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Trump’s “Swiss” Watches Traced to Derelict Wyoming Strip Mall (newrepublic.com)

submitted 4 weeks ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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CNN tracked Trump’s watch to a building in Sheridan, Wyoming—and found strange ties to a “male enhancement honey” company with a similar name.

Last month, Donald Trump announced that he was selling limited-edition, gaudy watches ranging from $499 to the bargain price of $100,000, bragging about their Swiss-made precision.

But a CNN investigation traced the watches’ origin to a shopping center in remote Sheridan, Wyoming, where TheBestWatchesOnEarth LLC, the company behind the timepieces, is based. There’s no indication that a watch company is located at the building listed at the address, only a daycare. Its neighbors include an H&R Block, a Wendy’s, and a “vape and hemp smoke shop.”

CNN couldn’t find the people behind the company either, because the business’s location allows it to legally hide those details from the public. The news network found that knocking on the door of the business’s supposed address didn’t answer those questions. Interestingly, the limited liability corporation behind Trump’s infamous gold sneakers is also based at the address, along with other random businesses. The watch company was registered on July 29, only two months before Trump announced the watch line.

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[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 weeks ago

If the business were actually about selling watches (which like you said, it isn’t) it would still make sense to have an extremely expensive model as a sales tactic so that the affordable ones seem more valuable. Another example of this is the $10,000 solid gold Apple Watch. Obviously they don’t expect to sell many watches at that price when the battery is sealed into the device and it’s guaranteed to fail after a few years, but it exists just to make the normal models seem fancy by proxy.

[-] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago

Oh, I absolutely agree. But when was the last time you saw a Rolex ad in the middle of a Duck Dynasty rerun or something? Any company able to actually produce and sell watches worth $100k is going to know who their target audience is and how to reach them.

Trump's commercials scream less of an attempt to reach people who may genuinely be interested in his product (He'd probably be better off selling them at his golf courses), and more of an attempt to be able to say that there was even a product in the first place when people eventually start questioning where $15,000,000 magically appeared from. Point to the ads, say all 147 of them were bought by clients who wished to remain anonymous, and say you closed up shop after they were sold. Money laundering made easy.

[-] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 1 points 4 weeks ago

Appliance stores uses that tactic all the time, the 2000 fridge doesn't look at expensive when is side to side with a 10000 one.

this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2024

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