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