In brief
The 18-carat Tiffany timepiece once owned by Sir Arthur Rostron, the captain of the RMS Carpathia, highlights the ongoing intrigue surrounding the Titanic tragedy.
A gold pocket watch presented to Sir Arthur Rostron, the heroic captain who rescued over 700 survivors from the ill-fated Titanic, has garnered a record-breaking price of £1.56m ($1.97m) at auction. This exquisite 18-carat timepiece, crafted by Tiffany & Co., was given to Rostron as a token of gratitude by survivors he saved from the sinking liner.Held at auction by Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, this sale marks a significant milestone, being the highest price ever achieved for Titanic-related memorabilia. A private collector from the United States secured the watch, underscoring the enduring fascination with the Titanic disaster, according to the auction house.Rostron, captain of the RMS Carpathia, altered the course of his ship after receiving a distress signal from the Titanic, which struck an iceberg on April 15, 1912. The Carpathia reached the scene roughly two hours after the Titanic sank. The precious watch was given to him by the widow of John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger aboard the Titanic, along with two other widows of wealthy businessmen who perished when the ship went down.The inscription on the watch reads: "Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912: Mrs. John B. Thayer, Mrs. John Jacob Astor, and Mrs. George D. Widener." This heartfelt tribute speaks volumes about the lives saved, with auctioneer Andrew Aldridge stating that without Rostron's timely actions, many survivors would not have made it.Previously, another Titanic-linked gold pocket watch, discovered among John Jacob Astor’s remains, sold for £1.175m in April, while a violin played during the ship's sinking set the record at £1.1m back in 2013. Aldridge noted that this year's auction results reflect a "decreasing supply and increasing demand" for Titanic artifacts, reinforcing the ship's historical significance and the public's ongoing interest.
