A video of Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard wearing a Rolex watch valued at over US$ 14,000 is making the rounds on social media, garnering more than 1.3 million views on Twitter. 

In the video clip showing Ebrard in discussion with President López Obrador yesterday, Ebrard can be seen eyeing the watch when it appears he realized it was visible to the camera.

He adjusted the sleeve of his jacket to hide it.

The watch is a Rolex Submariner Date with yellow gold accents and is valued at US $14,450. Ebrard’s director of communication, Robert Velasco, said last year it was a wedding gift from his third wife, Honduran diplomat Rosalinda Bueso. 

The iconic watch was created by Rolex in 1954 for divers, and is the first watch that was fully waterproof to depths of up to 100 meters. 

While it is unknown if Ebrard is a diving enthusiast, the watch has evolved to become a status symbol among millionaire A-list celebrities, such as Mark Wahlberg, David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Sylvester Stallone, Ellen Degeneres and Brad Pitt. The Submariner was also famously worn by James Bond in 007 films, including a tricked-out version sported by Roger Moore in Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. It concealed a circular saw and a bullet-deflecting magnet.

Ebrard was meeting with López Obrador in Veracruz to discuss the president’s conversation with Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, about the death of two Mexican farmworkers in that country.

López Obrador has condemned luxurious living by public servants and campaigned on a platform of austerity.

On Sunday he gave a sermon of guidelines by which to live in the new reality of the coronavirus pandemic. Lesson No. 4 was not to succumb to materialism.

“Let’s move away from consumerism. Happiness doesn’t reside in the accumulation of material goods nor is it obtained from luxuries, extravagances or frivolities. We can only be happy by being good.”

Source: Reforma (sp), Diario de Yucatán (sp), Watchtime (en)