Rome, 27 April 2024 – It belonged to John Jacob Astor, the richest man aboard the Titanic at the time of the shipwreck which occurred in the early hours of the morning of 15 April 1912. It is a pocket watch, Waltham brand, in 14 carat gold. It will be auctioned today and the starting price is stratospheric, but its story is worth it: the asking price is 150 thousand pounds. The sale is handled by the family-run firm Henry Aldridge & Son, auctioneers specializing in ocean liner memorabilia managed by Andrew Aldridge. “It’s a unique part of the Titanic’s history one of the most important pieces of watchmaking relating to the most famous ship in the world,” said the auctioneer quoted by The Sun.
The story of the discovery
The watch, which bears the initials of its owner engraved, he was found on the ship a week after the sinking. Astor tried to escape without success, but before he did he made sure that his wife Madeleine, pregnant at the time of the tragedy, found a place on one of the lifeboats. The body of John Jacob Astor will be found in the North Atlantic a week after the British liner collided with an iceberg that ended its maiden voyage.
After the pocket watch was found it moved to the wrist of Vincent Astorheir of the businessman, who after having it repaired wore it until 1935. His godson later inherits it William Dobbyn. The purchase of the watch by a private individual allowed it to travel the world at various exhibitions starting in the 1990s, including the National Geographic Exhibition in Washington DC.
