President Joko Widodo is known for his simple personal style, often wearing Rp. 100,000 shirts and Rp. 120,000 shoes. But his former righthand man, and current governor of Jakarta, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is not afraid to admit he’s willing to spend money to look good – Rp. 28 million to be exact.
That bulk of that price tag comes from his watch. Ahok once told Kompas that “The most expensive [I wear] might be the watch, which I bought in [Singapore’s] Changi Airport. It’s a Tag Heuer that costs Rp 20 million.” Basuki mentioned the watch was also worn by football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ahok wore the pricey watch when he was sworn in as Vice Governor of Jakarta in 2012 and also when he was officially inaugurated as governor by President Jokowi on November 19.
Ahok also said white shirts he wears on special occasion, such as when he meets with an ambassador or during plenary sessions of the City Council cost on average Rp. 800,000, as does his favored brand of chinos.
The governor said the jackets he gets custom made at Feng Sin Tailor cost Rp. 2 million. His shoes are Rockport loafers (size 46) which he said his staff usually gets from Plaza Senayan or Mal Taman Anggrek. He said they can usually get them on discount for around Rp. 500,000 to Rp. 600,000.
Last but not least are Ahok’s signature spectacles, which feature progressive lenses that darken in bright sunlight.
“The glasses are inexpensive, but the lenses are expensive because they are progressive. The two lenses together cost Rp. 4.6 million,” he said.
If Ahok is wearing all of his finery, that bring the total for his outfit to around Rp. 28 million in total. Which may sound extravagant, but is probably less than many high-rolling Jakarta businessmen, who often judge each other solely based on how ridiculously expensive their watches are.
How much do you want to bet that Ahok’s enemy on the city council, the notoriously corrupt Abraham “Lulung” Lunggana (who owns a lime green Lamborghini worth Rp. 20 billion) wears a more expensive watch?
