Céline Cousteau
Tribes On The Edge
Documentary Launched on Kickstarter
Céline Cousteau just launched her Kickstarter project for her documentary titled Tribes On The Edge. Please click on the play button below to see her exciting project and be sure to support her Kickstarter campaign to help finish her film.
In Search Of
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
''People protect what they love."
—Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Couteau in 1948
With Hans Wilsdorf, there were only two photos of him on the entire web—the one with the crazy hair, and the one when he was a young handsome man with a mustache. This struck me as being almost a crime against humanity as I realized Wilsdorf was arguably one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. I wanted to know his story and assumed many of my readers did as well.
Whatever Happened
To Jacques Cousteau?
The second person almost absent from the internet a decade ago was Jacques-Yves Cousteau, which struck me as being really peculiar since he was so popular during my childhood!?!! There were some low resolution photos of Jacques, and tidbits of writing, but nothing cohesive or substantial on his career achievements.
As a result of my frustration, I set out on a mission to extensively document both Hans Wilsdorf and Jacques-Yves Cousteau's career achievements, and ended up creating the single largest story on each man—on the web—which included the largest repositories of photos for both men. I did the same for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
When I first interviewed Céline Cousteau she asked me about her grandfather and his relationship with Rolex. I took her on a tour of his Rolex history, and then when I interviewed her father Jean-Michel Cousteau who is Jacques-Yves Cousteau's son, he didn't seem that familiar with his father's history with Rolex either.
That is one of the reasons I decided to write this story—to put in one cohesive place a story that chronicles the Cousteau legacy and at the same time showcases in a comprehensive manner Jacques-Yves Cousteau's significant relationship with Rolex. Also, this story offers an update all off Jacques Cousteau's adult descendants.
The First Family Of Exploration
Céline Cousteau
I recently interviewed Céline Cousteau and we had the most amazing conversation about her career achievements as well as discussing the entire Cousteau family today—were they are, and what they are doing...I believe it's safe to say the torch has been passed to the next generation who are all doing amazing things to protect earth...
In the photo below we see Céline Cousteau swimming through the ocean with dolphins. Notice Celine is NOT wearing a tank but just a snorkel. Radical!!!! Check out the length of those flippers!!! She must get some serious speed going with those!!!
Céline Cousteau has an effervescent personality with lots of moxie and determination. Like all of Jacques-Yves progeny, Céline remains in awe of her grandfather and all of his incredible lifetime achievements. She told me, "My whole life I have been in awe of my father and grandfather and I strive to make a contribution to humanity they way they have!"
In the next photo we see Céline diving with a school of fish in the ocean.
In the image below from the December 2013 cover of Town & Country Magazine we see Céline Cousteau with her brother Fabien Cousteau.
Return To The Amazon
Céline Cousteau's grandfather lead his team and brought the Calpyso on an expedition in 1982 down the Amazon river.
Mission Amazon ended up being a 5 part series that aired on the ABC television network to accolades and critical acclaim.
Ted Turner financed the expedition and Jacques-Yves son, Jean-Michel helped produce it. Below is the original TV trailer for Cousteau's Amazon Expedition.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau with Ted Turner
Ted Turner financed the expedition and Jacques-Yves son, Jean-Michel helped produce it. Below is the original TV trailer for Cousteau's Amazon Expedition.
In the photo below we see Céline Cousteau piloting her zodiac boat down the Amazon with her grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau's Calypso in the background. Céline and I discussed her first trip down the Amazon which her father Jean-Michel Cousteau took her on with her grandfather, and she mentioned how engaged and fascinated she was with the expedition, and in particular meeting the native people. This resulted in her returning a quarter of a century later with her father Jean-Michel on a return expedition to the Amazon.
on Expedition with her father and grandfather
When we watch documentaries—which Céline's grandfather basically invented—we spend a typically hour watching from our comfortable chair, couch or bed, not realizing how painstaking and time consuming the background work was. Céline Cousteau and her team have to travel basically to the middle of nowhere, deep into the Amazonian wilderness to a Javari which seems like a place time almost forgot. Basically, if Jurassic Park was real it would probably be located in Javari.
