The Fashion Plate Magazine

The watch was originally given to Jackie from her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill in 1963, she wore this Cartier Tank for decades, which can be seen on her wrist in many iconic photos.

The watch features the engraving: “Stas to Jackie 23 Feb. 63 2:05 am to 9:35 pm.” The times refer to the start and stop times of the famous 50 Mile Hike in Palm Beach in 1963.

It was the inner circle of President Kennedy’s family and friends who were some of the first to attempt the hike including his friends Stas Radziwill and Chuck Spalding. The 50-mile hike became a short-lived fad in early 1963, and in November 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Iconic is the most overused adjective in fashion, but when Jacqueline Bouvier married John F. Kennedy in 1953, it set in motion a strategic approach to personal style that would eventually come to define what a first lady should look like for many Americans.

And since their time in the White House First Lady’s like Michelle Obama have carried forward the tradition of wellness and support for the American people and Jackie’s example of elegance and grace in style.

Jackie understood that the clothes she wore mattered. She used fashion both to delineate her own character and to augment the aura of glamour surrounding her husband.

This one object captures the spirit of that era, a time where friendship and the “can-do” optimism of their generation seemed to make anything possible. On June 21st the watch will go up for bid at Christie’s live auction sale in New York. The consignor has offered to donate a portion of the proceeds to help save the National Endowment for the Arts.