Trump's $100,000 Watch Likely Made in China, Vastly Overpriced
By: Laurie Brookins (The Hollywood Reporter)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
He's hawked gold sneakers, commemorative coins and even a cryptocurrency venture in recent months, so Donald Trump's latest retail effort — to sell a pricey gold watch emblazoned with his name — should surprise no one. But timepiece experts aren't impressed.
On Thursday, Trump debuted a pair of watches available for sale: a dive model dubbed the "Fighter" that is limited to 1,000 pieces and retails for $499 or $799 depending on style, and a seemingly high-end tourbillion design that is depicted as being crafted of 18-karat gold and embellished with diamonds on the bezel. Limited to 147 pieces, that model is listed for an astounding $100,000. All pieces display Trump's name prominently on the dial, while the more expensive model features a sapphire caseback with his signature.
Word quickly spread among the status-watch community, which was overwhelmingly unimpressed. "This is cobbled together, patently unoriginal and vastly overpriced," says Ariel Adams, founder and editor of A Blog to Watch, one of the industry's most popular sites for timepiece information and education. "It's very clear he's working with a white labeler, which is nothing new. Anyone can go to a white labeler and say, 'I want a watch with this case, this bracelet and these other details,' and a white labeler will Frankenstein it together, put your name on it and sell it to you. But the price you sell it for is up to you. That the markup came from someone on Trump's team is obvious here. Even the $500 piece from another brand would go for maybe $200."
A marketing director of a well-known Swiss brand, who asked not to be named to keep his opinion separate from the company that employs him, agreed. "I belong to a collector group that maintains an ongoing group chat, and the initial reaction was that it had to be fake. After that, everyone was laughing," he said of the more expensive piece. "When you look at all of them, they scream Chinese-made watch. None of them is worth the asking price."
Indeed, even though the website touts "Swiss-made" when describing the watches, it's not uncommon among manufacturers of lower-priced designs to manipulate that designation by purchasing some Swiss-made parts and assembling the watch in another country. By Thursday afternoon, several experts across social media pointed out that the more expensive watch's tourbillon, a mechanism designed to improve accuracy and typically found in pricier timepieces, seemed to be sourced from both Switzerland and China. "Those blue screws on the tourbillon cage are a dead giveaway that it was partly made in China. You won't find blue screws on a tourbillon made in Switzerland," noted the marketing director. "And you can pick up a Chinese tourbillon for $100."
"Fifteen years ago, if you wanted a Swiss-made tourbillon, it would be $50,000," Adams confirmed. "But the Chinese came along with a lower-priced tourbillon, so today you can get a tourbillon watch for around $6,000. But it shouldn't be confused with a tourbillon design fully made in Switzerland."
Several other details also reveal a lack of quality. "The gem-setting looks very rough, while the indices on the dial also look set within the markers, not outset, which also looks very amateurish," the marketing director noted. "And if you play the video, you can see dust on all the screws. It's really terrible."
"[The tourbillon watch] is as ersatz as the man himself," added Adam Craniotes, founder and president of Red Bar Group, an international network of watch collectors that extends to 85 cities around the globe. "They can employ all the superlatives they want on their site, but [collectors have] already figured out that it's a half-Swiss, half-Chinese tourbillon you can buy off the rack. Any value from this watch would only come from melting it down and selling the gold and diamonds."
In addition to wording that might inspire an eye roll among serious watch collectors — "You'll be wearing the absolute statement of success," the tourbillon description notes — both models are also lacking information typically found on legitimate watch sites. The tourbillon model, for example, does not list the watch's case size, a basic detail every wearer wants to know to ensure the case is suitably proportioned to his or her wrist. The total carat weight of the 122 diamonds on the bezel also isn't listed. Adams says both omissions are likely intentional, an idea supported by a website note identical to one used when Trump was selling his gold sneakers: "The images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product."
