On this Election Day 2020, I wanted to feature one of my favorite articles, Your Complete Guide to the Watches of the United States Presidents, by Eric Wind. The article surveys every single watch from our 45 U.S. presidents, starting with George Washington’s pocket watch, working its way through Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch, then to more modern wristwatches from the likes of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, all the way up to our current President, Donald J. Trump.
As Mr. Wind wrote:
We're talking all the way from Washington to Trump, from Timexes to a Patek Philippe. Some loved watches and others simply wore them out of necessity. You might be surprised with what some of our presidents had sitting in their pockets and on their wrists. We hope you enjoy it.
Abraham Lincoln’s pocketwatch | Credit: Smithsonian
For my part, I did a brief article on the watches of the Democratic presidential candidates back at the end of 2019, which feels like 10 years ago, On watches, Presidents and politics:
But, Presidential candidates must be extremely aware of the optics and message sent by every single thing they wear, say, or do. For example, former President Obama famously wore a Tag Heuer during his time as a Senator, but swapped it out for a low-key watch gifted to him by the Secret Service during his time in the White House. Post-White House, he’s been known to wear a Rolex Cellini around town. Same goes for the Timex Ironman Bill Clinton has swapped out for more haute horology in his post-White House years.
The watch contest between the 2020 candidates illustrates the differences between the candidates. Joe Biden can be seen wearing a variety of steel sports watches: an Omega Seamaster and Speedmaster, a quartz Seiko chronograph, and a Vulcain Cricket for good measure. Meanwhile, Trump is known for his square Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-fine in pink gold, his gold Rolex Day-Date, and of course, his own line of cheap quartz watches, the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, released back in the 2000s.
Joe Biden is often seen wearing a modern Omega Semaster 300
For his part, Candidate Joe Biden has been spotted wearing a variety of watches, from his trust Omega Seamaster 300, to a Vulcain Cricket and even a quartz Seiko chronograph.
Read the full article on all the Presidents’ watches here.