Saving Earth

The Rolex Perpetual Planet campaign lays out three commitments to build a better future for this planet we call home

- Brian Cheong

Rolex’s passion for exploration informs many of its innovations. Take the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, for instance. To test its integrity, it accompanied Mercedes Gleitze in 1927 when she swam across the English Channel—a journey that took 10 hours.

The credit belonged to Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf who saw the world as a living laboratory for his watches, sending them out to the most extreme environments with intrepid explorers. This spirit of exploration continues today, but it has gone from discovering remote locations to understanding what needs to be done for the preservation of the planet and all life on it.

Taking this commitment to the next level, Rolex launched the Perpetual Planet campaign this year. It comprises three key pillars—the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, an enhanced partnership with the National Geographic Society, and marine biologist and Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue initiative—each contributing to the larger goal of making the planet, well, perpetual, a word that also happens to be inscribed on every Oyster watch.

EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise recognises individuals making significant contributions to the betterment of lives and the preservation of the world’s natural and cultural heritage.

Since its establishment in 1976, Rolex has supported a total of 140 individuals from various fields.

This year’s Laureates are fisheries ecologist João Campos-Silva from Brazil, scientist Grégorie Courtine from France, IT specialist Brian Gitta from Uganda, conservationist Krithi Karanth from India, and molecular biologist Miranda Wang from Canada.