Rock Stars Donate Well-Worn Leather for Unique Watches Benefiting MusiCares

Ringo Starr donates leather to Nixon's Rock LTD collection

By James Pleasant

Have you ever dreamt of wearing your favorite rock star’s beaten and battered leather jacket or the boots that have walked across countless stages? Now you can come pretty close, because Nixon – a boutique wristwatch and accessories brand – is releasing its Rock LTD Collection featuring watches with leather straps made out of boots, jackets and other clothes worn by legendary rock musicians including Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Tom Waits, Ozzy Osbourne and The Who frontman Pete Townshend.

Proceeds from sales of the watches will go to the MusiCares MAP Fund – a charity created by The Recording Academy dedicated to assisting musicians who are suffering from addiction.

“I know firsthand about the ravages of addiction,” Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne told AdWeek. “I also know that the MusiCares MAP Fund is a vital safety net for people in the music industry.”

Rolling Stones guitarist Richards donated an old leather jacket to the initiative, and Waits gave a pair of old leather boots. Former Beatles drummer Starr donated a piece of leather from his drum bag, and Eddie Van Halen donated a guitar strap. Townshend wanted to further personalize his timepiece, and added The Who’s logo to the watch.

“It’s nice to reach out to an artist and not ask him to perform,” said MusiCares’ Wynnie Wynn. “Instead, all they have to do is reach into the closet to produce an item that can raise significant funds.”

Each watch will cost between $1,000 and $4,000, and will be sold worldwide starting in mid-November at retailers such as Fred Segal, Barneys and Selfridges. The watches will not be available online, so fans will have to purchase these rare items in person.

Celebrities such as Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Tony Hawk, Metallica’s James Hetfield, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis have donated to previous Nixon LTD collections, which also benefited MusiCares MAP Fund.

Nixon does not receive any monetary profit from the Rock LTD line, with all of the proceeds being donated to the charity.

MusiCares offers addiction recovery and support centers in Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Colorado. To learn more about MusiCare’s MAP Fund, click here.

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