On April 14, 2019, the president of the Republic of Seychelles Danny Faure made the first live subsea presidential address to citizens of the world, at 124m below the surface of the waters around Des Roches Island.
The Seamaster 2 submersible was deployed during Nekton’s First Descent: Seychelles mission, in March and April last year.
"The sea has a special relationship with all of us, and it is clear to me that it is under threat like never before," President Faure said from a manned submersible, deployed in Nekton's "First Descent: Seychelles" mission.
He pleaded that the issue is bigger than all of us, and we cannot wait for the next generation to solve it.
In March and April last year, for some 50 days at sea, the expedition in the Seychelles launched the First Descent: Indian Ocean series, undertaken by Nekton, a UK registered charity and non profit research foundation, in partnership with governments in the region.
Nekton refers to aquatic animals that can independently swim against a current. The foundation was founded in 2015 by journalist Oliver Steeds, to accelerate scientific exploration and protection of the ocean.
Its research is in collaboration with the University of Oxford, whose senior research fellow Lucy Woodall is Nekton's principal scientist.
Supported by Omega and Kensington Tours, the epic First Descent: Indian Ocean missions aim to explore and protect the world's most unknown and least protected ocean. It will conclude with a regional summit, whose goal is to galvanise 30% protection by 2030, to help restore a resilient and healthy ocean.
The caseback features an engraving of the Seamaster 2 submersible.
"If we want a healthy planet, fundamentally we need a healthy ocean," Steeds said in Omega's Time For The Ocean short film. "The Indian Ocean is home to about 2.7 billion people already. By about 2050, half of the world's population will be living in and around the Indian Ocean. So how the ocean changes is going to dramatically affect billions of people's lives and their livelihoods."
Applied research, knowledge exchange, ocean policy and inspirational public engagement activities are combined to achieve maximum impact of each mission, whose data and biological specimens are owned and vested by the host nation.
From the mothership, Ocean Zephyr, the marine operations of The First Descent: Seychelles involved state-of-the-art manned Triton submersibles named Seamaster 2 and Kensington Deep, used respectively for sample collection and video survey.
Over 1,200 biological samples were collected and 26 million square metres of seabed have been mapped in 3D.
The baseline information provides an understanding of the Seychelles' deeper environment and marine species, in order to make informed decisions in supporting the implementation of its Marine Spatial Plan that addresses climate change, marine protection and a sustainable Blue Economy.
The 42mm Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition is presented in two versions, one with an integrated black rubber strap and the other with a bracelet for a dressier look.
The Covid-19 pandemic, however, has hindered other expeditions planned in 2020. When circumstances allow, Nekton will go ahead with the First Descent: Midnight Zone mission, to support sustainable governance and protection of the Seychelles and Maldivian seas.
Principal mission partner since 2018, Omega recently launched the Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition to represent the ocean-saving partnership.
"Our friends at Nekton are protecting the ocean with the goal of 30% protection by 2030. As a pioneering brand with a long history of pushing at the boundaries of what is possible, we have the utmost respect for this bold, confident vision and we're thrilled to help make the goal a reality," said Omega's president and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann.
The Swiss watchmaker has a long heritage of supporting ocean exploration and conservation. Omega worked with the late Sir Peter Blake, a legendary sailor and conservationist, whose expedition yacht was called Seamaster.
The legacy is carried on by the Seamaster 2 submersible, deployed during the First Descent mission.
Omega has actually been seafaring since 1932, when it developed the Marine as the world's first watch specifically designed for civilian divers. The robust Seamaster, launched in 1948, then became the flagship family of watches for underwater adventures as well as for everyday wear.
Powered by the Master Chronometer Calibre 8806, the new 42mm stainless steel Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition is presented in two versions, one with an integrated black rubber strap and the other with a bracelet for a dressier look.
The laser ablated black ceramic [ZrO2] dial features a matte finish and polished waves in positive relief. In titanium, the unidirectional rotating bezel features a laser ablated diving scale in positive relief.
The Seamaster 2 submersible is engraved on the caseback of the Nekton Edition, whose owners will have contributed to the protection of the world's oceans.
