The watch of John Jacob Astor, the richest passenger in the world Titanic, will be auctioned in Devizes, England, this Saturday (27). The billionaire’s body was found floating in the sea, seven days after the ship collided with an iceberg in 1912.
The watch, which will be auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son, was inside his pocket. The English press believes that the property should be sold for amounts approaching 150 thousand pounds, that is, R$958 thousand.
The billionaire’s belonging has the engraving JJA, the initials of his name, and is made of 14 carat gold.
One of the richest men in the world
John Jacob Astor was one of the richest men in the world, as auctioneer Andrew Aldridge highlighted to “The Guardian”. His net worth was estimated at US$87 million – that is, billions of dollars.
The billionaire accumulated wealth from being the great-grandson of a fur trader in the 19th century.
Wife survived the shipwreck
John Jacob Astor’s wife – who was pregnant – survived the sinking. Upon seeing the seriousness of the accident, his wife boarded a lifeboat and left the scene safely.
Initially, Vincent, the billionaire’s son, kept the watch. However, he later presented William Dobbyn, executive secretary who worked with his father, with the historic possession.
The accessory underwent a restoration process for the auction.
Shipwreck
The ship, which belonged to the White Star Line, was considered the largest and most luxurious in the world when it left Southampton, England, for New York, United States (USA), on April 10, 1912. It measured 883 feet in length. length and had 2,220 people on board.
During construction, which lasted 26 months, two people died and 246 were injured. The ship hit the iceberg on the night of April 14 and sank at around 2:40 am, breaking into two parts. The bow and stern are 2,600 feet apart on the sea floor.
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