A gold pocket watch that was recovered from the body of the richest man on the Titanic is set to go under the hammer for a whopping £150,000.
Business magnate John Jacob Astor was one of the world’s wealthiest men when he stepped on board the ill-fated ship in 1912.
Despite his families wealth of around £120 million, the 47-year-old went down with the ship after seeing his pregnant wife Madeleine into a lifeboat.
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 JJR sewn on the lapel of his jacket.
His exquisite 14 carat gold Waltham pocket watch which was also engraved J.J.A was recovered from businessman’s body and left to his 20-year-old son Vincent.
Business magnate John Jacob Astor’s 14 carat gold Waltham pocket watch is set to go up for sale at auction
The Titanic leaving Southampton on her ill-fated maiden voyage on April 10, 1912
John Jacob Astor IV and his new wife Madeleine, from an image taken shortly before they traveled on the RMS Titanic
Astor’s body was recovered from the north Atlantic seven days later dressed in a blue suit and brown flannel shirt
It is not known what condition the watch was in at the time but it would have stopped working at 2.20am – the moment the Titanic and Astor disappeared into the Atlantic.
Vincent Astor later had the watch restored and repaired and wore it until 1935 when he gifted it to his godson, William Dobbyn. Dobbyn’s father, also called William, had been Astor’s executive secretary and was also close to Vincent.
The gold watch was acquired from the Dobbyn family by the private collector of Titanic memorabilia in the 1990s.
Since then it has been displayed at various museums including the National Geographic Exhibition in Washington DC and Titanic Museum ‘The World’s Largest Titanic Attraction’ in Missouri, US.
It is now being sold at specialist Titanic auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers of Devizes in Wiltshire.
It is accompanied by a signed affidavit from William Dobbyn Snr’s daughter-in-law confirming it has been a gift to her husband from Vincent.
It adds that Vincent informed him the watch was carried by his father when he perished in the sinking of the Titanic.
The impeccably-dressed businessman was last seen smoking a cigarette on the starboard wing of the bridge wing chatting to a fellow first class passenger before he died.
Along with the watch there is a pair of gold cufflinks owned by Astor and his plan of the Titanic’s first class accommodation.
The foldable 30ins by 40ins document was used by William Dobbyn in Paris to plan the Astors’ trip and confirm the staterooms they were in.
The suites C74 and C76 are circled in pencil with the notation $1225.00 Apr 10 From Cherbourg. Other handwritten notes on it include ‘Paris office hold these rooms for Col A.’ It is valued at £30,000.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: ‘The watch is one of the most remarkable items of Titanic memorabilia we have come across.
Astor’s 14 carat Waltham watch that has his initials engraved on it was left to his son Vincent Astor – along with his fortune
Along with the watch there is a pair of gold cufflinks owned by Astor and his plan of first class accommodation on Titanic (pictured)
‘It is an exquisite timepiece that is in superb condition which is unsurprising considering who its original owner was.
‘Yet it spent seven days in the freezing water of the Atlantic in the aftermath of the disaster and would almost certainly have stopped working and suffered all sorts of damage.
‘It was obviously of great sentimental value to Vincent Astor who had it restored and wore it for the next 23 years.
‘It is a unique part of the Titanic story and one of the most important pieces of horological history relating to the most famous ship in the world.’
Astor’s marriage to 18-year-old Madeleine had created controversy in New York, coming soon after he divorced his wife, Ava, the mother of his two sons.
The grandest ship: RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912. She would never return from this maiden voyage. Her remains now lie on the seafloor about 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada
Titanic is depicted in this sketch among the icebergs prior to its foundering
To get away from the scandal and gossip the newlyweds they took an extended 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 any immediate danger.
He was warned about the seriousness of the situation personally by Edward Smith, the captain of Titanic, and saw Madeleine into lifeboat four.
As well as Astor, fellow millionaire passengers Isador Strauss and Benjamin Guggenheim were unable to get a place on the lifeboats despite their wealth and died.
Madeleine Astor was five months pregnant at the time. She gave birth to a son on August 14, 1912, and called him John Jacob Astor V in memory of her husband and the boy’s father.
The sale takes place on Saturday.