A gold pocket watch belonging to Isidor Straus, a first-class passenger who died when the Titanic sank in 1912, sold for an unprecedented £1.78 million in a recent auction — the highest ever paid for a Titanic artifact.
Straus, who co-owned the Macy’s department store, and his wife Ida famously refused to abandon each other during the disaster. Their devotion, immortalized in popular culture, added emotional power to the timepiece.
The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen watch, originally gifted to Straus on his 43rd birthday, was later recovered from his body after the tragedy and returned to his family.
The sale, conducted by Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneers in Wiltshire, included other notable Titanic items: a letter penned by Ida Straus onboard raised £100,000, the ship’s passenger list sold for £104,000, and a medal awarded to the RMS Carpathia crew went for £86,000. In total, the auction fetched around £3 million.
According to the auctioneer, Andrew Aldridge, the record-breaking sale underlines the enduring fascination with the Titanic and the deeply personal narratives behind its surviving relics.
The previous record for Titanic memorabilia was £1.56 million, paid last year for another gold pocket watch — this one gifted to the captain of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued over 700 survivors.
