Why a Golden Rolex is the Perfect Gift for Donald Trump
From the «Financial Times» to the Swiss Parliament, a golden Rolex in the Oval Office has sparked outrage. Why the criticism is misplaced, writes Florian Schwab, Publishing Director at finews.ch.
In recent days, one image has reverberated internationally: the golden desk clock in the Oval Office that Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour presented to the US President on November 5, 2025. (Marwan Shakarchi, CEO of the gold refinery MKS Pamp, contributed a gold bar.)
The «Financial Times» – a publication not entirely immune to a touch of envy toward Switzerland – ran the headline: «Swiss politicians decry ‹gold bar diplomacy› in Trump trade deal».
In the article (paywalled), Green Party President Lisa Mazzone castigates what she calls «shady methods and golden gifts», while Socialist Party deputy floor leader Samuel Bendahan denounces an «unacceptable» negotiation of foreign and economic policy «by billionaires behind closed doors». Terms such as «oligarch diplomacy» and «oligarch coup» are making the rounds.
Political Missteps
That the left-green bloc is «not amused» by the tariff deal and is actively seeking ways to scuttle it in Parliament should surprise no one. A persistent theory holds that back in May, a ready-to-sign agreement with a 10 percent tariff—lower than the EU rate—was on the table. Its signature reportedly failed because the Swiss government moved too slowly.
The publication «Nebelspalter» even reported concrete internal political obstruction on the Swiss side; the parliamentary oversight committee is now investigating.
The ill-fated phone call between Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter (Free Democrats) and the US President on July 31 further worsened the situation, pushing the diplomatic standoff to its peak.
Noteworthy Effort by the Rolex CEO
The fact that this stalemate has now been defused is primarily thanks to leading figures from Swiss business who—coordinating closely with the trade diplomats of Economy Minister Guy Parmelin (Swiss People's Party)—stepped up when official channels failed to make progress.
Particularly noteworthy is the constructive role played by the Rolex CEO. Given the global weight of the brand and its comparatively low price sensitivity, Rolex likely suffered less from the tariffs than many of its peers. A more self-interested manager might well have calculated that a few competitors would struggle more under the higher tariff burden. Dufour did the opposite.
Perfect Gift
And then there is the much-debated desk clock now troubling the «Financial Times» and left-green politicians alike. What gift could have been more fitting for businessman Trump?
The object encapsulates everything Swiss diplomats have spent months trying to convey to the US President: that Switzerland produces distinctive goods of the highest precision and technological refinement; that it poses no threat to the jobs of America’s industrial heartland; and that it is a country that creates authentic value in its own right.
The fact that the clock now sits on the President’s desk in the Oval Office shows that the message has landed—more clearly than months of diplomatic correspondence ever could. And with that, the likelihood of new impulsive measures against Switzerland has hopefully diminished as well.
