A gold pocket watch belonging to one of the Titanic’s wealthiest passengers is set to go under the hammer, with experts predicting it could sell for £1 million ($1.3 million).
The watch, retrieved from the body of Isidor Straus after the liner sank, is considered one of the most remarkable pieces of Titanic memorabilia ever offered at auction.
Isidor Straus and his wife Ida were among the more than 1,500 passengers who lost their lives when the Titanic collided with an iceberg on 14 April 1912, during its journey from Southampton to New York. Straus’ body was recovered days later, and the gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch was found among his belongings.
Andrew Aldridge, an auctioneer at Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, emphasized the historical and emotional significance of the watch. "With the watch, we are retelling Isidor's story. It's a phenomenal piece of memorabilia," he said.
Straus, who was born in Bavaria, became a prominent American businessman, politician, and co-owner of the New York department store Macy’s. He and his wife were well-known in New York society, and their story was immortalized in the closing scenes of James Cameron’s Titanic film, showing an elderly couple embracing as the ship went down.
"They were a very famous New York couple," Aldridge added.
On the night of the tragedy, Ida refused a place in a lifeboat to remain by her husband’s side. She reportedly told him, "Isidor we have been together all of these years, where you go, I go." Her body was never recovered.
The 18-carat gold watch stopped at 02:20, the exact moment the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves. It is believed to have been a gift from Ida to Isidor in 1888 and carries his engraved initials.
The watch stayed in the Straus family for generations before Isidor’s great-grandson, Kenneth Hollister Straus, had it restored and repaired.
The auction will also feature a rare letter written by Ida during the voyage, in which she described the Titanic’s luxury. She wrote: "What a ship! So huge and so magnificently appointed.
Our rooms are furnished in the best of taste and most luxurious." The letter was stamped aboard the Titanic in Queenstown, Ireland, and is expected to fetch £150,000.
Henry Aldridge & Son said the sale has already attracted attention from collectors worldwide. A spokesperson said: "This was the ultimate love story.
Isidor embodied the American Dream, rising from humble immigrant to a titan of New York society, owning Macy's department store. As the ship sank, Ida refused a lifeboat seat and chose to remain with her husband, demonstrating devotion that continues to captivate collectors 113 years later."
The auction comes after another Titanic artefact—a gold watch given to the captain of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued over 700 survivors—sold for a record £1.56 million last year.
The Straus watch is expected to become one of the most valuable Titanic items ever sold, connecting history, tragedy, and a legendary love story in a single object.
