Philip Stein celebrates Tubbataha: Why this launch was special and different

“I’M a nature boy,” declared Will Stein, co-founder of the luxury watch brand Philip Stein. “My passion is nature, it’s always been. We believe our corporate and social responsibility is to give back to the world we are part of. That’s why we’re so excited to create a diver’s watch for the Tubbataha Reefs.”

Stein was standing amidst several large, beautiful underwater photographs of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), the premiere Philippine marine protected area and dive site in the Sulu Sea, featuring coral, marine life, and divers, bringing much color to The Gallery on Greenbelt 5’s second floor. Last May, in a milestone collaboration, Philip Stein supported WatchTubbataha, a five-day expedition of some of the Philippines’ top filmmakers and photographers, to document the reefs. The resulting exhibit (which runs until Sept. 15) and published coffeetable book, WatchTubbataha: Time in the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, put together by the team behind TheDiaristPH, marked the launch last Sept. 2 of yet another milestone for the company, its very first diver’s watch, the Philip Stein Tubbataha Titanium Professional Diver’s Watch, which was beautifully displayed under glass, in all-titanium or with a blue or orange silicone strap. Scratch-resistant sapphire glass and a blue mother-of-pearl dial make the watch, which is water-resistant up to 200 meters, a worthy addition to the brand’s colllections. Special guest and Philip Stein ambassador Heart Evangelista cut the ribbon to open the exhibit alongside Stein.

Also to mark the event, Stein presented a P2 million donation to the TRNP, represented by the park’s Protected Area Superintendent, Angelique Songco. “We have many things in common, right?” Songco said. “The enduring brands, their beauty, the precision of Philip Stein is so like Tubbataha. We want to keep that beauty and precision, conserving and protecting it. Also, for Philip Stein to do something like this, they’re reaching a new audience that we otherwise would not have been able to reach, and for that we’re very thankful.”

“The brand has been in the Philippines for nearly 23 years, and the market loves it very much,” explained Emerson Yao, managing director of the Lucerne Group of Companies, which handles Philip Stein in the Philippines. Yao had initially broached the idea of an expedition to Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving commissioner and dive industry leader Yvette Lee. Sadly, Lee passed away last November, so multi-awarded underwater filmmaker and photographer Boogs Rosales stepped in to take over as expedition leader. “Yvette’s were big shoes to fill, but it’s really good to see that all the pictures turned out so beautifully,” said Rosales, whose team included photographers Jürgen and Stella Freund, Danny Ocampo, Ram Yoro, and Ivan Torres; some of Lee’s photographs were also included in the exhibit and book. “It makes me proud to see the collective work here of the team, and know that a lot of people who will be passing here will be able to see it. A lot of people who don’t know anything about Tubbataha will see Tubbataha through our lenses.” The 9-minute film Rosales created with assistant filmmaker Torres was also screened.

“We are just recently trying to penetrate the men’s market, as we’ve been historically very strong with the women’s market,” added Yao. “And for a sports watch, a diver’s watch is the best direction to take. What better to highlight in the Philippines than the beauty of our seas, our coral reefs, the beauty of our islands? And so, we thought, it’s a perfect match.”

The launch was attended by divers, special guests, heads and officials of conservation organizations, and other supporters of the Tubbataha Reefs—which, everyone agreed, deserves every bit of support it can get.

“I have so much respect for divers,” concluded Stein, who finished his open-water diving certification in Hurgada, Egypt when he was 18 years, but never got to pursue the sport. “I want to thank every single diver who participated in this effort, and I hope that many more divers truly appreciate Tubbataha.”