Why did Emmanuel Macron take off his watch during the interview he gave to TF1 and France 2 on Wednesday March 22?
This is the question posed by the French left-wing newspaper Liberation, in reference to Macron’s recent interview, in which he tried – to his face – to calm spirits over his pension reform, which has caused unprecedented protests in France.
On social networks, various accounts hostile to the president of the Republic, notes Liberation, “uploaded” a video proving that “the president of the super-rich (removed) discreetly the watch of 80,000 euros paid with your pensions during the interview ».
In one video, a man reported that he “wears an FP Journe, it’s worth 80,000 euros (…) he said to himself, maybe it’s not such a big deal to have an 80,000 watch in front of the poor.”
In another montage, which was widely reported on French social media, the watch appears to… magically disappear.
“But why don’t you want to show this clock anymore?” asks far-right politician Gilbert Collard.
Coat of arms watch
In fact, it appears that the French president removed his watch in the middle of the interview after banging his wrist on the table, which caused an uproar.
As for the model she was wearing, CheckNews reached out to Elysee, who denounced it as “a perfect example of fake news.”
Emmanuel Macron’s entourage explained that “the President of the Republic wears a Bell & Ross BR V1-92 watch, with the coat of arms of the Presidency of the Republic. He wears it very regularly for more than a year and a half.”
And he cited shots taken by his official photographer on October 28, 2022, or instances where he traveled to the United States or Qatar during the World Cup.
“He didn’t want to hide it,” says his entourage
Contrary to what is claimed on social networks, “the president does not take off his watch because he wants to hide it, but because he just knocked it on the table,” says Liberation’s interlocutor.
The noise can be heard clearly just seconds before the start of the video, which has gone viral on social media.
Regarding the price, the president’s entourage assures that “this watch obviously does not cost 80,000 euros. The price is public and Bell & Rose is a manufacturer that has partnerships with many institutions, including the military and the security team of the Presidency of the Republic.
“On the Internet, common versions of this watch can be found for 2,400 euros.”
