A growing trend among Silicon Valley employees has seen staff at major technology firms commissioning custom-branded Swiss watches. Google employees recently collaborated with the luxury watchmaker Tudor to create a bespoke version of the Pelagos, a titanium diver’s watch. Similar initiatives have emerged at other high-profile companies, including OpenAI, Palantir, Uber, and Meta, where employees have organized limited runs of watches featuring company branding.
These timepieces are not corporate gifts; rather, they are coordinated by internal employee collector groups. According to industry reports, Tudor requires a minimum order of 40 pieces to initiate a customization program, a process that typically spans six months. Participants in these groups pay the full retail price out of pocket for their watches. Because these runs are small and restricted to internal club members, the items have become highly sought after in the secondary market.
The exclusivity of these branded watches has led to significant resale values. A Google-themed edition featuring a Chrome browser character sold at auction for over Rs 9.6 lakh, while other company-branded pieces have fetched similarly high prices. The trend extends beyond Tudor; for instance, an Adobe-affiliated club commissioned watches from the British brand Studio Underd0g. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly commissioned a much more exclusive set of seven watches from the Swiss brand Vanguart, which typically starts at a significantly higher price point.
While management does not officially manage these projects, the watches serve as a status symbol within the tech community. As these collector groups continue to commission specialized designs, the secondary market for these rare, company-branded timepieces remains robust, driven by collectors seeking a piece of insider industry culture.
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