On the occasion of its 120 years, ZRC^® finances an incredible expedition in search of the French submarine Phénix Q157 lost on June 15, 1939 in the bay of Cam Rahn in Vietnam.

At his side Erwan L’Her the expedition leader at the origin of the rapprochement with ZRC^®.

Erwan L’Her, born October 11, 1967 in Brest, is a doctor, specialized in respiratory resuscitation, and professor at the University of Western Brittany (UBO).
Because of his origin and his professional specialty, he quickly turned to the marine environment and technical diving with helium-oxygen gas mixtures.

In 2020, he became a professional diver and underwater photographer.

In 2022 he organized under the aegis of the UBO Foundation an expedition in the Stockholm archipelago. This expedition aimed to assess the effect of repeated dives in the cold and black waters of the Baltic Sea, on cardiopulmonary function (2 articles published on this occasion) and to make a documentary on shipwrecks of the 17th century, in a little known maritime area.

A word from the Expedition Director

“The wreck of the Phoenix lies somewhere off ancient Indochina with 77 sailors on board. With the approach of the second world war, this shipwreck will be classified “SECRET DEFENSE”. For this Adventure we needed a reliable and robust Toolwatch, able to withstand in the hostile environment of divers equipped with heavy and complex equipment, It is an ideal tool to secure the procedures of prolonged dives. The specific attachment of the brand to the National Navy and its divers makes it the ideal partner for such a memorial project!”

Erwan L’Her

In 2023, ZRC^® supports the Adventure of Frédéric PRESLES in the footsteps of his Grandfather Alfred BUOT de l’Epine Captain long short, shipwrecked from Cap-Hornier la Delphine off the coast of Chilean Patagonia in 1840.

Stuck 8 months with his 20 compatriots they will take 1 year to join Chiloé after incredible adventures…

First a publicity and editorial photographer, then a war reporter, Frédéric has devoted himself since the early 1990s to communication through image, film, publishing and events.

Since 2013, he has been a member of the Société des Explorateurs Français and continues to share his explorations and passions with the general public in the form of books, documentaries and conferences.

Born in Paris, he was soon destined for a career as a photographer, before becoming a director and producer of wildlife documentaries to be a publisher without leaving aside his exploration projects.

A word from the explorer

“When you are isolated, without being able to recharge your batteries. When you are tired, and you have to organize on specific slots. When you have to react quickly, being certain that the equipment will not suffer. When the waves are there, 100% humidity, difficult progress, unstoppable shocks… Being able to count on my watch on a daily basis; whether it is a reference point day or night, has been of great help. Also a pride to wear the symbol of an extraordinary adventure through time! Back to Campana 1840-2022 – the adventure has only just begun!”

Frédéric PRESLES

Alban Michon, born September 17, 1977 in Troyes, is a French polar explorer, specializing in extreme diving, especially ice diving and underground diving. It is part of the French Explorers Society.

In 2000 he created his ice diving school in Tignes and opened in 2005 his underground diving school “Les Vasques du Quercy”.
In 2020 he opened the first school of explorers in France in Tignes.

Passionate about the Arctic and Antarctica he left in 2012 in Greenland then in 2018 in Arctic on the tracks of Amundsen on the Northwest Passage

In 2018 ZRC^® joined Alban Michon on the famous Northwest Passage. 52 days in solitary with temperatures up to -52°C to study the pack ice and take plankton samples under the Arctic pack ice. A modern epic in which the Grands Fonds was put to the test.

A message from the Adventurer

“The ZRC^® Grand Fonds is a real extreme toolwatch. My safety lies in my equipment and this watch is a top priority. For me it represents a work companion that I can count on every moment in a hostile environment.”

Alban MICHON