A gold watch recovered from a passenger on the Titanic sold at auction for a record-breaking $2.3 million. Henry Aldridge Auctioneers in Wiltshire, Britain, called it “quite simply one of the most important and iconic Titanic items ever to be offered for sale.”
The 18k gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch was owned by Isidor Straus, the co-owner of May’s department store in New York, who was traveling on the ill-fated ship with his wife, Ida.
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On April 14, 1912, when the boat sank after hitting an iceberg, the couple went to the Titanic’s Boat Deck. There, several passengers tried to convince Ida Straus to board a lifeboat containing passengers and crew members. Isidor was also offered a seat because of his age, though he declined, saying he could not go before the other men.
Ida Straus refused a lifeboat as well, saying, “I will not be separated from my husband; as we have lived, so will we die together.”
According to Henry Aldridge Auctioneers, the couple was “last seen sitting on deck chairs, facing fate by each other’s side, the ultimate real love life story.”.
The “world record price” the watch was sold for “illustrates the enduring interest in the Titanic story,” Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said. “Every man, woman and child passenger or crew had a story to tell and they are told 113 years later through the memorabilia.”
While Isidor Straus’ body was recovered, Ida’s never was. When the watch was found, it was stopped at 2:20 a.m. — the time at which the Titanic sank.
It was later given to Isidor and Ida Straus’ son, who passed it down to other generations of the family. A letter written by Ida was also found, which sold for $131,000.
In the letter, Ida Straus described the Titanic as “huge and magnificently appointed.”
“Our rooms are furnished in the best of taste and most luxurious,” Ida Straus said.
