Watches at sea – from regatta to record chase

Boats and watches have always shared the same language: precision, technology, risk and elegance. From the Rolex Yacht-Master to Panerai's Eilean, from Richard Mille's extreme regatta watches to Omega's role in the America’s Cup, few sports have given the watch world as much story as sailing.

Text: Andreas J. Weber

There are sports where the watch is mostly an accessory. Sailing and ot her boat sports are not one of them. Here time is a part of the drama itself. The start in a regatta is a tactical chaos where the boats manoeuvre to cross the line exactly at the right second. Too early and you risk a penalty. Too late and the competitors have already taken the wind. That is why the regatta watch, with a clear countdown ahead of the start, has become one of horology's most niche but also most romantic complications.

Rolex – Yacht-Master, Yacht-Master II and sailing's great institution

Rolex is perhaps the brand that has most clearly made sailing a part of its modern identity. The brand's presence is not limited to a single model, but stretches from large offshore classics to modern foiling racing. Rolex is today strongly connected to regattas such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Rolex Swan Cup and the Rolex SailGP Championship. In SailGP, Rolex has moreover come in as title partner, which makes the brand's crown visible on one of the most modern and audience-friendly sailing scenes. 

The obvious watch is of course the Rolex Yacht-Master. Unlike the Submariner, which is a pure diver's watch, the Yacht-Master is more of a nautical luxury sports watch. It is built for life on and around the boat rather than for deep diving. You notice that in the bezel, which is not a classic unidirectional diver's ring but a bidirectional 60-minute bezel that can be used to measure shorter time intervals at sea. In the Rolesium versions, Oystersteel is combined with a platinum bezel, while the Everose and gold watches reinforce the Yacht-Master's more elegant, almost riviera-like side. Rolex itself highlights the model in 37, 40 and 42 mm as well as in materials such as gold, steel/gold, platinum and RLX titanium. 

Particularly interesting is the Yacht-Master 42 in RLX titanium. There the model becomes more technical and less jewellery-focused. The matte black dial, the lighter case and the more instrumental feeling make it perhaps the most ”toolish” Yacht-Master so far. It also shows how Rolex is trying to unite luxury and actual usability: a watch that is still exclusive, but which visually lies closer to a sailing instrument than a yacht club watch.

The new generation of the Yacht-Master II, presented in 2026, makes the model more comprehensible. Rolex describes it as a nautical watch with a programmable countdown, mechanical memory and the possibility of synchronisation on the fly. The new version uses calibre 4162, and the countdown has been redone so that it is controlled via the lower pusher and is shown more intuitively with hands that move anticlockwise during the countdown phase. It is still a niche watch, but precisely for that reason it is important: it is not just ”inspired by sailing”, it is actually constructed for a sailing moment.

Panerai – Eilean, Luna Rossa and the Italian romance of the sea

Panerai's connection to the sea is older than the brand's modern luxury status. Originally it was about instruments for the Italian navy, with clear dials, luminous compound and robust cases. But within the sailing world Panerai has created two parallel stories: the classic and the high-tech. The classic side is personified by Eilean, Panerai's own sailing boat. Eilean was built in 1936 by Fife of Fairlie in Scotland and is a 22 metre long Bermudan ketch. Panerai found the boat in run-down condition in Antigua in 2006, restored it and relaunched it in 2009. It is a perfect Panerai story: history, patina, craftsmanship, sea and Italian feeling in one and the same symbol.

In watch terms Eilean is tied clearly to the Radiomir. The Radiomir is the most historical Panerai shape, with a cushion shaped case, wire-shaped lugs and the type of minimalist dial that almost feels more instrument than jewellery. In connection with Eilean's 90th anniversary, Panerai has highlighted the Radiomir Bronzo PAM00760, a 47 mm bronze model that suits the story unusually well. Bronze is a material with an obvious maritime charge: it ages, darkens and gets a patina, rather like the metal fittings on an old wooden boat. That makes the model more than an ordinary limited tribute – it feels almost built to age together with its sailing myth.

The modern side is Luna Rossa. Here Panerai leaves the world of the wooden boats and goes into the America’s Cup, carbon fibre, technical materials and Italian racing aesthetics. Panerai itself describes the relationship with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli as a partnership where the brand's nautical heritage meets innovation. In the collection there are several models, among others the Luminor Luna Rossa PAM01653, with a 44 mm steel case, grey open dial, red accents and the hand-wound P.6000 movement with three days of power reserve. It is a much more contemporary Panerai than the Radiomir Bronzo: sportier, more team-oriented and more connected to uniform, boat and competition. Panerai's sailing world therefore becomes unusually broad. Eilean gives the brand soul, wood, history and classic regattas. Luna Rossa gives speed, composite materials and the America’s Cup. Together they make Panerai one of the brands where sailing does not feel like a stuck-on sponsor logo, but like a real part of the brand building.

