A year ago electronic-music legends Depeche Mode released their fourteenth album, Spirit, a full-length rife with disdain for today’s fractured political climate.
With so many things going wrong in the world, the iconic group once again decided to use their celebrity to help the greater good in a modest way.
They did so by partnering for the third time with Swiss watchmaker Hublot, a relationship that dates back to 2010. Together, they released the Hublot Big Bang Depeche Mode limited-edition watch (only 250 pieces were produced in 2017), then the collection of unique Big Bang Unico Depeche Mode The Singles Limited Edition watches in 2018.
Their collaboration garnered an impressive $1.7 million donation for charity: water, an organization that brings drinking water to developing countries. Funds will bring clean water to more than 50,000 people.
Martin Gore, of Depeche Mode, said of the donation: “It is with great pride that we, along with Hublot, are able to present charity: water with a check for over $1.7 million, and can bring clean drinking water to tens of thousands of people.”
While the band’s effort are certainly commendable, they’re astute enough to know that much work needs to be done: 663 million people worldwide (almost 1 out of 10) who do not have access to clean drinking water. Perhaps that fact will find a way onto a new song for their next album.