The BMW WilliamsF1 Team today confirmed that Oris SA of Switzerland, the premium timepiece maker, will upgrade its sponsorship engagement and will be an on-car sponsor with the team for 2005 and beyond.

Oris, whose specialist expertise is in the design and manufacture of mechanical watches, joined the BMW WilliamsF1 Team as an official watch partner in January 2003. Building a marketing strategy around synergies of precision mechanical engineering shared by both organisations, Oris has used its partnership to bring this long-established premium time-keeping brand to the attention of new markets and consumers.

As a central element of the sponsorship, Oris has developed and marketed a number of limited edition chronographs based on the Formula One engagement, where one hundredth of a second can make the difference between winning and losing.

Ulrich Herzog, Chairman and CEO of Oris SA, Switzerland, said, "The rationale for our initial partnership with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team was obvious. However, I have been delighted with the tangible results we have achieved in building the Oris brand visibility over the past two years, and of course, how this has positively influenced our worldwide sales. Based on this success, we are confident that the Oris brand appearing on the BMW WilliamsF1 Team race cars, visible to a global audience of 300m each fortnight, will contribute to another step change for the Oris success story."

On the announcement of the new Oris relationship, BMW WilliamsF1 Team Principal Frank Williams said, "I am delighted that Oris consider their original investment to have worked so well, and their increased commitment to the programme is a validation of the value Formula One offers. I hope the increased investment will continue to offer measurable business benefits to Oris, and I thank them for their continued support of the team."