Cover Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle, a Rolex Testimonee since 1982, and an ocean exploration pioneer who has led more than 100 marine expeditions and spent over 7,000 hours underwater
Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle, a Rolex Testimonee since 1982, and an ocean exploration pioneer who has led more than 100 marine expeditions and spent over 7,000 hours underwater
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Rolex champions environmental conservation through its Perpetual Planet Initiative, which supports ocean-focused organisations such as Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue and Titouan Bernicot’s Coral Gardeners
For nearly a century, Rolex has been synonymous with exploration. Created in 1926, the iconic Rolex Oyster—the world’s first waterproof wristwatch—has accompanied adventurers to the Earth’s highest peaks and deepest oceans, revolutionising the way they discover the unknown. Over the years, Rolex has shifted its focus from exploration for discovery to exploration as a means to protect the environment.
Reflecting this pivot, Rolex launched its Perpetual Planet Initiative in 2019, dedicated to empowering individuals and organisations committed to protecting and conserving the environment. At the forefront of this mission are the ocean‑focused non‑profit organisations Mission Blue and Coral Gardeners that together, with Rolex’s support, are fighting to safeguard one of the Earth’s most vital ecosystems.
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Above Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle
Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle
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Founded in 2008, Mission Blue is the brainchild of Sylvia Earle, a Rolex Testimonee since 1982 and a pioneering marine biologist who has been a trailblazer in ocean exploration for more than 50 years. Its focus is on identifying and protecting Hope Spots: marine regions critical to the health and biodiversity of the ocean. Since 2014, Rolex has been supporting it in reaching its goal of protecting 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030.
Earle emphasises the urgency of ocean conservation succinctly: “Without the ocean, life as we know it would not exist. No ocean, no life.” From the Galápagos Islands to the Azores Archipelago, Mission Blue has identified more than 160 Hope Spots worldwide, calling attention to these ecologically significant regions. Even as Earle reflects on the stark realities of ocean degradation, she remains optimistic: “When I first began exploring the ocean, it was a much healthier place. Now, about half the coral reefs globally are gone. In some places, more than 80, 90 per cent are gone. And 90 per cent of the sharks are gone. But 10 per cent of the sharks and half of the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape. That is cause for hope.”
Above Titouan Bernicot, founder and CEO of Coral Gardeners, checking a coral in Mo’orea, French Polynesia
Titouan Bernicot, founder and CEO of Coral Gardeners, checking a coral in Mo’orea, French Polynesia
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In fact, recent expeditions to the Galápagos Islands Hope Spot, led by Earle and supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, uncovered new insights into the marine reserve’s health. The discovery of lush kelp forests, once thought impossible in such warm waters, and DNA evidence of potentially new species shows how much there is still to learn, and protect, within the ocean.
Coral Gardeners, meanwhile, is on a mission to restore coral reefs and ignite a global movement for saving the ocean. Like Earle, its founder and chief executive officer Titouan Bernicot started on his journey young, establishing the non‑profit based in his native Mo’orea in 2017 when he was just 18, after witnessing the devastating effects of coral bleaching on the reefs he grew up exploring. Driven by a deep connection with the ocean, he set out to change things. “The biggest wildfire of all time,” he says, “is happening right now underwater with the fourth mass bleaching event (since 1998). Coral reefs around the world are experiencing bleaching because of the rising sea temperatures. You know, when we talk about hectares of forest on fire, this is not good. But on land, people, they see it, they see the flames. But our planet is called the Blue Planet for a reason—more than 70 per cent of it is ocean.”
Above The Coral Gardeners team at a coral nursery in Mo’orea, French Polynesia
The Coral Gardeners team at a coral nursery in Mo’orea, French Polynesia
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A proud partner of Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative since 2022, Coral Gardeners is rewriting the rules of coral reef conservation through innovative restoration techniques, technological integration and community engagement. Notably, it boasts the largest social media presence of any reef conservation initiative, with its videos and images reaching more than 200 million people in just five years. Furthermore, its captivating visuals and informative content are designed to engage younger audiences and ignite their passion for protecting the ocean’s future.
Using a combination of hardware and software, Coral Gardeners documents every aspect of the coral restoration process, and leverages artificial intelligence and geospatial monitoring to track the progress of restored coral reefs in real time.
This includes identifying, via underwater cameras, returning fish species as they repopulate the reefs; 3D mapping of reefs and outplant sites for enhanced monitoring; and consolidating data, through the use of an app, across restoration locations for streamlined analysis and management. Currently, it grows some 26,000 heat‑resilient corals in ten underwater nurseries scattered across French Polynesia and Fiji (where it opened its first international branch headquartered on Malolo Island in 2023) that will be outplanted on damaged reefs when they are ready.
Above The waters around the Galápagos Islands are some of the most biodiverse areas on the planet
The waters around the Galápagos Islands are some of the most biodiverse areas on the planet
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As of December 2023, it has planted some 100,000 corals across its sites, and it aims to plant 1 million climate‑resistant corals around the world by 2025.
Despite their differences in age and approach, Earle and Bernicot share a common vision for the future of our oceans. As Earle puts it, “What Coral Gardeners is doing, what Mission Blue is doing, what Rolex is doing, and what everyone everywhere should be doing, is care for the natural world as if our lives depend on it. Because they do.”
Rolex’s support of such efforts through its Perpetual Planet Initiative underscores its enduring commitment to environmental stewardship and the preservation of the natural world. Encompassing over 30 partnerships, the initiative stands today as the embodiment of the vision of brand founder Hans Wilsdorf, who believed in pushing the boundaries of human endeavour for a better world.
Credits
Images: Rolex
Annabel Tan is the Editor of Watches and Jewellery at Tatler Singapore, where she covers all things luxury timepieces and fine jewellery across both print and digital platforms. She is also the Editor of Tatler GMT Singapore, a role that deepens her fascination with the ever-evolving world of watchmaking. Outside of work, she’s usually on the hunt for her next favourite watch that she can’t afford, planning her next beach getaway, or catching up on the latest Formula 1 race.
