Which Watches Does Emmanuel Macron Wear?

Emmanuel Macron has this peculiarity: he seems to have, on his wrist, a watch collection more substantial than his approval ratings. And it’s clearly not by buying these watches that he has deepened France’s debt: the timepiece stable of the Mozart of public spending remains modest by the standards of a Western head of state. It is, however, remarkably coherent.

From a Lip for under €200 to Cartier or Longines’ understated rectangles, via a tricolour manufacture Pequignet, the presidential watch tells Macron’s image strategy better than many a press release. Industrial patriotism, drawing-room ecology, bourgeois discretion: it’s all there, condensed into a few centimetres of metal and sapphire.

Emmanuel Macron’s French (and very French) watches

You might expect, from a president trained at the Inspection des finances, to see a Patek or an F.P. Journe glinting. Not so. Most of Macron’s watches are French, or at least “Franco-Swiss”, and at price levels that would almost make certain MPs blush when declaring their assets.

Lip Dauphine – the tricolour watch for under €200

This is probably the most politically “legible” watch. In 2018, Macron was spotted wearing a 38mm Lip Dauphine on a blue-white-red NATO strap. Steel case, simple quartz movement, three hands, retail price around €170–200.

For a president, it’s almost the anti-Rolex: made in France, the symbol of a historic house that nearly died several times, resurrected in Besançon. A thoroughly “mass-market” watch—one any employee can buy without taking on 25 years of debt. The image is perfect: on the wrist, a popular icon rather than a billionaire’s trophy.

Awake G7 “La Bleue” – eco-storytelling on the wrist

At the 2019 G7 in Biarritz, Macron wore an Awake G7 “La Bleue”, a special edition made for the summit. The case is made from recycled fishing nets, the tricolour strap from recovered plastic, and the movement is powered by a solar module. A manifesto watch: less fine watchmaking than environmental pedagogy.

The message is transparent: France is hosting a “green” G7, and the president is wearing a watch that ticks every box of contemporary virtue—recycling, renewable energy, limited edition, made in France. On the authenticity scale, everyone will make up their own mind. In storytelling terms, it’s unanswerable.

Merci LMM-01 – the faux broke-student watch

Emmanuel Macron has also been seen wearing a Merci LMM-01, created by the Paris concept store Merci. Steel case of around 38mm, domed mineral crystal, ultra-sober white dial, black hands and a coloured seconds hand. Inside, a Swiss hand-wound mechanical calibre (ETA or Sellita depending on the series), requiring daily winding by hand, like in the last century.

The LMM-01 is a very Parisian object: deceptively simple, meticulously worked in its proportions, inspired by military and scientific watches from the 1940s–60s. Its price sits around €400–600. It’s the watch of the prépa teacher who reads Proust but drives a Clio, or the ministerial adviser who hasn’t yet crossed over to the dark side of bonuses. On Macron, it tells one simple thing: “I know watchmaking, but I’m not showing off.”

March LA.B AM69 Electric Steel – a swinging Sixties nod

Macron has been photographed several times wearing a March LA.B AM69 “Electric Steel”. A French watch designed in Biarritz, with a 36mm round steel case, crown offset at 4 o’clock, a slightly domed light dial, and a Swiss quartz movement. All for €645.

It’s a very “Left Bank” watch: restrained size, unapologetic 60s vibe, elegance without emphasis. On a president, it creates an almost anachronistic silhouette in the age of XXL cases: a head of state wearing 36mm in a world where everyone has 44mm on the wrist is, in itself, already a political choice.

March LA.B Mansart / Dandy Mansart Forêt Électrique – French architecture in 30mm

Another March LA.B signature spotted on his wrist: the Mansart, sometimes referenced as the Dandy Mansart Forêt Électrique. Very slim octagonal case, around 30mm across, deep green “Grall” dial, quartz movement. Price? €795.

The design is inspired by classical French architecture, with lines that evoke both Mansard roofs and certain Parisian façades. On Macron, this small angular watch—almost jewel-like—replaces the Cartier Tanks of his early days with a contemporary French version at a more “sensible price”. The aristocratic rectangle has turned into a republican octagon.

