Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Attached to Robotic Arm on DEEPSEA CHALLENGER

"To Explore New Worlds, To Seek Out New Life

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before."

"James Cameron's successful record-breaking dive today represents the ultimate test of a man and a machine."–Dr. Joe MacInnis

James Cameron

Emerges From His DEEPSEA CHALLENGER After Record-Setting Dive

Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Watch Intact

Below are the first photos of James Cameron as he emerged from his DEEPSEA CHALLENGER after he set a new record, and he is wearing a 44mm Rolex DEEPSEA SEA-DWELLER, which is unusual, because he has worn a vintage 40mm Rolex Submariner or 40mm SEA-DWELLER for many years.

When James Cameron dove down and set this new record, he had an experimental Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE attached to the outside of his DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible. If you examine the upper right-hand section of this image, you will see the experimental Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE attached to the robotic arm.

In this next shot, we get a closer look at both Rolex watches

This next close-up confirms James Cameron is wearing a Rolex DEEPSEA SEA-DWELLER.

This next photo shows the Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE attached to the Robotic Arm of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible and you can see it is clearly intact.

The images above, and the next four images were taken by National Geographic's Mark Thiessen.

In the next image below we get another clear shot of the experimental Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE watch that was attached to the outside of James Cameron's submersible.

This next photo was taken just after James Cameron got out of this DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible, and we see him shaking hands with retired U.S. Navy Captain Don Walsh. Don Walsh, with Jacques Piccard, in 1960, were the only other explorers who ever visited the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench.

Rolex just published the following congratulatory statement:

THE DEEPEST PLACE ON EARTH

Rolex Makes History Again

On March 26th, 2012, filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron descended into the Marina Trench, making the deepest-ever solo dive and the first solo dive into the trench. The only dive into the trench since the two-man Trieste expedition of 1960. Only one passenger was on both voyages. A Rolex watch.

Update at 7:15pm PST: James Cameron has already resurfaced. His ascent only took 70 Minutes as he torpedoed up through the ocean!!!!

The photos below were taken by Paul Allen (Microsoft Co-Founder) and they show James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER after is surfaced, and the second image shows the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER being hoisted by crane onto the deck of the Mermaid Sapphire. Paul Allen took the photos from his $160 Million Mega-Yacht, named The Octopus, which rendezvoused with the expedition a few days ago.

I imagine we should be getting a status update regarding his Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE performance soon!!!

James Cameron, National Geographic & Rolex

Usher In A New Era Of Exploration

James Cameron

Successfully Reached Ocean's Deepest Point!!!

7:52am, Mariana Trench Time, Monday March 26, 2012

At 2:52 PST time, (7:52am at the Mariana Trench) James Cameron successfully navigated his DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible into the record books as he navigated to the deepest know point on earths ocean floor, becoming the deepest solo diver in history!!!

Cameron descended downward in his 24 foot long, (7 Meter tall) state-of-the-art DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible at a rate of 130 feet a minute (40 Meters) and reached 35,756 feet (10,898 Meters). Upon reaching the bottom, James Cameron sent a text message to his crew saying "All systems OK."

At 3:39 PST Time James Cameron tweeted: "Just arrived at the ocean's deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Can't wait to share what I'm seeing with you."

Note: A close-up evaluation reveals that James Cameron appears to be wearing a Rolex Submariner. If you examine the side of the watch you notice there is no helium release valve, thus eliminating the option that he might be wearing a Rolex SEA-DWELLER.

Into The Mystic

The photo below shows James Cameron's as he prepared to be bolted into his DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submarine earlier today.

"I grew up on a steady diet of science fiction at a time when people where living a science fiction reality. People were going to the Moon, and Cousteau was exploring the ocean. And that's what I grew up with, what I valued from my childhood." –James Cameron

This next image shows James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER as it was lowered into the Pacific Ocean today around 2AM Mariana Trench time to begin it's record-breaking descent.

Here is the first video James Cameron shot in the Mariana Trench on March 26, 2012, while at a depth of 35,756 Feet.

Here is a video of James Cameron describing his experience in a press conference, the day after the record setting dive. Notice he is still wearing his Rolex DEEPSEA SEA-DWELLER.

-------------

Update: At 4:34pm California time, James Cameron confirmed he is beginning his descent into the Challenger Deep. He posted the following tweet on twitter:

"Today is the culmination of a 7 yr project. It's finally dive day."

–James Cameron

1:34 Mariana Trench Time, Saturday March 24, 2012

Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE

Attached to Robotic Arm on DEEPSEA CHALLENGER

Rolex Probably Already Set New All-Time Depth Record

I was carefully studying the all the photos of the James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER which he is currently piloting down in the Challenger Deep, in an attempt to set the all-time depth record for a manned submersible, and I noticed the Rolex DEEPSEA Challenge attached to the robotic arm on the outside of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible, which I highlighted in the image below!!!!

It also looks like the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE team member behind James Cameron is wearing a standard Rolex DEEPSEA.

The all-new Rolex experimental DEEPSEA CHALLENGE wristwatch that is attached to the outside of James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, which is highlighted above, is also pictured up close in the photo below.

National Geographic published an article earlier today on the web, saying:

"James Cameron now may be attempting his unprecedented solo dive to the ocean's deepest point, members of the National Geographic expedition confirmed Saturday."

The National Geographic explorer and filmmaker's team left the tiny Pacific atoll of Ulithi in two ships Saturday morning, local time, on the way to the waters above the Mariana Trench. If seas remain calm—a big if—the team may proceed with Cameron's submersible mission to the trench's Challenger Deep this weekend.

Cameron's "vertical torpedo" of a sub, as he calls it, has already made the nearly 7-mile (11-kilometer) trip to Challenger Deep and back, unmanned and unscathed, Cameron told National Geographic News. (See pictures of Cameron's sub.)

"We did some test launches and recoveries, and we did an unpiloted dive of the vehicle," Cameron said in a phone interview Friday.

Earlier this week retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh said via email, "The sub, its team and the mother ship are all ready to go, and we only wait for the 'weather gods' to favor us."

It turns out that James Cameron confirmed that his unmanned, DEEPSEA CHALLENGER completed the near 7 mile deep dive, Wednesday, March 21st, 2012.

The only question I have, is if the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER already made the trip to the bottom of the CHALLENGER DEEP, it had to have had the 2 Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE watches attached to the robotic arms on the outside, so that must mean that the Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE has ALREADY set the new all-time depth record!?!?!? We will obviously soon learn more, but as they say, time will tell ;-)

If you have been following this historic development, be aware that record-setting events like this occur very infrequently. We are witnessing some pretty serious history!!!!!

...Robotic Wrist Shots Of The Century...

The Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE On The Ocean Floor

This next set of photos show the Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE attached to James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible on the ocean floor. If you look closely at this next image, on the right side of the submersible, you see the Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE attached to the robotic arm. It is on the right side halfway down the photo. Just to be clear, these images were taken before today, so they are NOT LIVE images of James Cameron's dive today.

In the next image below, you see the submersibles robotic arm has been extended and in the middle of the photo, toward the top, you see the Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE attached to the robotic arm.

In this next image you see the robotic arm of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Submersible extended over the ocean floor, and you can clearly see the Rolex DEEPSEA CHALLENGE watch attached to the robotic arm.