From the 1930s, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf began sending his Oyster Perpetual watches to the most extreme locations, supporting explorers who ventured into the unknown. As the 21st century unfolds, exploration for pure discovery has given way to exploration as a means to preserve the natural world.
Accordingly, Perpetual is more than a word on the dial of Rolex watches, as it encompasses Wilsdorf's vision to help build a sustainable planet.
Through its Perpetual Planet initiative, Rolex has joined forces with key individuals and organisations to assist them finding solutions to the Earth's environmental challenges. So far, the initiative embraces National Geographic, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise and Mission Blue.
Since 2014, the partnership with Mission Blue endeavours to explore, restore and safeguard the world's oceans.
Representing nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface, the oceans harbour most of the world's biodiversity. However, many commercially exploited species of fish have declined by 90%, about half of the coral reefs have disappeared or experienced serious decline, and hundreds of coastal "dead zones" have become great concerns.
Mission Blue's aim is to create a global network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) called Hope Spots, which are ecologically important areas vital to the preservation of species or places where communities rely on a healthy marine environment to survive.
The diving team from Innoceana working at Caño Island in an effort to improve scientific knowledge of the area. (Photo © Carlos Mallo Molina)
More than 130 Hope Spots have been established, and earlier this month Mission Blue announced a new one in Costa Rica, to protect important breeding grounds for migratory animals.
Every year, humpback whales swim 10,000km from Antartica to the warm seas off Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. They join other migratory animals such as hammerhead sharks, manta rays and sea turtles that currently face deadly hazards in Costa Rican waters. These range from plastic pollution, agricultural effluent and entanglement in ghost nets and long lines from industrial fishing.
National Geographic once described the waters around the Osa Peninsula as "the most biologically intense place on Earth".
The new Hope Spot, named the Biological Marine Corridor of Osa, has a diverse cluster of ecosystems that are essential for the survival of marine life, including the coral reefs of Caño Island, several important breeding spots for marine species, mangroves and one of the largest wetlands of the Pacific coast of Central America.
Mission Blue founder and Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle says: "These areas host breeding and feeding areas for a number of species of whales and thousands of other organisms like sharks, tunas and the little creatures upon which all the rest are based. By supporting the full protection of this corridor of life along the Osa Peninsula, life itself will be enhanced."
Sea turtles are among many species that will benefit from the creation of the new Hope Spot.
The waters already have some protection, with MPAs around the Marino Ballena National Park, Terraba-Sierpe National Wetlands, Caño Island Biological Reserve and Corcovado National Park.
But greater protection is needed according to Carlos Mallo Molina, a Mission Blue Champion and founder of Innoceana, a marine conservation NGO in Costa Rica.
"The current MPAs need to be expanded to cover a corridor between them," Mallo Molina says. "These MPAs don't currently touch, leaving migrating marine life vulnerable between the gaps. If we want to establish effective protection for the marine life that migrate through Costa Rica's waters, we need to apply thorough protection across the entire area."
Mallo Molina is one of three Champions who nominated the Hope Spot and as such will co-ordinate advocacy events, meet government leaders and pursue scientific activities related to conservation, in collaboration with local organisations, community associations, businesses and authorities.
Through Mission Blue, they are working to accelerate the creation of an MPA, Reserva Marina Álvaro Ugalde Víquez, as a step towards greater protection for the local ecosystem.
"Restoring the marine ecosystem off the Osa Peninsula will enrich the local community economically, physically and mentally," explains Mallo Molina.
"Artisanal fishermen will be in a better place thanks to a healthy coral reef and mangroves. With the prohibition of industrial fishing, dive sites will be more attractive, strengthening the local ecotourism industry. It would mean a win-win for all life here, including for humans."
National Geographic has described the waters off Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula 'as the most biologically intense place on Earth'. (Photo © Yulian Cordero)
Innoceana plans to increase community understanding of the ocean through a Marine Conservation and Education Center, the first of its kind in Costa Rica. It will underpin marine education in the area and serve as a research facility.
Mission Blue empowers local people to make change by creating a global wave of community support for ocean conservation. Through its global network of Hope Spots, the aim is to contribute to the international goal of 30% marine protection for the oceans by 2030.
As well as its support for Mission Blue, Rolex is also helping to protect the oceans through a variety of partnerships and grants. For instance, the company also partners with the Monaco Blue Initiative that brings together experts, policymakers and business entrepreneurs along with local and international NGOs, to discuss and highlight solutions to current and future challenges of ocean management and conservation.