The Wristwatches of all Living Former Presidents (including Obama and Trump)

While we may live in a time of great political polarization, one thing we can all appreciate are the watches of former living U.S. Presidents. The 5 living former presidents, which includes Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, have all been spotted during or post presidency with wristwear. While some of the pieces we are featuring are extremely affordable, others are much more extravagant.

This article will highlight each living president in reverse chronological order from the most recent president (starting with Trump and ending with Carter). We will point out some (but not all) notable pieces belonging to each president.

Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, was known for being a brash New York real estate tycoon prior to his presidency. If you saw Trump’s Manhattan apartment, you could make a guess of what type of watch the Donald would wear. If you guessed a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, you’d be correct. Trump, however, is hardly the first U.S. President to wear a Day-Date. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy (allegedly) and Lyndon B. Johnson all owned Day-Dates (which are only offered in gold or platinum).

But Trump has also been spotted wearing more subdued timepieces as well. On the golf course, he was seen wearing a yellow Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse (Ref. 3738/122). Looking at the Golden Ellipse, you will notice that it is actually fairly understated for a gold watch, with dimensions of only 31 x 35.5mm. The design was first introduced by Patek Philippe in 1968.

Barack Obama has been spotted wearing multiple different timepieces as well. During his presidency, Obama mostly wore a Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph. This watch was a gift from the Secret Service for his 46th birthday. You can see the Secret Service seal at the 12 o’clock position. The Jorg Gray is very affordable, retailing for only $390 USD for the non-commemorative edition.

Post presidency, however, Obama has truly elevated his wrist game by wearing the most classic and understated Rolex available. Obama has been regularly spotted wearing a Rolex Cellini. He is even wearing the Cellini in his official White House portrait (the first Presidential portrait painted by a Black artist, Kehinde Wiley).

Obama wearing his Rolex Cellini while with Prince Harry.

A close-up of Obama’s wrist. He can clearly be seen wearing a Rolex Cellini.

George W. Bush came into the presidency as one of the richest presidents. Before becoming Governor of Texas, Bush started and oil company and eventually went on to own the MLB’s Texas Rangers. Despite his immense wealth, W. wore the most basic of his watches while in office (and after). He wore a Timex Indiglo, a watch that you can pick up for $43 new. Bush’s model, however, was customized with his name and an American flag.

Bill Clinton, a lawyer and Rhodes Scholar, was known to wear very understated timepieces during his presidency. For example, Clinton has been pictured wearing a Timex Ironman digital watch while in office.

Post presidency, however, Clinton’s collection has undergone a massive upgrade. Clinton has been seen wearing a Jaeger LeCoulture Master Compressor in titanium which retails for $10,900 USD.

Clinton has also been seen sporting an A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Pour Le Mérite. This white gold watch from the German luxury brand was limited to a run of just 218 pieces and retailed for a sky-high $82,500 USD (though the watch is selling for close to $100,000 on the secondary market).

The last living president we will cover is 96-year-old Jimmy Carter. Jimmy Carter is known to have lived (relatively) modestly in his post-presidency, not taking advantage of all of the the perks and monetary opportunities that come with being a former president (his net worth is only $8 million USD). To this day, Carter remains “a man of the people,” through his continuing volunteer work for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

A very interesting piece that Carter owned was the Vulcain Cricket. The Cricket was nicknamed the “Presidents’ Watch” because one was given to multiple presidents, including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagon, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Finnish jeweler Keijo Paajanen presented Carter with his Vulcain Cricket in 1997, 7 years after he had left office. The tradition of giving a Vulcain Cricket to U.S. Presidents was started by Keijo’s father Jouko Paajanen and continued by Keijo when Jouko died in 2009

Finnish jeweler Keijo Paajanen presenting Jimmy Carter with a Vulcain Cricket at the U.S. Embassy in 1997. Courtesy of James Henderson.

An example of the Vulcain Cricket. Courtesy of Gear Patrol.

While it not known whether Carter ever wore his Vulcain (there does not appear to be any photo evidence of him wearing the watch), he has been seen wearing an inexpensive piece upside down (Reagan wore his Rolex similarly).

This picture of an Elder Statesmen Carter appears to show him wearing a Casio Forester FT-600WB-5A. You can pick up this model for between $30-$40 USD. Carter certainly was not flashy in his wristwear.

What do you think of the wristwatches of all former living presidents? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.