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Commitment
Blancpain Ocean Commitment
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The Blancpain Ocean Commitment pays homage to our Brand's significant historical links with the ocean, having launched the world's first modern diving watch, the Fifty Fathoms, in 1953.

This milestone moment in Blancpain's near 300-year history marked the starting point of our collaborations with the ocean community, which have typified the 70 years since, as has our support for ocean conservation initiatives.

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Blancpain - sharks
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Why?
Exploration and preservation of the world’s oceans is core to Blancpain. With its almost 70-year legacy of the Fifty Fathoms diving watch, the Brand has woven close ties with the explorers, photographers, scientists, and environmentalists who treasure this precious resource. With that affinity has come a determination to support important activities and initiatives dedicated to the oceans. Thus was born the Blancpain Ocean Commitment (BOC).
Exploration and preservation of the world’s oceans is core to Blancpain. With its almost 70-year legacy of the Fifty Fathoms diving watch, the Brand has woven close ties with the explorers, photographers, scientists, and environmentalists who treasure this precious resource. With that affinity has come a determination to support important activities and initiatives dedicated to the oceans. Thus was born the Blancpain Ocean Commitment (BOC).
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How?
For the past several years, the BOC has demonstrated consistent support for oceanographic initiatives and partnerships with leading organisations, such as the Pristine Seas expeditions, Laurent Ballesta’s Gombessa project, the World Ocean Initiative organised by The Economist, and the World Oceans Day, an annual event hosted by the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS). To date, the multiple activities passionately pursued by Blancpain in support of exploring and preserving the oceans have led to tangible results, notably contributing to significantly extending the surface of marine protected areas around the world, with an addition of more than 4 million km2.
For the past several years, the BOC has demonstrated consistent support for oceanographic initiatives and partnerships with leading organisations, such as the Pristine Seas expeditions, Laurent Ballesta’s Gombessa project, the World Ocean Initiative organised by The Economist, and the World Oceans Day, an annual event hosted by the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS). To date, the multiple activities passionately pursued by Blancpain in support of exploring and preserving the oceans have led to tangible results, notably contributing to significantly extending the surface of marine protected areas around the world, with an addition of more than 4 million km2.
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Laurent Ballesta's Gombessa Expeditions
Explore
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Gombessa I Expeditions © Laurent Ballesta
Gombessa I
A meeting with the Coelacanth
2013
Laurent Ballesta's Gombessa project has completed 5 major scientific expeditions studying some of the rarest, most elusive marine creatures on Earth. In 2013, on Gombessa I, the team met perhaps the most legendary ocean creature of all: the “living fossil” and survivor of 400 million years that is the coelacanth. Locally known as Gombessa, this legendary species gave its name to the Gombessa Expeditions.
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Gombessa 4 Expeditions © Laurent Ballesta
Gombessa IV
700 Sharks into the Dark
2017
In 2017, on Gombessa IV, 3000 hours of night-diving brought to light an incredible, mesmerizing world never seen before. For the first time in history, we witness the beautiful and spectacular sight of hundreds of grey reef sharks collaboratively hunting in packs.
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Discover
Preserve
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Mokarran Protection Society © Thomas Pavy
Saving the largest and most emblematic species of hammerhead sharks
Mokarran Protection Society
The Mokarran Protection Society is dedicated to studying, understanding and protecting the great hammerhead shark in French Polynesia, a species that is both little known and critically endangered. In January 2020, Blancpain President & CEO Marc A. Hayek travelled to Rangiroa to participate as a volunteer underwater videographer. The project continued this year with the support of Laurent Ballesta and his Gombessa team.
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Pristine Seas, Palau © Manu San Felix - National Geographic
Helping protect 4 million km2 of ocean
Pristine Seas Expeditions
Blancpain has been the founding partner of the Pristine Seas Expeditions. Dedicated to exploring and protecting the precious few remaining truly unspoiled, wild ocean areas on Earth, Pristine Seas has completed 14 major scientific expeditions with Blancpain's support. Marine Protected Areas totalling more than 4 million km2 have been established in 11 of these regions.
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Fregate Island © Blancpain Chris Keller
Bringing coral back to the reefs
Fregate Island Private & Coralive
Around Fregate Island in the Seychelles, large parts of the reef had suffered great damage. In 2018, Blancpain initiated an experimental coral restoration project using the Mineral Accretion Technology, in collaboration with Coralive.org. The project included the scan of more than 700 hectares of seabed to establish a biodiversity baseline of the coral reef. The latest phase of the experiment focuses on the possibility to scale up to much larger areas at longer distances from land.
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Pangatalan
Rebirth of an Island
Pangatalan
Pangatalan is a small Island located in the Philippines. Blancpain is supporting the efforts of the local Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation to conserve, protect and restore its resources through environmentally sustainable practices and active ecosystems restoration. In the “Pangatalan: Rebirth of an Island” documentary, we catch a glimpse of a unique beauty that is truly worth saving.
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Fifty
Fathoms
Discover the Fifty Fathoms
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Fifty Fathoms Automatique
Unveiled in 1953, the legendary Fifty Fathoms - the world's first modern diving watch - embodies Blancpain's passion for the underwater world.
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