"By withholding specifics, they're able to make preproduction changes while staying true to the description on their site," Adams explained. "And being generous, those diamonds could cost anywhere from $10 to $30 each."
Regardless of whether they're interested in the lower-priced dive model or the tourbillon selling for six figures, interested consumers would be smart to peruse the site's fine print. Also, like the gold sneakers Trump was selling back in February, the watches are being sold only as preorders, which absolves Trump and his merchandising team of any responsibility for paying upfront for the pieces — but it also means purchasers will wait to receive them, with delivery dates estimated to be "October/November/December" in the site's FAQ section, with the added note that "Shipping and delivery dates are estimates only and cannot be guaranteed."
"It's basically a Kickstarter campaign, and not a very imaginative one," Craniotes said. "They've taken design cues from already established watches and slapped his name on them. The red dial [on the diver style] I'm sure is a callout to MAGA red, but overall there's just a sense of generic-ness and laziness about the whole venture."
Craniotes' mention that any value might only be derived from selling the gold and diamonds also can be justified by a disclaimer at the bottom of the site: "Trump Watches are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only, not for investment purposes."
Adds Adams: "This is a fundraising scheme that we'll be joking about in the future."
An email sent via the website, requesting specific information about the watches, such as who was manufacturing them and where, was not answered.
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Another day, another Trump fraud.
Like anything else he offers, cheap shit with his name on it.
fake values for fake patriots ...
Love it.
Yeah, that's a great line.
they stop ticking when trump takes licking ...
Called my Rolex mechanic to see what he thought.
He said "go to Walmart, spend ten bucks and you will get a much better watch".
Trump has no shame. He's a Time Square hustler.
Wow.
I've got a box of nice watches somewhere, but I stopped wearing one when when I got a cell phone.
Crooked Donald is a merchandiser. And these trumpists can see it, because he is selling his merchandise to them (strike while the iron is hot). If he does'nt win this election in a matter of weeks, a great deal of this paraphernalia will just sit and likely reduced to 'donations' and tax write-offs. Crooked Donald strikes again. Ironically, the salesman/businessman nature of Donald is probably a positive selling point about him for his constituents.
Worthless, just like him and his kids.
his kids are only $1500 each ...
What?! That's a 100,000% markup!
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a russian knock off selling chinese knock offs ...
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I'd give $50.00 for either Trump son to mow my yard.
(It's a really big yard)
I'd give you back that $50 for a hole they could both fit in afterwards.
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It supports a pattern of fraud with him, so it is a bit of a big deal.
Then why comment??
It's fucking hilarious. A month before the presidental election and the douche bag is hawking fake Swiss watches. You should buy a few and give them to your friends.
news bulletin
it was a misplaced decimal
THREE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE !!!!!!
I wouldn't want one of those even if Trump paid me to take one.
I dont know, for 10$ you'd have three Christmas presents for the MAGA in your life.
That's interesting because I have three, four actually, but two of them are married so they could share. I'm hoping the couple might somehow come to their senses, but that's unlikely. The other two are devout cultists and beyond all hope.
John and G'! I think you will agree that Donald has ENOUGH control over our lives from his past misadventure in the presidency. Do not support the 'beast,' because surely 'Crooked Donald' will be encouraged to keep writing you with more offers to buy! (Just some friendly advice. Donald will 'pull an Elon Musk "X" action: You will be on an email mailing list.)
Oh and there is more! Donald will take your 'participation' -even compelled- as 'affirmation' and tell everybody who will listen that he is loved by even his critics! Sure he won't know who you are. . .but, we know he is a man well acquainted with telling LIES on any day ending with a 'y.'
WARNING! A CROOKED DONALD ENTERPRISE AHEAD!
Don't worry. CB. I would never send a penny to that MF and I'm definitely not on his mailing list. John and I were just joking.
