Which watches does Donald Trump wear?

Let’s continue our tour of watches worn by notable personalities with Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States. A man whose relationship with watchmaking raises a fascinating question: how can someone who built his brand on excess (golden towers, private jets, capital letters) wear 36 mm yellow-gold watches day in, day out?

Because here’s the paradox: Trump collects classic Swiss timepieces, often smaller and infinitely slimmer than his public persona would suggest. Then, without warning, he launches a line bearing his name, where the watch becomes what, in his universe, it arguably never should have stopped being: a wearable slogan.

The watches in his collection include a surprisingly delicate Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, a Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine that borders on invisibility, and the most predictable of all: a yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date “President”. We’ll also mention one of the “Trump Watches” models he launched during his presidential campaigns.

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 3738: yellow gold in stealth mode

Let’s start with the scene that sums it all up: Trump playing golf with a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse on his wrist. Not a sports watch. Not a rugged chronograph. No: a dress watch, 31 × 35 mm, wafer-thin, with no business being on a green—yet there it is.

The Golden Ellipse, introduced in 1968, is built around the golden ratio (1:1.618). It’s a watch for discreet aesthetes—for those who know true elegance only reveals itself on a second glance. In other words: not exactly the register you’d expect.

Specs: Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse ref. 3738

• Case: 18k yellow gold
• Shape: elliptical
• Dimensions: approx. 31 × 35 mm (yes, really)
• Dial: sunburst blue, gold indices and hands
• Movement: Patek Philippe calibre 240 (micro-rotor, ultra-thin)
• Period: late 1970s through the 2000s

What stands out is the size. On a generous wrist, this Ellipse looks like a ladies’ watch borrowed for the afternoon. But Trump wears it—and he wears it often. There’s something here that escapes the logic of flashiness: a genuine taste for slim, classic, almost compact watches. The kind that slips under a cuff without negotiation.

Current price: around €20,000 on the pre-owned market, and €61,200 for a more recent version in rose gold (ref. 5738/1R-001).

Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968: the architect with a bulldozer

Second standout piece: the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968, worn notably during the 2016 campaign. Its reference? 43043/000R-9592, in rose gold.

It’s a square of roughly 35 mm, with a vertically satin-brushed silver dial, slim indices, baton hands. Thickness? About 2.45 mm for the movement. We’re talking about a watch that could vanish under a postage stamp.

Specs: Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968

• Reference: 43043/000R-9592
• Case: 18k rose gold (4N alloy)
• Shape / diameter: square, approx. 35 mm
• Dial: silver, vertical satin finish
• Movement: calibre 1120 (ultra-thin, automatic)
• Movement thickness: approx. 2.45 mm

Once again, we’re a long way from the XXXL three-piece “power suit” with mega shoulder pads you might have imagined. Trump, so often described as a bulldozer, wears a minimalist architect’s watch. It’s almost funny: this Vacheron is so thin it would disappear under any cuff—even those cut to occupy every inch of available space.

Price: expect around €15,000 on the pre-owned market.

Rolex Day-Date “President”: at last, gold that owns it

Here, we find a more recognisable Trump. The yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date is his watch uniform. President bracelet (three rows of rounded links, regal comfort), day window at 12 o’clock, date at 3 o’clock, and big stones for hour markers. Functional classicism in gala attire.

A small clarification: the nickname “President” originally refers to the bracelet, created specifically for the Day-Date. But usage eventually spread to the watch itself. The fact that several American presidents have worn one only reinforced the legend. When Rolex tells a story, it always ends up becoming true.

Trump wears a Day-Date 36 ref. 118238 (yellow gold, champagne dial). In older photos, a 18038 is also mentioned, but the Day-Date family is certain.

Specs: Rolex Day-Date 36 ref. 118238

• Case: 18k yellow gold
• Diameter: 36 mm
• Display: day spelled out at 12 o’clock, date at 3 o’clock
• Bracelet: President
• Movement: Rolex calibre 3155

Thirty-six millimetres. Again. A pattern starts to emerge: Trump likes yellow gold, certainly—but he also likes watches that, technically, are too small for his wrist. In his official photos, these Day-Dates look like in-between watches, as if someone forgot to order the right size. But no: it’s a repeated, deliberate choice.

How much to wear the watch of the most powerful man on the planet? Budget around €25,000 on the pre-owned market, and €45,600 if you want it new.

Trump Watches: when marketing takes back control

And then, during his first presidential campaign, came Trump Watches. A brand marketed under licence of the Trump name (not made by him or by the Trump Organization, to be clear). The storytelling, however, is pure Trump: patriotic, direct, sales-driven. To be fair, Trump has produced watches in the past, before his political life, but we’ll cover that in another article.

In a promotional video released during the 2024 presidential race, he was seen wearing a model from the “Fight Fight Fight” collection, the “Red Beauty”. Far from ultra-thin Swiss gold pieces: enter the 42 mm patriotic tool watch, water-resistant to 20 ATM, with a rotating bezel and a robust Japanese movement.

Specs: Trump Watches “Fight Fight Fight – Red Beauty”

• Diameter: 42 mm
• Thickness: 12.5 mm
• Case: stainless steel
• Bezel: unidirectional 60-minute, aluminium insert
• Movement: TMI NH35 automatic (Seiko)
• Crystal: mineral with “sapphire-coated” treatment
• Water resistance: 20 ATM
• Price: around €420

The NH35 is a calibre you find everywhere: reliable, tough, no surprises. A mechanical workhorse. Here, it does the job. The real question isn’t technical—it’s narrative: after years of wearing Patek and Vacheron, why go back to a mass-produced watch with his name on it?

Because, with Trump, watchmaking has always run at two speeds: personal taste (classic, slim, discreet) and branding (visible, assertive, sellable). Trump Watches belong to the second category. These aren’t watches for connoisseurs: they’re watches for people who want to say something by wearing them.

A paradox in 36 mm

What makes the Trump collection fascinating isn’t the expected exuberance. It’s the contrast. For years, he wore small, thin watches—yellow gold, yes, but with an almost monastic restraint for someone who built casinos and had his name engraved in capital letters on skyscrapers.

The Patek Ellipse is 31 mm. The Vacheron is square and invisible. The Rolex Day-Date is 36 mm—a size that, on his wrist, feels like it was chosen for someone else. And yet he wears them. Again and again.

So yes, there are now Trump Watches, with their 42 mm of steel and an integrated political message. But even then, we’re still far from the oversized chronographs you might have imagined.

At heart, Trump may have understood something many overlook: a watch doesn’t need to be big to be made of gold. And gold always speaks loudly enough (especially right now).