Rather than simply hosting a cocktail party to celebrate the opening of its new Aspen boutique, Officine Panerai instead chose to mark the occasion by raising awareness for autism.
What do luxury watches and a disorder that affects more than 2 million Americans have in common? Not much, although many watch collectors who attended a series of events during a recent weekend are avid supporters of Autism Speaks and Aspen's Extreme Sports Camp, which provides adventures for children and adults on the spectrum.
Hollywood agent Ari Greenburg, a partner at William Morris Endeavor, and his wife Andrea Lee have led the charge at raising funds and awareness since their son Tyler was diagnosed at age 2. "The kind of people that buy these watches can make a big difference in the life of a child," Ari said. "If you want to lose weight or fight cancer, there's a manual for that," he said, pointing to a copy of Men's Health. "There are no ans wers for austism."
That's why supporting research has been a goal for the Greenburgs. "We're like Lewis and Clark, exploring new ways of opening up our children's lives," Andrea said. "These organizations help us make great strides toward that goal."
Ari's advice for fathers of autistic kids is to share their story. "Most people don't have experience with the issue," he said. "We're the first generation that's dealing with this and we're teaching each other." He also said it's important to keep active and do things with your child. "We think we're helping them but our son has taught us so much."
In addition to the feel-good party, Panerai created an edition limited to 75 pieces of its popular Luminor Marina (pictured above). "We look forward to more community involvement in the years ahead," said Rafael Alvarez, president of Panerai North America. Proceeds from the sale of the watch benefitted both Austism Speaks and Extreme Sports Camp.
For more on this topic, read Lou Schuler's account of discovering his son was autistic here.
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