A gold pocket watch belonging to a first-class couple who tragically perished aboard the RMS Titanic has been sold for a world-record price, cementing its status as the most valuable piece of Titanic memorabilia ever auctioned.
The Record-Breaking Sale
The historic timepiece, an 18-carat gold Jules Jurgensen engraved watch, fetched an astonishing £1.78 million at Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire. This sum handily surpasses the previous record held by a watch belonging to the captain of a rescue ship.
The watch was owned by Isidor Straus, a prominent first-class passenger and co-owner of the famed New York department store, Macy's. He was travelling with his wife, Ida, when the ill-fated ship sank in the North Atlantic in April 1912.
A Story of Love and Sacrifice
The Strauses' story is one of the most poignant to emerge from the disaster, famously depicted in James Cameron's film Titanic. When offered a place on a lifeboat due to his advanced age, Isidor Straus refused, declaring he would not go before other men.
In a final act of devotion, his wife Ida refused to leave his side, choosing to face her fate with her husband. They were last seen alive together, sitting calmly in deckchairs as the ship descended into the icy waters. Their sacrifice meant they were among the very few first-class passengers to lose their lives.
The watch was recovered from Isidor Straus's body after the tragedy, along with other personal effects, and was subsequently returned to his family. It had been a special present for his 43rd birthday in 1888 – the very same year he became a partner in Macy's.
Legacy Preserved in Artefacts
Having remained with the Straus family for over a century, the watch's sale marks a significant moment for collectors of maritime history. In the same auction, a letter written by Ida Straus on Titanic stationery and posted while the ship was at sea sold for an impressive £100,000.
The previous auction record for a Titanic artefact was set just last year, when a gold pocket watch presented to the captain of a vessel that rescued over 700 survivors sold for £1.56 million.