This next photo seen below which was taken by Carrie Vonderhaar, appears courtesy of Ocean Futures Society, and shows the "Long Commute" to work as we see Director of Photography Matt Ferraro napping, while Céline's brother Fabien Cousteau is contemplating, and we see Céline doing stretching exercises during their 33-hour trip to the Vale do Javari conference at Rio Novo during their father, Jean-Michel Cousteau's 2006-2007 Amazon expedition.
ABC News recently published this story about Céline Cousteau's upcoming project and also mentioned her Kickstarter campaign which launched on July 19, 2018. BTW, the Nell Newman Foundation is supporting Céline Cousteau's upcoming documentary named Tribes On The Edge with a donation.
Nell Newman is Paul Newman's daughter, and if you ever wondered where all those millions of dollars went from the auction of her father's Rolex Daytona, you can rest assured they are being put to excellent use as part of the funds were donated toward the completion of Céline's documentary!
Céline Cousteau is pictured below with her legendary grandfather, Jacque-Yves Cousteau when she was a little girl. After having interviewed Céline I could not help but notice she shares her grandfather's Spirit of Inquiry and Exploration.
Below we see a trailer for Céline Cousteau's upcoming documentary named "Vale do Javari: Tribes on the Edge." Céline wrote an article about this upcoming documentary which is very interesting.
The Amazon River—as seen in the photo below—is the largest river in the world by discharge, and at 4,350 miles in length is filled with mystic surprises which include close to 3000 known species of fish that live in the river. Also, 20% of earths oxygen is generated by the vast Amazon rain-forest in Brazil.
It was both a privilege and absolute pleasure to speak with Céline Cousteau. Céline mentioned a number of other fascinating projects she is working on and I look forward on covering them in the future.
Jean-Michel Cousteau
Leading Ocean Environmentalist
Leading Ocean Environmentalist
I recently had the absolute pleasure of speaking in detail with Jean Michel Cousteau who is the head of OceanFutures.org. Jean-Michel Cousteau is Royalty in the world of exploration as he is the son of the greatest explorer in history, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. He is also Céline & Fabien Cousteau's father. Jean-Michel and I took a stroll down memory lane as we discussed so many different aspects of his history as well as his legendary father's history.
The Life Aquatic
In the photo below we see Jean-Michel Cousteau with his father Jacques, mother Simone, and brother Philippe SCUBA diving in the 1940s. Jacques-Yves was one of the pioneers of early SCUBA diving.
In the famous family port below we see Jacques-Yves with his two sons, Philippe and Jean-Michel Cousteau.
Jean-Michel Cousteau is in the photo below that was inspired by the family portrait above, with his children Fabien and Céline Cousteau.
Jean-Michel Cousteau is pictured below from a TV documentary SCUBA Diving with his daughter Céline and son Fabien Cousteau.
In this next photo we see Jean-Michel Cousteau with his daughter Céline and son Fabien Cousteau.
In the video below we see Jean-Michel Cousteau with leading marine biologist, Dr. Sylvia Earle. Dr. Earle is also an avid explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. If you are not familiar with Dr. Sylvia Earle, you should check out her recent documentary titled Mission Blue, which can be seen on Netflix. Also you can visit Sylvia Eearle's Mission-Blue.Org to learn more about her superb mission.
Fabien Cousteau
Fabien Cousteau is Jean-Michel's son and is pictured below on his grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau's shoulders.
In the photo below we see Fabien Cousteau with Dr. Sylvia Earle who is a leading marine biologist as well as being a world renowned Rolex brand ambassador.
Below is a Ted Talk Fabien Cousteau gave which is amazing!!!
Jean-Michel and I were talking about his career and he mentioned he is an architect by training. He told me his father asked him what he wanted to do after he got out of the mandatory French military service, and he told his father he wanted to design and build cities underneath the ocean, which at the time seemed like a viable possibility, so he ended up going to architectural school.
