R e in hold M e ssn e r and h is R o le x continue to survive where su rv iva l seem s im possib le . A sk any clim ber his nom ination fo r the greatest living mountaineer in the w o r ld , and almost inevitably he will answer "Reinhold M e s sn e r . ’ ’

He clim bed K2, the second highest mountain in the w orld . A nd , a ccom panied by M ichael D a ch e r and a small expedition, this was achieved in record time.

Reinhold M essner clim bs “b y lair means”: without o x y gen equipment; without pitons; without porters.

“ These days te ch n o lo gy has overtaken the clim bing, ”says Messner. “ I want to clim b with my strength, with my lears, with my senses.’’

M essner was the first to clim b M oun t Everest without oxygen . Com p letely alone he con qu e red Nanga Parbat.

In 1980 Reinhold M essner risked “madness’’ as som e called it: the ascent of the north lace o l Everest from Tibet.

Completely alone, during the adverse w eather conditions of the m onsoon season, M essner clim bed for days at altitudes known to mountaineers as the death zone. W ithout oxygen equipm ent; without a partner; without native porters; without the possibility o f rescue.

But one piece of equipm ent M essner never clim bs without is his R o le x Oysterquartz.

“ To be up there without a precise and absolutely reliable watch w ou ld be madness,” says Messner. M y R o lex is my life insurance. W hen to make camp; m y rest period at the peak; the night-time decam pment, all have to be timed precisely.

“ For me there is no better watch." A t 8 ,8 48 metres; at 40 degrees b e low zero; and even without extra oxygen, Reinhold M essn e r and his •Alf» R o lex both function perfectly. R O L E X

o f Geneva