Titanic Tragedy's Priceless Relic: 18K Gold Watch to Fetch £1M at Auction

In November 2025, a priceless relic from the Titanic disaster is set to be auctioned off – an 18-carat gold pocket watch that belonged to Isidor Straus, one of the wealthiest passengers aboard the ill-fated ship. The watch, a gift from Straus' wife Ida in 1888, was frozen in time at 2:20 AM on April 15, 1912, the moment the Titanic disappeared under the waves.

The Straus couple's heartbreaking story was immortalized in the 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic, where they were depicted cradling each other as the ship sank. Ida, 63, refused a spot in a lifeboat, choosing instead to die by her husband's side at the age of 67. While Ida's body was never recovered, Isidor's possessions, including the engraved Jules Jurgensen timepiece, were saved and passed down through generations of the family.

Now, over a century later, the watch is expected to fetch a staggering £1 million, making it one of the most expensive Titanic artifacts ever sold. Along with the watch, a letter written by Ida on board the Titanic just days before the disaster is also being auctioned, tipped to fetch £150,000.