Titanic passenger’s gold watch set to auction for over $1M
A pocket watch made of 18-karat gold, recovered from the body of one of the Titanic's wealthiest and most notable passengers, is expected to fetch over US$1 million at auction, according to a British auction house.
The more than century-old timepiece belonged to Isidor Straus, who, along with his wife, Ida, was on board the infamous vessel when it sank in the Atlantic after striking an iceberg on its way to New York City on April 14, 1912, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
In the days following the disaster, his body was recovered from the Atlantic, and his possessions were logged and returned to his son, Jesse, along with his other personal items. Among them was his engraved Jules Jurgensen pocket watch, which had stopped at 2:20 a.m., according to the auction house, around the time the Titanic is believed to have sunk.
Isidor and his wife’s final moments were memorialized in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic as the elderly couple who clung to each other on their bed as the ship disappeared underwater. The auction house selling the artifact, Henry Aldridge and Son, noted this Hollywood connection on its website, adding that Ida is believed to have refused a place on a lifeboat, saying she would rather die by her husband’s side.
Isidor is also believed to have refused a place on a lifeboat because there were still women and children on board, auctioneer Andrew Aldridge stated.
In an appearance on BBC Radio Wiltshire, Aldridge said the watch was “a phenomenal piece of memorabilia.”
The heirloom was passed down through generations before being restored by Kenneth Hollister Straus, the Straus’ great-grandson. The auction will take place on Nov. 22.
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