Donald Trump loves Rolex while Joe Biden favours an Apple Watch – why their taste in timepieces is as different as their politics

Nov 30 , 2020

If there’s one thing Donald Trump and Joe Biden can agree on, it might just be their interest in timepieces. Photos: SCMP Archives

The US president’s collection features classics by Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, while the president-elect opts for James Bond’s favourite Omega and the so-called ‘presidents’ watch’, the Vulcain Cricket

President-elect Joe Biden and President Donald Trump’s politics could not be more different and, as we’re about to discover, they have disparate taste in watches, too. From Trump’s classic gold Vacheron Constantin to Biden’s Omega timepiece, here’s a look at which brands get their vote.

Joe Biden frying steaks in Des Moines, Iowa in September 2019 wearing his Apple Watch. Photo: Reuters

In tune with his cool grandpa persona, Biden’s collection of timepieces is more contemporary than classic in terms of design. A fan of Omega, Biden’s been repeatedly spotted wearing no less than three different Seamasters. He wore one in a photo shoot for InStyle magazine in 2017.

The Seamaster is most popularly known for being James Bond’s preferred watch, first appearing in the franchise on 007’s wrist in 1995. If it’s good enough for James Bond, it’s probably good enough for a president.

Biden also owns a Speedmaster, another popular range of timepieces by Omega. This particular model is perhaps even more fitting for an American president, since the Speedmaster was the first watch to make it into space aboard Apollo 11, worn on the wrists of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin when they made those important first steps on the moon.

Omega gifted Richard Nixon with one of the first Speedmasters they ever made in yellow gold. However, Nixon rejected the gift as per protocol and the watch now sits in Omega’s archive. The watchmaker additionally remains Nasa’s official timekeeping partner to this day.

Joe Biden holds a baby at an Independence Day parade in Iowa last year, and flashes his Apple Watch to the cameras. Photo: Reuters

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