'Cheap' watch worn by Barack Obama becomes best-seller

A relatively inexpensive watch has become an overnight best-seller after it emerged that President Barack Obama wears the same model

The Jorg Gray commemorative edition watch.

With a price tag of around £260, the Jorg Gray 6500 is far cheaper than what most people would expect the world’s most powerful man to be sporting on his arm.

Mr Obama had previously worn a pricier TAG Heuer, and when enthusiasts first spotted him with the simple new time piece at several high-profile appearances, they assumed he must have upgraded.

However, after a frenzy of speculation among watch experts as to the maker of the simple black design, it was revealed that the president had acquired a Jorg Gray.

Following the disclosure, the US firm witnessed a sharp increase in sales and is now actively promoting its goods on the back of Mr Obama’s apparent endorsement.

Jorg Gray now offers a commemorative edition version of the same battery-powered watch worn by the president, engraved with the date of his inauguration.

Its website also lists various official engagements at which Mr Obama has been seen wearing the leather-strapped watch.

A statement on the site reads: “This sophisticated time piece has fast become a highly sought after and valuable collector’s item.”

It has been disclosed that Mr Obama was given the watch as a 46th birthday present by one of his security team in 2007. The Jorg Gray 6500 was originally designed for members of the US Secret Service.

The mystery surrounding the watch’s maker was solved by Jeff Stein, a civil lawyer from Atlanta, who contacted the firm to break the news.

Trevor Gnesin, the president of Jorg Gray, said: “I got a call from a contact in Germany and he said, ‘Do you know that the future president of the US is wearing your watch?’ I thought he was joking.

“Then I got a call from Jeff Stein. The Jorg Gray logo is very small on the Secret Service version and he found out what it was only after studying many different photos of the president.”

He told US News: "We have seen tremendous growth in 2009 with global interest in the 6500 and our other styles as the president continues to wear his Jorg Gray."

The model is now one of the best selling in the US, with hundreds of orders being received from overseas as well.

However, watch experts have shown little enthusiasm for the time piece, which has three on-face timers, including a stopwatch.

James Gurney, editor of the watch magazine QP, told The Times: “It’s a cheap and totally unexceptional watch from a brand no one’s heard of.

“I’ve no doubt it’s good value, but the difference between this and a fine watch is the difference between a perfectly decent off-the-peg suit from M&S and a made-to-measure one from Savile Row, where every stitch has been perfectly placed.”