A marine naturalist, renowned underwater photographer, a pioneer in the use of innovative diving equipments and the founder of the Gombessa Expedition project, Laurent Ballesta has been working with the Swiss watch brand Blancpain since 2012. Together, they've achieved four thrilling expeditions to the world down under including missions to the Reunion Island, Philippines and Polynesia, resulting in their contributions to the Blancpain Ocean Commitment around the globe.

This year, the Gombessa seeks to go well-beneath the dark waters off the French Coast using a technique the world has never seen before – a combination of saturation diving with scuba using closed circuit breathers. This method will not only allow them to communicate underwater but will also avoid the need for any decompression letting Ballesta and his team to conduct a single four-day session lasting up to eight hours.

You can visit the daily video vlog of the expedition here where you can see the team discover the emerging new species of the underworld while sporting the Fifty Fathoms collection.