Next up: Crooked Donald Teflon cookware because he can guarantee nothing will stick to it. . . not even brain matter if you crack it over someone's head on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Added Value! . . . Crooked Donald bakeware guaranteed to take the hot temperatures and pressures inside an oven while being 'cool' as Donald in court!
Now then. . . the base of any Christmas tree in some trumpists' homes will be thoroughly encompassed with Donald merchandise!
Crooked Donald's Christmas Catalog (Edition) will be out mid-October! Pre-order your $25.00 catalog today! /s
That's funny.
Hey, you can already order Trump Urine Tests.
Check the fine print at the bottom:
" © 2009 TTN, LLC All right reserved. THE TRUMP NETWORK and the associated crest are trademarks owned by Donald J. Trump."
So. . . this opportunist 'bastard' is branding routine products with his name? How 'effing' stupid this is. (Seriously, when is enough-enough? Going to too far—enough?)
Will some conservatives let Crooked Donald 'brand' the U.S. A. as a 'whole'?
What does this mean? Do ‘some conservatives’ have the power to allow ‘national branding’?
They're rare! Collector's items. Worth their weight in shit!
I like the rose gold one....but I don't do well with stretch bands
My doctor's office will do a urine analysis for next to nothing
good thing trump doesn't require UA's to work at trumpco from junior ...
Wear it a week and your wrist turns green.
Rather buy a watch from a carny huckster.
100,000 with Trumps name on the dial, 150,000 without his name anywhere.
Not A Good Look...
LMAO, fakes from the fake
Is that a lot of fake merchandise inside your coat...or are you just glad to see me?
Hey give the sob a break! He has billions of fines to pay. The banks won't loan him any money so what is a poor psychopath to do?
Trump styling his new pink hair color on TV today.
Wow. PHAT! - Not! This look could be cool . . . but not on a 78 years old doddering old fool! I saw Crooked Donald on television today and his. . . 'nest' on top of his head looked a little "shaken and stirred" lets just say. I daresay I saw through the 'magic' in a couple of places 'up there' through my television set and it appears 'plugs' were where hair should have been.
It is said: "Only your beautician knows for sure . . . . " Well, Crooked Donald appeared to have missed the make-up station this A.M. before going out publicly.
Adds Adams: "This is a fundraising scheme that we'll be joking about in the future."
And now Crooked Donald is showing trumpists what he really is about: the fleecing of America and them!
He really means to take MAGAs' money they need for serious living and lifestyle choices and not permit it to flow back to them. I sure hope the IRS is taking stock of all the ventures the government has enabled Donald to startup. Oh, now we understand why Donald lowered (and plans to lower some more) corporate taxes!
Just how many times can a scumbag do bankruptcy?
How the hell does one run a casino into the ground?
Watch UNFIT for the answers.
I have several viewings and books to catch up on. I will get it done. . . maybe by this. . .or next weekend! I think you gave the title once already. . .been busy with life distractions can you share the full title once more, please? This time I will get right on it.
Why is China manufacturing anything for Donald since he behaved like a 'monkey' towards China during Covid-19 and continuing today. Literally, there were news accounts of Chinese people being beaten and killed on the streets of our country based on this "Haiti-beater" who violates whole groups with his loud mouth?
One has to wonder why China gave Ivanka Trump-Kirschner licensing rights in China or pull the contracts, once her president-Dad started LYING on their nation.
What is going on here?
Guess what country makes all of those MAGA hats....China.
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Typical for the Scammer-in-Chief. For decades he has slapped his name on turds and charged 100 times what they’re worth. It’s how he has always done business.
That's all he is really - a turd with his name slapped on it. lol
timex turned him down ...
Well, you can never forget what P.T.Barnum is purported to have said.
No-- I;ve forgotten. What did he say?)
Not to dismiss his brilliance, but let's faceit-- there's a P.T. Barnum born every minute!
LOL. But not a Krishna.
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Which is why I used the word "purported".
Liberals have empathy for others.
Conservatives hate the others.
That is it in a nutshell.
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