Sam Altman Orders Seven Exclusive Vanguart Watches for $1.2M, Engraved With Safe AGI Code

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has commissioned an ultra-limited series of seven mechanical watches with flying tourbillon and company branding from independent Swiss manufacture Vanguart. The base version of the model starts at $180,000, and the personalized design features engravings with AI scaling philosophy and lines of code for the safe launch of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Python Code and Quotes About Computing

According to The Wall Street Journal, the project is based on the futuristic Vanguart Orb model. One piece is intended for Altman himself, and the other six have been distributed among key OpenAI employees. These watches will never go on sale to the public.

The customization includes direct references to the internal culture of AI researchers:

• on the rotating oscillating weight, Altman’s credo is engraved: “COMPUTE IS DESTINY”;
• on the side of the crown, the word “SCALING” is engraved, symbolizing the scaling of computing power;
• on the caseback, there is a line of pseudocode: if AGI.aligned: deploy() (“if AGI is safe — deploy”).

According to Vanguart chairman Mehmet Korukturk, the idea for the code line was proposed by the watchmakers to emphasize the critical importance of ethical control over future technologies.

Diamond on Orbit: Inside the Vanguart Orb

According to the official Vanguart specifications, the timepiece is a highly complex piece of micromechanics. The movement is housed in a 41mm titanium case, consists of 395 components and 35 jewels, and offers a power reserve of up to 60 hours.

The model’s main visual feature is an open flying tourbillon and an orbital self-winding rotor. In automatic mode, a carriage with a 2mm diamond continuously slides along an inclined titanium track around the dial. If desired, the owner can switch the watch to manual winding, locking the moving sector in place.

A Third of a Swiss Manufacture for a Single Order

The project’s scale posed a serious challenge for the manufacturer: Vanguart has only 33 employees, and the brand’s total output over its entire history does not exceed 200 pieces. To handcraft and assemble seven unique OpenAI cases, the company deployed a third of its workforce (11 master watchmakers).

The total value of the batch is estimated at a minimum of $1.26 million, excluding individual design modifications.

Sauron Memes and Silicon Valley’s Watch Fashion

The number of ordered pieces immediately sparked a wave of jokes on social media. As Business Insider notes, users compared Altman to Sauron handing out the seven Rings of Power to the dwarf lords, spawning dozens of memes based on the “Lord of the Rings” universe.

Such orders are becoming a steady status trend among the tech elite. Previously, OpenAI produced a corporate batch of 400 Tudor Pelagos 39 dive watches for its engineers, engraved with “Good Research Takes Time,” and similar closed series of watches are regularly created for employees of Google, Palantir, Meta, and Uber.