Rolex Perpetual Planet

For Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf the world was a living laboratory. The source of exploration, creation and inspiration. He used it as a testing ground for his watches, taking them to the most extreme locations — and supporting scientists, adventurers, explorers and visionairies in the process. Today, Rolex takes on that heritage in an effort to support the same-minded group of extraordinary people, who, with the help of Rolex, will continue to work tirelessly to make our planet: perpetual.

For the 21st century, exploration for pure discovery has given way to exploration as a means to preserve the natural world.

Rolex continues the legacy of its founder and supports explorers on this new mission. This effort has led to Rolex launching its 2019 campaign called Perpetual Planet.

We have shared before the close and long-term collaboration between Rolex and National Geographic. Part of it is the partnership with National Geographic Society that collects climate data, as well as the one with Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue inititative to protect the oceans through a network of marine protected “Hope Spots.” Last but definitely not least, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise — presented here — recognizes individuals with projects that advance knowledge, protect human- as well as environmental well-being.

It was as early as in 1926 that Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex in 1905, shocked the world by presenting the first waterproof wristwatch — the Rolex Oyster. This was followed by the 1931 addition of the Perpetual self-winding mechanism: and these two, combined, are the reason why Oyster Perpetual is present on the dial of every Rolex watch, except the distinctly elegant Cellini line.

Today, the world Perpetual means quite so much to Rolex: it refers to the ingenious and robust self-winding mechanism that literally powers every Rolex watch; but it also refers to Rolex’s drive to continue in its efforts to make a difference in the world by meaningfully assisting in making it: Perpetual.

As such, the vision and values of Hans Wilsdorf still confidently guide the company today: from exploration to preservation, for nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers, pushing the boundaries of human endeavor. With the Perpetual Planet campaign, launched in 2019, Rolex is commited for the long term to support the explorers in their mighty quest to protect the environment and, as a result, ourselves. As Sylvia Earle put it: “Many people still don’t understand that protecting the ocean means that we are protecting ourselves.”

To this end, Rolex’s commitment focuses on the Rolex Awards for Enterprise and partnerships with the National Geographic Society and Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue initiative — and yet, all that is just the beginning.