On this last day of the worldwide celebration of International Women’s Month, luxury Swiss watchmaker, Rolex, honors the world’s leading ladies who have helped pave the way for every woman to succeed in her own way, in her own right.
Founded nearly a century ago with the creation of the world’s first waterproof watch by a limitlessly creative and deeply inventive Hans Wilsdorf, Rolex has established itself as a brand for pioneering spirits who push the limits of performance and achieve that which was once thought was impossible for women.
For your dose of weekend inspiration and empowerment, check out this gallery of Rolex Testimonees: athletes, artists and explorers who have each played a role in creating history, becoming role models for millions of women around the globe.
Mercedes Gleitze
Mercedes Gleitze effectively became the first Rolex Testimonee in 1927 when she swam the English Channel wearing the Rolex’s Oyster — the world’s first waterproof wristwatch and a cornerstone stone for Rolex’s success.
Sylvia Earle
Dubbed a pioneer of the deep and endearingly nicknamed “her deepnesss,” Sylvia Earle has made it her lifelong goal to protect what she calls the “blue heart of the planet.” She is a a champion of the environment, a courageous leader in global conservation of the sea and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence who was a member of the Rolex-equipped all-female diving crew of the Tektite II underwater scientific program who lived out its mission of expanding man’s knowledge of our oceans in 1970.
Chris Evert
Tennis hero Chris Evert from the United States has become a sports icon for her outstanding athletic skill. As a former top ranked professional tennis player who previously held the World’s number one spot and a winner of 18 Grand Slam singles championships and three doubles titles, Chris has proven to women — and men! — that the world of sports is definitely no longer the male-dominated realm it was once considered to be.
Annika Sorenstam
Who said women could only be great at one thing? Considered to be the best female golfer of her time, Swedish athlete Annika Sorenstam is also a loving mother, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Wanting to take advantage of her success and influenc, she established The Annika Invitational — an American Junior Golf Association which is an invitation-only event that sponsors golf clinics for 60 of the best-performing female golfers from all over the world and grooms the next generation’s great female golfers.
Garbiñe Muguruza
In 2016, Venezuelan-born athlete Gabriñe didn’t just win the French Open (her very first tennis Grand Slam title). She claimed victory over Serena Williams, the sport’s top competitor and a living legend of tennis. Her landmark win propelled her to the top tier of the world of sports, joining many other exceptional athletes who epitomize passion, performance and precision — values that lie at the heart of every Rolex watch.
Lindsey Vonn
With looks as fair as freshly fallen snow, champion skier Lindsey Vonn is an Olympic downhill gold medallist. She established the Lindsey Vonn Foundation whose motto is “giving the future women of the world the confidence to move mountains,” and continues to do her best, on and off the world’s iciest slopes, with the ultimate goal of imparting the same confidence and fiery passion that have helped her reach the literal and figurative peaks she’s conquered to ambitious young girls.
Sonya Yoncheva
Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva proves that it’s not just luck that makes dreams come true. She knows that a commitment to training, mastering your chosen craft and knowing that hard work are the (not so) secret ingredients to success that take precedence over good fortune. She was proven right when she won the renowned opera competition Operalia in 2010, and has since become one of the contemporary faces of opera.
