Rolex, 50 years of commitment to the planet in the sign of Oyster

From Indonesia, Nigeria, Peru, China and the United States are the just-announced winners of the 50th edition of the Rolex Awards, prizes instituted by the Swiss watchmaker in 1976 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Oyster, Rolex's first chronometer, automatic and water-resistant wristwatch. Today, the awards are part of the broader Perpetual Planet initiative and the 2026 edition also marks the 100th anniversary of the Oyster.

With their respective projects, the five (young) women represent a truly international commitment to protecting our planet for the benefit of future generations, which is Rolex's goal with Perpetual Planet. It is impossible to rank the five equally fascinating and important projects (detailed information can be found in the appropriate section of the website www.rolex.com).

The scientist Binbin Li, who specialises in the study of ecosystems, has been honoured for her efforts to protect the 2,000 or so giant pandas that still live, free, in the bamboo forests of central China and where coexistence with farming and herding communities is not always easy. Farwiza Farhan dedicates his life to defending the forest known as the 'Leuser ecosystem' in Sumatra (Indonesia). It is the last place left on earth where elephants, tigers, orangutans and rhinos still coexist. But the threat of deforestation looms large and Rolex Award funds will help Farwiza Farhan develop campaigns to protect the fragile ecosystem.

Moving on to Africa is geneticist Pardis Sabeti, who is studying how to prevent the spread of viruses and epidemics in West Africa. The prize will enable her to develop and test a new, easily transportable tool to perform diagnostic tests particularly among communities in Sierra Leone. Rachel Ikemeh is dedicated to saving a species of monkey, the red colobus, from extinction by mobilising communities living in the Niger Delta, an ecosystem endangered by Nigeria's oil industry. The 2026 Rolex Award winner has already managed to protect 5,839 hectares of forest and secured at least 13 endangered species, while improving the lives of more than 2,500 people living in the Niger Delta.

Last but not least, biochemist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, the first scientist to demonstrate the link between ongoing deforestation in the Amazon and the drastic decline of stingless bee species (technically, meliponini), which are very important for the pollination of many Amazonian plants. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza's work has led Peru to officially protect stingless bees, and the Rolex Award will enable the scientist to enhance the area of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest where indigenous peoples live and stingless bees thrive.