The Unexpected Rise of Trump Watches: A Tale of Irony and Timing
In 2016, during the US Presidential Election, Senator Marco Rubio from Florida had this to say about GOP candidate Donald Trump:
“Here’s the guy that inherited $200 million. If he hadn’t inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be right now? Selling watches in Manhattan.”
What was Rubio’s point? Well, he was essentially saying that Trump was a trust fund kid who would have no real business acumen had he not been born into wealth. Little did Rubio know that those words would come back to haunt him.
Today, Trump is, in fact, selling watches—high-end, expensive timepieces that bear his name.
Since leaving the White House, the former president has turned to the wristwatch business. His TV show, “The Apprentice,” had been a vehicle for promoting products. But unlike those previous ventures, which were directly overseen by him, this time Trump is licensing his name to a company that makes the watches.
“Trump Watches” isn’t just a watch brand; it’s an attempted elevation of that brand to an elite status symbol. But are Trump’s actual watches—and Trump’s actual watch brand—all that exclusive? Or is the hoary old watch industry’s glittering magicians’ figures just being maintained in a 21st-century vault on the 20th floor of Trump Tower? The price tags on these timepieces are certainly hefty enough to suggest a serious commitment to the status watch. But in terms of exclusivity, just how involved is the 45th president of the United States in the actual making of actual Trump Watches?
An Expanding Market of Trump-Inspired Timepieces
A range of Trump-inspired watches had previously been offered for sale on platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. These timepieces spanned a variety of designs from conventional to outlandish, and had been available for years. In fact, some of these watches could be seen dating to the 1980s, long before Trump had become the figure he is today.
The latest arrival in this market happened right before the 2024 US election. “Trump Watches,” a whole new collection, was introduced with great fanfare and a fair amount of media attention. The watches are presented to us as “luxury” items, with some of the models being described as going for a staggering, almost unbelievable, $100,000. But the actual opulence of the watches is not the main point of interest. What is more intriguing is the actual companies that are producing them. Who are the watch makers, and what exactly makes them tick?
In a recent report, Bloomberg described Trump’s $100,000 Swiss-made watch as a slow seller, adding that the luxury timepieces may be struggling in a competitive market (Trump’s $100,000 Swiss-Made Watch Is a Slow Seller, 2024).
The Mystery of Trump Watches’ Production and Ownership
While promoting the new collection of watches, Trump framed them as more than mere timepieces—as part of some kind of exclusive club.
“This isn’t just any watch,” he said. “It’s one of the best watches made.”
He touted the nearly 200 grams of gold in the watch, over 100 diamonds, and the exceptionally high quality of all the materials. His description of the limited edition Trump Victory 18k Gold Tourbillon—accessible only to 147 individuals—was an almost surreal moment in the event at Trump Tower. It offered a peek into the brand’s efforts to craft an image of vaulting luxury. The rooms at the top of which are accessible to a very limited number of people.
Nevertheless, there is a huge catch. For all the valiant attempts made to take credit for these timepieces, Trump himself has tried to stay above the fray. According to him—via the official Trump Watches website, no less—he is not involved in any way with the design, manufacturing, or selling of these so-called watches. Adding to the intrigue and conspicuous by its absence, the company behind these products has no real-time web presence and little in the way of a past.
The Company Behind Trump Watches: What We Know So Far
The website for Trump Watches has a strange-sounding domain name: GetTrumpWatches.com. This makes one wonder why the site isn’t simply at TrumpWatches.com, a name that sounds much better in a verbal sense and also carries more SEO potential, i.e., more potential to show up in search results when someone types in “Trump Watches.” But the name of the site is only the beginning of the oddity.
However, this is only the precursor to the enigma. It comes to light that Trump Watches are, in fact, a licensed product, made by a company based in Switzerland called Montrichard Group. Even though they seem to have an upscale sheen, the company and the product are shrouded in a fair amount of secrecy. What appears to give Trump Watches any sort of appearance of legitimacy is a licensing deal that lets the manufacturer use Trump’s name and likeness with scant oversight.
