The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen timepiece, which had remained in the Straus family for more than a century, was the star item at a sale held by Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers on Saturday, November 22. The auction house, known for handling significant Titanic artefacts, confirmed the sale marks the highest price ever achieved for an item connected to the sinking.
Straus, a prominent American businessman, politician, and co-owner of Macy's department store, was travelling first class with his wife Ida when the Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Both were among the more than 1,500 passengers and crew who perished.
Their story is remembered as one of the most poignant of the tragedy. Witnesses recalled Ida refusing a seat on a lifeboat, insisting she would not leave her husband of 41 years behind. The couple were last seen sitting together on the deck as the ship went down. Isidor's body was later recovered; Ida's was never found.
Among the items discovered with him was the gold watch, its hands stopped at 02:20, the moment the Titanic slipped beneath the Atlantic. The piece had originally been a gift from Ida to Isidor for his 43rd birthday in 1888, engraved with his initials and carried with him until his final moments.
The watch was returned to the family after the disaster and carefully preserved through the generations. Isidor's great-grandson, Kenneth Hollister Straus, later had the mechanism repaired and restored, while keeping the original casing intact.
The auction generated strong global interest, with auctioneer Andrew Aldridge describing the watch as a symbol of the couple's enduring legacy.
'This world record price illustrates the lasting fascination with the Titanic and the profound human stories attached to it,' he said. 'The Strauses embody what many consider the ultimate love story of the disaster, and this sale is a testament to the respect in which they are held.'
The auction also featured other significant Titanic-related items. A letter written by Ida Straus on Titanic stationery, posted during the voyage, sold for £100,000 (Frw 167 million). A passenger list fetched £104,000 (Frw 174 million), while a gold medal presented to the crew of the rescue ship RMS Carpathia was purchased for £86,000 (Frw 144 million). In total, the sale of memorabilia reached £3 million.
The previous record for a Titanic artefact was £1.56 million (Frw 2.6 billion) for a gold watch given to the Carpathia captain, sold last year. With this latest sale, the Straus watch now stands as the most valuable piece of Titanic history ever auctioned.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
