Jamie Chadwick and Harry Charles. (Photo courtesy: Rolex)
Racecar driver Jamie Chadwick was recruited by Rolex when she was 24. The three-time winner of the W Series, who is now a test driver for a racing team in Formula 1, has her picture on Rolex’s website next to Sirs Malcolm Campbell and Jackie Stewart. “[She] embodies the evolution of motor sport to be inclusive of women,” Rolex said.
Chadwick is part of a trend at Rolex to sign athletes young and before their first big win.
Attending the CHI de Genève next week, the world’s leading showjumping event, is Rolex's youngest equestrian testimonee, Britain’s Harry Charles. Recruited as a Rolex testimonee while still a teenager, Charles said he found the title intimidating at first. “When I went to my very first Rolex lunch with all the fellow highly successful testimonees, 19-year-old me was feeling a little bit out of place,” he told the South China Morning Post.
In tennis, Iga Świątek and Carlos Alcaraz were signed by Rolex when they were teenagers. Today they rank 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the world. Coco Gauff was signed by Rolex when she was just 16. When she won her first Major singles title three years later, at the U.S. Open in Sept. 2023, Rolex had her picture on the frontpage of Rolex.com, a rare display for the brand.