The photo posted on Instagram by former First Lady Michelle Obama in the company of her husband Barack Obama while celebrating the new year aroused great curiosity. In the photograph, a decidedly unexpected watch appeared on the wrist of the former US President.
It may seem strange to some, but there have been many who wrote to us in DM on our Instagram account or via email, asking us for an opinion on what was the watch worn by former President Barack Obama.
I have to be honest, from the start I was convinced it was an unreleased Girard-Perregaux Laureato , given to the former President given the excellent relationship between his wife Michelle and the Kering group. But it was difficult to satisfy my curiosity with a remote supposition.
So I started literally 'surfing' the depths of Google looking for watches similar to the Laureato and I came across the site Teleport Watch , an online shop for affordable watches based in New York.
Among the watches offered, I found a great similarity between the watch worn by Obama and this 'limited edition' developed in collaboration with ACTIVELY BLACK , an African-American owned sports apparel and accessories company founded by former basketball player Lanny Smith.
The watch is implicitly a tribute to the various Royal Oaks or the Laureato, with an entirely black design: black steel case, black silicone strap, black dial with the Teleport Watch and Actively Black logos at 12 o'clock, and Myota quartz movement. The price? $250 USD.
But how did this watch end up on Barack Obama's wrist? On the Instagram account of Actively Black founder Lanny Smith , he himself posted a thank-you letter from the former US President and his wife Michelle, in which they thank him for gifting them some clothes and accessories, as well as expressing their admiration for his company's mission.
Dear Lanny,
Thanks for your kind gift! Michelle and I want you to know how much we love the items you sent us and we always wear them.In addition to the clothes that are impressive, it is the story behind Actively Black that we admire. The initiative you have taken to give African Americans a voice and even more necessary investments is an example that many should aspire to.
Michelle & Barack OBAMA
We really appreciate your gesture. Thanks again to you and your team for the gift and for the important work you are doing.
Actively Black 's goal is to fill the gap in representation and investment in the African American community by reinvesting profits into initiatives that improve the mental health and physical fitness of the Black community.
While all of us were thinking of a valuable watch, also given the caliber of the character, the former President Barack Obama amazed everyone, wearing a watch very dear to him for the message he wants to convey and the project to which he is linked.
