Rolex, Jackie Stewart, and why the F1 world champion's shirts are tailored with a shorter left sleeve

Former three-time F1 world champion, Sir Jackie Stewart has been the global ambassador for the watch giant 'Rolex' for 54 years. The Flying Scot has been a proud owner of multiple watches from this brand and was influential in Rolex joining F1 as its official timekeeper for more than a decade.

The 85-year-old first owned a watch from the iconic brand in the mid-60s and sported that during F1 race weekends and later became associated with them in 1968. Interestingly, Stewart has been spotted wearing a crisp white shirt with a Rolex logo for years in the F1 paddock and attends almost every race possible.

As per Collecting Cars's Andy Callan, Sir Jackie Stewart, in his efforts to represent Rolex as best as possible, even has his left sleeve shorter than his right so that he can showcase his watch on his wrist to the camera.

While talking about his association with the brand, the former F1 world champion told Sharp Magazine about his first acquiring a Rolex and said:

"I was a Rolex owner before I ever joined Rolex, which gives the integrity of it a little boost, I think. I did quite well in qualifying in Indianapolis and John Mecom, who was entering the cars that I was driving, took me down to Houston in his private jet, which was pretty unusual in 1966. The next morning, he took me into town and said, ‘I’ve got to do some shopping, do you want to come with me?’"

"So I went with him, and we walked into a Rolex establishment and he said, ‘Listen, I’ve got a surprise for you, I want to give you a Rolex watch for your great performance.’ And he gave me an 18 c gold Day-Date. And that was that."

F1 ends its partnership with Rolex after signing with LVMH

F1 announced its long-term partnership with global giant LVMH in a whopping 10-year that could be worth more than $1 billion. The conglomerate houses major brands like Louis Vitton, Dior, and TagHeuer under their umbrella.

As per GrandPrix247, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali spoke about the deal and said:

“Our sport is founded on the relentless pursuit of excellence, a value that also lies at the heart of LVMH, so I am delighted to announce this historic partnership will begin in 2025."

"As Formula 1 continues its global growth, attracting new and more diverse audiences, the strength and breadth of LVMH make it the perfect partner for us to work with as we look to continually enhance the experience of our fans and the heritage of our incredible sport," he added.

Although Rolex has denied commenting on the new partnership, with TagHeuer under his banner, the watch brand would surely be the next official timekeeper of the sport.