Pocket watch of Macy’s co-owner who died on Titanic sells for $2.3 million

A golden pocket watch worn by doomed Titanic passenger Isidor Straus sold at auction this past weekend for $2.3 million.

British auction house Henry Aldridge & Son sold the timepiece at the highest price paid for Titanic memorabilia. 

The record had been set in 2024 when the auction house sold a watch gifted to the captain of the Carpathia, the ship that rescued Titanic survivors, for $1.97 million.

Straus received the 18-karat gold watch for his 43rd birthday from his wife, Ida. The watch was later recovered from the businessman’s body and stayed in his family’s possession until the sale, Henry Aldridge & Son said.

The British auction house is considered a world-leading expert in Titanic memorabilia.

“Every man, woman and child passenger or crew had a story to tell, and they are told 113 years later through the objects that they owned,” Mr. Aldridge said, adding, “I’m delighted that we remain the ‘go-to’ saleroom for iconic collectables of this type.”

Straus and his wife died together when the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912, each having refused seats on lifeboats despite being first-class passengers. Survivors said the pair were last seen on the deck holding each other’s hands before being swept overboard by a wave, according to CNN.

In addition to being a co-owner of Macy’s with his brother Nathan, Straus served in Congress, representing New York as a Democrat for little over a year in the 1890s.

Straus was not a candidate for reelection and returned to business.