Cheese made from camel milk
Rolex is breaking new ground in its philanthropic efforts and is now honoring artists as well as researchers
Rolex is breaking new ground in patronage and now honors not only researchers but also artistsby Anita Vaucher Every two years, the Geneva-based watch manufacturer Rolex presents its "Rolex Awards for Enterprise". The coveted prizes are awarded to researchers who are working on a better world away from the lavish flow of funding. The Geneva-based watch manufacturer now also wants to provide artists with a paid mentor.
Typical Geneva, typical Rolex. When it comes to acting as a patron, the traditional company keeps a low profile: "We offer our award winners a platform and want to draw the media's attention to what they do," says Rolex spokeswoman Dominique Dadion. "We deliberately stay in the background." This will now also be the case with the watchmaker's latest project: "The Rolex Mentor and Protegé Arts Initiative" will be realized for the first time in 2003: Rolex is financing the sponsorship of a world-famous artist in each of five art fields for a promising talent.
No, says Dadion, this is not a departure from the communication strategy, because all products - luxury watches - will continue to speak for themselves. They do this eloquently at golf and tennis tournaments, in advertisements and in publications. "But we don't want to mix patronage with the classic means of communication," she adds.
This is why the "Rolex Awards for Enterprise", which was founded in 1976, is hardly mentioned in the media. Despite the fact that 3,000 applicants had already registered for the first award competition - launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster, recalls Rolex Award project manager Quentin Deville. However, the watch patron at the time, André J. Heiniger, left the world in the dark after each award round as to whether he wanted to host the awards again.
There are also adventurous guys on the jury
Since 1996, however, one thing has been clear: every two years, a jury of top-class scientists reviews the submissions from all over the world: and as befits a global player, the five prize winners were celebrated in Tokyo this year. In fact, anyone can apply for an award, consisting of a prize money of 100,000 dollars, a gold Rolex watch and lots of media attention. 1400 applicants from 113 countries entered the tenth edition of the awards. "Of these, a few dozen have a real chance of winning a prize," says Deville.
A new international jury is formed for each award round, which meets in Geneva and assesses the projects without being paid. The jury usually includes scientists, but also adventurous types such as Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest.
"The Rolex Awards are our contribution to a better understanding of the world in which we live," said Rolex CEO Patrick Heiniger at the awards ceremony in Tokyo's Hotel Okura (www. rolexawards.com). Laureates from France, Brazil, Canada, the United States and South Africa were honored. Frenchman Michel André, for example, has developed a system that warns sea captains of schools of whales. His "whale anti-collision system" is based on the acoustic signals that these mammals emit in the sea.
But it is not only concerns about endangered creatures and energy that guide the jury members. In 1993, for example, Rolex presented an award to Nancy M. Abeiderrahmane from Mauritania - she had succeeded in developing a process for making cheese from camel's milk.
Just like in the Middle Ages: the mentor looks after his protégé
This year, Rolex has added an artistic dimension to its patronage: "The Rolex Mentor and Protegé Arts Initiative". Over the course of a year, a master of his or her field will support a talented student with help and advice for at least 30 days a year.
The winners were announced on June 13 at the Frick Collection Museum in New York. The luminaries Sir Colin Davis (music), William Forsythe (dance), Toni Morrison (literature), Alvaro Siza (visual arts) and Robert Wilson (theater) have commendably taken care of the newcomers Federico Leon (theater), Sahel al-Hiyari (visual arts), Julia Leigh (literature), Sang Jijia (dance) and Josep Caballé-Domenech (music).
According to Rolex, however, the focus of this mentorship is not so much on individual lessons. Rather, it is about sharing in the mentor's day-to-day work so that the protégé recognizes what the existence of a great artist is made up of. Rolex CEO Patrick Heiniger again heads a committee of advisors made up of renowned artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Wole Soyinka and Frank Gehry.
