A gold pocket watch, given to the captain of a steamship that rescued over 700 Titanic passengers, has been sold for a record-breaking $1.96 million — the highest amount ever paid for memorabilia belonging to the unfortunate ship that sunk on its maiden voyage in 1912 in the Atlantic, according to auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son of Devizes, Wiltshire. The 18-carat Tiffany & Co gold watch was given to Captain Arthur Rostron by Madeleine Astor and two other widows of John Jacob Astor – a wealthy businessman, believed to be the richest man aboard the Titanic when he alongside 1,500 others lost their lives.

Mr Rostron was the skipper of the RMS Carpathia, a passenger steamship that rescued 705 survivors from the Titanic’s lifeboats. Carpathia was on its way to Europe from New York when the ship’s wireless operator picked up the distress call, “We’ve struck ice, come at once”. The captain changed the course of the ship and headed towards the wreckage of the Titanic with lifeboats floating around.

According to auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, the watch was “presented principally in gratitude for Rostron’s bravery in saving those lives, because without Mr Rostron, those 700 people wouldn’t have made it”. He added that the sale demonstrated the “enduring fascination” with the story of the Titanic.

Notably, Mr Rostron received the watch from Mrs Astor at a lunch at the family’s mansion in New York which carried the inscription: “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.”

Also Read | Gold Watch Owned By Wealthiest Titanic Passenger Sells For $1.46 Million

Previous record

The previous record for the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia was set in April, earlier this year when another gold pocket watch, recovered from John Jacob Astor’s body was sold for $1.46 million. The watch, engraved with the initials JJA was recovered a week after the disaster when Astor’s body was pulled out.

The violin that was played as the Titanic plunged into the icy waters, held the record for the highest amount paid for a Titanic item for 11 years, having been sold for $1.38 million in 2013.