A gold pocket watch presented to Captain Arthur Rostron, who rescued 700 survivors from the Titanic disaster, was sold at auction for nearly $2 million, setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia.
The 18-carat Tiffany & Co. watch was given to Rostron by three women survivors in gratitude for diverting his ship, the RMS Carpathia, to rescue those stranded after the Titanic sank in 1912.
The auction, held by Henry Aldridge and Son, sold the watch to a private collector in the U.S. for £1.56 million (including taxes and fees), making it the highest-priced Titanic artifact ever sold. Previously, the record was held by John Jacob Astor’s pocket watch, which sold for nearly $1.5 million earlier in the year.
Aldridge noted that the increasing value of Titanic memorabilia highlights the ongoing fascination with the tragedy and the rarity of such artifacts.
Rostron, who was celebrated for his heroism in navigating through icebergs to reach the Titanic, was later awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and knighted by King George V.
The watch, inscribed with a message of gratitude, was presented to him by Madeleine Astor, the widow of the wealthiest man to perish in the disaster, along with the widows of two other prominent businessmen who died aboard the Titanic.
