Titanic Love Story: Gold Watch Recovered From Wealthy Passenger Sells For Record £1.78Million At Auction

A gold pocket watch recovered from the body of one of the wealthiest passengers aboard the Titanic has sold for a “record-breaking” £1.78 million at auction.

The watch belonged to Isidor Straus, who perished alongside his wife Ida when the ship, en route from Southampton to New York, struck an iceberg and sank on April 14, 1912, claiming more than 1,500 lives.

Straus’s body was recovered in the days following the tragedy, and among the items found with him was an 18-carat gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch.

According to BBC, the piece had stayed in the Straus family for generations until it was offered for sale by Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire, where it went under the hammer on Saturday.

Straus, a German-born American entrepreneur, politician, and co-owner of Macy’s department store, died with his wife in the disaster.

According to accounts, Ida Straus refused a place in a lifeboat, unwilling to abandon her husband, declaring she would rather remain with him, and the couple spent their final moments together. Ida’s body was never recovered.

Several other Titanic artefacts also achieved high prices at the auction. A letter penned by Ida Straus on Titanic stationery and mailed during the voyage sold for £100,000. A passenger list fetched £104,000, while a gold medal presented to RMS Carpathia crew members by grateful survivors brought in £86,000. Altogether, the sale of Titanic memorabilia totalled £3 million.

The pocket watch, which had stopped at 02:20, the exact time the Titanic disappeared beneath the ocean, was believed to have been given to Straus by Ida for his 43rd birthday in 1888 and bears his engraved initials.

After being returned to the family following the recovery of his body, it was passed down through generations. Straus’s great-grandson, Kenneth Hollister Straus, later had the movement restored.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said the “world record price” reflects the lasting fascination with the Titanic. “Every passenger and crew member had their own story, and more than a century later, these objects allow those stories to live on,” he said.

He described the Strauses as “the ultimate love story,” noting that Ida’s refusal to leave her husband of 41 years continues to resonate with people today.

Last year, a gold pocket watch given to the captain of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued more than 700 Titanic survivors, set the previous record when it sold for £1.56 million.