The sponsors and protégés also receive financial benefits from Rolex for over a year. On the other hand, the watchmaker refrains from transferring its image on the communication side, as Deville explains. There are historical reasons for this, he says. When André J. Heiniger founded the "Rolex Awards for Enterprise", he was less concerned with the impact for the watch company than with the social commitment behind it.
Typical Geneva, typical Rolex. When it comes to acting as a patron, the traditional company keeps a low profile: "We offer our award winners a platform and want to draw the media's attention to what they do," says Rolex spokeswoman Dominique Dadion. "We deliberately stay in the background." This will now also be the case with the watchmaker's latest project: "The Rolex Mentor and Protegé Arts Initiative" will be realized for the first time in 2003: Rolex is financing the sponsorship of a world-famous artist in each of five art fields for a promising talent.
No, says Dadion, this is not a departure from the communication strategy, because all products - luxury watches - will continue to speak for themselves. They do this eloquently at golf and tennis tournaments, in advertisements and in publications. "But we don't want to mix patronage with the classic means of communication," she adds.
This is why the "Rolex Awards for Enterprise", which was founded in 1976, is hardly mentioned in the media. Despite the fact that 3,000 applicants had already registered for the first award competition - launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster, recalls Rolex Award project manager Quentin Deville. However, the watch patron at the time, André J. Heiniger, left the world in the dark after each award round as to whether he wanted to host the awards again.
There are also adventurous guys on the jury
Since 1996, however, one thing has been clear: every two years, a jury of top-class scientists reviews the submissions from all over the world: and as befits a global player, the five prize winners were celebrated in Tokyo this year. In fact, anyone can apply for an award, consisting of a prize money of 100,000 dollars, a gold Rolex watch and lots of media attention. 1400 applicants from 113 countries entered the tenth edition of the awards. "Of these, a few dozen have a real chance of winning a prize," says Deville.
A new international jury is formed for each award round, which meets in Geneva and assesses the projects without being paid. The jury usually includes scientists, but also adventurous types such as Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest.
"The Rolex Awards are our contribution to a better understanding of the world in which we live," said Rolex CEO Patrick Heiniger at the awards ceremony in Tokyo's Hotel Okura (www. rolexawards.com). Laureates from France, Brazil, Canada, the United States and South Africa were honored. Frenchman Michel André, for example, has developed a system that warns sea captains of schools of whales. His "whale anti-collision system" is based on the acoustic signals that these mammals emit in the sea.
But it is not only concerns about endangered creatures and energy that guide the jury members. In 1993, for example, Rolex presented an award to Nancy M. Abeiderrahmane from Mauritania - she had succeeded in developing a process for making cheese from camel's milk.
Just like in the Middle Ages: the mentor looks after his protégé
This year, Rolex has added an artistic dimension to its patronage: "The Rolex Mentor and Protegé Arts Initiative". Over the course of a year, a master of his or her field will support a talented student with help and advice for at least 30 days a year.
The winners were announced on June 13 at the Frick Collection Museum in New York. The luminaries Sir Colin Davis (music), William Forsythe (dance), Toni Morrison (literature), Alvaro Siza (visual arts) and Robert Wilson (theater) have commendably taken care of the newcomers Federico Leon (theater), Sahel al-Hiyari (visual arts), Julia Leigh (literature), Sang Jijia (dance) and Josep Caballé-Domenech (music).
According to Rolex, however, the focus of this mentorship is not so much on individual lessons. Rather, it is about sharing in the mentor's day-to-day work so that the protégé recognizes what the existence of a great artist is made up of. Rolex CEO Patrick Heiniger again heads a committee of advisors made up of renowned artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Wole Soyinka and Frank Gehry.
The sponsors and protégés also receive financial benefits from Rolex for over a year. On the other hand, the watchmaker refrains from transferring its image on the communication side, as Deville explains. There are historical reasons for this, he says. When André J. Heiniger founded the "Rolex Awards for Enterprise", he was less concerned with the impact for the watch company than with the social commitment behind it.
