This Titanic pocket watch has set all records and expectations. Moreover, it has a fascinating history and origin.
I have been working in the auction world for many years. Not to say I'm jaded, but I've witnessed many records being broken. However, the Titanic pocket watch, sold for $1.5 million at Henry Aldridge & Son, left me stunned.
Not only did it sell for several times its high estimate, but it is also the best-selling memorabilia from the legendary sunken liner.
Furthermore, it belonged to John Jacob Astor IV of the Astor family. If there ever were American royalty, they were certainly part of this lineage.
Incidentally, during the tragedy, Astor maintained admirable composure. Intrigued? You should be.
Here's everything you need to know about the Titanic pocket watch found on this legendary ship and owned by this stylish gentleman.
Pocket Watch
The Titanic pocket watch is quite a remarkable item, even without its legendary history. It is a beautiful 14-karat gold Waltham watch. It features an elegant onion crown with a swinging bow.
This gives it a classic yet dynamic silhouette, befitting a wealthy high-society man.
Moreover, the front of the full hunter case is engraved with a graceful monogram. A hunter case is simply a metal lid that fully covers the watch face when closed.
Compare it with open-face or half-hunter pocket watches, where the lid is transparent.
The monogram reads JJA - John Jacob Astor.
The white dial is adorned with Arabic numerals, a small seconds subdial, and Breguet-style hands. It's a stylish and timeless design that can easily be seen on both dress and casual watches today.
While the Waltham Watch Company still produces timepieces today, its heyday was in the 1800s and early 1900s.
The company was based in Waltham, Massachusetts, known for its intricate and attractively designed movements, precision instruments, and premium chronometers overall.
They were active during the peak of American watch manufacturing, when the USA had its own "Switzerland" in Connecticut.
For an American aristocrat like Mr. Astor, it would make sense to acquire such a watch.
Another reason these watches are so notable? Unlike many other Titanic artifacts, this watch lived a life after the tragedy. Astor's body was recovered by the cable ship CS McKay-Bennett. The watch was found with him and returned to his family.
Astor's son, Vincent, fully restored it for himself. Vincent then passed the watch on to William Dobbin, the son of his father's chief of staff.
This watch is one of many Titanic stories, an important part of watchmaking history, and a significant piece of American history.
Auction
At the English auction house Henry Aldridge & Son, J.J. Astor's watch was sold on April 27, 2024, for 1.175 million pounds sterling. In US dollars, that's about $1.5 million.
I say "at the end of the day" because auction items sell for a set price. Then, typically, a buyer's premium is added, along with taxes and the like. In 2013, Henry Aldridge & Son auctioned off a Titanic violin for 900,000 pounds sterling, which ultimately amounted to about 1.1 million pounds after taxes and fees.
At that time, this violin was the best-selling artifact from the sunken liner.
Astor's pocket watch surpassed this, becoming the best-selling item among Titanic memorabilia. Additionally, its auction estimate was between 100,000 and 150,000 pounds sterling, or between $125,000 and $187,600 in US currency.
This means the price fetched for this lot was about eight times the high estimate. The winner was a private American buyer, who, after a fierce bidding war, crossed the finish line (and back). Calling this a success would be an understatement.
Again, this is not the first time Henry Aldridge & Son has auctioned off some important Titanic-related items.
In fact, this family-run auction house is an authority in valuing Titanic artifacts. They sell a wide range of memorabilia, but their website has a dedicated section for maritime and specific Titanic treasures.
In 2022, they sold another gold-plated pocket watch from the sunken ship, owned by postal clerk Oscar Scott Woody, for approximately $100,000.
Another pocket watch from the Titanic, previously owned by a Russian passenger named Sinai Kantor, sold for over $118,000. In November 2023, a first-class menu from the ship's restaurant sold for just over $100,000.
Suffice it to say, J.J. Astor's pocket watch went far beyond the norm.
The Henry Aldridge & Son auction house has been holding sales twice a year since the 1990s. Its managing director is Andrew Aldridge, and his wife is Chrissie Aldridge.
The Man
When the Titanic sank in April 1912, after striking an iceberg, John Jacob Astor IV placed his wife Madeleine in a lifeboat. Women and children first, of course.
As the ship was sinking and the band was playing, Astor lit a cigarette with journalist Jacques Futrelle and chatted with passengers - all of whom were probably wondering if he knew how serious the situation was. Some say he didn't. But this makes him the hero of his own story.
J.J. Astor and Madeleine were married a year earlier, on September 11, 1911. To avoid gossip and attention from New York society, they took a rather long honeymoon. Madeleine was his much younger second wife.
The newlyweds spent time in Europe and Egypt. On their return journey to New York, they boarded the Titanic. Unfortunately, Mr. Astor did not survive to see it. He became one of the more than fifteen hundred victims of the tragedy.
As we now know from history books (or James Cameron, no pun intended), there weren't enough lifeboats for everyone on board.
Astor was the wealthiest man on the ship, the great-grandson of patriarch John Jacob Astor. The same Astor was a fur trader and died as one of the wealthiest people of his time.
J.J. made his fortune himself. He was a successful business magnate, writer, savvy investor, and real estate developer. During the Spanish-American War, he was also a lieutenant colonel.
I often think of J.J. Astor since he founded the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan. St. Regis is one of my favorite places to have a daytime martini. In general, it's a popular spot on the Upper East Side for an afternoon martini.
Astor even invented the precursor to air conditioning in this hotel.
When he passed away, his estate was valued at $87 million. By today's standards, this means he had a billionaire's wealth.
When his body was found, he also had a diamond ring, diamond and gold cufflinks, several thousand US dollars, and several hundred British pounds.
The Appeal of the Titanic Pocket Watch
I am surprised by how much this item fetched at auction, but not surprised by its overall success.
Astor is a big name. The Titanic and the stories we continue to recover from it are timeless. And for watch enthusiasts, names and stories are often even more important than the function itself.
It's truly remarkable that Astor's son gave this watch a second life. Perhaps it embodies hope in tragedy.
Questions? Comments? Let us know!