Bell & Ross BR V1-92 “Présidence de la République” – the “fake” €80,000 watch

Macron’s most talked-about watch is neither the most expensive nor the rarest. It’s a customised Bell & Ross BR V1-92, with a 38.5mm steel case, sunburst blue dial, three hands and date. Inside, an automatic BR-CAL.302 calibre based on a Swiss Sellita SW300-1, with around 38 hours of power reserve.

22 March 2023. In the middle of the pensions crisis, Macron is invited onto the 1pm news on TF1 and France 2. Mid-interview, internet users spot a gesture: he discreetly removes his watch under the table. That was enough for a narrative to spiral: “the president of the ultra-rich takes off his €80,000 watch paid for with your pensions.”

Some even claimed it was an F.P. Journe. Videos circulated, tweets piled up, outrage compounded. The reality—far more prosaic—came out later: the watch in question was the customised Bell & Ross BR V1-92 made for the Presidency, around €2,400. Macron removed it after knocking it against the edge of the table, which made a noise picked up by the microphones.

The episode is interesting because it shows just how explosive the watch has become as a political symbol. In a country obsessed with purchasing power, the slightest steel case can be read as an admission of class contempt. Hence Macron’s overall strategy: stay within a price bracket that doesn’t invite caricature, while still satisfying a genuine taste for the object.

A particularity: the caseback and dial bear the coat of arms of the Presidency of the Republic and the GSPR logo. A military-inspired watch, consistent with Bell & Ross’ DNA—a French house that produces in Switzerland. Retail price: around €2,400 at launch. So we are very far from the €80,000 fantasised about on social media.

Pequignet Attitude Élysée – the “official watch”

The latest arrival in the presidential galaxy: the Pequignet Attitude “Élysée”. A limited series of 300 pieces, developed by French manufacture Pequignet for the Presidency of the Republic. 39mm steel case, opaline white dial, blued hands, large date window, blue leather strap stitched in red, and above all the Élysée seal at 6 o’clock, with the “RF” monogram on the crown and the oscillating weight.

Inside beats the Calibre Initial, an in-house automatic movement designed and assembled in France, with a generous power reserve (around 65 hours) and a patented semi-instantaneous date system. Retail price: €3,500.

Swiss and international watches

Beyond this very tricolour foundation, Macron also—logically—has a few more classic Swiss watches. No orgy of complications, but dependable staples, inherited from his Bercy years and his early days in national politics.

Cartier Tank – the chic rectangle that has vanished from French wrists

Before his accession to the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron was seen several times wearing a Cartier Tank. Rectangular rose-gold case, light dial, Roman numerals, railway minute track, small seconds at 6 o’clock in some photos. Expect to pay at least €15,000 to buy one. Another Tank, in steel or white gold, has also been spotted.

The Tank is a totem of French chic: worn by Jackie Kennedy, Andy Warhol, Alain Delon… and countless ministers, lawyers and top executives. Since becoming president, however, Macron seems to have relegated it backstage—no doubt to avoid the overly ostentatious image of a high-jewellery watch in an inflammable social climate. On international trips, it can still be glimpsed from time to time. In France, it travels more readily in a drawer than on the wrist.

Longines DolceVita – the affordable Art Deco compromise

In the same rectangular vein, but more “reasonable”, Macron also wears a Longines DolceVita. Rectangular steel case a little over 30mm, silvered guilloché dial, Roman numerals or applied indices depending on the version, quartz movement and leather strap.

With a price around €1,000–1,200, the DolceVita is a typically Longines compromise: very polished design, real historical legitimacy, but an entry ticket that remains accessible for fine Swiss watchmaking. It is, in a way, the Tank for someone who doesn’t want to own up to a Tank.

Fabergé Altruiste – a foray into true haute horlogerie

Rarer in photos, but confirmed by several observers: a Fabergé Altruiste (often spelled “Altruiste” or “Altruist”; the reference is 864WA1691/24). Rose-gold case, opaline guilloché dial, blued Breguet-style hands, high-end Swiss mechanical movement, careful decoration right down to the caseband flanks and the oscillating weight.

