How did your first meeting go?

LB: I thought about which brand could be my sponsor and I thought Blancpain would be perfect. I was nervous for this appointment and three minutes after I met Marc, we agreed to work together.

I thought most of the brands wanted one shot and I wanted something more long term. I knew Blancpain would be the best one, as they were focused on true projects and they want to partner with true people. Other brands buy a cinema star to be an ambassador and, for me, that is fake. I saw what Blancpain did and their ambassadors were not well-known, like me, so I thought we could create something authentic. I was confident and I knew my project was authentic and true. My way to work is that I try to contribute to science and contribute to diving and underwater fine art. All my projects, my adventures, have these three challenges. That’s the perfect fit, because when Blancpain makes a watch, they want the content inside, and outside is a piece of art.

MH: I am very passionate about diving and underwater photography, so when I met Laurent, it was very quick to see that we had something here that was exceptional. When I saw his photos, I knew it was perfect. I always have the philosophy for Blancpain that if we work with someone, that person has to be authentic.

Did you know that Mr. Hayek was a diver?

LB: I didn’t know Marc was a diver. Sometimes the CEO of a brand is not involved with diving, even though the brand might be associated with it, so I didn’t know that he was passionate about diving. When I started my presentation, I was nervous. On the second picture, he asked me what camera I was using and other technical questions. I was surprised and impressed.

Mr. Hayek, what attracts you about diving?

MH: I love the feeling when I am diving. I never feel the negative side; for me, it is so euphoric. It’s not like I have to have that feeling all the time—if I can have a two-week dive trip every so often, I want to go deep and have that feeling, as it is so positive for me.

How did the new breathing equipment revolutionize your work?

LB: Fifteen years ago, there was a revolution in diving: equipment to recycle your breathing was introduced (rebreathers). Imagine if you could only go into the forest for 30 minutes a day and you pretend to be a botanist? I couldn’t just spend 30 minutes in the water. Now, you can spend almost as long as you want; the only limit is our limits for cold or fatigue. It means the potential for more accidents, though, because before the limit was the equipment; now it is your own limits. You can reach your own limits quickly and therefore you have to be very careful about knowing our equipment, and the conditions that suit you best.

How are things going for your project?

LB: Working with Blancpain, it is a dream come true. When I was a student diver, I didn’t know if I was first a diver, a photographer or a biologist; I just knew that I was focused on working underwater. Now, I can propose projects for the rest of my life, no problem. For me, everything is focused around something never done before, never seen before. Once you have defined something like that you can do science, diving and fine art. There are mythic animals, never seen before, which are on my radar.