Reach For The Crown, the documentary series by Rolex showcasing its community of Rolex Testimonees, delivers a poignant message about success that go beyond the celebratory
About halfway into the trailer of Reach For The Crown, the emotional core of the documentary series begins to surface. Viewers may be familiar with the steely gazes of the world-renowned athletes, explorers, and artists—elite high-performers who have earned their place as Rolex Testimonees—and the well-documented moments of their triumphs. But it is that quiet turn in the middle that truly makes the series a must-watch.
Tiger Woods sinking to his knees after taking a swing, then injuring his back. Carlos Alcaraz’s slip on the court. Tears of disappointment shed by Roger Federer. These moments of adversity portrayed in the trailer—and the promise that they would be overcome by dedication, vision, and grit—are central to the message behind each episode of Reach For The Crown.
Presented by Rolex, the documentary series chronicles the journeys of its Rolex family. A community of luminaries across the fields of sports, arts, science, and environmental conservation, these Rolex Testimonees are inducted rather than appointed—chosen not just for what they have achieved, but for what they have gone through to conquer the apex of their respective fields. And most importantly, in doing so, they inspire the next generation to do the same.
Several members of this esteemed Rolex family have been profiled in Reach For The Crown, as they share deeply personal recollections of overcoming adversity. Featuring the champion golfer Scottie Scheffler, tennis sensation Coco Gauff, and acclaimed conservation photographer Cristina Mittermeier, amongst others, every single episode is thoughtfully treated, filled with inspiring stories and pearls of wisdom from their subjects.
In the episode Virtuoso, featuring Yuja Wang, the acclaimed concert pianist muses on the bigger existential questions within the realm of music. “Every time I play,” Wang reflects, “I am trying to give life to what the composers are asking themselves. Their warmth, their passion, their pain. It’s all in the music.”
Recounting a concert in 2023 where she performed five Rachmaninoff concertos in one afternoon at Carnegie Hall—stopping between each only to change outfits—Wang says that while she enjoyed the standing ovations, even more gratifying was the “dialogue between me and the composer”.
Perhaps one of the most well-known Rolex Testimonees, Tiger Woods, appears in Against The Odds. The episode charts Wood’s rise to the top as a teenage sporting sensation and, more compellingly, the time when he broke his back at the Barclays tournament in 2013, and the years that followed in his fight to return to the pinnacle of competitive sport.
“Forget playing golf or playing in a major championship, I couldn’t go to the bathroom,” says Woods in his episode. But when recounting how he achieved one of the most astounding comebacks in sports history, he reflects: “Nothing is ever given to you. The beauty of it is that it is earned.”
As much as Reaching For The Crown acknowledges the achievements and victories of the Rolex Testmoninees, the series reaches deeper, showing viewers that these stories aren’t about the easy days, but overcoming the difficult and doubtful ones. And that, while the crown is the symbol, it is in its reaching that lies the true prize.
You can watch Reach For The Crown on the Rolex YouTube channel and at Rolex.com
