ROLEX DIVES TO NEW DEPTHS

Rolex has always been synonymous with high-quality diving watches. It sent a number of Sea-Dweller models along on the Perpetual Planet initiative and the Under the Pole expedition. Members had an excellent tool to take with them below the surface.

By Kåre Peitersen

For almost a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers pushing the boundaries of human and technological endeavour.

Sir Edmund Hillary's wore a Rolex Explorer on Mt. Everest, and James Cameron's wore a Submariner, while helping to find the wreck of the Titanic.

But whereas discovery was previously for sport, today the focus is on learning more about our planet so that we can take better care of it.

Therefore, under the Perpetual Planet umbrella, Rolex has allied itself with a number of organizations that work to improve conditions for nature and wildlife around the world.

The focus is particularly on the world's oceans, and they collaborate with organizations such as the Mission Blue National Geographic Society.

Focus on the blue planet

One of the concrete projects that Rolex supports is the series of Under the Pole expeditions, which aim to increase our knowledge of the world of corals. Under the Pole was founded by Ghislain Bardout and Emmanuelle Périé-Bardout in 2007, and the expeditions have taken them from the Arctic to French Polynesia, to mention just a few destinations. Along the way, members have carried out more than 1,000 dives to a depth of up to 60 metres and have, among other things, collected more than 6,000 coral samples for a completely unique collection. The series of expeditions will now continue with Rolex as a partner until at least 2030. Under the theme Deeplife, the aim is to investigate the wildlife of the underwater forests. You can follow activities on social media via #PerpetualPlanet

A Professional Diving Watch For Hard Work

The Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller is made for serious diving work. It is a robust watch that can withstand most things - and the pressure at a depth of 3,900 metres. The box is cut from a single block of corrosion-free steel (oystersteel) and measures 44 mm. At the top there is a slightly curved and 5.5 mm thick sapphire glass, while the patented helium valve indicates that it can work deep underwater. On board is a calibre 3235 that is regulated to a variation of just −2/+2 seconds/day. Deepsea is available in a black version and then in this blue-toned model, which has been given the nickname James Cameron, in honour of the world-famous film director (Terminator, Titanic, Avatar, etc.), who in 2012 wore it to the bottom of the Mariana Trench – the deepest place in the world's oceans (10,911 m below the surface).

Rolex Deepsea (136660). Price DKK 111,200.

Green Jaguar With Smart Features

In recent years, Jaguar has invested significantly in a range of connected watches that combine a classic, analogue dive watch with some of the functions you know from smart watches. The result is a kind of hybrid watch that can be used 24 hours a day and all year round without running out of battery. The functions of the connected watch can be controlled in collaboration with your smartphone, and the two registers on the dial can, among other things, be set to show the date, alternative time zone, or how far you have progressed towards your daily physical activity goal. The two pushers can also be used to control your smartphone – e.g., jump into a playlist, take a picture, or log your GPS position. It can all be set in the app, where you also choose which notifications you want to reach your watch. Despite the smart features, the watch looks like a classic steel diver of 45.7 mm with sapphire glass, and water resistance down to 200 metres. Incidentally, the watch brand has nothing to do with the car brand. The watch brand was founded in 1938, while the car brand only got its Jaguar name in 1945, so you can't accuse the Swiss of unfair use of the British brand’s value. Jaguar Watches' founder, Peter Haas, set great store by care and precision, and the design was particularly inspired by the elegance and strength that characterizes the feline of the same name.