Here we shift up a gear: this is a genuine haute horlogerie piece, priced at €19,500. Macron has worn it only very occasionally. By the standards of a French president, it’s not extravagant—Nicolas Sarkozy had a far more hard-hitting watch collection—but it is probably the most luxurious watch associated with his wrist.

What his watches reveal about his image strategy

Listing references is fine. Understanding the overall message is better. When you line all these watches up, you get a fairly clear score.

• Overt economic patriotism: Lip, Awake, March LA.B, Merci, Pequignet… Macron pushes made in France (or Franco-Swiss) as far as possible on the wrist. The Pequignet Attitude Élysée even takes the logic to its apex, with a French manufacture calibre.
• “Sensible” prices for a president: aside from the Fabergé or the Tank, most of his watches sit between €200 and €3,500. For the average citizen, that’s already a lot. For a head of state, it’s reasonable—especially since most were likely gifted by the brands. His collection is clearly larger than his approval ratings, but far lighter than the public debt.
• Compact sizing, discreet elegance: 30 to 38mm, rarely more. Macron sticks to classic, almost old-school proportions, far from the 45mm chronographs beloved of self-proclaimed influencers.
• Quartz / mechanical balance: unlike the fetishism of certain collectors, he alternates without embarrassment between quartz movements (practical, accurate, inexpensive) and mechanical ones (Merci, Fabergé, Pequignet). A pragmatic, almost technocratic approach to watchmaking.
• An integrated ecological message: the Awake G7 methodically ticks the boxes of the “sustainable” watch. Whether the commitment is sincere or not, the signal sent is clear.

Ultimately, his choices say the same thing as his speeches: a modern France, connected to the world, yet still parading its historic manufactures like a coat of arms. And a president who likes watches enough to wear many of them, but not enough to publicly own a six-figure grand complication.

FAQ: Emmanuel Macron’s watches

What are the main watches worn by Emmanuel Macron?

Among the models identified in photos and public appearances: the customised Bell & Ross BR V1-92 “Présidence de la République”, the Lip Dauphine on a tricolour NATO, the Awake G7 “La Bleue”, the March LA.B AM69 Electric Steel, the March LA.B Mansart / Dandy Mansart Forêt Électrique, the Merci LMM-01, the Longines DolceVita, several Cartier Tanks, a rose-gold Fabergé Altruiste, and—more recently—the Pequignet Attitude Élysée, developed for the Presidency.

Does Macron really have an €80,000 watch?

The controversy around an €80,000 watch during a pensions interview was unfounded. The watch removed live on air was a Bell & Ross BR V1-92 at around €2,400. He does, however, own at least one more expensive haute horlogerie watch, a Fabergé Altruiste, but it has never been at the centre of a scandal.

Why does he wear so many French watches?

Because it ticks all the right boxes: support for tricolour know-how, a more restrained image than that of a president covered in ultra-luxury Swiss brands, and consistency with the “Made in France” narrative. Lip, March LA.B, Awake, Merci and Pequignet all tell the same story: that of a French watchmaking sector that wants to live—and of a president who serves as its shop window.

Is the Pequignet Attitude Élysée Macron’s “official watch”?

It is, at any rate, the most institutional. Limited series of 300 pieces, French manufacture calibre, Élysée seal on the dial, “RF” monograms everywhere they can be engraved. Even if it doesn’t yet appear in every photo, it is set to become one of his emblematic timepieces for major ceremonies.

Is Emmanuel Macron a genuine watch enthusiast?

He’s not an obsessive collector, but he is clearly above the level of the occasional wearer. The choice of brands, the consistency of sizes, the quartz/mechanical alternation, and the arrival of a true manufacture watch like the Pequignet Attitude Élysée show that he knows the subject—or that he has surrounded himself very well. Let’s say he’s enthusiastic enough to have fun with watchmaking codes… and prudent enough never to give the impression he’s doing it at the taxpayer’s expense.