A gold pocket watch gifted by three female survivors to the ship captain who rescued 700 Titanic passengers was sold at an auction for $1.97 million, setting a new record for memorabilia from the ill-fated ship.
The 18-carat watch by Tiffany and Co., one of the world’s most prestigious houses for jewelry, was given to Captain Arthur Rostron by the widows of three wealthy businessmen who perished when the Titanic sunk in the northern Atlantic on its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
Rostron, the captain of the passenger ship RMS Carpathia, diverted his steamship while en route from New York to the Mediterranean Sea after receiving the Titanic’s distress calls.
A gold watch that was gifted by three widows to the captain of the ship that saved 700passengers from the #Titanic has sold for a record-breaking £1.57m at auction
Astor, Marian & Eleanor bought the Tiffany&Co timepiece after they returned safely to #NewYork following the sinking pic.twitter.com/D3UzeNBURD— Ch.M.NAIDU (@chmnaidu) November 19, 2024
Two world record prices for Titanic memorabilia this year
Auction house Henry Aldridge & Son said the amount paid at the auction that was held on Saturday, November 16th is the highest ever for Titanic memorabilia. The timepiece, according to the auctioneers, was sold to a private collector in the United States, and the sale figure includes fees and taxes.
The watch was gifted to Rostron by the widow of John Jacob Astor, the wealthiest man to die in the shipwreck. Astor’s pocket watch, which was on his person when it was recovered seven days after the Titanic sunk, fetched nearly $1.5 million at an auction in April 2024 by the same auction house and held the previous record for the highest amount paid for Titanic memorabilia.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told CNN that the latest sale is a sign that interest in the story of the Titanic is far from being lost even though over a century has passed since the disaster.
“The fact the world record price for Titanic memorabilia has been broken twice this year demonstrates the ever-decreasing supply and an ever-increasing demand for memorabilia related to the ship,” he told CNN.
Why Captain Rostron was hailed a hero
The actions of Captain Rostron the night the Titanic sunk hailed him a hero, and his crew was also recognized for their bravery.
In the early hours of April 15, 1912, a radio operator on RMS Carpathia heard the distress call from the Titanic and woke Captain Rostron in his cabin. He turned the ship around and, at full steam, headed toward the sinking vessel. After navigating through icebergs in the cold Atlantic Ocean, Carpathia reached the Titanic after it had sunk and 1,500 had already died. The crew was still able to locate 20 lifeboats, rescue more than 700 passengers, and take them to New York.
Captain Rostron was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal by President William Howard Taft and was knighted by King George V.
The watch was presented to Captain Rostron by Madeleine Astor on May 31, 1912 at Astor’s New York mansion on Fifth Avenue, according to the auction house. The inscription says it was given “with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic.” Along Astor’s name, it lists Mrs. John B. Thayer and Mrs. George D. Widener.
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