The first leg of the fourteenth edition of The Ocean Race will take place on 15 January 2023 in Alicante, Spain. Less than a year to go until the start of the first leg and Ulysse Nardin will be the official timekeeper of the race. The company has been closely linked to the nautical world since 1846, the year it was founded. Indeed, from the original exploratory inspiration that led to the creation of their first marine chronometer, to the nautical inspirations of their contemporary creations, Ulysse Nardin has maintained a strong link with the ocean over the years. As Official Timing Partner of The Ocean Race, the company will monitor all official race times, including the start countdown, the timing of each leg and the finishes. In addition, Ulysse Nardin will take part in the 24-hour Speed Challenge. During the competition, each boat, both VO65 one-design and IMOCA version, will be constantly monitored by Race Control. Throughout the duration of the competition, a 24-hour progressive distance record will be maintained and the boat in each class with the greatest distance covered in each leg will win the competition.
In the 2017-18 edition, Team AkzoNobel set a new distance record: the goal to reach, and try to surpass, is 602.51 miles (1,116 km) or reach an average speed of 25.1 knots (46.5 km/h). In addition to being the Official Timing Partner, Ulysse Nardin will also be a partner of The Ocean Race's Time to Act for the protection of the oceans. "The sea has always been part of our world and exploration has always been our strongest inspiration.", said Ulysse Nardin CEO Patrick Pruniaux. "Every day, Ulysse Nardin pushes its limits and does so in every field: of technology, design and innovation. Now, we also adopt the same intensity to support sustainability." "We are sailors and have an absolute respect for the ocean. Values that we have found in Ulysse Nardin, whose heritage has a lot to do with sailors and the sea.", said The Ocean Race President, Richard Brisius. "We asked them to be our timekeepers. In addition to the sporting aspect of our partnership, Ulysse Nardin will help us with all the sustainable initiatives we are putting in place. We are involved in a competition whose objective is to restore the health of our 'blue' planet. A Ulysse Nardin watch is a timepiece par excellence and by nature has a sustainable future, which will be handed down from generation to generation".
