President Barack Obama is the country’s first African American president and one of the youngest since John F. Kennedy. The country has been enthralled by his charisma, oratory skills and intellect. Besides possessing political virtues and statesman-like qualities, many have made a note of his modern sense of style. Although less important than his promises to unite a nation, many pundits in the media have picked up on the President’s contemporary GQ-esque fashion sense.

On a cold day more than 2 years before making presidential history, Obama announced his candidacy wearing a sleek black cashmere coat over a sharp suit and solid red tie. He was also sporting a Tag Heuer Aquaracer watch, a timepiece well known with watch enthusiasts. During the primaries, Obama’s attire rarely surprised. Sharp suits and sleek coats would always brand the democratic candidate. What reporters and fashionistas did quickly catch on to, was Obama’s taste for luxury watches.
Immediately after the media and bloggers cast a ray of attention on the democratic candidate’s passion for high-end watches, it wasn’t long before everyone would study every photograph ever taken of Obama’s wrist. It became abundantly clear that the only thing Obama liked more than giving packed-house speeches and drawing hundred thousand-person crowds in European capitals was his watch collection.

Time pieces in his exclusive “presidential” collection include Panerai, Tag heuer Aquaracer, Tag heuer Carerra, and with a humbler note: Bulova. Two time-pieces in particular standout as over the top fashion accessories. The IWC Big pilot’s watch is a very luxurious watch with a hefty price tag. Some would consider it a bit too flashy for a democratic President preaching to a recession-stricken America, while freezing his staff’s salaries. IWC is considered a high-end brand on par with Rolex and Cartier, luxury icons that seem a bit out of touch with the general American’s economic condition.

Since his election, the President has toned down his horological exhibitionism, and now sports a secret service watch. The secret service chronograph watch is an independently manufactured timepiece exclusively available to secret service employees. The watch is no less eccentric or exclusive than any other one in his collection, yet its price tag is not offensive to Americans ailing in the economic crisis.