Rolex states that the word Perpetual on its dials isn’t just a statement about the watches. In fact, they claim it is a statement about the nature of the human spirit, the perpetual desire to improve and the indomitable desire to do that.
To that end, Rolex awards a number of people who focus on improving the world. The Rolex Awards for Enterprise, started in 1976, are part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet initiative designed to support science, exploration, invention, and education to make the planet… well, perpetual.
For more than 45 years since their inception, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise have supported men and women from diverse backgrounds and fields of interest. However, all of those awarded use science, education, or technology to work on making the planet… again, perpetual.
From vaccines that don’t require refrigeration to finding ways for people to coexist with wildlife, those awarded focus on making life in the world go on in a sustainable way and educating everyone about how that happens.
So, does it matter? Is it just something nice that makes you shrug your shoulders? Is it something you appreciate? Is it something you think Rolex only does for the goodwill and not because the company actually cares? If what they do is good, does it even matter what motivates them?
I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this.