heiniger family.

Rolex invented the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof watch, and the company is renowned for its consistent history of quality and precision. The Rolex Group makes more than 170 models of the Oyster, including the Rolex Day-Date and the Rolex Datejust Presidential models, now and employs 8,000 people. Under the leadership of Patrick Heiniger, Rolex took over the entire manufacturing process of its watches, avoiding any reliance on third-party suppliers. Interbrand Chief Executive Officer Jez Frampton said Rolex has maintained a focus on making the very best in luxury watches, while other brands have ventured have introduced cheaper versions of their products to attract new clientele. “They’ve stuck to their knitting, “ Frampton said, “This is the key for a luxury brand: you can’t sell yourself cheap.”

Although 2008 will have been a record year, according to the Rolex Group, under Heiniger’s leadership, the departing CEO could not escape recent rumors that he had invested the company’s profits in the worldwide ponzi scheme of Bernard Madoff, the American asset manager charged with $50 billion dollar fraud. With a rumored loss of over a billion dollars, Heiniger, 58, stepped down for “personal reasons” to pursue “personal projects”. The company is privately owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, and, according to Interbrand, the Rolex brand is worth about $5 billion.

At ZKB (Swiss Bank Zürcher Kantonalbank), Bruno Meier was head of the Risk Management Unit, which seems appropriate given the risky times the luxury goods market is now entering. Here is the respected executives bio from the ZKB website: “Bruno Meier was appointed Head of the newly created Risk unit and a member of the executive board on 1 April 2008. He has served with ZKB since 1971, having performed a variety of key roles in distribution and risk management. From 2002 until the beginning of 2008, Bruno Meier was responsible for the credit office, where his remit covered credit analysis for the bank as a whole, specialist financing, as well as real estate valuation and consulting.”

Meier will be responsible for running the company along with the board of directors and management, Geneva-based Rolex said in an e-mailed statement today. This year will have been a “record” under Heiniger’s leadership, the watchmaker added that one of Meier’s first tasks will be to protect Rolex’s market share as the wealthy cut spending on luxury goods. The world’s richest people are likely to see the value of their assets shrink for the first time in at least 12 years in 2008, according to a report by Capgemini SA. Weaker spending may cause a drop of as much as 15 percent in Swiss watch exports next year, John Guy, an analyst at MF Global Securities, estimated. “The pain will be shared by all,” wrote Alessandro Migliorini, an analyst at Helvea SA in Geneva. “The shock wave from the financial crisis has finally hit all major markets.” With the end of the Heiniger era coinciding with the worldwide recession, Rolex enters new dangerous waters, which they believe can be navigated precisely by Meier as he raises the sails of continued quality and success at the legendary company.

At the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards of 2008, Italian windsurfing legend Alessandra Sensini and British two-time previous winner sailor Ben Ainsile took home top honors at the stunning La Quinta de Jarama in Madrid, Spain. Read the rest of this Rolex Watch Blog »

Over the years, Rolex has sponsored golf tournaments in the U.S. and Europe that have produced memorable highlights. In 2008, the world’s top male and female professional golfers competed in championships that bore the Rolex seal of sponsorship. Read the rest of this Rolex Watch Blog »

Rutherford Latham won the first leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup held in Oslo, Norway. Latham is now one step ahead of the other riders who are vying for a place in the Rolex FEI World Cup final in April 2009. Read the rest of this Rolex Watch Blog »

At the 2008 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, three out of the four trophies, along with steel and gold Rolex YachtMaster Chronometers, were awarded to American teams. A Briton grabbed the last prize in a division dominated by Europeans. Read the rest of this Rolex Watch Blog »

Rolex has long been known for its world class timepieces and magnificent watches.  The company has also been at the forefront of corporate sponsorship, serving as the title sponsor for some of the world’s most exciting sporting events. Read the rest of this Rolex Watch Blog »