Watch Icons looks at the watches that become part of public history.
On 4 August 2007, Barack Obama received a private-label chronograph from members of his United States Secret Service detail as a birthday gift. The watch was made by Jorg Gray and corresponds to the model later known commercially as the JG6500. Its dial carried the Secret Service emblem—a detail reserved for the original private-label version.
Obama subsequently wore the watch at major public appearances. Jorg Gray documents it at his 2008 Democratic nomination speech and at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance ceremony. The episode helped turn a previously low-profile quartz chronograph into one of the best-known modern presidential watches.
A necessary distinction: Obama’s gifted watch was the private-label Secret Service version. The later JG6500 Commemorative Edition offered to the public is related in design, but it is not the exact agency-logo watch presented to him.
Sources
- Jorg Gray — JG6500 Commemorative Edition
- Jorg Gray — JG6500-22
- OnTheDash — Watching Obama’s Watch
- Hodinkee — The Personal Timepieces of U.S. Presidents
The accompanying image is an AI-generated editorial illustration. This article is independent editorial content. No endorsement, affiliation or ownership by Barack Obama, Jorg Gray or the United States Secret Service is implied. SEKUND.STORE does not claim to stock the featured watch.