Rolex honors heritage of exploration with African 'Perpetual Planet' expedition
January 31, 2023
Perpetual Planet
Since 2019, Rolex has been embracing that changing landscape of exploration through its Perpetual Planet initiative, supporting the work of exploring conservationists.
Part of this project involves the work of Rolex Awards for Enterprise winners, who work to protect the livability of the planet and the welfare of people. Rolex is also working with the National Geographic Society, collecting data in the fight against climate change.
Dr. Boyes is a National Geographic Explorer, leading one of the Great Spine of Africa expeditions along over 500 miles of the Lungwevungu River.
The river is a tributary water source of the Zambezi River, which is vital to 20 million people and an inordinate amount of plants and animals, supporting Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The Great Spine of Africa Expeditions: Lungwevungu River – Ep. 2
Traversing the highlands of Angola to the border of Zambia, the team is collecting measurements and data on their journey. With his Rolex watch and team in tow, he is floating in dug-out “mekoro” canoes and camping along the river, documenting the data.
“It’s almost biblical,” said Dr. Boyes in a statement.
“During the day you are constantly stung, and at night beetles, flying ants and moths fill the air,” he said. “It’s a very difficult place to do science, to live, to do anything.”
Despite its importance, much of the Zambezi’s tributaries and life cycles is a mystery to scientists, making this expedition key in building local climate resilience. Being the birthplace of the Zambezi, the Lungwevungu is a key point in these conservation efforts.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="465"] Dr. Boyes takes measurements along the river, wearing his water-resistant watch. Image credit: Rolex[/caption]
The other expeditions taking place in the Spine of Africa will explore the Congo, Niger and Nile rivers– all just as important to 400 million Africans. Like this Lungwevungu expedition, much of the data collected is being sourced from places never studied by scientists before.
“If it’s measurable, we are absolutely going to measure it,” said Dr. Boyes in a statement.
“It is incredibly important for us to be able to measure change over time, to be able to pick up limits of acceptable change, then take those to the government and say that we need to change policy.”
Nature of luxury
Rolex is not alone in this undertaking of scientific exploration.
De Beers recently supported National Geographic’s conservation efforts in the Okavango Delta ( see story ).
The story concludes with ‘Blooming Hour’ and features Ms. Ziyi’s final fated meeting before the backdrop of a green park dappled with sunlight. She wears the rose gold Rendez-Vous Night & Day, and the dial’s night/day indicator, located at 6 o'clock, has been set to day to reveal the outline of the sun.
The Rendez-Vous watch collection, first introduced in 2012, is notable for its celestial details, floral numerals, complex engineering and striking design. In addition, each piece is noteworthy for its diamond embellishments as seen on either the bezel, dial, crown or lugs.
“Truly elegant and distinctly feminine, the Rendez-Vous collection combines haute horlogerie and jewellery to create pieces of breathtaking beauty,” said Lionel Favre, head of design at Jaeger-LeCoultre, in a statement.
Time pieces from the Rendez-Vous collection retail for $8,750 to $60,500.
Jaeger-LeCoultre named Ms. Ziyi its latest brand ambassador in July ( see story ). The 46-year-old thespian’s career spans three decades; she is most known by American audiences for her leading roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