Jean-Michel mentioned one of his great lifetime achievements was in designing the predecessor to the Calypso which is named the Alcyone (daughter of the wind), that is a dual turbosail propulsion ship, which is pictured above and below.
Jean-Micheal also mentioned he designed a Calypso II, which has yet to be built. How cool would it be if the Cousteau family built the Calypso II and they started making documentaries aboard the ship!?!!
Jacques-Yves Cousteau passed away in 1997 at age 87. According to the 1997 New York Times obituary for Jacques-Yves Cousteau: Jean-Michel said:
"The work of my father was a hymn to life. On the wall of my office there is a quotation from my father: 'The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.'"
Jean-Michel mentioned one of his great lifetime achievements was in designing the predecessor to the Calypso which is named the Alcyone (daughter of the wind), that is a dual turbosail propulsion ship, which is pictured above and below.
Jean-Micheal also mentioned he designed a Calypso II, which has yet to be built. How cool would it be if the Cousteau family built the Calypso II and they started making documentaries aboard the ship!?!!
Jacques-Yves Cousteau passed away in 1997 at age 87. According to the 1997 New York Times obituary for Jacques-Yves Cousteau: Jean-Michel said:
"The work of my father was a hymn to life. On the wall of my office there is a quotation from my father: 'The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.'"
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
June 11, 1910 — June 25 1997
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who is Jean-Michel's father and Céline Cousteau's grandfather is the greatest explorer that has ever lived—bar none. Not only did Jacques-Yves invent the documentary film, but he won three Academy Awards making them.
Jacques-Yves was a French Naval Officer, ecologist, filmmaker, scientist, innovator, author, photographer, and researcher. He also co-developed the aqua-lung, as well as much of the technology for filming underwater including special lighting and waterproof camera housing.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was commonly referred to by his friends as J.Y.C., pronounced Jeek. J.Y.C. was a pioneer in marine preservation and was also commonly referred to as 'le Commandant Cousteau', which is 'Captain Cousteau' in English.
I remember when I was a small child, every Sunday night my family would gather in front of the TV set to watch: "The Underwater World Of Jacques Cousteau" which ran from 1968 to 1976 on ABC. On this amazing show Captain Cousteau and his sons would take us on board his famous Calypso ship, airplane and helicopter to explore all over the world.
''From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to the Earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free. Buoyed by water, he can fly in any direction—up, down, sideways—by merely flipping his hand. Under water, man becomes an archangel.''
—Jaques-Yves Cousteau
The First Rolex Submariner
Pronounced: Suhb-muh-ree-ner
Have you ever wondered why the Rolex Submariner is named Submariner? Submariner is most commonly pronounced Suhb-mar-uh-ner, but it's original and proper pronunciation is Suhb-muh-ree-ner. Meaning the watch was designed for a Submarine Captain, NOT a Mariner who was Sub-par. I first recall learning this from NASA Mercury Astronaut and SEALAB Aquanaut, Scott Carpenter, (pictured below) and have been reminded/corrected about this mispronunciation several times by U.S, Navy SEALAB Aquanaut and mission leader, Bob Barth.
"The Rolex Submariner & Rolex SEA-DWELLER have a cachet that is unmatched by any other watch. The Rolex brand is the most highly respected in my book. The Rolex Submariner was the preferred diving watch for U.S. NAVY SEALAB Divers."
–Scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter told me when I originally interviewed him that he was inspired to become the first Astronaut/Aquanaut by Jacques-Yves Cousteau who he is pictured with below.
Scott Carpenter is pictured below in front of the U.S. Navy SEALAB II Habitat with fellow Aquanauts.
U.S. Navy SEA-LAB Aquanauts:
Bob Barth, Wilbur Eaton & Scott Carpenter
Bob Barth, Wilbur Eaton & Scott Carpenter
Team 1 Preparing To Dive Down To
SEA-LAB 2 Habitat [August 28, 1965]
SEA-LAB 2 Habitat [August 28, 1965]
Below we see a 1967 Rolex Submariner magazine ad which was published during the U.S. Navy SEALAB program. This is the closest vintage magazine ad I am aware of Rolex advertising the Submariner in relation to a Submarine captain. Notice the text in the ad reads:
"You're looking at the Rolex Submariner. For many years, it's been standard gear for SUBMARINERS, frogmen and all who make their living on the seas."