A Deep Dive into Secrecy and Branding
A CNN investigation in late 2024 dug deeper into the Trump Watches company and came to an unexpected finding: it appears to be ribboned out of a totally nondescript shopping center in northern Wyoming, the kind of place you wouldn’t look twice at if you were driving through, home to several little irrelevant businesses and a daycare center. This super-strange location, along with the lack of any visible operation for the watches themselves, has led to a lot more questions about the legitimacy of the brand.
In addition, the watchmaker, TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC, conducts its business with almost complete anonymity, a result of the state’s business-friendly system. Given this level of secrecy, how can anyone say with any certainty that these are good, let alone the best, watches?
The Branding Strategy: Exclusivity or Gimmick?
Trump Watches is a brand built around the concept of exclusivity. It aims to create timepieces that are collectible rather than merely utilitarian. We at Trump Watches are certainly not anti-watch; we just want you to consider the alternative. You might also conclude that our parent company’s activities are more closely tied to the watch’s political affiliations than we’ve let on.
The Watches division, despite being marketed as exclusive, has not seen strong sales. Many of the high-end items, including the $100,000 models, are unsold, raising questions about effectiveness of the branding strategy. Still, timepieces inscribed with Trump’s name have a strong draw for some buyers. Whether this business becomes a lasting success remains to be seen.
Wired has also raised concerns about potential copyright infringement, suggesting that Trump Watches might not be entirely within legal boundaries (It Sure Looks Like Trump Watches Are Breaking Copyright Law, 2024).
FAQ Section:
Q1: How involved is Donald Trump in the production of Trump Watches?
A1: While Trump is heavily associated with the brand of the watches, his direct involvement in the manufacturing process is minimal. The watches are created and sold under a licensing agreement, with Trump’s name and likeness used to market the timepieces. However, Trump himself is not responsible for the design, production, or distribution.
Q2: Are Trump Watches a good investment?
A2: Trump Watches are mainly pushed to be collectibles for folks who want to enjoy them personally — not as items you would invest in. That said, the more premium watches carry some heft in terms of prices, with the cheapest versions starting at just under $2,500. And there’s an excitement factor and a wild card with this one, because it’s hard to predict just what might happen to the value of these timepieces, since they’re not backed by a serious watchmaking tradition or even serious watchmaking talent.
Q3: Where are Trump Watches made?
A3: The making of Trump Watches is managed by the Montrichard Group, a private-label manufacturer based in Switzerland. Although the branding is quite luxurious, the actual production locations and processes are not clearly detailed.
Q4: Why did Trump Watches choose to use the domain GetTrumpWatches.com instead of TrumpWatches.com?
A4: The domain TrumpWatches.com was already registered to another entity, probably sometime in 2011, and is set to expire soon. Because of this, the company that makes Trump Watches opted for a secondary domain—GetTrumpWatches.com—to promote the timepieces. The “Get” in the domain name fits with a sort of experience-oriented imperative seen in other Trump merchandise websites, like GetTrumpFragrances.com.
Q5: How can I buy a Trump Watch?
A5: You can only purchase Trump Watches from their official site, GetTrumpWatches.com. They offer a generous selection of timepieces, although some are currently listed as “sold out.” But a word to the wise; GetTrumpWatches.com is NOT a front for any kind of political campaign. They make no such claims. As far as anyone can reasonably tell, this watch is just a watch, and a luxury one at that. Though who knows? If the Trump campaign really is low on funds, perhaps this watch will soon be used in some kind of fashion show fundraiser.
Author Bio:
An experienced journalist working in the areas of business, branding, and consumer culture, John Doe has been on the beat for years. And if there’s any space where politics and branding have collided—and in a post-2016 world, that certainly is the case—it’s in the luxury consumer market.
