John F. Kennedy's Wristwatches

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, definitely had a watch collection befitting of his stature. Surprisingly, however, the watches we know about were all gifts from friends. Even decades after his tragic death, JFK remains an incredibly popular president, due to his charm and celebrity-like good looks.

All of JFK’s known watches were made of gold. In 1961, during his first year in the office of the presidency, Kennedy could be seen sailing and wearing an Omega Ultra Thin Ref OT3980. Many people mistake this photo as showing him wearing a Cartier, due to the rectangle case, which is rare for an Omega. However, the Pictured Omega is the piece from Kennedy’s collection. It is inscribed with “President of the United States / John F. Kennedy / From His Friend Grant.”

Kennedy also owned a gold Rolex Day-Date with quite the background story. This watch was given to Kennedy on his birthday by none other than actress Marilyn Monroe. Indeed, this was the birthday where Monroe famously sang JFK a risque version of “Happy Birthday” (it was his 45th birthday on May 29, 1962). The Day-Date is inscribed on the back with the message “Jack / With Love as always / from MARILYN / May 29th 1962.” Notably, it is after this performance that rumors began to swirl of an affair between the Monroe and Kennedy, though little details have confirmed it. Indeed, Kennedy never seemed to wear the watch, and for good reason. Interestingly, the photo below is actually the only known photo that shows Monroe and Kennedy together.

Kennedy also had a gold Nastrix wristwatch, given to him in 1963 by Washington socialite couple David and Evangeline Bruce. The couple were major supporters of JFK’s presidential campaign and the watch was a thank you for appointing David Bruce as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. The back of the watch is inscribed with “To President John F. Kennedy / from the Evangelines / 1963.” In 2009, the watch, along with a signed letter authenticating the watch, was sold at auction for just $120,000 to an anonymous buyer

Finally, the last watch we are going to feature wasn’t owned by JFK himself. In 1963 Jackie Kennedy received a Cartier Tank as a gift from her brother-in-law, Prince Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill. This beautiful gold Cartier was inscribed on the back with “Stas to Jackie / 23 Feb. 63 / 2:05 AM to 9:35 PM." The piece was meant to commemorate a 50-mile walk that the family had completed (though Jackie and JFK partially) in Palm Beach. The watch was auctioned off in 2017 for $379,000 USD, more than 3 times the estimated price of $120,000 USD.

Photo courtesy of Watchonista.

What do you think of the watches owned by President Kennedy? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.