"Rich President Unaware of Common People's Struggles"…Controversy Over Macron Hiding Luxury Watch During Live Broadcast

Explaining the Purpose of Pension Reform Under the Table
"Regarding the 'Luxury' Suspicion, I Just Kept Addressing It"

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is facing intense opposition over his push to force through pension reform centered on extending the retirement age, sparked controversy after secretly removing his wristwatch during a live TV interview explaining the reform's purpose.

According to foreign media including the UK’s BBC and The Guardian on the 24th (local time), President Macron explained the necessity of pension reform during a live interview with TF1 and France 2 on the afternoon of the 22nd. Sharp-eyed viewers noticed that the president’s wristwatch, which he was wearing at the start of the interview, disappeared during the broadcast.

French President Macron explaining the purpose of pension reform during a live TV interview. The controversial watch is visible on his left wrist.
[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

The interview lasted about 30 minutes, and around 10 minutes in, when President Macron placed his forearm on the table, a clinking sound was heard. As he continued answering questions, he lowered his hand under the table, and when he raised it again, the watch on his left wrist was gone. The disappearance of the watch during the interview drew viewers’ attention more to the watch than to the interview content.

This led to suspicions that the watch, reportedly worth 80,000 euros (about 110 million KRW), was hidden by the president to avoid showing off a “luxury watch” to viewers. Opponents of the pension reform in France flooded social media with criticism, calling him a “rich president who doesn’t understand the plight of ordinary people.” Cl?mence Guette, a member of the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI), sarcastically tweeted, “President Macron claimed in the interview that minimum wage workers have unprecedented purchasing power, but the final image was him removing a pretty luxury watch.”

As the controversy grew, the ?lys?e Palace, the French presidential office, clarified that the watch worn by the president during the interview was a BR V1-92 model from the famous French watch brand Bell & Ross, custom-ordered with an engraved emblem, and denied the claim that it was worth 80,000 euros. The BBC reported that the model’s online price without additional options ranges from about 1,660 to 3,300 euros (approximately 2.3 to 4.6 million KRW). The ?lys?e Palace also stated, “President Macron did not try to hide the watch; he removed it because it kept hitting the table.”

An anonymous presidential aide told French media, “President Macron has been wearing this watch for over a year and a half, including at events such as the 2022 Qatar World Cup final and the official visit to the United States last December. This can be confirmed through his Instagram account and official photos.”