Donald Trump's Watch Collection: Every Timepiece He's Worn

Donald Trump is not known as a collector in the way Sylvester Stallone, John Mayer or Kevin Hart are, but the US President has still built up a wrist-worthy five-piece rotation. His taste leans classical and gold-heavy, with a strong bias towards the Rolex Day-Date and two pieces from the Holy Trinity of watchmaking. More recently he has added a piece from his own branded watch line, which has sparked a reasonable amount of debate about who actually makes it and where.

Below is every watch Donald Trump has been spotted wearing in public, along with the full story behind each piece, the reference numbers, the movements and, in the case of Trump Watches, the facts behind the Swiss-made claim.

Rolex Day-Date 36 Reference 118238

Trump has been photographed on the golf course wearing a Rolex Day-Date cast in 18ct yellow gold. The exact reference is difficult to lock down from the angle of his wrist, but the President bracelet gives it away immediately: that bracelet is exclusive to the Day-Date line, and it is the very reason the model picked up its famous nickname. The Day-Date is known as the "Presidential" because of the bracelet it wears, and because a long line of US Presidents have worn one, a piece of watchmaking trivia covered in our deeper guide to Rolex nicknames every collector should know.

Before the Day-Date 40 and the Day-Date II expanded the range into 40mm and 41mm, the Day-Date lived in a 36mm case. Looking at the proportions on Trump's wrist, this piece appears to be the reference 118238, a 36mm Day-Date that opened the new millennium after taking over from the reference 18238 in 2000. Collectors still chase the 118238 today because it sits at a sweet spot in the model's history: modern enough to be reliable and serviceable, vintage enough to carry real character. You can see our current Rolex Day-Date 36 stock for comparable references.

Inside sits the in-house Calibre 3155, a self-winding movement with Double Quickset and hack seconds for setting the time to the exact beat. Cast in 18ct yellow gold with a fluted bezel and a champagne diamond dial, it is a textbook Presidential: the watch that has been on the wrists of JFK, LBJ, Johnson and now Trump himself.

If the reference above caught your eye, the piece below is the closest like-for-like currently available in our stock.

Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Reference 3738/122

Also spotted on the course, Trump has worn a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse reference 3738/122. This is one of the more understated watches in the collection: 18ct yellow gold case, blue sunburst dial, applied 18ct gold baton hour markers, no running seconds. The dial layout is as pure as dress watches get, and it is the kind of piece that reads as old money rather than new gold.

The Ellipse name comes from the case shape, which sits at roughly 31mm by 35.5mm in this reference. That is small by modern standards: the current Golden Ellipse is 34.5mm by 39.5mm. What has not changed is the thinness of the case, which Patek achieves through the Calibre 240, a 2.4mm self-winding movement built around a 22ct gold micro-rotor. It is a movement architecture Patek has been refining for over five decades.

The 3738/122 is a genuine vintage piece. Reference 3738 itself was introduced in 1978 and ran until 2009, making it one of the longest-serving references in the modern Patek catalogue. The 3738/122 variant belongs to the production run from the mid-80s through to the late 90s, and it is the sort of watch collectors hunt quietly rather than shout about. If you are after a specific vintage reference like this, our watch sourcing service handles exactly these kinds of requests.

Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968 Reference 43034/000R-9592

Trump's third major piece is the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968 reference 43034/000R-9592. Vacheron released this piece in 2010 as a re-edition of an original 1968 model. The case is 18ct 4N pink gold, cushion-cut into a square profile, and it is seriously thin.

Thin case geometry forces thin movements, and Vacheron answered with the Calibre 1120, a 2.45mm automatic originally co-developed decades ago with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. The 1120 is one of the legendary ultra-thin automatic movements in watchmaking, and finding it inside a 4N pink gold case is what makes this piece so quietly serious. It is also a clue that Trump, or whoever advises him, has some genuine knowledge of the industry. The Ultra-Fine 1968 is not an obvious buy; it is a collector's choice.

Rolex Day-Date 40 Reference 228235 "Olive Green Anniversary"

There is no photograph of Trump wearing this one on the wrist, but it was gifted to him on a livestream by Adin Ross, and the watch is distinctive enough to warrant a section of its own. Trump is not the first US President to receive a Day-Date as a gift: John F Kennedy was famously given a yellow gold Day-Date by Marilyn Monroe in 1962, engraved on the caseback with the words "Jack / With love as always / from / MARILYN / May 29th 1962".

The reference 228235 is a special piece in its own right. Rolex produced it to mark the 60th anniversary of the Day-Date collection in 2016, cast in Rolex's proprietary 18ct Everose gold with an olive green dial, fluted bezel and Presidential bracelet. Collectors call it the "Anniversary" or simply the "Olive", and it is one of the most recognisable modern Day-Date variants on the market.

If Trump's gifted Anniversary model appeals, we hold the same reference in stock.

