The Paul Manafort trial is going on, and I was intrigued by the mention that he spent $21,000 on a watch. You can tell a lot about a man by the watch he wears. This guy is as shifty as they come (3 passports, 8 burner phones, 55 secret bank accounts, pays with bank transfers from Cyprus, war criminal clients, etc.), but can he have good taste in watches? Answer=No..quartz watch to boot. Bijan black titanium "Royal Way" wristwatch. Dollar for dollar, is this the worst watch purchase in history?
Iranian Let us see, cost $2.34 to make this watch....$21,000 9000% mark up I have changed my mind, it is Ok if he goes to jail for 305 years.
As far as I know? Yes. Just read an article about the store Bijan where Manafort bought all his clothes as well as his watch here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle...s-lavish-wardrobe/ar-BBLAUxJ?li=BBnbcA1&pfr=1, Ran by a 26 year old they are appointment only and he claims they are the highest selling store on Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills... I don't see anything special about their collections at all.
I think we found a new submission for the fashion victim thread... The man also has a $48k lizard coat though from the same store, so it’s not like it’s surprising that his watch would be hideous too.
Bijan (the father who originally own the store) also has a connection to the auto world (Lambos, if I remember correctly). And, why yes, they are all available in his signature color" Bijan Yellow".
Ya I assume just a really rich family who wants to "play" in the fashion and automotive world. Not likely a front but certainly not to be respected for their companies.
Could be two things. First, they bill themselves as the "most expensive store in the world." There are some guys that just like to be part of that club and spend the most on something to say they did so, regardless of whether it's horrible crap or not. They also make only "one or two" of every piece, so people can think that they are buying something unique and unattainable by others. Being the only person in the universe that is able to buy and own something is like crack to a rich narcissist. Or, it could also be a way for their clients to launder money. Less likely though than these guys just being gross overpayers of clothing. Full disclosure: my job involves federal criminal law. You probably would not be at all surprised to learn that high end watches and expensive clothing are often purchased by those who are obtaining their money through some kind of embezzlement. There are various reasons for this, some psychological, some more related to the fraud. Watches in particular are a good vehicle for money laundering, but it's a pretty low level form of it. Not saying that any of this is going on in this case, but it happens. What I do know is that anyone who had some kind of connection with Manafort regarding large sums of money is going to have the feds snooping into their business now, so if they are a front for something we should find out in the near future.
I agree - when I first heard about the case - the first thing my mind went to was money laundering at worse, or tax evasion at best...
I've been outside the store as they won't let me in . I think they have a Bugatti parked outside indefinitely in his signature yellow. Didn't look tacky from outside from what I remember. I wonder what this kind of press will do for the business? Any press is good press or is there a point at which its just bad press...
What gets me is the lack of quality in the piece as well. Sure it's pretty awful looking (much like those Zenith watches from 10 years ago), but look at that terrible gap between the end link and the case. It's just atrocious in every conceivable way. Spending $20K on this watch is a crime.
I'd like to think this Manafort character (I have no political axe to grind in any direction) was buying these horrendous watches and coats as a part of the laundering/tax-evasion scheme he was running, but it seems abundantly clear he is just a tasteless douchebag that overpaid for garbage.