Bullet Time Shot - A world first inspired by The Matrix

During the Gombessa IV Expedition in Fakarava, the team implemented the Bullet Time Shot technique. Used for the first time underwater and for scientific purposes, this technique allowed to capture slow motion 3D footage of the spatial distribution and the interactions between grey reef sharks, revealing their coordinated hunts

Laurent Ballesta – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A world first picture of a mysterious wildlife event. 5 years of teamwork, thousands of hours of diving including a 24-hour dive to illustrate a phenomenon too fast for the human eye to see. 1/10 of a second to press on the camera shutter button.

Conservation around Fregate Island is scaling up

Since 2018, Fregate Island, Seychelles , Blancpain and Coralive.org have joined forces to study, restore and preserve the marine environment around the island. Phase II is now underway with an actual study on coral growth.

Ocean Photography Awards & Female Fifty Fathoms Award

In June 2021 Blancpain announced its partnership with Oceanographic Magazine and its Ocean Photography Awards (OPA). To mark the occasion, the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie created the special Female Fifty Fathoms (FFF) Award to encourage more women to share their vision of the oceans.

Tamataroa

Tamataroa (the local name of the Great Hammerhead Shark in French Polynesia), is a collaborative project conducted by the Gombessa team and the Mokarran Protection Society with the objective of studying the ecology of this endangered species – in order to initiate protection protocols in French Polynesia and along the shark’s migratory routes.

Mokarran

Studying, Understanding and Protecting the Great Hammerhead Shark in French Polynesia. This video includes footage shot by Blancpain President & CEO Marc A. Hayek. A certified and passionate tech diver, he took part, in January 2020, in a scientific expedition in Rangiroa, French Polynesia, in collaboration with the Mokarran Protection Society environmental association.

Pangatalan

Pangatalan: Rebirth of an Island – a documentary film presenting the inspiring work of the Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation, a Philippine-based non-profit organization dedicated to conserve, protect, and restore the natural resources of Palawan Island through environmentally sustainable practices and active ecosystems restoration.

This short film has been produced by Blancpain together with Laurent Ballesta and the Gombessa team to support the efforts of the Sulubaaï Foundation with a powerful communication tool, and to inspire other local communities around the world to launch similar initiatives.

Blancpain Diving Experience – Revillagigedo Archipelago

On May 9, 2018, a team of scientists, technical divers and underwater photographers joined Marc A. Hayek, President & CEO of Blancpain, for an 8-day expedition to the Revillagigedo Archipelago in Mexico. With an area of 148,000 km2, this is the largest marine protected area in North America. The Mexican government's decision to classify the area was made public in November 2017, following an exploration mission financed by Blancpain - and conducted as part of the Pristine Seas project (2011-2016) - which revealed an extremely rich and fragile marine ecosystem.

The Deep Frontier – How low can you go?

In February 2017, the marine biologist, photographer and deep diving pioneer Laurent Ballesta explored a young underwater ecosystem created in the wake of a volcanic cataclysm that devastated the ocean off Reunion in 2007.