In truth, the presentation of a Vulcain Cricket to Bill Clinton was quite low-key. As I recall from a conversation with Keijo Paajanen, a Vulcain watch was presented via the US embassy.
And a thank you note was sent –
And apart from that, you’d never know Bill Clinton had received a Vulcain Cricket. And this presents one of the great challenges with presenting a sitting President with a gift beyond a relatively modest monetary value. Long story short, the Office of Protocol has a crew of people who spend their days cataloging gifts (to EVERYONE working in Federal Government). They research the value, and not unlike a certain religious relic in a movie (the Arc of the Covenant that was brought back by a certain professor of archeology), more often than not dispatch them to the National Archives. If the sitting President is willing to write a check, they may keep the item.
Join us next time as the Cricket lands in the hands of The Man From Plains.