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A rare 18-karat gold pocket watch from one of Titanic’s most prominent passengers will go under the hammer. The Titanic Straus pocket watch belonged to Isidor Straus, who died alongside his wife Ida during the ship’s tragic 1912 voyage.
The century-old Jules Jurgensen timepiece stopped at 2:20 a.m., matching the Titanic’s believed sinking time, auctioneers note. Henry Aldridge and Son will auction the watch on November 22.
Hollywood connection and family legacy
The couple’s story inspired James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic, where the elderly pair clung to each other as the ship sank. Auctioneers highlighted this cinematic portrayal to emphasize the watch’s cultural significance.
Isidor reportedly refused a lifeboat because women and children still remained on board, while Ida chose to stay with him. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described the watch as “a phenomenal piece of memorabilia.”
The heirloom passed down generations before being restored by Kenneth Hollister Straus, the great-grandson of the Strauses.
Family connections across generations
In an extraordinary link, Stockton Rush, CEO of deep-sea explorer OceanGate, died in 2023 alongside four others during a Titanic wreck dive. He was married to Wendy Weil, Isidor and Ida Straus’ great-great-granddaughter.
Singer King Princess, born Mikaela Mullaney Straus, is also a great-great-granddaughter. The family is now selling the watch publicly for the first time.
Titanic artifacts’ auction history
The watch will be sold with a handwritten letter by Ida, written aboard the Titanic on April 10, 1912. The letter praises the ship’s grandeur and recounts early observations during the voyage. Neither item has been publicly displayed before.
Ida is believed to have gifted the watch to Isidor on his 43rd birthday in 1888. The couple perished with roughly 1,520 others, including first-class passengers John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim. Ida’s body was never recovered.
Other Titanic artifacts have fetched impressive sums: Captain Carpathia’s gold watch sold for €1.56 million, bandmaster Wallace Hartley’s violin sold for €1.1 million, and Astor’s watch sold for €900,000 in 2024.
Significance and auction expectations
The Titanic Straus pocket watch represents both historical and cinematic legacy. Collectors expect bidding to surpass $1 million. The auction highlights the enduring fascination with Titanic artifacts, bridging history, family stories, and popular culture.
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