Mark Zuckerberg wears a very rare Swiss watch and it annoys

A proven fan of Swiss watches, the CEO of Meta appeared with one of his latest acquisitions: a Greubel Forsey model, a watch brand established in La Chaux-de-Fonds, whose value flirts with a million dollars. But this spotlight on a very confidential house could displease “real” connoisseurs.

It’s a very Swiss tic. While the whole world had its eyes glued to Mark Zuckerberg’s lips on January 7, when he announced he was ending his fact-checking program on Meta, others were more focused on his… wrist.

And for good reason. As Arcinfo et Bloomberg were the first to point out, the billionaire wore a Neuchâtel watch. A little gem from the Greubel Forsey brand, with an estimated retail value of $895,500 – before taxes. A gold model, decorated and assembled entirely by hand, from the “Hand Made 1” collection – a series of mechanical watches built solely with traditional tools, of which two to three pieces leave the workshops each year. Manufacturing a single timepiece requires around 6,000 hours of work.

The piece on Mark Zuckerberg’s wrist, which was produced in 2019, is one of the brand’s most expensive. “This watch has gone through a number of handmade steps and finishes that are incredible in terms of hours. It’s phenomenal work», explains Marco, expert on the subject and founder of the magazine Watchonista – hence its price of almost $900,000.

“What’s interesting about Mark Zuckerbeg is that initially, he only wore Garmins,” laughs Marco Gabella, referring to sports watches popular with athletes and running enthusiasts, including the Average price is around 200-300 francs.

A model from the “Hand Made 1” collection, which includes that of Mark Zuckerberg. image: Greubel Forsey

Among them? A Patek Philippe 5236P Perpetual calendar, a very rare model, but also a Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, the finest chronometer watch in the world, with an estimated value of 530,000 francs. Let us also mention a Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Richard Mille RM 30-01 or even an H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton. Without forgetting a De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius watch, as well as two watches from François-Paul Journe, a Centigraphe Sport Aluminum 073-CTS and a Journe Chronometre Souveraine Havana, two independent watchmakers who have “exploded”, Marco Gabella tells us.

This collection of rare pieces in any case translates something, according to the expert:

Journe, for example, has a boutique in Los Angeles and requires his customers to show “white paws.” As for Greubel Forsey, she is represented in California by Silver. A spokesperson for the brand confirmed this withArcinfo: the founder of Facebook acquired his watch “from a retailer”, “according to the standard conditions of Greubel Forsey”. It is therefore neither a product placement nor an ambassador partnership.

Double-edged publicity stunt

However, this spotlight on the Swiss brand could annoy more than one person, according to Marco Gabella. “Paradoxically, all this hype caused by celebrities is doing a lot of damage to the traditional clientele of high-end brands. Some collectors are quite angry to see their watch on the wrists of people who have developed an interest overnight.”

Same situation with François-Paul Journe and De Bethune. Customers likely to purchase watches at this price like discretion and prefer to remain anonymous. “It’s the top of the watchmaking food chain,” summarizes the expert.

Finally, we leave it with one last question. Why does the Swiss press still seem so surprised to see its models on the wrists of celebrities, when their watch brands are among the best in the world? “Surprise, I don’t know,” slips Marco Gabella.