Richard Mille – classic yachts, superyachts and extreme speed

If Rolex is institutional and Panerai romantic, Richard Mille is extreme. The brand fits almost perfectly into the modern sailing world, precisely because it moves between three different nautical environments: classic wooden yachts, superyacht regattas and experimental high-tech sailing. Here is a selection of the brand's involvement in the boat world.

The clearest watch is the Richard Mille RM 60-01 Automatic Winding Flyback Chronograph Regatta. It is one of the most technically charged regatta watches on the market, with an automatic flyback chronograph, annual calendar, UTC function, 60-minute countdown and a rotating bezel that together with the position of the sun can be used as a compass. Richard Mille itself describes it as the brand's first technical watch for navigation on the seas. It is big, complex and on the border of absurd – but that is also exactly where Richard Mille thrives.
Richard Mille's sailing history does not begin with the RM 60-01, but already with the RM 014 Tourbillon from 2006. It was the brand's first real excursion into the marine world and the model was inspired by the superyacht Maltese Falcon, an 88 metre long three-masted yacht built by Perini Navi in Italy. The boat was in itself a technical statement, not least thanks to the computer-controlled Falcon Rig system that made it possible to handle an enormous sail area in a completely new way. According to Richard Mille the yacht could reach 25 knots, and it was precisely the combination of a traditional clipper shape, carbon fibre technology and automated rigging that caught the brand's interest.

The RM 014 is therefore more than a tourbillon with nautical inspiration. It is almost a superyacht in watch form. The movement, calibre RM014, is a hand-wound tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, function selector, power reserve indicator and torque indicator. Richard Mille's development team visited the Perini Navi yard and documented details from the Maltese Falcon in order to be able to bring the design language and material feeling into the watch. Particularly interesting is the use of black polished steel for among other things the bridges for the barrel and tourbillon – a finish that Richard Mille connects to the stainless steel details on exclusive ocean-going yachts. Where the RM 014 represents Richard Mille's first marine luxury universe – superyacht, tourbillon and craft finish – the RM 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph takes the step towards a more functional sailing instrument. With a flyback chronograph, UTC, countdown and compass-like bezel it becomes a more literal regatta watch. Together the two models show the breadth of Richard Mille's sailing world: from the Maltese Falcon's exclusive yacht design to technical navigation and competitive sailing.

But Richard Mille's sailing connection is not only about the watch. The Richard Mille Cup is one of the most interesting examples of how the brand uses sailing as culture, not just as sponsorship space. The competition is created for classic yachts and combines both inshore and offshore races. It is moreover exclusive: the boats are to be built before 1939 or be very faithful replicas, and the minimum length for participation is ten metres at the waterline. Among the boats are mentioned for example classic Fife yachts such as Moonbeam IV, Mariquita, Altair and Tuiga.
That makes the Richard Mille Cup something other than modern America’s Cup aesthetics. Here it is not about foils and carbon fibre, but about classic lines, mahogany, sailcloth and craftsmanship. Still the connection to Richard Mille is there: function, materials and uncompromising construction. The competition moreover has a strong visual value. It is almost like a moving Concours d’Elegance on water, which suits a brand that likes to place its watches in environments where technology and beauty are given the same weight.

Richard Mille is also reinforcing its presence in the superyacht world by becoming Title Partner of the Superyacht Cup Palma. The partnership was presented in March 2026 and runs for three years, at the same time as the regatta celebrates its 30th edition on 24–27 June 2026. The Superyacht Cup Palma is Europe's longest running superyacht regatta, and for Richard Mille it is a perfect stage: Palma, the Mediterranean, technical sailing, big boats and an audience where watches, design and yachting already share the same universe.

Then there is the most extreme part: SP80. Here Richard Mille leaves the classic yacht club entirely and goes into the world of speed records. SP80 is a Swiss project that wants to beat the world record in sailing with a kite-driven boat built to reach around 80 knots, that is about 150 km/h, with the wind alone as the power source. Richard Mille supports the project, and the connection becomes extra interesting because the boat uses Carbon TPT®, a material that is also strongly associated with Richard Mille's own watch cases.

The SP80 project is almost like a Richard Mille watch in boat form: light, extreme, expensive, technical and built around the idea of pushing materials and physics to the limit. According to SP80 the boat has reached over 58 knots, or 108 km/h, which makes it one of the fastest sailing boats that have been registered, even if official world records require special certification conditions.

It is precisely the breadth that makes Richard Mille interesting in an article about watches and sailing. The brand can stand with one foot in the pre-war era's classic wooden yachts through the Richard Mille Cup, the other in the superyacht world through Palma, and at the same time throw itself towards the future through SP80. Where Rolex talks about tradition and Omega about timekeeping, Richard Mille talks about speed, materials and extreme engineering.

Omega – America’s Cup, Seamaster Regatta and older regatta chronographs 

Omega has a special position because the brand does not only make watches inspired by sailing, but also acts as timekeeper. Ahead of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples in 2027, Omega has been appointed Official Timekeeper. The brand also has a long relationship with Emirates Team New Zealand, which goes back to 1995.

