VIDEO The watch of a rich couple who died on the Titanic sold for a record price. Their love story, also captured in James Cameron's film
The watch sold at auction and Isidor Straus. Photo collage source: BBC and Profimedia
The gold pocket watch that belonged to an elderly couple who drowned during the sinking of the Titanic has been sold at auction for a record £1.78m (over €2m), Sky News reports.
The 18-carat engraved Jules Jurgensen watch belonged to first-class passenger Isidor Straus, who died with his wife, Ida, and more than 1,500 others when the ship sank on April 14, 1912.
Isidor and Ida Straus are remembered as two of the most famous victims of the Titanic and among the few first class passengers who perished.
On the night of the Titanic's sinking, the two are believed to have been given places in one of the lifeboats, but refused to be separated. Isidor said he did not want to leave before other men, and his wife refused a place in the lifeboat because she did not want to leave her husband.
The two were featured in James Cameron's Oscar-winning 1997 film Titanic. The couple were featured in the movie Titanic holding hands as the ship sank, facing their fate side by side.
Isidor's body was recovered a few days after the disaster, along with the watch he had with him. His wife's body was never found.
The watch, which was returned to the Straus family, was sold at Henry Aldridge and Son auction house in Devizes, Wiltshire on Saturday for a “record” £1.78 million.
Isidor was a businessman, politician and co-owner of Macy's department store in New York.
A Titanic passenger list also sold at auction for £104,000, and a gold medal awarded to the crew of the RMS Carpathia by the rescued survivors sold for £86,000.
Auction of Titanic-related goods reaches £3 million in total.
