NEW YORK – The perennially popular English band Depeche Mode has joined forces with Swiss watchmakers Hublot, Geneva auction house Patrizzi & Co., and LiveAuctioneers.com to produce an unprecedented and never to be repeated auction fundraiser benefiting Britain’s Teenage Cancer Trust.
Online bidding is now in progress on a series of one dozen unique timepieces, each featuring the artwork from one of Depeche Mode’s 12 studio albums as its watch face. The Hublot watches are one-of-a-kind creations, packaged in exquisitely designed and individually themed presentation boxes. Each box contains not only the wristwatch but also a treasure trove of additional gifts personally chosen for inclusion by the members of Depeche Mode. Each box contains:
– A deluxe vinyl version of the album
– A USB Key containing a digital edition of the album and documentary about the making of the album
– An original album artwork print and a framed gold CD
– A photograph signed by all members of the group who contributed to the album, including Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder, both of whom are founder-members of Depeche Mode but no longer part of the band.
Bidding on the watches will conclude on Feb. 24, 2010. All proceeds generated from the Internet-only auction will be presented to Teenage Cancer Trust on Feb. 26 at the penultimate concert of Depeche Mode’s “Sounds of the Universe” tour in Dusseldorf, Germany. The tour includes a special Depeche Mode charity performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Feb. 17 – remarkably, the band’s first-ever appearance at the iconic venue.
“We are very proud to be able to help Depeche Mode with this important fundraiser,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. “Since the first teen cancer unit was launched in Britain 20 years ago, Teenage Cancer Trust has worked diligently and creatively to help improve the lives of young people afflicted with the disease. LiveAuctioneers is fully behind this charity, and we’re hopeful that the extraordinary timepiece gift sets in this auction will raise a significant sum for TCT’s ongoing programs.”
To view the fully illustrated electronic catalog containing the 12 Depeche Mode watches or to place a bid online, log on to https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/20622.
About Depeche Mode:
Depeche Mode is one of the most successful, influential and longest-running bands to emerge during the new music movement that swept across Britain and the world in the early 1980s. The group has had 47 songs in the UK singles chart and No. 1 albums in the UK, USA and throughout Europe. According to EMI Records, Depeche Mode has sold more than 100 million albums and singles worldwide, making them the most successful electronic music group in music history.
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