"You're looking at the Rolex Submariner. For many years, it's been standard gear for SUBMARINERS, frogmen and all who make their living on the seas."
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
The Living Manifestation of the Rolex Submariner
It is a fact Jacque-Yves Cousteau worked with Rolex on the original Submariner, which I learned from former Rolex U.S.A. executive, T. Walker Lloyd. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was close friends with Rolex Geneva Director, Rene-Paul Jeanneret. From all my deep research I would argue the Rolex Submariner was inspired by and named after Jacques-Yves Cousteau and here is why:
Auguste Piccard & Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1948
in front of the Bathyscaphe F.N.R.S. II
The Two Jacques
Auguste Piccard decided to leave the F.N.R.S. III project and decided to build his own Submarine which he named The Bathyscaphe Trieste. In September of 1953, Auguste Piccard and his son Jacques Piccard (pictured below) set a new world depth record at 10,392 Feet (3,167 Meters) with their new submersible. Piccard's Bathyscaphe Trieste had a Rolex DEEP-SEA prototype attached to the outside of the submersible which came back up to the surface in perfect working order.
Jacques Piccard pictured above in 1953 with Rolex DEEP-SEA Special Prototype
The photo below shows Jacques Piccard with his father and fellow legendary explorer, Auguste Piccard after they successfully set the all-time depth record in September of 1953. Auguste Piccard is in the center of the photo and he is wearing his trademark Beret, and his son Jacques Piccard is standing behind him, holding his arm. It is fascinating to note Auguste Piccard was 70 years old when this photo was taken in 1953.
The photo below is of the actual 1953 Rolex DEEP-SEA Prototype that was attached to the observation chamber of the Bathyscaphe Trieste which is pictured above. This first super-high resolution version of the 1953 Rolex DEEP-SEA Special is an exclusive photo that appears courtesy of Christies Auction House, who auctioned it in 2005 for around a quarter of a million dollars.
Rolex commemorated the record set in late 1953 by publishing the following Rolex ad in National Geographic in 1954.
J.Y.C. Dives Deeper
On February 15, 1954, Captain Jacques Cousteau commandeered the F.N.R.S. III down to 13,290 Feet (4,050 meters) 160 miles off Dakar, Senegal in the Atlantic Ocean, beating Piccard's 1953 record, set by the Trieste, by 900 meters to (the floor of the Mediterranean off Naples, 10,392 feet (3,167 m).
The F.N.R.S. III Submersible in 1953
Return of the Trieste
This record was not broken until Piccard had sold his Trieste Submersible to the U.S. Navy in 1958, and on January 23, 1960, it set the all-time depth record in the Challenger Deep, off the coast of Guam when she dove to 10,911 meters (35,797 ft), in the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans, the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench near Guam in the Pacific. And of course the Trieste once again had another Rolex Deep Sea Special prototype attached to the outside of the submersible which came back up to the surface in flawless working order. Rolex produced the AMAZING documentary seen below that tells this incredible story:
Return To The
Challenger Deep
This major historical Rolex record has not been broken to this day, but director and explorer James Cameron basically matched it in 2012, and of course his submersible named the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER had a new generation of Rolex DEEP-SEA prototype attached to the outside which came back to the surface in one piece. I covered this amazing event live on Jake's Rolex World as it unfolded out in the south Pacific ocean.
The Silent World
Jacques Yves-Cousteau is considered to be the father of Scuba Diving and modern underwater exploration, and he worked with Rolex in the early 1950s to develop the Rolex Submariner as seen on his wrist below in 1953.
I believe Rolex named the Submariner as an homage to Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was close friends with Rolex Director, Rene-Paul Jeanneret, who he worked with on the development of the Rolex 'Submariner' Diving Watch. I believe Rolex named the Submariner as a tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and I believe "Submariner" was intended to mean, "Mariner who explores below (Sub) the Sea, or pilots a Submarine".
