Serpentine has announced a new long-term partnership with Rolex, naming the Swiss watchmaker Official Timepiece of the Serpentine Pavilion from 2026 onwards. The collaboration begins with support for this year’s Pavilion, designed by LANZA atelier, connecting one of the world’s most closely watched architectural commissions with a brand whose cultural activities increasingly extend beyond watchmaking.
For more than two decades the Serpentine Pavilion has become one of the most anticipated annual commissions in architecture, inviting emerging and established architects to create ambitious temporary structures in London. Over time, the Pavilion has evolved beyond architecture itself, becoming a site for performances, conversations, education initiatives and broader public engagement.
The new relationship positions Rolex alongside a programme that has consistently pushed architectural experimentation into the public realm. It also builds on the brand’s wider cultural activity through its Perpetual Arts Initiative, which supports artists and institutions across architecture, music, visual art and performance.
Arnaud Boetsch, Director of Communication and Image at Rolex, said:
“Every year the Serpentine Pavilion demonstrates how important innovative ideas are to attract public support for architecture. This new partnership strengthens our brand’s standing in the world of the arts. It resonates with Rolex’s enduring commitment to craftsmanship, innovation, and excellence.”
Bettina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist described the collaboration as a significant step for the future of the commission:
“Serpentine’s partnership with Rolex marks a significant new chapter for the Pavilion Commission, reinforcing its position not only as one of the most ambitious architectural platforms in the world, but also as a global cultural landmark.”
The pairing feels like a natural extension of both institutions’ ambitions. Serpentine continues to position the Pavilion as a platform for experimentation and public exchange, while Rolex expands its long-running involvement with architecture and design through partnerships centred on craft, innovation and cultural legacy.
As the Pavilion continues to grow beyond its original architectural remit, the addition of Rolex suggests a broader international framework for the programme’s next chapter.
Rolex and architectural achievement
Rolex has promoted architectural innovation, excellence and achievement through its support for the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia since 2014, alongside its relationships with leading architects, including Rolex Testimonee Lina Ghotmeh, founder of Lina Ghotmeh – Architecture, and designer of the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion.
For 60 years, the company has consistently collaborated with internationally renowned architects to create buildings that reflect the precision, innovation and excellence at the heart of its watchmaking. They include Michael Graves (Lititz Watch Technicum, Pennsylvania, US) and Fumihiko Maki (Rolex Toyocho Building), SANAA principals Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (the Rolex Learning Center for EPFL in Lausanne and the Serpentine Pavilion in 2009). In Dallas, Texas, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed the Rolex Building, a twisted seven -storey tower; and in New York City, Sir David Chipperfield’s redesign of the Rolex USA headquarters is creating an exemplary building befitting the heritage and culture of the Rolex brand.
From 20 02, architects became part of Rolex’s dedicated mentorship programme, which ran for 20 years, pairing gifted young talents with those at the peak of their art. Architects who gave their time included: Álvaro Siza (who co -designed the Serpentine Pavilion in 2005), Kazuyo Sejima, Peter Zumthor (who designed the Serpentine Pavilion in 2011), Sir David Chipperfield and Anne Lacaton. Since then, Rolex has progressed from one -to-one mentoring relationships to forge new connections that will enable the transmission of artistic knowledge on a much larger scale. rolex.com
