Preface
For the fourth time in succession， it is my pleasure and privilege to offer readers
the opportunity of exploring a worldwide panorama of achievement - past，
present and future - and of undergoing the rewarding experience of sharing
both the satisfaction of those who have advanced in programmes of outstanding
endeavour， and the aspirations of those whose projects still await fulfilment.
This has been the experience of the tens of thousands of readers who have
read previous books on The Rolex Awards for Enterprise and it was also what
awaited the members of the Selection Committee when they launched
themselves into an analysis of the many hundreds of projects that were
submitted prior to the spring 1984 closing date for the fourth round of the
Awards.
Those of you who have followed the course of our activity and have perused
the previous books of the 1976-1977， 1981 and 1984 Awards will know what
awaits you. Those of you who are joining us for the first time will have the delight
of discovering the enthusiasm， courage and perseverance that characterize the
candidates whose spirit of enterprise has made and continues to make The Rolex
Awards for Enterprise a multidisciplinary and cross-cultural success.
In 1976， Montres Rolex S.A. decided to mark in an appropriate way the 50th
Anniversary of a \"first\" that holds a special place in the history of our company -
the invention and patenting of the Rolex Oyster case， acclaimed in 1926 as the
world s first waterproof watch. We then looked at how best this event could be
celebrated. Finally， we agreed that we would give tangible evidence of our
support for something that we， at Montres Rolex S.A.， hold close to our hearts
and that has been a fundamental factor in many of the innovations that Rolex
has brought to the world of fine watchmaking. This \"something\" is the \"spirit of
enterprise\".
The first Awards were launched in 1976 and the immensity of the response
showed overwhelmingly that any doubts we might have harboured that modern
society has crushed human initiative and drive were unfounded. By the time we
had granted the first Awards to the successful candidates in 1978， we were
convinced that The Rolex Awards for Enterprise were a valid initiative and
offered a unique forum for enterprising individuals to measure themselves
against others and present their projects to the Selection Committee to ponder
and evaluate. Clearly， the Rolex Awards could not be a one-off affair - we had
offered enterprising individuals an opportunity to display their projects and
they had responded massively; we had to continue to feed the flame we had
kindled. Hence， the Awards were presented again in 1981 and for a third time in
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