Gold pocket watch recovered from the body of the richest man on the Titanic who ... trends now
The pocket watch of the richest man on the Titanic – recovered when his body was fished out of the Atlantic seven days after the tragedy – was sold a record-breaking £1.175 million yesterday.
The timepiece belonged to John Jacob Astor IV, a US business magnate who was among more than 1,500 people who died when the ship struck an iceberg in the early hours of April 15, 1912.
His 14-carat gold Waltham watch was sold at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire for a record-breaking £1.175 million, six times the guide price, matching the record paid for a Titanic artifact – the violin played by bandmaster Wallace Hartley.
Mr Astor, a hotelier who was worth £55 million – about £7 billion today – went down with the ship after helping his pregnant wife Madeleine into a lifeboat. He was last seen smoking a cigarette on the starboard wing of the bridge while chatting to a fellow first-class passenger.
Astor's body was recovered from the north Atlantic seven days later dressed in a blue suit and brown flannel shirt. He was later identified by the initials ‘JJA’ engraved on the watch and sewn on to his jacket.
Business magnate John Jacob Astor's 14 carat gold Waltham pocket watch was sold at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire for a record-breaking £1.175 million, six times the guide price
The Titanic leaving Southampton on her ill-fated maiden voyage on April 10, 1912
John Jacob Astor IV and his new wife Madeleine, from an image taken shortly before they traveled on the RMS Titanic
Astor's body was recovered from the north Atlantic seven days later dressed in a blue suit and brown flannel shirt
John Jacob Astor IV left $69million of his $85million estate, equivalent to approximately $2.6billion in 2022, to his eldest son William Vincent Astor (right) who became the richest man in America
