Picture courtesy of BNPS | via BBC

 

A gold pocket watch, once belonging to Isidor Straus, a wealthy Titanic passenger, shattered records by fetching £1.78 million (approximately 78 million Thai baht) at an auction. The watch, an 18-carat gold Jules Jurgensen, was among items recovered with Straus' body after the Titanic sank on 14 April 1912.

 

The auction took place at Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire, drawing attention from Titanic memorabilia enthusiasts.

 

Isidor Straus, an American businessman and co-owner of Macy's department store, died alongside his wife, Ida, who famously chose to stay with her husband rather than secure a place on a lifeboat. The couple's poignant love story endures as a key narrative of the disaster. A letter written by Ida on Titanic stationery and a passenger list from the voyage also fetched remarkable sums, contributing to the auction’s total of £3 million (around 132 million Thai baht).

 

The pocket watch, believed to have been a birthday gift from Ida to Isidor, stopped at 02:20, marking the exact time the Titanic disappeared beneath the Atlantic. It remained in the Straus family for generations before undergoing repair and restoration by Kenneth Hollister Straus, Isidor’s great-grandson.

 

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge commentHe stated that the record price "illustrates the enduring interest in the Titanic story." He emphasised that every passenger had a tale, and these stories persist over a century later through such memorabilia.r had a tale, and these stories persisted over a century later through such memorabilia. Last year, a gold watch given to the Carpathia's captain for rescuing Titanic survivors held the previous record, selling for £1.56 million.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• A Titanic passenger's gold pocket watch sold for a record £1.78 million.
• Titanic memorabilia at the auction reached a total of £3 million.
• The watch marked its place in history by stopping at the moment the Titanic sank.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-11-23

 

 

 

It's a gold watch. That's all it is. 

11 minutes ago, siftasam said:

It's a gold watch. That's all it is. 

A deceased persons gold watch. 

21 minutes ago, siftasam said:

It's a gold watch. That's all it is. 

Only to you!

So it's been repaired, not original, Meh.