Titanic Love Story: Golden Watch Sells for Record £1.78M at Auction

A remarkable gold pocket watch that once belonged to Isidor Straus, one of the wealthiest passengers aboard the Titanic, has set a new record at auction by selling for £1. 78 million. The Titanic, which was traveling from Southampton to New York in April 1912, tragically sank after hitting an iceberg, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people, including Isidor and his wife Ida. The watch, made of 18-carat gold, was recovered from Isidor's body days after the disaster. It had stopped at exactly 2:20am, the moment the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves. The watch was originally a birthday gift from Ida to Isidor in 1888 and was engraved with his initials.

The Straus family kept the watch for generations, and Isidor's great-grandson, Kenneth Hollister Straus, eventually had it repaired and restored. The auction took place at Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire, and featured several other Titanic-related items. Among these was a letter written by Ida Straus on Titanic stationery, which sold for £100,000, a passenger list that fetched £104,000, and a gold medal awarded to the crew of the RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued more than 700 survivors, which sold for £86,000. Altogether, the auction brought in £3 million from the sale of Titanic memorabilia.

Isidor Straus was a well-known businessman, politician, and co-owner of Macy's department store in New York. On the night of the sinking, Ida famously refused a place in a lifeboat, choosing instead to stay with her husband, saying she would rather die by his side. Her body was never found, but their story has become a symbol of devotion and love. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge commented that the record-breaking price for the watch demonstrates the lasting fascination with the Titanic and the personal stories of those who were aboard. He described the Strauses as the 'ultimate love story,' and said the watch's sale is a testament to the respect people have for their memory. The auction also included other items from the Titanic, showing that interest in the ship and its passengers remains strong more than a century after the tragedy.