A THIRD VENDÉE GLOBE FOR ALAN ROURA. HUBLOT CELEBRATES THE SAILOR'S INCREDIBLE TENACITY
Each Vendée Globe is unique. Each race presents a new challenge.
A trip around the world, a new page in history, and the constant desire to go ever further. Alan Roura and Hublot share this obsession: pushing the limits, striving for excellence, writing the future, again and again. Giving everything you have, to the very end. Pushing hard right to the last mile, Alan Roura fought relentlessly, battling the elements to get his IMOCA Hublot to the finish line. A feat that perfectly illustrates what it means to perform at the extreme: managing every detail, pushing your limits, reinventing yourself from one moment to the next. This 2024-2025 edition has proved this once again: extreme conditions, technical challenges, snap changes to the weather… everything can shift at a moment's notice. Despite years of experience, you have to start from scratch, rethink and reinvent everything. In watchmaking, as at sea, overcoming challenges can never be taken for granted!
The Swiss flag is flying in the channel of Les Sables d'Olonne once again! This Monday, 3rd February 2025 at 12h57'48'', Alan Roura crossed the finish line of the 2024-2025 Vendée Globe in 18th position, completing his third solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the world. At the helm of the IMOCA Hublot, he has improved on his previous race time by almost 10 days, covering 28,553 miles in 84 days 55 minutes and 48 seconds, at an average speed of 14 knots.
HUBLOT'S DNA: ALWAYS IN SEARCH OF THE EXTREME
Hublot celebrates not just the victories, but the road travelled. Like the sailor, each Hublot watch is born of a challenge, a desire to question everything, a quest for perfection that never stops. The finish line is what we remember, but this line could never be crossed without all the work that goes before: research, development, preparation, experience, learning, will and passion. These similarities unite the Swiss brand and the Swiss sailor.
LE VENDÉE AND ALAN
Setting out from Les Sables-d'Olonne on 10th November last year, the skipper overcame abrupt changes in the weather, energy problems, sail and rudder damage, enduring some particularly extreme weather conditions in the South Seas, and pushing his limits day after day. Thanks to meticulous management of his boat and his unfailing tenacity, he was able to successfully complete this extraordinary challenge, once again cementing his place among the elite of ocean sailors. At 31 years old, the Swiss sailor has now completed his third Vendée Globe; his first circumnavigation was achieved 8 years ago, at the age of just 23. A new challenge that paves the way for many more to come.
“I'm immensely proud to have completed my third consecutive Vendée Globe. During every edition, and despite the experience I've accumulated, I know that everything can change in a moment. Each race is an opportunity to push my limits and continue to learn. Nothing can be taken for granted. You have to constantly adapt, accept the unexpected and fight, day after day. Thank you to my team, my partners, and to Hublot, who understands the challenge represented by the perpetual quest for success, and all those who have supported me on land and at sea. Without them, this adventure would not be possible.”
“Congratulations on your third Vendée Globe, Alan! Devoting yourself to a race like the Vendée Globe is like designing the next iconic watch: you need motivation, perseverance and courage. Each edition, like each new watch creation, is a challenge where nothing can be taken for granted. We share in Alan's passion, a passion which overcomes every challenge and drives us to give our very best, again and again.”
