1 of 2 | A gold pocket watch owned by Isidor Straus, a first-class passenger who died with his wife when the famed ship sank, has sold for $2.3 million at auction. Photo courtesy of Henry Aldridge and Son
A gold pocket watch owned by Isidor Straus, a first-class passenger who died with his wife when the famed ship sank, has sold for $2.3 million at auction.
Straus, a German-born American businessman and politician who co-owned the department store Macy’s, had been offered a seat on a lifeboat because of his age but chose to let others go first as his wife, Ida, stayed arm-in-arm by his side.
The Strauses were depicted in James Cameron’s fictional retelling of the shipwreck, played by Lew Palter and Elsa Raven.
The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen watch was purchased in 1888 to mark Straus’ 48th birthday, the same year he and his brother became co-owners of Macy’s.
Isidor and Ida Straus, co-owners of Macy’s, were offered spots on a lifeboat during the Titanic sinking in 1912. Isidor refused to board before other men, and Ida refused to leave his side, telling him, “Where you go, I go.” Both lost their lives together in the disaster. pic.twitter.com/duQJCNUoyc— Past Preserved (@PastPreserved) August 13, 2025
“The watch quite simply represents one of the finest and rarest objects from the Titanic story in existence, a piece which was a treasured personal possession from one of the most respected and high-profile men from the Titanic story,” the Henry Aldridge and Son auction house said in a statement.
“At the turn of the 20th century, a pocket watch was one of the closest things to the heart of a gentleman of the era, and this watch embodies this as a gift from one half of the most famous couple on the Titanic to the other.”
The watch was recovered from Straus’ body after the ship sank and remained in the family for more than a century before its sale Saturday at the auction house, which is located in the British town of Devizes. Ida’s body was never recovered.
The lot had been listed with a high estimate of more than $1.3 million but ultimately sold for nearly double that, becoming the highest price ever paid for Titanic memorabilia, according to the auction house.
While the watch sold at auction, it is currently being exhibited at The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Other items auctioned Saturday include a letter written by Ida aboard the Titanic, as well as a passenger list and other memorabilia.
The week in photos: Nov. 17–23
The demolition of the East Wing of the White House is seen during construction in Washington, on Monday. President Donald Trump began demolishing the East Wing last month to build a $200 million ballroom at the property. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