It is a important to also take into consideration in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Submarines were a huge deal. All these amazing Submarine events occurred long before President Eisenhower established NASA in 1958. Captain Cousteau was as close as the world came to a real Buck Rogers in the 21st Century...
Jacques-Yves was instrumental in the development of the Rolex Submariner, and Jean-Michel and I discussed the image below taken in 1953 when his father was testing Rolex Submariner prototypes with his team aboard the Calypso in the Mediterranean.
The close up photo above of Jacques-Yves Cousteau shows him wearing an early Rolex Submariner with pencil hands that looks like the similar vintage model seen below.
The document below confirms Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team were testing Rolex Submariner prototypes in early 1953.
"The sea, once it casts its spell,
holds one in its net of wonder forever."
—Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau's film, The Silent World won the Academy Award in 1957 for Best Documentary, which is the same year the vintage Rolex Submariner magazine ad seen below is from.
Below we see a 1966 Rolex Submariner magazine advertisement that talks about how Rolex came up with the Submariner and how it was designed for seagoing men.
The next Rolex ad seen below is from 1968 and illustrates how focused Rolex was on undersea exploration.
The First SEA-DWELLER's In History
We just learned why the Rolex Submariner was named the Submariner! But where did the Rolex SEA-DWELLER get its name from? You are about to find out!
1955
The French Diving Revolution
Calypso Meets COMEX
Before I came along to set the record straight, there was a falsely perpetuated myth that said Rolex had developed the SEA-DWELLER with the French diving company named COMEX. This was not true.
The photo below was taken in Southern France in Fontaine de Vaucluse in 1955 and it shows a young Jacques-Yves Cousteau at 45 years of age standing in front of a much younger Henri-Germain Delauze–at age 26–who would go on to found the revolutionary French diving company, COMEX. At the time Dalauze was a Cousteau team diver.
The photo below was taken in Southern France in Fontaine de Vaucluse in 1955 and it shows a young Jacques-Yves Cousteau at 45 years of age standing in front of a much younger Henri-Germain Delauze–at age 26–who would go on to found the revolutionary French diving company, COMEX. At the time Dalauze was a Cousteau team diver.
This image is so profound I decided to crop and zoom it in for you. What makes this image so profound? It is an image of two French revolutionaries. Two men who would forever change the world of diving.
French Diving Pioneers Jacques-Yves Cousteau & COMEX founder Henri-Germain Delauze in 1955
Jaques-Yves Cousteau co-invented the Aqua-lung which brought SCUBA Diving to life and Henri-Germain Delauze ended up being perhaps the greatest beneficiary of this technology as it evolved into saturation diving which Comex became a major pioneer in.
Founder Of COMEX, Henri Delauze [1970]
I interviewed Henri-Germain Delauze back in 2009 and he confirmed, it was the U.S. Navy SEALAB program that co-developed the SEA-DWELLER with Rolex—not COMEX. The photo below of Henri-Germain Delauze is from a story I wrote on his career achievements.
Henri-Germain Delauze pictured above in 2009 wearing his trademark Rolex COMEX SEA-DWELLER
Project Conshelf
From Submariner to SEA-DWELLER
In September 1962, Jacques Cousteau immersed his Calypso crew into their most ambitious adventure to date known as the Conshelf Project. The Conshelf project was the brainchild of a U.S. Navy Medical Corps., Captain named Dr. George Bond. Dr. Bond conceived a new method of diving known as the "saturation method" which later became know as "saturation diving."
The photo below was taken in 1968, and it shows U.S. Navy Doctor George Bond being interviewed with his close associate, Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. In the interview, they were discussing U.S. Navy SEALAB III.
"What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on." –Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Saturation diving created the opportunity for an underwater habitat where divers could live in an underwater house/structure/habitat so they could work on the sea floor, without having to decompress by coming up to the ocean's surface after each dive.
