HARRY WINSTON - Exclusive Timepiece Collection To Support the Bokra Project
Harry Winston, the international jeweler and watchmaker, partnered with legendary music producer Quincy Jones and Emirati social entrepreneur Badr Jafar for the official global launch of the Tomorrow/Bokra song music video and documentary film.
Press release
To commemorate the evening and continuing its longstanding commitment to philanthropy, Harry Winston unveiled 11 unique models from its new Midnight collection, designed to support the Bokra Project. Each timepiece will feature the engraved signature of leading talents. The four ladies’ Harry Winston Midnight 39mm watches in diamond-set rose gold are signed by singers Latifa and Waed, and actresses Yosra and Hend Sabry; while the Harry Winston Midnight Big Date models, also in rose gold, bear the names of Quincy Jones and of the singers Kadim Al Sahir, Saber El Rebai, Marwan Khoury, Tamer Hosny, Fayez Al Saeed and Emirati social entrepreneur Badr Jafar. The total amount raised from the sale of these models will be entirely donated to the Bokra Project. These 11 one-of-a-kind timepieces will be displayed in the Harry Winston Salon at the Emirates Towers in February 2012.
Tamer Hosny, Latifa, Quincy Jones. © Harry Winston
The red carpet World Premiere event for the Bokra Charity song was held at the One & Only, The Palm, in Dubai. At the highly significant moment of exactly 11:11 pm on November 11th 2011, the music video was beamed around the world via a global simulcast, with YouTube providing an exclusive premiere of the video on-line.
Waed. © Harry Winston
This glittering occasion was attended by royalties, distinguished guests, artists and celebrities. Many of them were wearing Harry Winston creations such as the Harry Winston Midnight Big Date worn by Badr Jafar, as well as an exceptional Harry Winston jewelry collection worn by Actress Yosra and Singer Latifa. Commenting on the event, Harry Winston President and CEO, Frédéric De Narp stated: “Harry Winston is delighted to be involved in such a noble cause and to share in Quincy Jones’ vision of philanthropy making a difference”.
Latifa. © Harry Winston
The song itself, an Arabic version of Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me), Jones’ famous anthem of peace, hope and unity, is intended to “serve as a beacon of solidarity and hope for the region”. It was recorded by the Global Gumbo Group, established earlier this year as a joint venture between Quincy Jones and Badr Jafar. The group’s mission is to develop multi-media opportunities across all entertainment platforms in the Middle East and North Africa, and to foster bridge-building and exchanges between these regions and the West.
Tomorrow/Bokra features a number of leading artists from the Middle East and North Africa region including Majida El Roumi, who wrote the Arabic lyrics, Kadim Al Sahir who worked on the music re-adaptation, Saber El Rebai, Tamer Hosni, Marwan Khoury, Shereen Abdul Wahab and many others. The music video was directed by Syrian-American Director Malek Akkad and the song was produced by Quincy Jones and Moroccan born RedOne (Grammy award winning producer). This auspicious undertaking is designed to provide an example of mutual respect for contemporary youth and to encourage them to come together as one voice through music, the ultimate universal language.
Inspired by Quincy Jones’ original “We are the World” charity production, which was reprised in 2010 on behalf of the Haiti earthquake, the Tomorrow/Bokra project aims to achieve the same level of awareness and raise funds to help the next generation of children across the Arab world. All proceeds including sales and profits will benefit children of the region through education of music, arts and culture.
About Harry Winston, Inc. and its philanthropic endeavors
Founded in New York City 1932, The House of Harry Winston is one of the most exclusive fine jewelry and timepiece brands in the world. Known as the King of Diamonds, the history of the Company includes some of the world’s most famous and celebrated gemstones, including the Lesotho, the Jonker, the Taylor-Burton, and the Hope Diamond, which Mr. Winston famously donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. Harry Winston’s pioneering craftsmanship and innovative designs, such as the Winston Cluster, helped to revolutionize the fine jewelry industry, and remain an integral part of the Company’s creative process today. The Company is also known for being the first jeweler to loan diamonds for the Academy Awards, dressing Best Actress winner Jennifer Jones in 1944, which earned Harry Winston the reputation as the Jeweler to the Stars.
Building upon its legacy of fine jewelry design and innovation, in 1989, Harry Winston ventured into the field of watch making. Ranging from exquisite diamond jewelry timepieces to high complication technical designs, Harry Winston Timepieces maintains the Company’s quest for excellence and commitment to quality without compromise, consistently earning international top industry awards. Bold, complex, avant-garde, feminine or masculine, each watch collection has become a contemporary ambassador of Haute Horlogerie. Continuing its commitment to honoring the finest horological traditions, Harry Winston opened its own Timepiece Manufacture in Geneva in 2007.
In 2010, Harry Winston launched a new charitable program, including the creation of the Harry Winston Hope Foundation, Inc., honoring Mr. Winston’s legacy of generosity. Through this ongoing initiative, the company will focus on supporting organizations that remove barriers for disadvantaged youth to obtain quality education and enable healthy futures for underserved populations around the globe. Funded through monetary donations from Harry Winston, Inc. as well as proceeds from special events, product sales, and through the generosity of employees, the Harry Winston charitable program also supports organizations and programs in key regions where the company has a presence, as well as programs providing cultural and artistic enrichment around the world.
Yosra. © Harry Winston
About Quincy Jones and his philanthropic endeavors
As a trumpeter, composer, arranger, conductor, producer, executive and entrepreneur, Quincy Jones has found success in nearly every facet of entertainment; however, it may very well be his humanitarian work that is his defining statement.
After being a key supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Operation Breadbasket in the 1960s and 70s, Quincy Jones pioneered the model of using celebrity to raise money and awareness for a cause with “We Are the World.” Released in 1985, the song remains the best-selling single of all-time, and raised more than $63 Million for Ethiopian famine relief. In 1999 Quincy Jones joined Bono and Bob Geldof during a meeting with Pope John Paul II as a part of the Jubilee 2000 delegation to end third world debt, resulting in $27 billion in third world debt relief for Bolivia, Mozambique, and the Ivory Coast. In 2004, in front of a live audience of more than a half-million spectators, Jones launched the “We Are the Future initiative” with a concert featuring a host of other entertainers from around the world. The initiative has established Municipal Child Centers in several key around the world where youth are being trained to run child-based programs in health, nutrition, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Sports and Arts.
In 2007, Jones and the Harvard School of Public Health joined forces to advance the health and well-being of children worldwide through Project Q, a strategic initiative of School’s Center for Health Communication. Making strategic use of media, Project Q challenges leaders and citizens of the world to provide essential resources to enable young people to achieve their full potential. A centerpiece of Project Q is the Q Prize, which recognizes extraordinary leadership by public. The Quincy Jones Foundation supports and promotes initiatives around the world that contribute to the health, well-being and dignity of children. Its mission is to give young people a voice to inspire and empower them to live to their fullest potential.
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