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
This story is from the Summer 2021 edition of World of Watches.
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This story is from the Summer 2021 edition of World of Watches.
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