Titanic watch gifted to 'hero' captain who saved 700 passengers sells for 'new world record price' of £1.567m
17 November 2024, 15:16
The watch was gifted to Captain Arthur Rostron for his heroic role in saving more than 700 people from the Titanic tragedy.
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The 18-carat Tiffany & Co pocket watch was auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire.
The watch - originally gifted to the Titanic hero by survivors he rescued in 1912 - has reportedly sold to a private collector in the US.
At the time of the gifting, Sir Arthur was the captain of RMS Carpathia - a passenger ship.
In a post on Instagram, the auctioneer claimed the whopping fee was a 'new world record price' for Titanic memorabilia.
The post reads: "What an amazing day, the highlight of today’s auction was the sale of the Rostron Tiffany Watch, it sold for a premium inclusive £1.567m a new world record price for Titanic memorabilia."
The captain and fomer owner of the pocket watch has been hailed a Titanic 'hero' for his efforts to save passengers on the Titanic.
Sir Arthur responded to an emergency call from the Titanic while he was on the Carpathia, which was on route from New York to Europe.
As the Titanic tragedy unfolded, the distress call reached out for help from other boats: "We've struck ice, come at once."
On 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic, The Carpathia arrived at the scene of the Titanic two hours after it had sank.
The pocket watch is engraved with the writing: "presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912 Mrs John B Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D Widener."
The widow of the 'richest man on the titanic' and two fellow widows of rich businessmen originally gifted the watch to Sir Arthur.
The Titanic tragedy stole the lives of over 1,500 passengers and crew - after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
The pocket watch auction fee takes the world record from the sale of the violin that was played as the Titanic ship went down. The violin sold for £1.1m in 2013 and held the record for 11 years.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: the watch "was presented principally in gratitude for Rostron’s bravery in saving those lives, because without Mr Rostron, those 700 people wouldn’t have made it."
