Established in 1858 and with a longstanding tradition in manufacturing timekeepers for determining longitude - marine chronometers - Thomas Mercer represents a history of sea and sailing, spanning from the epic James Caird voyage to equipping the Royal Yacht Britannia; this heritage recently was made relevant to a new millennium by a fine range of contemporary models and reinforced by exclusive partnerships with superyacht designer Andrew Winch and Shackleton Epic Expedition.

The Yacht Club Cortina d’Ampezzo was founded in 2004 by a group whose love of the mountains was paralleled only by their love for the sea. Thanks to the passion and commitment of its members, the club collected several world and continental yacht racing titles in the course of just a few years of activity. As further distinction, the YCCA can boast many victories in regattas of the Melges and Mumm world circuits as well as extraordinary ambassadors such as Russell Coutts, Neville Crichton, Vincenzo Onorato and Tommaso Chieffi.

This union between a chronometer maker and the nautical world, standing for excellence and performance, is emblematic of a shared vision of the yachting lifestyle.

Alessandro Quintavalle, Thomas Mercer’s CEO: “The YCCA best embodies the love for sea and sailing, as well as the quest for performance and for cutting-edge technological innovation; Cortina d’Ampezzo is synonymous with prestige, luxury, beauty and now, thanks to the Club, also with the very best in yachting. And indeed, this incomparable blend of attributes, shared with the Thomas Mercer brand and its unique chronometers, is what makes such a partnership a natural and eagerly awaited association.”

Gianmarco Rinaldi, Chairman of the YCCA: “I am honored by this new collaboration with the prestigious company Thomas Mercer that chooses the Yacht Club Cortina d'Ampezzo as official Timekeeper partner. As chairman of a club that aims to achieve great results in the sport of sailing, I believed that this new synergy will be able to transmit the correct values of sportsmanship and professionalism that have always characterized the activity of our club members in regattas around the world. Team spirit is essential aboard our boats when sailing twenty knots in any sea condition. The same attitude I found in Thomas Mercer management with which this cooperation in sailing and skiing just has got off to the best possible start.”

As the Official Timekeeper of the Yacht Club Cortina d’Ampezzo, Thomas Mercer will attend the racing and social events of the club, including the Ski Yachting 2015, a skiing and sailing competition in collaboration with the Yacht Club Monaco and the Royal London Yacht Club. To strengthen their relations and share moments dedicated to their common values, Thomas Mercer will have a showcase at the YCCA Clubhouse, located in the celebrated Grand Hotel Savoia in Cortina.

Joining its select network of distributors around the world, the British brand adds this new Italian window to that in Milan with Pisa Orologeria, its exclusive representative for the region.