Dr. Bond submitted his plan to build this underwater habitat for saturated divers to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Navy initially rejected the idea–so Dr. Bond submitted his idea to Jacques Cousteau and his Calypso diving team–and after careful evaluation Cousteau decided to undertake the project.
Conshelf I
Conshelf I [September 1962] Location: Frioul Island, Marseille, France
Conshelf I got underway in September of 1962, and according to Jacques Cousteau, the objective was "Two men living for one week in a small building at a depth of 37 feet and working several hours a day at 65 feet." The Conshelf I structure was essentially a huge drum about the size of an industrial shipping container that was ballasted with an open hatch for the divers to enter and exit the underwater house.
In the photo below we see Conshelf I's barrel shaped habitat being tested for leakage before being submerged for the experiment. I may be wrong, but I think I recognize fellow DEEP-SEA Submariner, Jacques Piccard up on the top deck, leaning back, in the white shirt with dark slacks filming with a camera in his hand. Jean-Michel Cousteau who is Jacques-Yves son mentioned he was close friends with Jacques Piccard.
Jacques-Yves Coustea previously worked with Jacques Piccard on the Bathyscaphe Project, and would work with Piccard again in 1964 on a new floating laboratory nicknamed "Mysterious Island" and again in 1965 from April 13 to May 10 on a geophysical and acoustical mission along the south coast of France.
It is kind of shocking we have never seen a photo of the two Jacques together, but this may be the first one. Cousteau, of course, is located in the bottom right hand corner of the photo seen above on the deck of the Calypso.
Albert Falco and Claude Wesly of the Calypso diving team (pictured below wearing red caps) swam into history when they became the first "Oceanauts [French]" or "Aquanauts [American]" or "SEA-DWELLERS [ROLEX]" to live or "DWELL" under the SEA.
Albert Falco and Claude Wesly of the Calypso diving team (pictured below wearing red caps) swam into history when they became the first "Oceanauts [French]" or "Aquanauts [American]" or "SEA-DWELLERS [ROLEX]" to live or "DWELL" under the SEA.
In the photo above we see Jacques Cousteau visiting with Falco and Wesly inside the Conshelf I habitat. When I interviewed Jacques-Yves Cousteau's son, Jean-Michel Cousteau recently for this article, he mentioned he also visited Falco and Wesly. I think it is likely Jean-Michel took the photo above.
So not only was Jacques-Yves Cousteau the inspiration for the original Rolex Submariner, but he was also the inspiration for the Rolex SEA-DWELLER as well. Ironically, it was the U.S. Navy SEALAB Aquanaut, Bob Barth who would develop the helium gas escape valve for the SEA-DWELLER in partnership with T. Walker Lloyd and Rolex in Geneva.
In the photo below taken later in Jacques-Yves Cousteau's life we seen him wearing a Rolex SEA-DWELLER. In my opinion, Jacques-Yves Cousteau was and remains the living personification and embodiment of both the Rolex Submariner and SEA-DWELLER.
''I loved touching water. Physically. Sensually. Water fascinated me.'' —Jacques-Yves Cousteau
''I loved touching water. Physically. Sensually. Water fascinated me.'' —Jacques-Yves Cousteau
We All Live In A Yellow Submarine
Jacques-Yves Cousteau's Calypso was extremely well equipped with innovative technology to capture the mysteries of the ocean including the SP-350 diving saucer submarine Captain Cousteau designed, which is pictured below as it is prepared for work in the Aegean Sea.
On thing is for certain and that is the fact Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a pioneer in the world of Submarine technology, as we see below in a patent he filed in 1965 for his two man submarine.
“To Live on the Land We Must Learn from the Sea”
–John Denver (Calypso)
Richard Hyman took the photo below onboard the Calypso when they were filming in the Belize Barrier Reef and John Denver gave an impromptu concert for Captain Cousteau and his wife Simone.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Rolex Day-Date
Why is Captain Cousteau wearing two watches at the same time? I assume it would be to keep track of time in two different time zones.
