Race partnership
Fashion House, CHANEL and The Boat Race have formed a long-term partnership.
01 November 2024
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CHANEL becomes the first brand to be both Title sponsor and official Timekeeping Partner of the event, which from 2025 will be known as The CHANEL J12 Boat Race.
The historic race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities was established nearly 200 years ago in 1829. It is the oldest major sporting event in the UK, with the dark and light ‘Blues’ crews of eight rowers pitted against each other on the River Thames every year in the Spring.
The 2025 edition of The Women’s Boat Race and The Men’s Boat Race will take place on Sunday 13 April along the 4.25 miles of the Championship Course between Putney and Mortlake in London. The Boat Race is attended by over 250,000 spectators on the riverbank, broadcast live on the BBC, and watched by millions globally on television. It has become a treasured highlight in London’s sporting calendar.
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The long-term partnership is an expression of a shared philosophy, one of an uncompromising pursuit of excellence which relies on collective effort to succeed. Boat Race Day encapsulates the raison d’être of Oxford and Cambridge: to develop and showcase exceptional talent, in the same way the House of CHANEL supports outstanding creative expertise.
CHANEL has had its roots in sport since it was founded in 1910. Inspired by sporting attire predominately worn by men of the time, Gabrielle Chanel was an active sportswoman herself and used materials such as jerseys, and tweeds and created trailblazing designs. These designs gave women the freedom of movement – to ride horses, cycle, and most importantly to choose how they dressed and who they wanted to be.
CHANEL was the first luxury house to launch its own fragrance in 1921 and its own high jewellery collection in 1932. Decades later in 2000, CHANEL launched the iconic J12 unisex watch – the name inspired by the J Class 12-metre race boats from the early 20th century.
The iconic J12 watch is produced in the ‘CHANEL Watch Manufacture’ in Switzerland and is powered by self-winding movements from the Swiss Manufacture Kenissi, co-owned by CHANEL.
Frédéric Grangié, President of CHANEL Watches & Fine Jewellery stated, “We are delighted to sign a strategic partnership with The Boat Race who share the same values of collective endeavour and the pursuit of excellence.
“It’s an honour to be the first ever official timekeeper in the race’s 195-year history to simultaneously become Title Sponsor and principal Partner.
“Synchronicity in rowing is as crucial to the race as watchmaking craftsmanship to ensure accurate timing. Every rower, like every mechanism in a watch, must work together as one; the balance, the weight and the oar movements must all be impeccably timed.
“We look forward to working with The Boat Race over the coming years to bring this partnership to life, through the world of CHANEL and our iconic J12 watches.”
Siobhan Cassidy, Chair of The Boat Race Company Ltd commented, “On behalf of the wider Boat Race community, we are so thrilled to welcome CHANEL as our new Title Sponsor.
“We knew when we first met, on 10 June – the same date as the first ever Boat Race in 1829 – that they understood the appeal of our event and we’re very confident that their involvement will help us take the event to new places and new people, as well as enhancing it for our millions of existing followers.”
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