Editor’s Note
This article explores the true story behind a poignant cinematic moment from “Titanic,” revealing how a real artifact—the gold pocket watch of passenger Isidor Straus—recently made auction history.
If you have seen James Cameron’s film “Titanic,” you likely remember the scene where, as the ship is sinking, the character of Thomas Andrews reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out his pocket watch, and matches its time with the ship’s standing pendulum clock to determine the exact moment of the sinking. The watch featured in that scene was based on a real one. Its story made history when a gold pocket watch belonging to first-class passenger Isidor Straus sold for a record £1.78 million (approximately 20.70 crore Indian Rupees) at auction. Auctioneers stated this is the highest price ever paid for any Titanic memorabilia.
The watch is an 18-carat gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch with beautiful engraving. It was gifted to Straus for his 43rd birthday in 1888. The watch was recovered from his body after it was found following the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912. That same year, Straus had become a partner in the famous New York department store Macy’s.
In James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic,” the roles of this couple were played by Lew Palter and Elsa Raven. Their final moments depicted in the film were inspired by the true story. Survivors reported seeing the couple holding hands on the deck as the ship sank.
Due to his age, Isidor Straus was offered a seat on a lifeboat, but he refused, saying others should go first. Ida Straus also refused to board a lifeboat, choosing to stay with her husband. They were among the few first-class passengers who perished in the tragic disaster, which claimed a total of 1,500 lives.
The watch remained with the Straus family for over 100 years before being sold by auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, England. The auctioneers also shared historical information related to Isidor Straus’s 18-carat Jules Jurgensen watch.
Other items auctioned on Saturday included a letter written by Ida Straus on the Titanic, a passenger list, and a gold medal given by survivors to the crew of the RMS Carpathia. The sale of all these items raised a total of £3 million (approximately 34.98 crore Indian Rupees).
Aldridge called the Straus couple an “incredible love story” and noted they have been portrayed in nearly every Titanic film in a deeply emotional manner.
Last year, another gold pocket watch set a record when it sold for £1.56 million. That watch had been given to the captain of the ship that rescued over 700 passengers.
Isidor Straus was born in 1845 in Otterberg, Bavaria, Germany, into a Jewish family. He moved to America in 1854. The couple was returning from their travels and boarded the Titanic in Southampton for the journey to New York. This entire story was covered by London-based freelance journalist Freddie Clayton.