Rare watch, island visit raise new questions about Bard president’s Epstein ties

The newly released documents shed further light on Epstein’s efforts to cultivate ties with academics and cultural figures as a way of building influence and legitimacy.

• New documents show Botstein's ties to Epstein were more personal than claimed
• Botstein bought a rare watch with Epstein's help and planned a trip to his island.
• Epstein hinted at donations but never delivered; Botstein says funds were needed.

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For years, Leon Botstein, the longtime president of Bard College, has maintained that his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was strictly professional — part of the uncomfortable but sometimes necessary work of fundraising for a small liberal arts college.

But newly released Justice Department documents add more texture to that relationship, revealing moments that appear more personal than purely institutional.

Among the details: a rare Swiss pocket watch worth more than USD 50,000, email sign-offs that included “Miss you,” and a planned visit in 2012 that involved Epstein’s Caribbean island.

The documents, part of a massive release of records tied to Epstein, show that Botstein and Epstein were in contact well into 2018, shortly before Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges and his death in jail in 2019, the New York Times reported.

The watch

In early 2017, the two men appear to have collaborated on the purchase of a rare open-faced Swiss pocket watch from the 1920s. In February 2018, Epstein’s in-house accountant emailed Botstein asking for USD 51,615 for the watch or its return.

Rather than respond directly to the accountant, Botstein emailed Epstein asking what he should do. Later, he indicated he could begin paying for the watch once a personal loan came through. He made some payments before Epstein eventually told him no further money was necessary.

In a statement, Botstein said the watch had originally been identified for Epstein, who later changed his mind. Botstein said he ultimately bought the watch for himself with his own funds, adding that his interest in watches stems from family history — relatives who survived the Holocaust by bartering timepieces in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The island trip

The documents also show that Botstein’s office coordinated a 2012 trip that included plans connected to Epstein’s private island. During that visit, Botstein had dinner on the yacht of billionaire Leon Black, who later stepped down from Apollo Global Management over his own ties to Epstein.

A spokesperson for Botstein said the college president does not recall whether he visited the island itself and said he fell ill during the trip, isolating overnight in a bungalow.

That visit ultimately resulted in a USD 250,000 donation from Black to Bard.

Fundraising defence

Botstein, who has led Bard since 1975 and is widely credited with strengthening its finances, has long argued that engaging wealthy donors — even controversial ones — was part of his responsibility to keep the college afloat. After the 2008 financial crisis, Bard faced financial strain, including a downgrade of its economic outlook.

He has previously acknowledged receiving USD 150,000 in consulting fees from a foundation created by Epstein. Botstein said he later folded that money into a USD 1 million personal donation to Bard and did not personally benefit.

In his latest statement, he reiterated that Epstein repeatedly hinted at making major donations but never delivered. He described Epstein as someone who “delighted in manipulating expectations.”

Broader context

The newly released documents shed further light on Epstein’s efforts to cultivate ties with academics and cultural figures as a way of building influence and legitimacy. The records reference numerous prominent individuals, underscoring how deeply embedded Epstein was in elite networks.

For Botstein, who became one of the youngest college presidents in the country and remains a powerful figure in higher education, the new details are likely to intensify scrutiny. While his board has previously stood by him, the personal tone and financial entanglements described in the documents complicate his longstanding explanation that everything was done solely in the service of Bard.

The revelations arrive years after Epstein’s death, but they continue to ripple outward — raising difficult questions about the line between institutional fundraising and personal association.