The most pure modern model is the Omega Seamaster Regatta, developed for the 37th America’s Cup. It is a 46.75 mm instrument watch in grade 5 titanium, with both analogue and digital displays. The functions are clearly directed at sailors: regatta function, chronograph, sailing logbook, temperature gauge, accelerometer, three alarms and moon phase. It is driven by Omega's multifunctional quartz calibre 5701 and has four rubber-clad pushers that are meant to be easy to use on deck. So this is no ordinary Seamaster with a different colour on the bezel, but rather Omega's equivalent of an X-33 for sailors. It is big, technical and perhaps more instrument than luxury watch. In many ways that is precisely what makes it interesting: Omega dares to let the watch be an actual tool, not just a limited blue and white America’s Cup tribute.

At the same time there is also the Seamaster Diver 300M America’s Cup. It is more wearable and more collector-friendly: a 42 mm steel case, blue ceramic bezel with a regatta scale, two five-minute sections before the start and a clear START marking inspired by regatta flags. It has a white ceramic dial with a wave pattern, a seconds hand with the America’s Cup trophy as a counterweight and calibre 8806. It is a more classic Seamaster, but with enough sailing details to feel relevant in the context.

Omega moreover has older competition watches that are worth mentioning. The Seamaster Yachting is a fine example of the type of colourful regatta chronograph that was built for a clear countdown rather than discreet elegance. It is a reminder that regatta watches have often been among the most graphically playful sports watches.

TAG Heuer – the Skipper and the regatta's colour-coded start chaos

TAG Heuer's, or rather Heuer's, great sailing contribution is the Skipper. The original, the Heuer Skipper ref. 7754, was launched in 1968 after the America’s Cup victory for the boat Intrepid. It was unusual, was produced in small numbers and became over time one of the most sought-after vintage Heuer models. What makes it so strong is the colour-coded 15-minute counter, created for the regatta's start sequence. 

In a regatta the start is often counted down in intervals, and the Skipper does this visually. The colours are not just decoration. TAG Heuer describes how orange signals the last five minutes before the start, while green and teal tie in to Intrepid's rig and deck. The modern TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper takes this heritage and places it in the Carrera's glassbox case. The result is a watch that is both retro and functional: a sea blue dial, colourful subdials and a clear 15-minute regatta counter. 

The fine thing about the Skipper is that it shows why sailing watches are often more fun than other sports chronographs. They are allowed to be colourful because the function demands colour. They are allowed to be asymmetrical because the information has to be read quickly. The Skipper is therefore not just ”a Carrera with a fun dial”, but a model where the design actually comes out of sailing's needs.

Tudor – Pelagos FXD and modern foiling racing

Tudor has gone into the sailing world via Alinghi Red Bull Racing and the America’s Cup. It is a smart choice, because Tudor's modern identity is already about robust tool watches, a military connection and technical materials. The Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition takes that feeling and moves it from diving to foiling racing.

The model exists as a three-hander and a chronograph. The timeless point is the FXD concept: fixed lugs, a light case and a clearly instrumental character. The Alinghi versions use black carbon fibre composite, which ties in to the materials in modern AC75 boats. The chronograph is 43 mm and the three-hander 42 mm, both with a strong connection to Alinghi Red Bull Racing's colours and team identity. A particularly smart detail is the bezel. On the Pelagos FXD Alinghi the scale is inverted compared to an ordinary diver's ring, which makes it more suited to a countdown than to measuring elapsed dive time. It is a small but important difference: here Tudor has actually adapted a professional diving platform to sailing's logic.

Ulysse Nardin – from marine chronometer to The Ocean Race

Ulysse Nardin is almost obligatory in an article about watches and the sea. The brand has its historical identity in marine chronometers, that is precision instruments for navigation. In modern times this heritage has often been interpreted through the Diver and Marine collections, but also through partnerships with The Ocean Race.

As Official Timing Partner and Time to Act Partner of The Ocean Race, Ulysse Nardin has connected timekeeping with sustainability questions. The brand has launched The Ocean Race Diver Watch, described as the official watch for the competition and developed with a focus on more sustainable materials. Ulysse Nardin also sponsors the 11th Hour Racing Team, which makes their sailing story more environmentally oriented than many competitors'. 

That makes Ulysse Nardin a good contrast brand in the article. Rolex stands for tradition and prestige, Richard Mille for extreme technology, Panerai for romance and Italian identity, while Ulysse Nardin can represent the future of the sea: timekeeping, navigation and preservation of the oceans.

Watches and sailing work so well together because both are built on the same thing: timing. It makes no difference whether it is about reading the wind, timing a regatta start or knowing when to strike on a Yacht-Master before the prices run away. At sea, just as in the watch world, the one who has patience, feeling and a certain ability not to panic when everything suddenly leans the wrong way is rewarded. There are many brands that have not been mentioned in this article that also make watches inspired by boat sports of various kinds. The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph is for example one such. It is not a pure regatta watch, but IWC describes it as a robust and water-resistant companion