Three years ago, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gifted locally crafted luxury wristwatches to other world leaders at the time, including Joe Biden during a regional summit in Phnom Penh.
Each Lotus Tourbillon timepiece was emblazoned with 25 jewels, with the crown-shaped logo of Cambodian conglomerate Prince Holding Group etched into its components. After accepting the watch, Biden transferred it to the U.S. National Archives along with items with a combined value of $1,790.
The gifts — designed and assembled by a watchmaking school started by Prince Group — show how the enterprise and its China-born chairman Chen Zhi entered into the upper echelons of global influence. The 37-year-old worked meticulously to cultivate an image of legitimacy and even philanthropy and built connections with important people and organizations. He accumulated properties ranging from a London office building to luxury apartments in Singapore and Taiwan, and oversaw a business empire that stretched from the beaches of Palau to the financial hub of Hong Kong.
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