Focus on... Camilla's Jewels: The Cartier Watch

The Duchess of Cornwall is inseparable from her Cartier watch, which she wears to virtually all of her daytime engagements.

Must de Cartier watch (left), and the watch as worn by the Duchess of Cornwall (right)

The watch is a vintage Must de Cartier Vermeil one. Based on the design and the inscriptions inside, it was probably made in 1980s. This watch features a vermeil case (a solid sterling silver case with heavy gold plating), a 17-jewel manual-wind movement, and a cream coloured dial with black Roman numerals.

This particular model of the watch is quite old but Camilla’s watch is in excellent condition and shows little signs of wear – a mark of a good owner. Although she wears the Cartier watch to daytime events, for evening engagements she generally wears either a silver (or white gold) watch, a gold one, or none at all.

The Duchess of Cornwall wearing her Cartier watch

To me, this is one of the Duchess’s signature pieces. Most of us no longer wear watches because we all carry various gadgets which can easily tell the time whenever needed. However, I do like the fact that most of the senior British Royals still do regularly wear watches. It’s oddly reassuring.

Remember, this whole week is dedicated to the Duchess of Cornwall’s jewellery collection. You can always check out jewels already covered here.