The pocket watch of the richest man on the Titanic (recovered when his body was pulled out of the Atlantic seven days after the tragedy) sold yesterday for a record £1.175 million.
The watch belonged to John Jacob Astor IV, an American business magnate who was among the 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 sold at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire for a record £1.175 million, six times the guide price, equaling the record paid for a Titanic artefact: the violin played by band director Wallace Hartley.
Mr Astor, a hotelier 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 with 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 to his jacket.
Business magnate John Jacob Astor’s 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch sold at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire for a record £1.175 million, six times the guide price.
The Titanic left Southampton on its ill-fated maiden voyage on April 10, 1912.
John Jacob Astor IV and his new wife Madeleine, from an image taken shortly before traveling on the RMS Titanic
Astor’s body was recovered in the North Atlantic seven days later dressed in a blue suit and brown flannel shirt.
John Jacob Astor IV left $69 million of his $85 million estate, equivalent to approximately $2.6 billion in 2022, to his eldest son William Vincent Astor (right), who became the richest man in the United States .
Also on sale was the violin case belonging to Mr Hartley, which was purchased for £290,000.
John Jacob Astor IV was depicted in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic and was played by actor Eric Braeden.
It is not known what condition the clock was in at that time, but it would have stopped working at 2:20 in the morning, the moment the Titanic and the Astor disappeared into the Atlantic.
Vincent Astor had the clock restored and repaired and wore it until 1935, when he gave it to his godson, William Dobbyn. Dobbyn’s father, also named William, had been Astor’s executive secretary and was also close to Vincent.
The Dobbyn family sold it to a collector in the 1990s.
Since then, it has been displayed in several museums, including the National Geographic Exhibition in Washington DC and the Titanic Museum, ‘The World’s Largest Titanic Attraction’ in Missouri, USA.
It was accompanied by an affidavit signed by William Dobbyn Sr.’s daughter-in-law confirming that it had been a gift from Vincent to her husband.
He adds that Vincent informed him that the watch was worn by his father when he died in the sinking of the Titanic.
The impeccably dressed businessman was last seen smoking a cigarette on the starboard wing of the bridge, chatting with a fellow first class member before he died.
Next to the watch are a pair of gold cufflinks owned by Astor and his map of the Titanic’s first-class accommodations.
William Dobbyn used the 30-by-40-inch folding document in Paris to plan the Astors’ voyage and confirm the staterooms they were in.
Suites C74 and C76 are circled in pencil with the notation $1,225.00 April 10 From Cherbourg. Other handwritten notes include: “The Paris office reserves these rooms for Colonel A.” It is valued at £30,000.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “The watch is one of the most remarkable pieces of Titanic memorabilia we have found.”
‘This is an exquisite watch that is in magnificent condition, which is not surprising considering who its original owner was.
“However, after the disaster it spent seven days in the icy waters of the Atlantic and would almost certainly have stopped working and suffered all kinds of damage.
“It obviously had great sentimental value to Vincent Astor, who restored it and used it for the next 23 years.
“It is a unique part of Titanic history and one of the most important pieces of watchmaking history related to the most famous ship in the world.”
Astor’s marriage to 18-year-old Madeleine had created controversy in New York, shortly after he divorced his wife, Ava, the mother of his two children.
The descendants of John Jacob Astor increased their wealth for generations, purchasing much of the land on which New York City is built.
Astor’s 14-carat Waltham watch engraved with his initials was left to his son Vincent Astor, along with his fortune.
Next to the watch are a pair of gold cufflinks owned by Astor and his first-class accommodation plan on the Titanic (pictured).
The Greatest Ship: The RMS Titanic which left Southampton on April 10, 1912. It would never return from this maiden voyage. Her remains now lie on the seabed about 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
To get away from the scandal and gossip, the newlyweds went on their honeymoon to Europe and Africa.
After the Titanic struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, Astor did not think he or his family were in immediate danger.
Edward Smith, the captain of the Titanic, personally warned her about the seriousness of the situation and escorted Madeleine to lifeboat number four.
Astor asked if he could accompany her because she was in “a delicate condition,” but was told that no man was allowed to board until all the women and children had been loaded.
In addition to Astor, his millionaire traveling companions Isador Strauss and Benjamin Guggenheim could not get a place on the lifeboats despite their wealth and died.
Madeleine Astor was then five months pregnant. She gave birth to a son on August 14, 1912 and named him John Jacob Astor V in memory of her husband and the child’s father.
The sale takes place on Saturday.