President Obama's Wristwatch

Presidential wristwatches has always been a fascinating subject to me. To know what any person of such high stature chooses to wear on their wrist says a lot about who they are. Since he was Candidate Obama the online watch forums and blogs were all a buzz about what Barrack Obama was wearing. There was literally months of incorrect guessing before the truth finally came out.

I bet you're wondering now, aren't you? When President Obama first came into the public scene he wore a tried and true Tag Heuer 1500. Though Tag Heuer no longer makes this model after market and vintage sales of this piece jumped up quite a bit along side his rising popularity. Many watch admirers appreciated that he seemed to wear something of a 'beater' on his wrist, as it projected a good work ethic [kinda like his shoes].

Then something happened...One day something new appeared on his wrist...and it was something that no one could place for quite some time. Many assumed it was another Tag Heuer as he was already known to be a wearer of that mark. In reality it was something quite different. On the occasion of his 46th birthday President Obama was presented a gift by his Secret Service detail....You guessed it, a new watch. What made this watch so confusing to those of us who follow such things was the United States Secret Service logo printed on the dial. Many of us spent loads of time trying to determine the brands that had logos similar to what is printed on the watch. [see below]

The watch manufacturer is actually Jorg Gray, and the model is the 6500 Series Chronograph. Jorg Gray is commonly known for making watches available to have specially printed dials per the customers request [It's like one of those watches your company has made up with their logo on it]. The watches with the Secret Service logo are only available for purchase for those select few who work within the Department of Homeland Security*.

Fear not readers....This is, after all, America. Riding the popularity of President Obama's campaign and election Jorg Gray now offers a special version of the watch [without the Secret Service logo, for obvious reasons] with a special engraved case back. The watch is available at www.barackswatch.com and www.jorggray.com. Prices start at about $325.00. To be completely honest its very easy to find a watch with the same movement in it and of similar quality, for less money but obviously the market price is where it wants to be and people seem to be paying it. Plus there is something to be said for wearing the same watch as The President if you happen to be a fan of his.

Every once in a while you will see a "Secret Service Edition" of the watch appear on eBay, but the prices tend to be much higher than the "Presidential Edition" readily available to the public.

*Ed. Note: The Secret Service is no longer a part of the United States Treasurey Department. Its jurisdiction was placed under the Department of Homeland Security on March 1st, 2003. I have updated the original text to reflect that change. My sincere apologies to any who may have been offended by the error.