The Latest Donald Trump Merch: $100,000 Collectible Watch Follows Forays Into Gold Sneakers and Bibles

Efforts to predict the outcome of the 2024 presidential race between GOP nominee/former president Donald Trump and Democratic candidate/current vice president Kamala Harris have grown more challenging in recent days, with current polling numbers placing them neck-and-neck. But with Harris appearing to take the lead in some battleground states, the Trump camp appears to be scrambling to make hay while the sun still shines. For a more traditional candidate, that might have manifested with an uptick in campaign stops or visits to previously passed-over regions of the country. But for an inveterate salesman like Trump, outreach comes in the form of increasingly questionable products that seem like a better fit for a One America News Network home shopping spinoff than a candidate for the highest office in the land. His latest effort, a line of gaudy wristwatches for the analog timekeeping crowd, might be his most desperate attempt to stave off his mounting financial issues and cash in on his waning appeal yet.

We’ve been down the questionable Trump product path before. Back in February, we saw those, er, eye-catching Trump-branded high-top sneakers that sold for $399—though Trump had no hand in their creation or distribution, he happily promoted them at shoehead event Sneaker Con. As of publication time, however, Donald Trump has never been spotted with his namesake shoes on his feet.

Then there was his branded Bible, which sold for $59.99 and, as of August, had put $300,000 in Donald Trump’s pocket. As with the shoes, Trump’s relationship to the good book seemed promotional at best, with the former president vaguely saying, “The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics” and saying, “I just think the whole Bible is something very special.” Spoken like a true biblical scholar!

But wait, there’s more, as the televised pitch person Trump clearly aspires to be might say. There are the “Trump digital trading cards” he filmed a video for in August, and the “Trump Coins” he launched earlier this week, also via a video posted to social media.

The watches, which dropped on Thursday, were first promoted by a quick text post from Trump’s Truth Social account. “These Watches are truly special — You’re going to love them,” the post read (/sic/ throughout). “Would make a great Christmas Gift. Don’t wait, they will go fast. GET YOUR TRUMP WATCH RIGHT NOW!”

The product launch roiled the timekeeping community, a globe-spanning group of passionate collectors whose obsessions are the stuff of legend. To put it gently, they were not impressed.

According to the watch line’s website, the timepieces—which start at $499 but also include a $100,000 option—”are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.” Instead, the candidate’s name, image and likeness are used under a paid license agreement, the website claims.

The company selling the watches, named TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC, was registered in July in the same Wyoming city used by the Trump-branded sneaker company. It’s a business practice that’s been linked to a wave of fraudulent practices by the assessor of that county, and is now under investigation by a number of (Republican) officials at the state and local level, the Cowboy State Daily reports.

According to professional watch enthusiast Ben Cook, fans of expensive timepieces might not love Trump’s product as much as he claims they will. “Why does it look like they are AliExpress watches that were designed in about five hours?” he asked in an Instagram video, referring to the deep-discount Chinese retailer known for cheaply made goods. Watch aficionado and retailer Adam Golden was equally harsh, saying “If anyone buys one of these…I have a bridge to sell you.”

To be fair, however, while Trump claims the watches—which bear the word “Trump” where the word “Timex,” “Casio,” or “Rolex” might typically appear—aren’t being marketed with any of the claims of quality that those established watch brands are. Instead, the watch sales website claims that the timepieces “are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only.” And the items’ appearance, so mocked by the watch community, might still be unknown. “The images shown are for illustration purposes only,” the site reads, “and may not be an exact representation of the product.” That, at least, feels very on-brand for the former president, given how difficult it’s been to pin down what he represents, as well.