(CNN) — A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, sold at auction Saturday for a record 1.175 million pounds ($1.485 million).
The watch sold for ten times the expected price, between £100,000 and £150,000.
Its high sale price has set a “new world record for Titanic memorabilia,” Andrew Aldridge, managing director of auction house Henry Aldridge and Son, told CNN on Sunday.
Astor was one of approximately 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. His pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived.
The suitcase belonging to Titanic band member and orchestra leader Wallace Hartley, which contained the violin he played while the Titanic was sinking, is also for sale at the Henry Aldridge and Son Ltd auction house.
The watch is one of several notable objects on offer at the Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire, England, including the suitcase that contained the famous violin played by the band leader as the ship sank, and a wallet that documents the planned voyages of the Titanic. The violin itself sold for $1.7 million through the same auction house in 2013 and is the ship’s best-selling item to date.
The suitcase was expected to fetch a value between £100,000-£120,000 ($125,000-$150,000 respectively), according to Andrew Aldridge, the manager of auction house Henry Aldridge & Son. It eventually sold for £360,000 (US$451,000).
According to the auction house, the watch was among the personal belongings found with Astor’s body after the sinking of the Titanic. She also carried gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money and a wallet, among other items.
After the recovery of Astor’s body, those belongings were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who completely restored the clock to working order. In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the newborn son of William Dobbyn IV, executive secretary of 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 auctioned.
An unidentified 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 the course of its time, literally millions of people have seen it, which is fabulous,” Aldridge said.
John Jacob Astor IV’s cufflinks and the plan of the Titanic’s first-class accommodation are also on offer at Saturday’s auction. The twins are expected to sell for between £5,000 and £8,000 (US$6,250-US$10,000) and the accommodation plan for between £20,000 and £30,000 (US$25,000-US$37,500).
With reporting by CNN’s Taylor Nicioli and Per Nyberg and Chelsea J. Carter.
Editor’s note: This article was published on April 26 and has been updated.
