24 Hours of Le Mans: this is the Rolex every driver dreams of

It will be a victory for history, after 86400 seconds... This year, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans will have an even more special flavour than usual. At the end of fatigue and endurance, it is the 100th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans which will end on Sunday 11 June in the afternoon.

For the occasion, the winning team will stand on the podium to lift the Centenary trophy of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but not only. As Rolex has already been Official Watch of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001, each driver will also receive an engraved Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona. The most legendary chronograph - which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year - has been specifically engraved for this edition that will remain in the history of motorsport.

This Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona made of Oystersteel (Ref. 116500LN-0002) will go down in history with the name of the victorious drivers. And this in front of more than 200,000 people expected around the Sarthe circuit. Tom Kristensen, alongside Rolex since 2010, is undoubtedly the one who knows the subject best: he holds the record for victories, with nine victories at Le Mans... "To understand the importance of this competition, we must look back on its hundred years of existence. There have been countless developments, revolutions, triumphs and disappointments – so many events that have forged the legend of this race. No one is perfect, but during the race, a driver can optimize his qualities and get as close to perfection as possible. And during a turn of the dial, every minute that passes, every lap that passes, brings you closer to victory or abandonment.

A victory at the end of fatigue and endurance. Rolex

Tom Kristensen knows intimately what it means to receive a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona at the moment of victory: "The winners will remember for a long time the moment they received a Daytona at the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This watch will forever tell the story of the race, and the Le Mans inscription engraved on its back reinforces its status even more. This year, a driver will be much more than a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he will be the one who has won the centenary edition. The feat of a lifetime."