A pocket watch that once belonged to the Titanic’s wealthiest passenger has sold for $1.46 million, setting a new record for items connected to the infamous naval disaster.
The watch, which belonged to John Jacob Astor IV, was sold by the auction house Henry Aldridge & Son over the weekend. The sale shattered the estimates for the timepiece, which had expected it to go for somewhere around six figures.
Engraved on the watch are Astor’s initials, “JJA,” and was found along with Astor’s body when his remains were recovered in the days after the ship sank.
He was also found with 225 pounds in English notes, gold and diamond cufflinks, a diamond ring, and $2,440 on his person.
“Astor is well known as the richest passenger aboard the R.M.S. Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of roughly $87 million (equivalent to several billion dollars today,)” the auction house wrote.
The auction house shared that Astor was the great grandson of the famous fur trader John Jacob Astor, who died in 1848 as one of the country’s wealthiest men. Astor reportedly made his fortune through various means, including as a writer, investor, real estate developer, and more. He also served as a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War.
Astor, who was in his 40s while a passenger on the Titanic, had been traveling on the ship with his 18-year-old wife Madeline, according to the auction house. They had reportedly been married on Sept. 11, 1911, and were on their honeymoon, waiting for gossip about their marriage to die down when they boarded the Titanic to head back to the United States.
After the Titanic started to evacuate, the auction house shared that Astor had asked if he could join his wife on a lifeboat but was told he had to wait.
He then reportedly lit a cigarette, tossed his gloves to his wife, and joined author Jacques Futrelle for a smoke. Both men were among the 1,500 who died in the boat’s sinking.
While Madeline survived, Astor’s body was found more than a week later by the CS McKay-Bennett.
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“The watch itself was completely restored after being returned to Colonel Astor’s family and worn by his son, making it a unique part of the Titanic story and one of the most important pieces of horological history relating to the most famous ship in the world,” the auction house said.
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