HIGH AND LOW

The Rolex Explorer has come a long way from its early expeditions to achieve track records. Today, it’s focused on preserving what it has explored, while going further with watchmaking than ever before

- DARREN HO

Exploration is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. It is a combination of many characteristics: curiosity about our boundaries, the courage to step into the unknown, passion and perseverance in the face of impossible odds and finally, the creativity to find new solutions to help us go further.

Timekeeping is an essential part of an explorer’s needs. Up in the air or far down below sea level, time is of the essence and precision timekeeping is often crucial for human survival. Frequently, the name most associated with these expeditions has been the Rolex Explorer.

The word ‘expedition’ stems from the Latin verb ‘expedire’, which means ‘to make useful’. To some extent that is true. Without the British Joint Himalayan Committee led by Sir John Hunt, Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary would never have found their way to Everest’s peak. That led scientists to follow in their footsteps, to study glaciers such as the Gangotri, Yamunotri and Khumbu, which supply nearly a quarter of the global population with drinking water.

Likewise, expeditions into the deep sea have not only allowed us to satiate our curiosity about lifeforms that can live in the crushing pressure of the deep. It has also helped the scientific community gain insight into everything from marine ecosystems to life in extreme environments, and even medical care. These successes started with the Rolex Explorer, and continue to this day

TO CROWN IT ALL