William Trubridge Becomes Montblanc’s Deepest Mark Maker

Montblanc welcomes world champion freediver William Trubridge to its family of notable Mark Makers

The World’s Deepest Man

William Trubridge spent the first 18 months of his life in the North of England until his parents
decided to sell almost everything they owned and buy a boat in Spain. Keen to leave the rainy
British weather behind them, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Islands,
passing through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands, and on to the daisy chain of Pacific
Islands, before arriving in New Zealand – by which time William was five years old. This incredible
experience enabled him to learn to swim by the age of two and he spent his early years as much
in the water as out of it. The water became both his playground and his classroom. By the age of
eight, he was already descending to a depth of 15 metres, while collecting rocks from the reef with
his brother. At the age of eleven, the family returned to land and he had a normal teenage life, but
the sea always beckoned. He discovered freediving in his 20s and hasn’t looked back since.

Today, he is the world’s deepest man, having descended 102 metres (334 feet) under the water,
completely unaided and on a single breath. He also holds 18 freediving records and has achieved
six world championship titles. In addition to his freediving activities, he is also a keynote speaker,
sharing how he neutralizes stress and fear in his deepest dives and how to go “below the surface”
of consciousness to access intuition and creativity.

Freediving offers more than just sporting diversion; it is a journey into yourself, a victory over fear
and instinct, and an exercise in mental discipline, telling your body to relax despite the fact that
literally every cell is clamoring for air,” says William.

The freediving champion is the ideal athlete for Montblanc’s line of timepieces and in particular
the Montblanc Iced Sea collection that is water-resistant to 300 metres. After ascending the
mountains with its 1858 collection, Montblanc continues to explore natural environments and
maritime landscapes with its Iced Sea collection, but now, without oxygen.

Montblanc imagined and unveiled the “0 Oxygen” concept in 2020, taking inspiration from the
world of mountain climbing. Like the alpinists who ascend the world’s highest peaks without the
use of supplemental oxygen, the Maison’s “0 Oxygen” timepieces are housed in cases devoid of
oxygen that improve their performance in harsh conditions.

These timepieces feature several benefits for athletes who need their equipment to work in
extreme environments. Zero oxygen inside the case not only eliminates fogging, which can occur
with drastic temperature changes in the water, but also prevents oxidization. Without oxygen, all
the components last longer and will provide unfaltering precision over time.

So, what could be more natural than a collaboration with a professional freediving champion to
represent Montblanc’s Iced Sea collection of diving watches, and in particular the latest Montblanc
Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810? Wearing this new timepiece during a photoshoot for Montblanc in
Tignes, France, William took a long deep breath to descend into the glacial waters under the
mountain ice in order to put the watch to a real-life test.

For the first time in his athletic life, William swam in water at 0°C, in the middle of ice and at an
altitude of 2000 metres in the majestic mountains of the French Alps, very close to the Mont Blanc
mountain itself.

Unfamiliar with this frozen environment, he shared afterwards: “Entering the cold water, I had to
remind myself that the intense feeling of cold was really only information coming to my
awareness. I tried to align myself with that speck of awareness and stay immune to the sensation,
but it was easier said than done!”

A Connection to The Mountains

Like William, Montblanc continues to beat “Personal Bests” as the new Montblanc Iced Sea 0
Oxygen Deep 4810 sports watch can descend to 4,810 metres below sea level. The number
represents the height in metres of the Mont Blanc mountain and the depths to which the watch
can descend underwater, linking the mountain to the ocean, and mountaineering to freediving,
two activities that the Montblanc Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810 takes in its stride.

As William takes a long deep breath in to keep his body oxygenated for minutes at a time, the
Montblanc Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810 exhales all its oxygen to keep its mechanical engine
working as perfectly as possible. Together, they make a formidable team as they continue to
freedive together and leave their mark to inspire others