Doris Duke inherited this diamond wristwatch from her mother, Nanaline Duke, whose husband, James B. Duke, had bought the original watch with a pearl band at Charlton & Co. as a Christmas gift in 1922. In 1935, Nanaline had Cartier replace the pearl band with an elaborate diamond-set bracelet, retaining the original dial and movement as illustrated with the Cartier drawings in Gems from the East and West: e Doris Duke Jewelry Collection on page 􀁖􀁓

In this Cecil Beaton photograph from the 1930s, Doris Duke wears a pair of pearl bracelets on one wrist, as was the fashion at the time.

Doris and James B. Duke in Europe, 1923.

Nanaline Holt Inman Duke on the cover of Time April 27, 1931 in a Douglas Chandor portrait.

A 1914 article in e New York Times depicting James B. Duke’s elaborate 5th Avenue mansion.

Rough Point, Doris Duke’s Newport home.

Duke and her first husband, James Cromwell, at Shangri La, her Hawaii home, c. 1940.

The Damascus room at Shangri La contained a rebuilt 18th-century Syrian interior.

THE DUKE WATCH: AN ART DECO DIAMOND WRISTWATCH BY CARTIER, NEW YORK, 1935, WATCH FACE BY CHARLTON & CO., NEW YORK, 1922

SOLD

A watch composed of an openwork bracelet of old European- and baguette-cut diamonds centering a watch case with a single-cut diamond surround, white rectangular dial with black Arabic numerals and blued steel hands, with nickel-finished, jeweled lever movement; mounted in platinum

34 old European-cut and 58 circular and single-cut diamonds, total weighing approximately 8 carats
26 baguette-cut diamonds, total weighing approximately 2 carats
Dial signed “Charlton & Co. New York;” movement with Geneva Seal, no. “9061;” bracelet signed “Cartier”
Reproduction of original Cartier drawing
Measurements: 6 3⁄4 x 3⁄4 inches

Additional cataloguing

Provenance

Nanaline Duke
Doris Duke

Literature

Zapata, Janet, et al. Gems from the East and West: The Doris Duke Jewelry Collection. New York: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, 2003, p. 42.

Exhibition

Gems from the East and West: The Doris Duke Jewelry Collection, Rough Point, Newport, R.I., May 8–September 30, 2003; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii, October 15–December 31, 2003, exhibit no. 27.

Biographies

John W. Charlton opened a store at 298 5th Avenue in 1909 offering fine jewelry. The name was changed to Charlton & Co. and moved to 634 5th Avenue when Robert S. Chapin became partner. Grant A. Peacock bought the firm in 1943 and renamed it after himself. His granddaughter Kathleen Peacock runs the firm today at 450 Park Avenue.

Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier. His three grandsons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques, built the house into a famous international jewelry empire serving royalty, Hollywood stars, and socialites. Cartier has created some of the most important jewelry and objects of art of the twentieth century with many iconic designs such as mystery clocks, Tutti Frutti jewelry and the Panthère line. In 1983, The Cartier Collection was established with the objective of acquiring important pieces that trace the firm’s artistic evolution. Today, Cartier has 200 stores in 125 countries.

Significance

On December 20, 1922, James Buchanan Duke purchased a diamond wristwatch with a pearl band from the prestigious American jewelry house Charlton & Co., presumably as a Christmas present for his second wife, Nanaline. James, an industrialist and philanthropist, achieved wealth and recognition in the tobacco and electric industries, and he established educational, health, social, and religious institutional endowments. He died in 1925, leaving behind Nanaline and their 12-year-old daughter, Doris, to whom he left half his fortune, with the other half going to charity.

On January 29, 1935, Nanaline commissioned Cartier to create a diamond watchband for the Charlton timepiece. As was customary in catering to significant clients, Pierre Cartier, head of the New York branch, personally handled her unusual request. Cartier complemented the square case with a diamond bracelet composed of circular and baguette-cut diamonds forming a cross pattern adjoining a stylized Indian lotus flower motif.

Doris Duke inherited this bracelet, likely upon her mother’s death in 1962, along with the rest of Nanaline’s jewelry and a fur coat. An American icon, Doris followed her father’s philanthropic example, establishing one of the nation’s largest charitable foundations and donating more than $400 million over the course of her lifetime. An insatiable collector, she filled several houses with English and French furniture, Southeast Asian and Islamic art, and rare wines. Her most impressive—and most personal—collection was her jewelry, a mix of pieces inherited from her family and purchased over the years. The beautiful design of this watch epitomizes the refined elegance of the Art Deco period as expressed by two venerable American jewelry houses and will look stunning on any wrist.

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