Gold pocket watch from the "Titanic" sold at auction for a record sum

Gold pocket watch belonging to magnate Isidor Straus - one of the passengers of the "Titanic", was sold at auction for a record $2.3 million.

As BAKU.WS reports, this was announced by The New York Times, citing the auction house Henry Aldridge & Son.

This set a record for memorabilia associated with the "Titanic," the auction house noted.

The 18-karat gold watch was found near the body of Isidor Straus, co-owner of the Macy's department store chain, who was traveling first class on the "Titanic" with his wife Ida Straus. The watch is engraved with his initials and the date of his 43rd birthday.

As noted in the publication, after the disaster, the watch along with other personal belongings of Straus were given to his family. The relatives put the watch up for sale for the first time.

In the film "Titanic," James Cameron captured a moment where an elderly couple, embracing, lie in bed as water begins to fill their cabin. According to the memories of surviving witnesses, the Straus family refused to leave the ship while women and children remained on board. They were last seen holding hands on board the "Titanic" as it sank beneath the water.