Ear: Watch

In November, the gold pocket watch given to the captain of the Titanic rescue ship Carpathia, Arthur Rostron, by three wealthy widows who survived the disaster, was sold at a Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd. auction to an unidentified buyer for $2 million, according to National Jeweler.

When Capt. Rostron, en route to the Mediterranean, became aware of Titanic’s distress call, he changed his course to go to the sinking ship’s aid. He managed to rescue more than 700 people, including three widows, and turned around to take them back to New York City. The watch was presented to him at a luncheon for Titanic survivors at Astor’s Fifth Avenue mansion.

The watch was purchased at Tiffany & Co., and engraved with the words, “Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912, Mrs. John B. Thayer, Mrs. John Jacob Astor and Mrs. George D. Widener.” Madeleine Talmage Astor was the widow of John Jacob Astor IV, great-grandson of Astoria’s namesake. The back of the watch was engraved with his initials.

At last, the identity of the buyer has been revealed, and it’s none other than Tiffany & Co. “Captain Rostron’s pocket watch is an incredible expression of thanks and gratitude,” Christopher Young said, “and we are humbled to welcome this extraordinary treasure home to Tiffany & Co.”

“This watch is a testament to the bravery of Sir Arthur Rostron, and the regard he was held in by the widows of three of the most influential men on the Titanic,” Andrew Aldridge, managing director of the auction house, observed.

“The fact that Tiffany & Co. purchased the piece 112 years after selling it shows the circle being completed and it going home.” (Photo: Tiffany & Co.)