A fan of luxury watches, Cambodia’s premier Hun Sen will give world leaders traveling this week to a summit in the capital Phnom Penh sophisticated pieces made to order in the country.
Pictures on the prime minister’s Facebook profile show the watches, with a leather strap and in a brown box adorned with the name of the meeting. “These watches were assembled by Cambodian technicians and are part of Cambodia’s development of science and technology,” Sen wrote.
Joe Biden, US president, is among the leaders who will be at the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which began last Thursday (3). In addition to it, the heads of governments of members of the bloc, such as Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, participate.
A video showed the watch’s elaborate gears, detailed with “tourbillon” and “25 jewels” inscriptions, as well as Cambodian watchmaker Prince Horology’s signature. The value of the items was not informed.
In office for 37 years — currently the world’s second longest-serving leader, behind Brunei’s premier — Sen has come under public scrutiny in recent years after being photographed wearing rare watches. Some of the models are developed by Patek Philippe and Richard Mille and are worth US$ 1 million each, in contrast to the poverty experienced by a large part of the Cambodian population.
The government did not respond to Reuters news agency requests for information about the watches. While some Cambodians criticized the pampering extravagance, others praised the ambition to promote the country’s watchmaking — the industry’s first school opened in 2019 with experts from Switzerland.
Businessman Ramaneth Heur, for example, says that the items represent the nation. “The gifts show that Cambodians are capable of making luxury watches and breaking into the world watchmaking scene.” Sok Eysan, a spokesman for the prime minister’s party, said there was “nothing political or strange” about the souvenirs.
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