Back then, survival was an imperative. We are talking millions of years ago; fresh from the primordial goo, homo sapiens had to immediately find ways to survive—hunting for sustenance, building shelter, copulation; evolution became a natural step in self-preservation. Then, when we transitioned from survival to civilisation, the yen for continuance took a backseat to something else: ambition.
Nothing exemplifies the intrinsic need to achieve the seemingly impossible than the Rolex family of Testimonees. Starting in October 1927 with the induction of Mercedes Gleitze, who made an arduous 10-hour swim across the English Channel, while wearing a Rolex Oyster prototype, the Rolex Testimonees comprise of high-achieving personalities from sports, arts, exploration, and science; these individuals embody the same Rolex tenets of "precision, endurance, and excellence".
Rolex launched a docuseries called Reach For The Crown, where Rolex Testimonees share their journey of being the best of what they do. Streaming on Rolex’s official YouTube channel, viewers will have a front row seat into the lives and sacrifices made by individuals who have scaled the pinnacle of their chosen trade. You can get an insight into individuals that include…
Scott Brash and his Belgian Sport Horse gelding, Hello Sanctos, made history in 2015 as the first and, so far, only horse-and-rider combination to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping (consecutive majors in Geneva, Aachen, and Spruce Meadows).
Carlos Alcaraz, who had already won seven Grand Slams by the age of 22, became the youngest male tennis player to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Lydia Ko, who won her first golf championship at 14, and went on to be an Olympic gold medallist and was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
As you continue to watch the entirety of the Reach For the Crown docuseries, a common denominator arises; and that is the failures, and how each Rolex Testimonee overcame them.
The ascent of a mountain is never a straight line. It is long and circuitous, often leading off into dead-ends that forces you to retrace your steps. This was the case for many of the Rolex Testimonees, where the fall from the heights of winning, felt like career-enders. Setbacks like:
Scott Brash, who slipped to the 19th place in 2017, a year after his Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz, who suffered acute tenosynovitis in his right wrist, during the Barcelona Open in April, and had to pause his tennis career and recuperate for four months.
Lydia Ko, who suffered a career slump between 2017 and 2019, and had the dark cloud of doubt hanging over her swing ability.
Failures can be soul-crushing, but for the Rolex Testimonees, it is the adversity that will shape them to be a better version of themselves.
As Lydia Ko said in “The Upswing”: “When things are going well, it’s really easy. When it’s hard, it feels like I’m in quicksand, and I keep going down and down. And you question if you’re ever coming back again. But now I realise there’s always a way to escape.”
Ko got out of her slump; Alcaraz returned to the courts, renewed; Brash reared and trained four Grand Prix horses, and rose in the rankings.
Rolex's Reach For The Crown docuseries celebrates its Rolex Testimonees' victories, but it is the series' core message of overcoming adversity that is the real prize.
