Page 58 - Sharp Summer 2021

WATCHES : THE PERPETUAL PLANET
The Perpetual Planet
Rolex and National Geographic team up to fight climate change in the Chilean Andes
by JEREMY FREED
RISING MORE THAN 6,500 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL, the Tupungato volcano is one of the highest peaks in the Andes, towering over the nearby city of Santiago,
Chile. In addition to providing a stunning backdrop for the Chilean capital, the mountain is also a natural “water tower,” a vital source of most of the region’s fresh water. Central Chile, however, is in the midst of a decade-long drought — the longest one in the region’s recorded history — and early this year, a group of scientists ascended the mountain to try to understand why. In addition to a full complement of high- tech meteorological sensors and scientific equipment, the team was supplied with another useful piece of gear, one that has accompanied countless explorers on their missions: the Rolex Explorer II.
Rolex has been assisting in expeditions like this for nearly 70 years. When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest in 1953, they wore early prototypes of the original Rolex Explorer, a model which was reimagined in Oystersteel and 18K yellow gold for 2021. When the bathyscaphe Trieste descended to a record depth of 10,916 metres in 1960, a new ex- perimental Rolex model — the Deepsea Special — went along for the ride, emerging in perfect working order. In addition to their scientific findings, these expeditions helped Rolex hone its case
and movement technology, assisting it in creating some of the world’s toughest and most reliable professional watches.
While these early expeditions were focused on exploring as-yet untouched corners of the planet, Rolex has since shifted its focus to those fighting to protect the planet’s last wild places from pollution, climate change, and other human-made threats. Dubbed the Perpetual Planet campaign, this initiative has sponsored climate-change research on Mount Everest and ocean conservation projects led by veteran marine biolo- gist Sylvia Earle since launching in 2019. Part of an ongoing partnership between Rolex and National Geographic, the Tupungato volcano expedition succeeded in setting up a series of weather stations on the mountain, including one at the vol- cano’s summit. As the highest weather station in the Americas, these sensors will relay important meteorological data to scien-
58 SHARPMAGAZINE.COM SUMMER 2021