What Biden’s Rolex Really Says About Presidents

If you're mad about the commander in chief's new watch, you might want to consider why his predecessors wore such ‘humble’ timepieces in the first place. If you have trouble reading this message, [view it in a browser](. [Joe Biden's Rolex, and the Farce of the 'Everyman' President]( Over the weekend, People On The Internet got increasingly bent out of shape over the subject of Joe Biden's watch, a Rolex Datejust he wore (seemingly for the first time) at his inauguration. Politics is theater, and the costumes are laden with meaning. For the last few decades—excluding the last four years with Trump and his pricey haute horology, which was just as far outside the norms of the presidency as everything else he did—humble watches were a way for wealthy power brokers to say, "Hey, man. See? I'm just like you." But they weren't just like the people they were talking to; they were dressing up like it, because it was politically expedient. To suppose that the watches were simply personal choices and not devices tuned to create a specific impression is to ignore the reality that appearance means a great deal when you're sitting in the Oval Office. It's normal-dude cosplay, and, whether you like it or not, the president is not a normal dude. Amtrak Joe is riding on Air Force 1 now. He's got a shiny new Rolex (which probably has some Delaware blue-bloods apoplectic; why couldn't he have gone vintage?!). Them's the breaks. Here’s Style Director Jonathan Evans on why, if you're mad about the commander in chief's new watch, you might want to consider why his predecessors wore such "humble" timepieces in the first place.[Read More]( [If We Don’t Pass This Bill, ‘We Are F—d as a Nation’]( 1-6-2021 is not a collection of numbers that evokes visions of an American democratic republic in vibrant good health. A violent insurrection will do that. But we should also have a look at another number: $14 billion. That's the pile of cash that the Center for Responsive Politics estimates was spent trying to influence the 2020 elections. That's more than twice as much as was spent in 2016. Billions of it took the form of so-called "dark money," where donors route their money through organizations designated as "non-profits," which don't have to disclose their donors. It's a deluge of dollars, much of it opaque and difficult to trace, spent to put people in positions of power. Nobody spends this kind of money without looking for something in return. It's a corrosive element eating away at the foundations of the American project, and it's not the only one. "It's all seamlessly connected in the public's mind," says Congressman John Sarbanes, who's represented Maryland's 3rd congressional district since 2007. He says that through those years, his constituents have told him some version of the same few things, over and over: "We want to be able to vote for you, when you get there we want you to keep paying attention to us, and don't get tangled up in the money." He added: "That should not be a tall order for somebody who wants to represent Americans in our democracy. At heart, you distill it all down, that's what we're trying to achieve with this bill." The bill is H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which Sarbanes has sponsored for the second consecutive Congress. Here’s Politics Editor Jack Holmes on why it’s so crucial.[Read More]( [Madewell’s Secret Stock Sale Is Full of Winter-Ready Style for Up to 80% Off]( Madewell's Secret Stock Sale is nothing to scoff at. Believe you me. Maybe you're wondering what separates this sale from any of the many, many others going down across the world wide web at this very moment? It's all right there in the name, isn't it? Madewell. Made well. The brand makes handsome winter-ready wares (and—yes—makes 'em well), much of them designed with an eye towards the fabrics and finishes especially suited to WFH life. Think ultra-soft flannels that won't make you viscerally hate the sensation of wearing a collared shirt again, along with premium selvedge denim cut to fit as comfortably as the most broken-in chinos in your closet—and look as flattering. Intrigued? Of course you are. Luckily, right now a whole lot of it is up to a 80 percent off (!) in the brand's ongoing event, so if you're looking to stock up on the type of clothing that'll help you mentally emerge from the state of hibernation you found yourself in these last four years while you continue to physically hunker down at home, you could do far worse than starting here.[Read More]( [Get Up to 50% Off Some of Our Favorite Noise-Cancelling Headphones on Amazon Right Now]( Over the past year, we’ve found some heavy-bass earbuds from Sony, a versatile offering from Google that’s hard to criticize, and even a headset that’s designed for gaming. You’ll see two pairs of active earbuds and two pairs of budget-friendly earbuds on our list of the best right now. From our perspective, all earbuds should be able to withstand a morning jog, and no piece of tech that’s smaller than a matchbox should cost more than $100 of your hard-earned cash. Apparently, that’s not feasible yet, but here, we tried to keep your wallet in mind as much as we could. Hopefully, this makes your earbud search a little easier. Happy listening.[Read More]( [There’s Still a Ton of Top-Tier Apple Product on Sale on Amazon]( Brace yourself: Amazon is having an unannounced sale on a bunch of your favorite Apple products. Translation? You can finally buy an Apple watch for an affordable price and have it in your hands by tomorrow evening—you don’t even have to leave your bed. (Although you might want to get a feel of what it's like to get your steps in.) If you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge on the cult favorite AirPods, a new iPad, and so much more, now is absolutely the time to check out of that shopping cart. If you keep up with the news of Apple products, you know that these deals don't last for long. The latest Airpods Pro are discounted down to $219 from $249. You know, the ones that feature active noise cancellation for immersive sound and offer 24 hours of battery life with their charging case.[Read More]( [What Did Esquire Look like in 1933, or 1963, or 1983? Join Esquire Select and See for Yourself.]( Esquire has a digital archive called Classic, through which you can peruse every page of every issue of Esquire, going all the way back to the first issue in October 1933. (This includes the ads, which were often marvelous.) Join our membership program, Esquire Select, to get unlimited access to Classic right now—plus, unlimited access to Esquire.com, as well as a subscription to the print magazine.[Read More]( [Read More on Esquire.com]( [It was supposed to be a family road trip to visit an aging relative. Then the car got stuck in a muddy rut and, well—these things never turn out well, do they? Stephen King, the legendary architect of your worst nightmares, delivers another shocking story you won’t soon forget.]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Notice]( esquire.com ©2021 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019