When US President Joe Biden attended the Inauguration ceremony on the 20th, the sharp-eyed New York Times found him wearing a Rolex classic Datejust, with a market price of over $7,000. It was not expected that the New Times would compare it with previous presidential watches, but it triggered a wave of criticism from American liberals and was blasted to the core.
According to the New York Times, Biden was wearing a blue-finish stainless steel Rolex that day, and it is not uncommon for U.S. presidents to wear luxury watches, like the 34th President Eisenhower and the 36th Johnson, who both owned Rolex Gold Day-Date watches, so this watch is also known as the “head of state watch”.
However, with the entry of the Internet era, U.S. presidents seem to take luxury watches as a symbol of disconnection from the people, so Clinton wore a $39 Timex Ironman electronic watch, and Bush Jr. wore a $50 quartz Timex Indiglo.
Obama, who followed, likewise avoided using heirloom-level watches, opting for an affordable watch from the Detroit-based national brand Shinola during his presidency, or a sports watch from the Southern California brand Jorg Gray for less than $500.
When Trump, a businessman, took office, luxury watches finally returned to the president’s wrist, and Trump has worn luxury watches from Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe in addition to the Rolex Day-Date.
As for the current President Biden, he seems to be in the middle ground between luxury and affordability. In addition to wearing a Rolex Datejust on his inauguration day, there are also Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional and Seamaster Diver 300M, which are priced between $5,000 and $6,000 on the market.
According to Forsyth News, the New York Times sparked a backlash from liberals after featuring Biden’s watches with a number of former presidents, such as TV producer Bryan Behar, who denounced that “two weeks ago, a violent and white supremacist group led by the president of the United States (meaning Trump) brought democracy across America to the brink of collapse . Now, the New York Times is attacking Biden’s Rolex in order to appear impartial.”
Ian Millhiser, a reporter for the liberal news site Vox, also came out swinging, saying, “What’s the worst presidential scandal, Biden wearing a Rolex? Or Trump encouraging insurgents to riot and seize the Capitol?”
CNN commentator Ana Navarro said sarcastically, “Thank God we’re back to the days of stupid scandals, but at least the watch is better than the riots, white supremacy, separation of children from Parents (referring to the U.S. border policy on illegal immigrants), and stripper scandals.”
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