A new chapter has been written in the Titanic story with the record £1.78-million auction sale of a watch owned by victim Isidor Straus.
The 18-karat gold, Jules Jurdensen watch was sold by Henry Aldridge & Son Limited on November 22.
It was listed with an £800,000 to £1-million estimate.
The record-breaking winning bid exceeded the £1.56 million paid for a Tiffany watch bought by survivors for captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia, the ship that saved more than 700 lives.
The Straus watch told a moving love story.
The Strauses were a very American success story. Isidor had a political career alongside his business interests. Their devotion in the face of death continues to move us today. Image courtesy Henry Aldridge & Son.
It was discovered on Isidor Straus’s body after he died alongside his wife, Ida, when they refused to separate to save just one of their lives.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told the Guardian: “The world-record price illustrates the enduring interest in the Titanic story. Every man, woman and child passenger or crew had a story to tell and they are told 113 years later through the memorabilia.
“The Strauses were the ultimate love story, Ida refusing to leave her husband of 41 years as the Titanic sank, and this world-record price is testament to the respect that they are held in.”
Mr Straus was 67 when he died on April 15, 1912. Ida was 41, her body was never recovered.
Isidor made his fortune with Macy’s, the New York department store, after emigrating to the US from Bavaria, Germany.
The couple were returning to New York from a European holiday when they boarded the Titanic at Southampton. A letter from Ida, written on and posted from the liner, sold for £100,000 in the same sale.
Mr Straus’s, watch, a 43rd birthday gift initialled IS, was returned to his family after recovery The Strauses had 7 children.
Henry Aldridge & Son are Titanic specialists and this notable sale made over £3 million in total.
