OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Buys $1.2 Million Custom Luxury Watches for Executives

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently purchased seven custom luxury watches from the Swiss high-end brand Vanguart, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The watches, each starting at $180,000, include one for Altman himself and six for senior executives at OpenAI. These timepieces are based on Vanguart's titanium Orb model and feature the OpenAI logo on the dial, with the inscription ‘if AGI.aligned: deploy()’ on the back, referencing programming language.

Altman is known for his affinity for luxury watches; in 2023, he was seen wearing a rare Greubel Forsey watch valued at approximately $480,000, with only 33 units produced worldwide. The recent purchase sparked significant attention and comparisons on social media, with some likening the distribution of these exclusive watches to the "Lord of the Rings" narrative of power rings given to leaders.

This event also highlights a broader trend in Silicon Valley, where luxury watches have become a prominent status symbol among tech elites. Other major tech companies like Uber and Palantir have similarly issued limited-edition Tudor watches branded with their logos to employees. For example, Boris Power, head of applied research at OpenAI, shared images of a Tudor watch inscribed with "Good research takes time." However, the exclusivity of Altman’s seven Vanguart watches stands out even within this context.

The story also drew a local Israeli parallel to a promise made by Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball owner Ofer Yanai, who had pledged watches to players if they won a championship last season, which ultimately did not happen. Overall, Altman’s purchase underscores the growing role of luxury watches as symbols of status and achievement in the tech industry.

The watches were ordered earlier this year, and the story emerged publicly in late August 2026, stirring both admiration and debate online about the symbolism and cost of such gifts within a leading AI company.