A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IVmember of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, will go up for sale at an auction of memorabilia from the doomed ship.
Astor was among approximately 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg. His pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived.
The watch is among a number of notable items offered Saturday at the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire, England, including the suitcase that contained the famous violin played by the conductor during of the ship’s sinking, and a portfolio that documents the planned voyages of the Titanic. The violin itself was sold for $1.7 million through the same auction house in 2013 and is the ship’s best-selling item to date.
The watch is expected to sell for between £100,000 and £150,000 ($125,000-188,000) and the suitcase for between £100,000 and £120,000 ($125,000-150,000), according to Andrew Aldridge, the house’s managing director. of Henry Aldridge & Son auctions. Bidding begins April 27 at noon local time (7 a.m. ET), Aldridge told CNN.
The watch was among the personal effects found with Astor’s body after the Titanic sank, according to the auction house. He also had gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, cash and a wallet, among other items.
After Astor’s body was recovered, these goods were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who completely restored the watch to working order. In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the son of William Dobbyn IV, executive secretary to John Jacob Astor, according to the auction house.
Aldridge told CNN that the Dobbyn family kept the watch until the late 1990s, when it was put up for auction.
An anonymous collector in the United States purchased the watch at this auction and is the current seller. Since then, it has been exhibited in several museums.
“So, you know, over time literally millions of people have seen it, which is fabulous,” Aldridge said.
Also up for auction on Saturday are John Jacob Astor IV’s cufflinks and a plan of the Titanic’s first-class accommodations. The cufflinks are expected to sell for between £5,000 and £8,000 ($6,250 to $10,000) and the hosting plan for between £20,000 and £30,000 ($25,000 to $37,500).
CNN’s Taylor Nicioli contributed reporting. Per Nyberg and Chelsea J. Carter contributed reporting.
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