A $60 Casio watch becomes a symbol of Power in Thailand’s political circles, Bloomberg reports

A digital watch costing less than $60 has become an unlikely political status symbol in Thailand, with cabinet ministers, senior bureaucrats and political allies wearing the same Casio model engraved with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s name, Bloomberg reported.

The watch, the Casio AE1200WH, is popularly known as the “Casio Royale” because of its retro design and distinctive world-map display. Its growing popularity among members of the Thai political establishment has earned recipients the nickname “Casio Connection”, reflecting their association with the prime minister.

Anutin reportedly buys the watches from small shops and markets during his travels and official visits around Bangkok, has his name engraved on them and gives them to political associates.

Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat, one of the recipients, said the value of the gift came from the person who gave it rather than its price.

“The value of what we wear isn’t just in its price. For me, it’s in the person who gives it,” Siripong told Bloomberg.

He said he received the watch from Anutin after a recent cabinet meeting and had worn it almost every day since, joking that he had largely stopped wearing his luxury watches worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Recipients have even begun comparing details of their gifts, including whether their watches came with metal or resin bands.

A watch that signals political connections

The trend offers a glimpse into the personal relationships underpinning Anutin’s political influence. A seasoned political dealmaker, he has built alliances across Thailand’s fragmented political landscape, including with influential provincial families and senior officials in the powerful Interior Ministry.

While the watches cost only a fraction of the luxury timepieces commonly associated with wealthy Thai politicians, their connection to the prime minister may give them a different kind of status.

Napon Jatusripitak, a visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told Bloomberg that the gifts could create expectations of loyalty among recipients.

“They potentially create an obligation to return the favor and may cultivate a sense of loyalty in the recipient to follow, to abide and to obey,” Napon said.

One notable recipient is Thamanat Prompow, an influential political figure whose Kla Tham Party has been positioning itself for a possible entry into Anutin’s governing coalition.

Thamanat’s appearance wearing an engraved Casio watch fuelled speculation about a potential political alliance, particularly after his party’s secretary-general suggested the watch had come directly from Anutin’s wrist.

“With those watches,” Napon said, “Anutin is definitely building friends, followers and factions.”

Thailand's history of luxury watch controversies

Watches have previously attracted scrutiny in Thai politics, particularly when they became symbols of wealth and questions about public officials’ assets.

In 2017, then-Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan faced an anti-corruption investigation after photographs showed him wearing a series of expensive watches. Investigators examined 22 timepieces valued at more than $1 million in total. Prawit said he had borrowed them from a wealthy friend who later died, and he was cleared of wrongdoing the following year.

Anutin himself has declared owning 22 luxury watches worth more than 60 million baht, or around $1.8 million, according to Bloomberg. He was also recently photographed wearing a Rolex Day-Date 40 at a birthday celebration for Newin Chidchob, an influential figure in his Bhumjaithai Party.

Against that backdrop, the inexpensive Casio gifts present a different way of displaying status: not through the price of a watch, but through its association with a powerful political figure.

However, government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises dismissed suggestions that the gifts were intended to identify an exclusive political circle. He said Anutin simply appreciated the watch's practicality and wanted to share it with others, adding, “It’s not a signal of anything political.”