Florida Senator Marco Rubio quipped: “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.”
Little did Rubio know that eight years later, he would be proven correct!
It would appear to be a deep irony that, through a licensing agreement, Trump is indeed selling watches.
The previous story (Trump Watches I: Time is money for the US President) detailed the wide range of Trump-inspired watches being sold on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shein, and Zazzle. The designs range from the conventional to the quirky, cartoon-like, and bizarre. In fact, some watches date back to 1984.
However, during the early stages of the US Presidential Election, a business associated with the Trump name generated international media attention by launching Trump Watches.
At the time, a significant mystery surrounded the companies selling and manufacturing these products.
In a video released on 27 September as the Republican nominee, Trump discussed the launch of Trump Watches, suggesting ownership places the wearer in a ‘very exclusive club’.
“This isn’t just any watch, it’s one of the best watches made,” he said.
“It has almost 200 grams of gold and more than 100 real diamonds. That’s a lot of diamonds. I love gold. I love diamonds.”
One mystery surrounding the new collection is that, even though Trump is spruiking the watch, it is claimed he has no involvement with the company.
Interestingly, Trump Watches was not the first line of timepieces the US President has marketed.
In 2005, he released the Donald J. Trump Signature Watch Collection; however, this time around, there is significant - and legitimate - intrigue around the company selling the watches and the company(s) making the watches, given that, in 2005, Trump was not a politician, let alone the US president.
Diving deeper
The latest Trump-branded watches can only be purchased online via GetTrumpWatches.com, which clearly states that the business is not owned by or connected to Donald Trump.
“The Trump Watches are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals,” the website footer states.
This raises one obvious question: Why GetTrumpWatches.com rather than TrumpWatches.com?
Fortunately, there’s possibly a simple answer — that domain had already been taken.
TrumpWatches.com was registered in 2011 and, according to GoDaddy.com, is a ‘private registration’ that expires in July this year. However, this may not be the entire story, as other similar websites featuring Trump-branded merchandise can be found using the same URL formatting.
Among them are ‘Get Trump Fragrances’ (gettrumpfragrances.com) and ‘Get Trump Sneakers’ (gettrumpsneakers.com).
These websites include similar disclaimers to the watch website; namely: ‘Trump Sneakers are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. 45Footwear, LLC uses the Trump name, image and likeness under a license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.’
While both websites are registered by CIC Ventures LLC, a company based in Florida. Interestingly, the registered address is 3505 Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
This is also the registered address of the Trump International Golf Club, which would seem incongruous with the disclaimers on these websites stating that these products are the result of a license agreement and are “not political.”
Tick tock, tick tock
According to the New York Times, Trump was recorded as the owner of CIC Ventures LLC in his 2023 financial disclosure form; however, the watch website has a different ownership structure.
The company behind GetTrumpWatches.com and reportedly behind the licensing agreement is TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC.
The website explains the relationship between the business and the US President in the following way: “TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC uses the “Trump” name, image and likeness under a paid license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms. Trump Watches are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only, not for investment purposes.”
It advises: “The images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product. These watches are not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign.”
At the time of the announcement, little was known about TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC or the company that manufactures these products. The GetTrumpWatches domain was registered in February 2024 as a ‘private registration’.
Given that Trump appears to have licensed his name and likeness to this company, it was reasonably assumed that this company is not responsible for manufacturing these products.
With that said, an investigation by CNN published in October 2024 claims to have uncovered some valuable information.
“A CNN investigation into the manufacturing and distribution of the Trump-branded timepieces dead-ended at an innocuous-looking shopping center in a small city in remote northern Wyoming, not far from the border of Montana,” the article reads.
“There, sharing a parking lot with a hodgepodge of businesses including an H&R Block, a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant and a ‘vape and hemp smoke shop,’ is a nondescript office space that serves as the mailing address for TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC, the company behind the new line of Trump watches.
“The building houses a daycare, but there is no sign of the watches Trump says, ‘puts you in a very exclusive club’.”
Behind the mask
The report detailed a lack of transparency around the company - which was established in July 2024 - and suggested that very little information is publicly available about who owns or operates TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC.
This anonymity is facilitated by Wyoming's business registration laws, which allow owners to shield their identities.
According to this CNN investigation, the company, along with dozens of others - including those selling Trump-themed sneakers (45footwear LLC) - was registered by Andrew Pierce.
Pierce’s company specialises in creating ‘anonymous LLCs’ and acts as the registered agent. It handles correspondence but claims no operational involvement or responsibility for the actions of clients, the article explains.
Pierce reportedly operates mainly from Puerto Rico. The CNN report suggests that these business tactics are an ethical ‘grey area’ for the US President.
Private watches
According to a November 2024 report published by Bloomberg, Swiss journalists have uncovered the company manufacturing Trump Watches.
The About Us page of the Swiss-based private-label manufacturer Montrichard Group states: ‘We see the future of branding in emphasising brand focus and exclusivity over mass appeal to general audiences. Our goal is to create a fashion accessories ecosystem where brands can grow by cultivating their distinct identity and leveraging our operations to boost profitability.’
Interestingly, it explains: ‘In return for brand transformation and integration, we’ll receive equity in each concept.’
Whether this means the watchmaker is a shareholder in the Trump Watches business is unknown; however, CEO Remi Chabrat confirmed that Montrichard manufactures the Trump watches, although he reportedly didn’t answer a question asking where the cheaper models are being produced.
According to Bloomberg, industry veteran David Gouten was hired in October by Montrichard to oversee the venture. At the time, he claimed he had not met in person with anyone working for TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC.
In November 2024, only two months after the launch, Gouten said that most of the company’s high-end products, including a $100,000 watch, had not been sold; however, he added that there are ‘rules’ for making a purchase.
“Not everyone can buy the watch. You need to send your passport to check whether or not you can have it. They don’t want the products to be used as a political weapon — so, no terrorist-state clients,” he explained.
Following the launch, Trump Watches was hit with a wave of criticism from industry analysts who questioned the quality and design of the models. Some news reports claimed sales were poor.
At the time of publication, GetTrumpWatches.com displayed 62 men’s watches, 37 of which were listed as ‘sold out’. Of the 20 women’s watches displayed on the website, 10 were listed as ‘sold out’.
Hoping to receive information about the project and its success, Jeweller contacted the company on 16 April and received an immediate auto-reply.
It read, ‘Thanks for reaching out to us over at TRUMP Watches. We’re glad to confirm that your request has been properly received by our support team. We’ll work to provide you with a response as soon as possible.’
No subsequent reply has been received.
GetTrumpWatches.com displays 62 men’s watches and 20 women's models. At the time of publication, 37 men’s and 10 women's watches were listed as ‘SOLD OUT’.