Jacques-Yves is pictured below with his first wife, Simone Melchior Cousteau aboard the Calypso. Simone who was commonly referred to as “La Bergère”, which when translated from French to English means: "The Shepherdess." In American English we might say she was like the den mother of the Calypso. Simone spent more time aboard the Calypso than anybody else, and loved it. Simone was also renowned for being extremely feminine and always being a perfect lady. As we see in the photo below, she wore a ladies Rolex Datejust.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau is pictured below with his two sons, Jean-Michel, and Philippe in 1953 onboard the Calypso.
In this next image also taken in 1954 onboard the Calypso by Harold Edgerton we see Jacques-Yves with his son Philippe.
Philippe Cousteau is pictured below onboard the Calypso with his Father Jacques Cousteau in 1978.
In this next photo we see Philippe-Pierre Cousteau after he grew a serious beard, and it was taken during a Jacques Cousteau documentary named "Voyage To The End Of The World", and notice he is wearing his trademark Rolex SEA-DWELLER in stainless steel with his trademark red Cousteau beanie.
The letter below is from Jacques-Yves Cousteau to William Culpepper regarding the design of the SEALAB II habitat with recommendations from J.Y.C.
The drawing below shows Jaques-Yves Cousteau's recommendation for the layout of the SEALAB II habitat. Special thanks to my right hand man, Jose from Perezcope.com for providing these historically significant images which he got when he traveled to Panama City in Florida to the SEALAB Museum.
Philippe-Piere Couteau is pictured below with his father Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and Jacques seems to be admiring his sons Rolex SEA-DWELLER.
Philippe Cousteau's Double Red Patent-Pending SEA-DWELLER is pictured below in a recent photo from an Antiquorum Auction. The caseback on this watch has an interior date stamp from the fourth quarter of 1967 that reads IV.67, with the serial number of 1,602,920. Philippe Cousteau's Rolex SEA-DWELLER sold on September 30, 2014 for $183,750 @ Antiquorum Auction House in New York. It is believed, based upon its serial number, this watch likely began its life as a Single Red-Sea-Dweller that ended up getting its dial replaced with a double red device dial.
Above photo of Philippe Cousteau appears courtesy of John H Harding ©1971
Philippe Cousteau Jr.
At the time of Philippe Cousteau's death, his American wife, Jan, was seven months pregnant with their son Philippe Cousteau Jr. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was devastated by his son Philippe's accidental death. The photo below was taken several years later and we see Jacques-Yves with his grandchildren, Alexandra and Philippe Cousteau Jr.
Philippe Cousteau Jr., followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps and said:
"I'll never be able to fill my father's or grandfather's shoes, but hopefully I can stand on their shoulders and reach farther." –Philippe Cousteau Jr.
In the recent photo above, we see Philippe Cousteau Jr., wearing his Rolex SEA-DWELLER. Philippe Cousteau Jr, is Jacques-Yves Cousteau's grandson, and he received his Rolex SEA-DWELLER as a gift from his mother, Jan. In the video below we see Phillips Cousteau giving a Ted Talk which is fascinating.
Alexandra Cousteau
Alexandra Cousteau is Philippe Cousteau Jr's sister. Alexandra is a strong ocean advocate and can be seen below in the video talking about an expedition she was on for Oceana.
Cousteau Legacy
I have to say that when I first started writing this article I planned to just talk about my interviews with Céline and her father, Jean-Michel Cousteau, but as you can see I got really carried away :-)
I am glad I dug deeper to not only explore the significance of Jacques-Yves Cousteau Rolex history, but also how both of his sons were involved in the SEA-DWELLER history.
Also, Jacques-Yves youngest son, Pierre-Yves seems like an amazing man. Not to mention all of Jacques-Yves Cousteau's grandchildren are AMAZING!!!! I strongly believe the world needs Jacques-Yves Cousteau even more today than at any time in the past. Since he is not here, his sons Jean-Michel and Pierre-Yves, as well as his four grandchildren, Céline, Fabien, Alexandra and Philippe Jr, are all doing an amazing job of following in Jacques-Yves footsteps...
