PETALING JAYA,MARCH 2013 – Luxury watchmaker, Oris, celebrated its 11th season in partnership with Williams F1 today, where Oris Ambassador, Williams F1 Team Driver, Pastor Maldonado and Oris Regional Manager, Karim Gerber, showcased their motor sports history.
The recent renewal of Oris’ sponsorship effectively makes Oris the longest standing partner in Williams F1’s history. Oris began their partnership with Williams F1 Team since 2003, and after 10 historical seasons, the watchmaker renewed and upgraded its sponsorship of the team ahead of the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Karim Gerber said, “Today we celebrate by showcasing our long standing partnership with Williams F1 over the years with its iconic drivers and moments along with our timepieces from the motor sports range. This partnership is also proof of Williams F1 and the world of Formula One as one of the best platforms to promote our brand.”
Oris has a heritage of over 100 years of watch manufacturing in Hӧlstein, Switzerland, and is the world’s leading manufacturer of mechanical watches. Its watch designs usually incorporate a hallmark red rotor as an integral element of the design mechanism.
The Oris designers work with the latest technology at the cutting edge of watch making to meet the highest quality standards, while remaining true to the company’s characteristic designs.
Oris’ passion for motor sports began way back in the 1970s with the now famous Chronoris, which first captured the true spirit of Formula One. Since then, they added the Artix GT, TT1, TT3 and RAID models to the range.
For the 2013 Formula One season, the Oris logo will be featured on the cars’ front wing and cockpit shoulder. Oris will also continue its presence on the driver and mechanic overalls, driver gloves and driver helmets.
“I am happy to see that Oris has continued its partnership with us and honoured to be a part of Oris’ commitment to the development and success of our team,” added Pastor Maldonado. Maldonado, who wears an Oris Artix GT Chronograph watch, will race alongside Valtteri Bottas at the Malaysian Grand Prix 2013, to be held at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend.
Previous drivers include Nico Hülkenberg as well as Nico Rosberg, who first became an Oris ambassador in 2006, even meriting his own limited edition watch. He was partnered during the 2008 and 2009 seasons by Kazuki Nakajima, who also inspired his own limited edition Oris. They were preceded by Mark Webber in 2005 and Ralf Schumacher in 2004. The successful partnership with Williams first began in 2003.