Watch brand sponsorship and partnerships are part of the industry, but they can be even more interesting news when they are unexpected.

Today’s news falls into the unexpected category, with the announcement that CHANEL has become the first brand to be both Title sponsor and official Timekeeping Partner of the famed Oxford v Cambridge boat race – as of 2025 it will be known as The CHANEL J12 Boat Race.

The choice of the J12 model by CHANEL to represent this partnership, a bestseller for them since its launch in 2000, lies in the name – it was named for the J Class 12-metre race boats from the early 20th century.

The rowing competition between Oxford and Cambridge Universities was established in 1829, with the two teams of eight rowers competing on the River Thames in the annual event whose importance in the national psyche even grants it live coverage on the BBC.

Next year’s races, formally known as The Women’s Boat Race and The Men’s Boat Race, will be held on Sunday 13 April 2025 along a course between Putney and Mortlake in London.

Unrelated to the race, but still on the subject of rowing – just by Richmond Bridge, not too far from the course, you will find some of the few remaining wooden boat builders in London, one of whom was responsible for making, boats used in the 2023 film ‘The Boys in the Boat’, about the University of Washington rowing team’s quest to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics.

[Photo credit: The Boat Race Company Ltd.]

Categories: Chanel, Industry news