What happened to John F. Kennedy's Cartier watch?

In this article, we take a closer look at three of his most talked about watches: the famous Omega, the Rolex watch said to have come from Marilyn Monroe, and the missing Cartier watch.

Text: Joakim rönnqvist
photo: alamy

Published 2024-08-03

You all probably recognise the iconic image: John F. Kennedy, then President of the United States, on a boat somewhere out at sea, sporting his classic East Coast look—light-coloured clothing, sunglasses, and a quality Swiss watch on his wrist.

As summer approaches, it’s nice to take a break from overthinking and instead draw inspiration from a man who has inspired millions. We explore his watches, how he wore them, and the stories behind them.

Omega Ultra Thin Ref: OT3980

The watch many associate with Kennedy is a rectangular Omega in 18k gold with a classic black leather strap. He received it as a gift from his friend Grant Stockdale, with the now-famous engraving: 'President of the United States John F. Kennedy. From his friend Grant.' Kennedy was seen wearing the watch on several occasions, pairing it casually with light chinos and a light blue polo while out at sea on his boat, and more formally with a dark pinstripe suit, white shirt, and Democrat blue tie.

An amusing anecdote is that the president's wife, Jacqueline, a great admirer of Cartier and their Tank model, described the Omega in a letter to Grant as 'the thinnest and most elegant watch she had seen.' She mentioned that JFK immediately swapped his Cartier, which she had previously bought for him, for the Omega. Today, the watch is preserved in Omega's own museum in Biel.

Rolex ”President” Day-Date 1803 ”Marilyn Monroe”

Along with the Omega, the Day-Date is one of the watches most closely associated with him. He received this particular piece from the famous actress Marilyn Monroe on his birthday in 1962—the same birthday when Monroe famously sang a daring rendition of "Happy Birthday" to JFK.

The watch, in a classic 36mm size in yellow gold and a gold-tone dial, bears an engraving on the case back that reads: “Jack / With Love as always / from MARILYN / May 29th 1962.” The engraving was especially poignant because Marilyn chose “Jack” instead of "John," his family nickname.

Despite rumours of a romance between Marilyn and John, there are no pictures of him wearing the watch. According to legend, Kennedy asked his assistant to get rid of the watch to avoid questions from his wife about his relationship with Marilyn. If he did keep the watch, we can only hope that in true presidential spirit, he wore it in the Oval Office, paired with black Oxfords, a dark suit, a white shirt, and a smart striped tie.

The watch was later sold at auction in 2005 for $120,000, which might seem like a modest price considering its significant historical value.

The mysterious Cartier watch

JOHN F. KENNEDY (1917-1963) with his wife Jacqueline moments before he was killed in Dallas on 22 November 1963.

There is a mystery surrounding yet another of JFK's thin gold watches. This time it's a gold Cartier, reportedly given to him by his wife Jackie on their fourth wedding anniversary in 1957, with his initials engraved on the back.

He was seen wearing this fabled Cartier watch moments before he was shot in Dallas in 1963. After the shooting, the watch was taken from his wrist and given to Jackie at the hospital, who then passed it to John's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln. Evelyn Lincoln, who was awarded thousands of items from Kennedy's estate after his death, eventually chose to sell the watch to a collector named Robert L. White.

Robert L. White, who warrants an article of his own, eventually became one of the world's foremost collectors of JFK memorabilia. According to rumours, he tried to sell the watch several times without success. Whether it was due to doubts about the watch's authenticity or its tragic history remains unknown. What we do know is that Kennedy's Omega is preserved in a museum in Biel, Switzerland. But the Cartier watch— it vanished without a trace. We may never know what truly happened.