Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has agreed to renew its partnership with the Volvo Ocean Race and retain its official timekeeper role for the 2014-15 edition of the international sailing event.
Under the extended deal, the firm will also continue to sponsor the 24-hour Speed Record Challenge for the 2014-15 race. This award goes to the team that covers the greatest distance in any 24-hour period during each stage of the race. Each member of the winning team will receive an IWC Schaffhausen watch to mark the achievement.
The 12th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will begin in Alicante, Spain on October 6, 2014, and finish in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 27, 2015. The entire 2014-15 route will take in 39,379 nautical miles.
In addition to its support of the 2014-15 race, IWC has also confirmed an extension to its partnership with the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team for the event.
Georges Kern, IWC chief executive officer, said: “Our cooperation gave us a profound insight into the actual race. In the host ports IWC's guests had a chance to get close to the crew and have a peek behind the scenes of this truly momentous sailing event.”