Gold watch worn by richest passenger aboard Titanic sells for record-breaking $1.5 million

By Emily Blumenthal and Catherine Nicholls, CNN

Updated 5:40 AM EDT, Sun April 28, 2024

John Jacob Astor IV's pocket watch fetched $1.485 million at auction.

CNN —

A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, sold for a record-breaking £1.175 million ($1.485 million) at auction on Saturday.

The timepiece sold for ten times its expected auction price of between £100,000 and £150,000.

Its high selling point has set a “new world record for Titanic memorabilia,” Andrew Aldridge, the managing director of auction house Henry Aldridge and Son, told CNN on Sunday.

Astor was one of around 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. His pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived.

The watch was among a number of notable items on offer at Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England, on Saturday, including the valise that held the violin famously played by the band leader as the ship sank, and a pocketbook that documents the Titanic’s scheduled voyages.

The valise was sold for £360,000, while the violin itself was sold for £1.1 million (nearly $1.7 million at the time) via the same auction house in 2013. It was, until Astor’s pocket watch claimed the title, the highest-selling item from the Titanic.

“These prices for these unique pieces of history reflect not only their importance but also the ongoing interest into the Titanic story and the memory of her passengers and crew,” Aldridge told CNN.

The valise belonging to Titanic bandmember and orchestra leader Wallace Hartley,, was also sold.

The watch was among the personal effects found with Astor’s body after the Titanic sank, according to the auction house. He also had gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money and a pocketbook on him, among other items.

After the recovery of Astor’s body, those possessions were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who completely restored the watch so that it worked.

In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the infant son of William Dobbyn IV, John Jacob Astor’s executive secretary, according to the auction house.

Aldridge told CNN that the Dobbyn family kept the item until the late 1990s, when it went to auction.

An unnamed collector in the United States bought the watch at that time. Since then, it has been displayed in several museums.

“So, you know, over the course of its time, quite literally millions of people have viewed it, which is fabulous,” Aldridge said.

Gold watch worn by richest passenger aboard Titanic sells for record-breaking $1.5 million

泰坦尼克号上最有钱的乘客佩戴的金表卖出了破纪录的150万美元

A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, sold for a record-breaking £1.175 million ($1.485 million) at auction on Saturday.

来自富有的Astor家族，泰坦尼克号上最有钱的John Jacob Astor四世佩戴的一块金表在周六的拍卖会上以破纪录的117.5万英镑（148.5万美元）售出。

The timepiece sold for ten times its expected auction price of between £100,000 and £150,000.

该手表的售价是预期拍卖价的10倍，预计拍卖价在10万至15万英镑之间。

Its high selling point has set a “new world record for Titanic memorabilia,” Andrew Aldridge, the managing director of auction house Henry Aldridge and Son, told CNN on Sunday.

它的高售价创造了“泰坦尼克号纪念品新的世界纪录”，“Henry Aldridge and Son”拍卖行的董事总经理Andrew Aldridge周日跟CNN说道。

Astor was one of around 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. His pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived.

1912年4月15日，泰坦尼克号撞上冰山沉没，约1500人死亡，Astor是其中之一。他怀孕的妻子Madeleine幸免于难。

The watch was among a number of notable items on offer at Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England, on Saturday, including the valise that held the violin famously played by the band leader as the ship sank, and a pocketbook that documents the Titanic’s scheduled voyages.

该手表是英国威尔特的“Henry Aldridge and Son”拍卖行周六拍卖的一系列引人注目的物品之一，还包括一个手提箱，里面装着乐队指挥在沉船时知名地演奏的小提琴，以及一个记录泰坦尼克号预定航行的笔记本。

The valise was sold for £360,000, while the violin itself was sold for £1.1 million (nearly $1.7 million at the time) via the same auction house in 2013. It was, until Astor’s pocket watch claimed the title, the highest-selling item from the Titanic.

手提箱以36万英镑的价格售出，而小提琴本身则在2013年在同一家拍卖行以110万英镑（当时近170万美元）的价格售出，在Astor的手表获得最高价之前，它一直是泰坦尼克号上的最高售价。

“These prices for these unique pieces of history reflect not only their importance but also the ongoing interest into the Titanic story and the memory of her passengers and crew,” Aldridge told CNN.

“这些独特历史物品的价格不仅反映了它们的重要性，还反映了人们对泰坦尼克号故事以及上面的乘客和船员记忆的持续的兴趣”，Aldridge告诉CNN。

The watch was among the personal effects found with Astor’s body after the Titanic sank, according to the auction house. He also had gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money and a pocketbook on him, among other items.

拍卖行称，这只手表是在泰坦尼克号沉没后在Astor身上发现的个人物品之一。他身上还有金袖扣、一枚钻戒、钱和记事本等物品。

After the recovery of Astor’s body, those possessions were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who completely restored the watch so that it worked.

Astor被找到后，这些财产给到了他的儿子Vincent Astor，他完全修好了手表，使其正常工作。

In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the infant son of William Dobbyn IV, John Jacob Astor’s executive secretary, according to the auction house.

据拍卖行介绍，1935年，Vincent将这块手表作为洗礼礼物送给了John Jacob Astor的执行秘书William Dobbyn四世的幼子。

Aldridge told CNN that the Dobbyn family kept the item until the late 1990s, when it went to auction.

Aldridge告诉CNN，Dobbyn家族一直保存着这件物品，直到20世纪90年代末到了拍卖行。

An unnamed collector in the United States bought the watch at that time. Since then, it has been displayed in several museums.

当时，一位不愿透露姓名的美国收藏家买下了这块手表。之后，它在几个博物馆进行过展出。

“So, you know, over the course of its time, quite literally millions of people have viewed it, which is fabulous,” Aldridge said.

“所以，在这段时间里，确实有数百万人看到了它，这太棒了”，Aldridge说道。