The American jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. paid a record-breaking $1.97 million for the purchase of the watch belonging to Arthur Henry Rostron, the captain of the ship "Carpathia," which responded to the distress signal from the sinking "Titanic" and rushed to aid its passengers, as reported on the Diamond World website.
The gold Tiffany watch, manufactured in 1912 and gifted to Captain Rostron by three survivors of the "Titanic," was sold by the British auction house Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd., which initially did not reveal the identity of the buyer.
Later, Tiffany confirmed that it had indeed paid a record price for this relic associated with the "Titanic" tragedy.
Prior to this, the most expensive item related to the "Titanic" was a pocket watch owned by businessman John Jacob Astor, the wealthiest passenger on board, who helped his wife into a lifeboat but remained on the ship himself. The watch was found on his body and was sold earlier in 2024 for $1.485 million.
Astor's widow is one of the three passengers whose names are engraved on the dedication inscription of Captain Rostron's watch, alongside the names of the widows of John Thayer and George Widener.
Tiffany's archival records confirm the purchase of the watch by Mrs. Widener, highlighting its historical significance, as noted by Diamond World.
Auction organizer Andrew Aldridge remarked on the increasing demand for artifacts related to the "Titanic": "The fact that this year has seen the world record for memorabilia prices broken twice indicates a continually decreasing supply and a consistently growing demand for items associated with this ship."