EBN- Donald Trump is back in the White House after being re-elected as US president, but his side business as a representative for an emerging luxury watch brand hasn’t been a huge success so far.
The Trump-branded luxury watches gained international attention when they were launched last September, with critics questioning the price and whether customers might seek political influence by purchasing them, according to Bloomberg.
For decades, Trump has licensed his trademark to products bearing his name, including Trump steaks, water, real estate seminars, guitars, Bibles, sneakers and cryptocurrency projects.
Trump Tourbillon
The Montrichard Group produces the Donald Trump Tourbillon watch as well as other lower-priced models with names including the Crypto President and the Fighter.
Most of the $100,000 watches bearing the name of the US president-elect have not been sold.
The Swiss watchmaker, which makes the Trump Tourbillon, has received orders for more than 10 percent of the 147 solid gold, diamond-encrusted watches for sale on gettrumpwatches.com, said David Gutten, an industry veteran hired by the Montrichard Group to oversee the project.
“We’re working on a new website and things like that to help promote it and push it further,” Jotun said in an interview in Switzerland , noting that the materials used to make the Trump Tourbillon cost at least $25,000 and that the $100,000 profit margin was within standard industry practice.
The Tourbillon watch is the most expensive watch ever offered by the Trump brand, due to mechanical additions to increase the watch’s accuracy, in addition to being studded with diamonds, but anyone who wants to buy it will need to provide documents proving their identity.
“The Trump watch costs $100,000, but not everyone can afford it,” Jotun said. “You have to send a copy of your passport to see if you can get it. They don’t want to use the products as a political weapon.”
Trump’s watches are sold by BestWatchesonEarth, which says on its website that it is based in Sheridan, N.Y. The Montrichard Group is a private-label watch manufacturer that makes the Nevada Greenshine, Vulcan and Space One watches.
