Donald Trump likes to hawk Donald Trump–branded merch, from NFTs to golden sneakers to branded Bibles. Last month, the former president expanded his kitschy portfolio with a new grift: Swiss-made Trump watches that come in a variety of colorways, bear his signature in the clock face, and range from $499 to $100,000 in price.
“The Official Trump Watch Collection is here, and these Watches are truly special — You’re going to love them,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “Would make a great Christmas Gift. Don’t wait, they will go fast.”
But a new report suggests that the alleged “Swiss-made” watches may not have originated in Switzerland. A CNN investigation traced TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC, the company selling the Trump watches, to an office building with a Wyoming mailing address. The same address has been used by several other companies including the LLC behind Trump-licensed sneakers — and one named TheBestHoneyOnEarth, which sells male-enhancement products but doesn’t appear to have a link to the former president. Vladimir Dmitriev, a spokesperson for the honey shop, declined to respond to questions from CNN. “We’ve received direction from our leadership in the U.S. not to engage with any news agencies (specifically CNN) until after November 5,” he told the outlet in a statement. Neither the Trump campaign nor the Trump Organization responded to CNN’s questions regarding the watch company, and the only response from the company itself was an auto-reply.
The Washington Post previously reported that Andrew Pierce, a Wyoming-based attorney, registered the companies behind the Trump sneakers and watches. Pierce operates a company called Wyoming LLC Attorney alongside his father, Mark Pierce. On its website, the business says it specializes in “anonymous LLCs to shield your personal information,” claiming to be able to help potential clients launch an LLC within 24 hours. Disclaimers at the bottom of the website advise that Wyoming LLC Attorney is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
Mark Pierce indicated to CNN that he didn’t know that two of his company clients had ties to Trump and said that potential customers should be “wary” of products sold with such connections. “If Mr. Trump or anyone in his family were on the same side of the street I was on, I would cross the street,” he told the outlet.
CNN was not able to determine where the watches are being made. No one has, at least yet, and just because the company behind them has a Wyoming address, that doesn’t mean they are being manufactured in the state. Wherever they’re made, watch aficionados seem skeptical Trump’s watches are well made, per CNN:
“Within some corners of the niche luxury watch community, Trump’s entry is already a bit of a punchline. The first purchases will ship in October, the company says, but promotional pictures and videos of it circulated widely online. Oisín O’Malley, a prominent watch reviewer whose YouTube videos regularly exceed 100,000 views, called the gold-plated $800 line ‘cheap stuff’ and said the pricier model appeared ‘basic’ for its cost while asserting it ‘looks like it was designed on a computer.’
In his more earnest attempt to review the product on his YouTube channel, Tim Mosso, a specialist for the online luxury watch marketplace 1916 Project, found it ‘a little bit ominous’ that the $100,000 model can’t go near water while wondering why the website doesn’t list basic information such as the product’s size. He speculated that just a handful of the most expensive models will end up getting made.”
Time will tell if the watches will at least tell time.
