Rolex And Exploration

A commitment to a perpetual planet.

- Keef Wong

From as early as the 1930’s, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf has been sending Rolex watches to the most extreme locations in the world, supporting brave explorers who ventured into the unknown. Today however, exploration for pure discovery has made way to exploration as a means to preserve the natural world. Rolex continues the legacy of its founder, putting massive support behind the explorers of today. To this aim, in 2019, Rolex is launching a campaign titled Perpetual Planet.

The campaign has three pillars – leading ocean explorer Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue initiative to protect the oceans through a network of marine protected “Hope Spots”; the Rolex Awards for Enterprise that recognise individuals with projects that advance knowledge and protect human well-being and the environment; and its long-standing National Geographic partnership.

SYLVIA EARLE’S MISSION BLUE

A Rolex Testimonee since 1982, Sylvia Earle has been a pioneer of ocean exploration for nearly 50 years. In 1970, Earle participated in one of the most ambitious underwater habitat programmes.

As a member of Tektite II, an all-female mission, she lived and worked alongside other scientists carrying out research in a pair of metal silos anchored on the seabed in the US Virgin Islands. A committed advocate of the oceans, she is driven to inspire others to see for themselves their beauty and vulnerability.

Since 2010, through her Mission Blue initiative, Earle has inspired communities and governments to shield marine life that is at risk from human pressures through Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) she calls Hope Spots.