Trump appeared on Adin Ross's livestream, where the streamer handed him the Day-Date Anniversary as a gift. The President looked slightly distracted but thanked Ross, calling Rolex a "great watch company". Rolex deserves more than that phrase. They are the biggest name in luxury horology, and the Day-Date is their most prestigious production model.

Trump Watches: The President's Own Brand

In September 2024, Trump announced his own watch brand, Trump Watches. In a promotional video, he was seen wearing the limited edition Fight Fight Fight Red Beauty, a 42mm steel case with a red aluminium bezel and red dial. It is the only piece in this article where Trump is wearing his own product. The brand has attracted a fair amount of scrutiny since launch, so it is worth separating the facts from the marketing.

Who makes Trump Watches?

Trump Watches is not made by Trump. Production and distribution is handled by a Wyoming-based limited liability company called TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC, which licenses the Trump name for marketing purposes. This was reported in detail by CNN and subsequently by NBC. Donald Trump plays no direct role in watchmaking or design.

Where are Trump Watches made?

The brand's marketing refers to several of its pieces as Swiss-made. The reality is more complicated. The movement inside the Fight Fight Fight Red Beauty is the TMI NH35, which is produced by Seiko's movement arm in Japan. A watch containing a Japanese movement cannot meet the legal definition of Swiss-made under Swiss law, which requires, among other things, that the movement be Swiss and that at least 60% of the manufacturing costs be generated in Switzerland. Assembly location, case origin and the rest of the supply chain have not been fully disclosed by the brand.

Trump Watches prices

Pricing on the Trump Watches site sits mostly in the hundreds to low thousands of US dollars, with the highest-profile release, the Victory Tourbillon, launched at a five-figure price point. Even at the lower end, the prices sit well above what a watch built on a Seiko NH35 movement would normally command at retail. Buyers are paying primarily for the branding, not the watchmaking content.

Trump Watches movement

The NH35 is a reliable workhorse automatic used across the affordable watch industry, typically in sub-£500 pieces from brands including Seiko itself, Invicta and a long list of microbrands. It is not a bad movement, but it is not a calibre that supports Swiss-made claims and it is not in the same conversation as the Rolex 3155 or the Patek 240 that power Trump's personal collection.

Does Donald Trump Have a Serious Watch Collection?

On paper, five public pieces is a small rotation. But the composition is more interesting than the count. Trump has worn two of the three brands in the Holy Trinity of watchmaking, both in vintage or vintage-adjacent references that require actual collector knowledge to seek out. The Patek 3738/122 and the Vacheron 43034 are not watches you buy by accident. The two Day-Dates sit comfortably alongside them, and the Anniversary 228235 is one of the more collectible modern Day-Date references Rolex has produced this century.

The one missing brand, and the one that would complete a Holy Trinity wrist-check, is Audemars Piguet. A Royal Oak on the President's wrist would round the collection off. Whether that ever happens is a different question entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Donald Trump wear a watch?

Yes. Donald Trump has been photographed wearing watches on several occasions, though mostly while golfing rather than at formal events. His confirmed pieces are two Rolex Day-Dates, a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 3738/122, a Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968 and a limited edition from his own Trump Watches brand.

What watch does Donald Trump wear most often?

The Rolex Day-Date, in 18ct yellow gold on a President bracelet, is the piece Trump has been photographed with most frequently. He has worn both a 36mm reference 118238 and the 40mm olive green Anniversary 228235 gifted by streamer Adin Ross.

Who makes Trump Watches?

Trump Watches is made and distributed by TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC, a limited liability company registered in Wyoming. The company licenses the Trump name for marketing purposes. Donald Trump himself does not make or design the watches.

Where are Trump Watches made?

The brand markets several pieces as Swiss-made, but at least one confirmed model, the Fight Fight Fight Red Beauty, uses a Japanese Seiko NH35 movement, which disqualifies it from meeting Swiss-made requirements under Swiss law. The brand has not publicly disclosed its full manufacturing chain.

How much do Trump Watches cost?

Trump Watches range from roughly a few hundred US dollars for base models to five figures for tourbillon releases. Pricing on the brand's website reflects the Trump licensing premium rather than the underlying watchmaking content, which is built on movements typically used in affordable Japanese automatics.

What is the Rolex Presidential?

The Rolex Presidential is the collector nickname for the Rolex Day-Date, not a separate model. It takes the name from the three-piece President bracelet that is exclusive to the Day-Date line, and from its long association with US Presidents dating back to Lyndon B Johnson.

Has any other US President been gifted a Rolex?

Yes. The most famous example is John F Kennedy, who was given a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date by Marilyn Monroe in 1962, engraved on the caseback. Lyndon B Johnson was photographed wearing a Day-Date so often that it became the defining piece of his public image, and the model's Presidential nickname is often credited directly to him.

Looking for a Watch From Trump's Collection?

If the pieces above have caught your interest, our celebrity watch spotting blog covers similar rotations for Drake, Kevin O'Leary, DJ Khaled and more. For live stock of the Day-Date references Trump has worn, or for sourcing a vintage Patek Ellipse or Vacheron Historiques, get in touch directly.