Swiss watch brand Anonimo adds to an already impressive portfolio of motorsport partnerships with a new multi-year agreement as the official timekeeper of the FIA World Rally Championship starting with the 2018 season, which kicked off last weekend with the legendary Monte-Carlo rally, the first of 13 rounds this year (see below for full calendar).
Led by a small but passionate and dedicated team, Anonimo already has a number of high-profile partnership agreements in the world of sport and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year with a world championship from Spanish motorcycle racer Joan Mir.
The ambitions of Anonimo CEO Julien Haenny are as clear as they are ambitious: “Anonimo wants to grow its brand and reach out to new audiences and a partnership with WRC is a natural step in this direction,” he said.
“As a brand which focuses on the same target group of passionate connoisseurs as WRC, Anonimo wants to create more awareness of its brand and watches among people who are not Swiss watch aficionados. It is also a natural means of communication by reaching a large number of people through the excitement and spectacular nature of WRC.”
Naturally, there is a special edition watch to commemorate the new partnership, which can be seen in the cover photo to this article. The Militare WRC sports has a 43.4mm black PVD-coated stainless-steel case and has a brushed grey dial with the WRC logo and a visible tachymetre scale. It uses the Sellita SW300 automatic movement with Dubois Dépraz chronograph module developed exclusively for Anonimo and offers a power reserve of 42 hours. A new fabric strap with cordura effect (to recall the fire-resistant overalls worn by the drivers) and green accents that take up the colours of the WRC provides the perfect link with the sport. The Anonimo Militare WRC will retail for 5,250 Swiss francs.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said the partnership with Anonimo watches highlighted the WRC’s sporting heart. “The excitement in rallying comes from the battles fought against the clock and accurate timekeeping defines what WRC is all about,” he said.
“We welcome Anonimo to the championship and I’m delighted such a prestigious brand, with such popular collections as Militare and Nautilo, has chosen to add the WRC to its portfolio.”
2018 WRC CALENDAR
Round | Rally | Date | Host |
1 | Monte-Carlo | 25 - 28 January | Gap / Monaco |
2 | Sweden | 15 - 18 February | Torsby |
3 | Mexico | 8 - 11 March | León |
4 | France | 5 - 8 April | Bastia |
5 | Argentina | 26 - 29 April | Villa Carlos Paz |
6 | Portugal | 17 - 20 May | Matosinhos |
7 | Italy | 7 - 10 June | Alghero |
8 | Finland | 26 - 29 July | Jyväskylä |
9 | Germany | 16 - 19 August | Bostalsee |
10 | Turkey | 13 - 16 September | Marmaris |
11 | Great Britain | 4 - 7 October | Deeside |
12 | Spain | 25 - 28 October | Salou |
13 | Australia | 15 - 18 November | Coffs Harbour |