LUMI-NOX JUNGLE SURVIVAL COURSE WITH ROB ROY 'THE ONLY EASY DAY WAS YESTERDAY'
What better way to let people understand the brand than to get them to experience it themselves. Back in August 2018, Luminox invited several media guests to our Luminox Jungle Survival Course, held in The Canopi, Bintan Indonesia. There were a total of 26 participants from Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, that aimed to let them overcome their physical constraints and mental pressure. The event revolved around the Navy SEAL mantra of ‘The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday’ and helped them understand how each day’s challenges can make one stronger!
On Wednesday, August 15, participants were given a top secret message that revealed their mission. Each participant was spilt into 5 different groups, namely SEAL Team 6, ICE-SAR, Sea Wolves, Undersea Voyager Project and Spartan, with each team consisting of 4 members. Commanding officer of Luminox Jungle Survival Course and retired Navy SEAL, Rob Roy, subsequently enforced the importance of team work, trust and leadership in each team by asking questions about each teammate, reinforcing an unspoken rule that in a Navy SEAL team, your team is your family and you have to trust your lives with each other. Every participant was also passed a Luminox watch to experience the toughness of the timepiece. They learnt how to synchronize their time down to the seconds or time hack and used the rotating bezel of their Luminox watches. At each stage of the mission, a count-down time was given to complete the task, simulating an environment of a military mission where time can be a matter of life and death. As a retired Navy SEAL, Rob Roy appreciated the simplicity of a traditional watch as it meant that it was easy to use on missions and reduced any risk of errors that can jeopardize the job. Participants were also given physical activities such as push ups and sprints to push their physical limits.
Who says soldiers are all brawls and no brain? Navy SEALs are trained in both physically, mentally and intellectually. Thus, the course incorporated this aspect by providing participants with a blind map and compass that would help them navigate through the jungle and mangrove swamp. They were also given a puzzle to solve before they began on their mission to kayak through the mangrove swamp. The kayaking experience emphasized the need for team work as one will need to coordinate with their partner in order to successfully complete their mission. After which, teams were also expected to move not more than 6 feet apart from each member through the jungle back to the starting point.
The ability to adapt to an environment and make use of the surroundings is what separates a Navy SEAL from the ordinary. Each team was expected to build a shelter using some ropes, wood and leaves that could fit all team mates. This again pushed participants to think outside the box on how they would build their shelter and every member had to contribute in order to complete the task on time.
After a gruelling first day, the activity for the second day was more toned down, which was a press conference held to share with participants more about the 3 new collections launching in 2018 - Navy SEAL 3580 Chronograph The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday, ICE-SAR 1000 series and Deep Dive Carbonox 1550. Having Rob Roy as commanding officer for the Luminox Jungle Survival Course could not be more apt because when he was a Navy SEAL, he could relate to the mantra of ‘The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday’. Rob Roy also spent time sharing with participants about what it takes to become a Navy SEAL and how he had used that knowledge to develop leadership and training programmes. He was also able to share his involvement with Luminox and how the timepiece has become a part of his Essential Gear. The sharing experience helped participants to understand the mantra of ‘The Only Easy Day was Yesterday’ as well as understand how Luminox timepieces are useful on military mission and are built for the Navy SEALs.
