A Cartier Tank watch belonging to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sold at auction of $379,500 – triple the original auction estimate. The piece, given to her by her brother-in-law Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill in 1963, is marked “Stas to Jackie 23 Feb. 63 2:05 AM to 9:35 PM.”

Why the cryptic markings? As Kennedy’s were wont to do they often took 50 mile hikes in Palm Beach. The watch celebrated one of those hikes and noted the time she and her brother-in-law took a 50 mile schlep from early in the morning until just about brunch-time. President Kennedy asked the American people to take up this challenge in 1963 and he and his buddies were some of the first hikers on this long, arduous route.

Whether or not they had a little champagne and caviar at the end of their Radziwillian trek is still unclear. The watch, however, is still quite beautiful and has a provenance unmatched in modern horology.

[amazon_link asins=’B0037W0J3G,B004EHKLKE,B009U35S3M’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’wristwatchrev-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’cad9ce54-5763-11e7-a024-63265e8f8466′]

ByJohn Biggs

John lives in Brooklyn and has loved watches since he got his first Swatch Irony automatic in 1998. He is the editor of WristWatchReview.

Leave a Reply