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New
York, NY
- Meryl Streep, Hugh Jackman,
Whoopi Goldberg, and Jay-Z joined a host
of legendary stars of stage and screen who lent
their signatures to Audemars Piguet (
O-de-mar
Pee-gay)
timepieces to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity
Fights AIDS.
The
event entitled 'Time to Give' was an historic
collaboration between renowned Swiss watchmaker
Audemars Piguet and the Tony Awards and
culminated in a live, invitation-only auction
(conducted by Christie's) and cocktail reception at
New York's Four Seasons Hotel on Monday, May 17th.
Each
watch was a one-of-a-kind creation featuring the
celebrity's signature visibly recreated on the back
or side of the timepiece making them highly
collectible by watch aficionados and celeb fans
alike. Starting on May 3rd, the
collection could be viewed and bid on by the public
at charitybuzz.com, the leading destination for
online charity auctions, at
www.charitybuzz.com/audemarspiguet.
The public was also invited to view the
collection at Audemars Piguet's New York City
flagship boutique at 65 East 57th Street
from May 3rd through 17th.
Opening bids started at $2,500. The total retail
value of the collection by Audemars Piguet exceeded
$1 million.
The
celebrities who lent their signatures to Audemars
Piguet watches included some of the biggest names on
Broadway: Antonio Banderas, Kristin
Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Edie Falco,
Whoopi Goldberg, Kelsey Grammer,
Sean Hayes, Neil Patrick Harris, David
Hyde Pierce, Hugh Jackman, Catherine
Zeta-Jones, Jay-Z, Jane Krakowski,
Nathan Lane, Angela Lansbury, Cyndi
Lauper, John Lithgow, Sienna Miller,
Bebe Neuwirth, Cynthia Nixon, Chita
Rivera, Anika Noni-Rose, Liev
Schreiber, Meryl Streep, and
Vanessa Williams.
A
highlight of 'Time to Give' included a men's
and women's Royal Oak Offshore 57th
Street watch each signed by Daniel
Radcliffe and Scarlett Johansson and
designed specifically to commemorate Audemars
Piguet's New York 'moment' their partnership
with the Tony Awards and new flagship boutique on
East 57th Street.
Francois-Henry Bennahmias, President & CEO of
Audemars Piguet North America said, "Audemars Piguet
has a love affair with New York City and Broadway.
It is an honor for us as a company to be able to
recognize the incredible talent of The Great White
Way while raising awareness and money for Broadway
Cares."
" Audemars
Piguet has been a wonderful supporter of the
Broadway community and we are truly honored to have
them as a partner in the Tony Awards once again this
year," said Alan Wasser, General Manager of Tony
Award Productions. "The 'Time to Give' event will
not only celebrate the best of Broadway and the Tony
season, but will also benefit a very worthy cause
"Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS."
For the
second year, Audemars Piguet was the official red
carpet sponsor of the 64th Annual Tony
Awards, which was broadcast live in a
three-hour ceremony from Radio City Music Hall on
the CBS television network on Sunday, June 13,
2010.
" Broadway
Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is most grateful to partner
with The Tony Awards and Audemars Piguet on '"ime to
Give", said Tom Viola, Executive Director of BC/EFA,
and recipient of this year's Tony Honor for
Excellence in the Theatre. "The extraordinary
talent of the Broadway community, so magnificently
represented each year at The Tony Awards, is matched
only by their generous embrace of those in need. I
salute Francois-Henry Bennahmias and thank Audemars
Piguet for so graciously creating 27 gorgeous
one-of-a-kind timepieces that will undoubtedly raise
a great deal of money and forever mark this moment
in time."
In
addition to the Tony Awards, Audemars Piguet
regularly collaborates with well-known personalities
and is committed to far-reaching projects. Audemars
Piguet has partnered with Quincy Jones and The
Quincy Jones Foundation, President Bill Clinton and
The Clinton Foundation, Breast Cancer Research
Foundation, Jay-Z's S. Carter Scholarship Fund, as
well as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's charity
After-School All-Stars on Limited Edition
timepieces. Through these alliances, a portion of
the monies raised benefits these charitable
organizations
About
Audemars Piguet
Founded
in 1875 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste
Piguet in the Swiss village of Le Brassus, Audemars
Piguet is the oldest Manufacture of Haute Horlogerie
still in the hands of its founding families.
Perpetuating a legacy based on three fundamental
values: tradition, excellence and creative daring,
particularly in the field of complex watch
mechanisms, Audemars Piguet holds a record number of
world firsts. The brand encompasses complex
mechanical watches, Haute Joaillerie creations, as
well as a line of jewelry. In addition to the new 57th
Street flagship in New York City, Audemars Piguet
has a second boutique location in Bal Harbour Shops,
Bal Harbour, FL.
www.audemarspiguet.com
About the Tony Awards
This
year marked the 64th anniversary of the Tony Awards,
which were first held on April 6, 1947 at the
Waldorf Astoria's Grand Ballroom. It was the 13th
year that the historic Radio City Music Hall was
home to the Tonys. The Tony Awards which were
founded in memorial to Antoinette ("Tony") Perry,
the American Theatre Wing's chairperson and are the
highest honor in the Broadway community. The
ceremonies are presented by Tony Award Productions,
which is a joint venture of the Broadway League and
the American Theatre Wing, which founded the Tonys
in 1947. The 2010 Tony Awards were broadcast live
from Radio City Music Hall in a 3-hour telecast on
CBS. For more information on the Tony Awards, visit
www.tonyawards.com
About
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the
nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS
fundraising and grant-making organizations. By
drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity
of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA
has raised over $175 million for essential services
for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses
across the United States.
BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at
The Actors Fund - including The AIDS Initiative, The
Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, The Al
Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Dancers? Resource
and three supportive housing residences.
BC/EFA also awards annual grants to over 400 AIDS
and family service organizations nationwide. For
more information visit:
www.BroadwayCares.org.
About
charitybuzz
A leader
in cause marketing, charitybuzz (http://www.charitybuzz.com/)
aligns nonprofits with international brands and
celebrity icons to raise funds through innovative
online auctions. Featuring pop culture experiences,
VIP events, luxury travel, fine art, jewelry,
fashion and sports memorabilia, charitybuzz brings
its online community of upscale, socially conscious
bidders exclusive opportunities to make a
difference. The company enables its bidders to truly
doGOOD and liveWELL, generating millions of dollars
for charities around the globe. To learn more,
please visit
www.charitybuzz.com or email
info@charitybuzz.com.
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