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Rolex supports Mission Blue in its efforts to protect 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030
Watchmaking has always co-existed with nature, with pioneering horologists often using the most extreme natural environments to test their latest timepieces. Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf was one of those pioneers—sending his 1930s Oyster Perpetual watches on adventures into the unknown to support fearless explorers.
As mankind’s relationship with nature evolves and the climate emergency gathers pace, it has become increasingly clear that exploration in pursuit of pure discovery is no longer adequate; the need to preserve the natural world is now greater than ever.
Rolex has long championed individuals and organisations that use science to devise solutions to today’s environmental challenges, and the company reinforced this commitment in 2019 with its Perpetual Planet Initiative, which supports an ever-expanding portfolio of good causes.
One such cause is Mission Blue. Founded by legendary marine explorer Sylvia Earle—a Rolex representative since 1982—Mission Blue’s goal is to help protect 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030. Rolex has been a partner of the organisation since 2014 and has supported its efforts to create a global network of marine protected areas called “hope spots”—ecologically important zones that are vital to the preservation of underwater species.
One of the first hope spots, selected in 2010, was the Galápagos Islands—a unique ecosystem and the perfect case study to show how human damage can be reversed. In 2022, almost 25 years since the Galápagos Marine Reserve was established, Earle led a team including hope spot champion Alex Hearn from the Galápagos Science Center on an expedition to assess the impact of the measures to protect the waters surrounding the islands.
Using environmental DNA and underwater video systems, Earle and her team uncovered vital population data for elusive species including sea horses and slipper lobsters, with isolated DNA traces pointing to what the Science Center’s Diana Pazmiño calls “things that are new to science that we have not discovered yet”.
The team also captured location tag data showing the transoceanic movements of sharks, surveyed turtle habitats and mapped the feeding grounds of penguin colonies. This helped to build a more complete picture of the world’s oceans and make clear the need for greater fishing-free “swimways” such as the Eastern Tropical Marine Corridor initiative that was launched in 2021.
Mission Blue continues to provide hope and make progress towards its goal. As Hearn says, “If we can get it right here, that is a blueprint for getting it right across the planet”.