According to this article by the Russian publication Pravda, Russian President Vladimir Putin wears a $60,000 Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar watch while our own President Bush sports a $50 Timex Indiglo. What’s even more interesting is that Putin’s annual salary is only $60,000 while Bush’s salary, according to Wikipedia, is $400,000 (like he even needs it). Is Putin trading nukes for watches, and did Bush lose a bet? And most curious of all is the fact that Bush’s Timex is apparently engraved with the words “George W. Bush President January 20, 2001”. That’ll be something to pass down through the generations. I didn’t know you could even get a Timex engraved. Maybe it was a gift from one of his daughters.
Ok, to be honest, I actually don’t judge people by their watches. My philosophy is that every watch is right for someone, whether it’s a Timex or a Rolex, a Casio or a Panerai. Still, I was glad to see that Clinton appears to be walking around with a Kobold on his wrist. Kobold seems to be a good way for US politicians to get a piece of Swiss watchmaking tradition while still supporting the US economy. Maybe I’ll run for office or plan a trip to the north pole just so I can justify getting one.
