JJ Astor’s Watch That Was Recovered from the Titanic Heads to Auction at Freeman’s
The 18k gold Patek Phillipe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece is still fully operational
One of the most beautiful and evocative objects connected with the Titanic will be sold at Freeman’s Chicago on April 22. It’s the gold Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. pocket watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV (commonly known as “JJ”) on the night of April 15, 1912, when he was one of over 1,500 who died after the White Star ocean liner sank on its maiden voyage. The world has been fascinated by the Titanic ever since.
The current estimate for Astor’s watch is $300,000–500,000, but it would not be remotely surprising to see these numbers exceeded at the gavel’s final hammering. A different gold pocket watch that Astor was also carrying at the time of his death was auctioned off for approximately $1.46 million in 2024, beating its own estimate tenfold—and that’s not even the most expensive Titanic watch. Two other gold watches associated with the wreck, including one belonging to Macy’s owner Isador Strauss, have sold in the neighborhood of $2 million. (The current world record price paid for a watch at auction is $31 million for a Patek Phillipe sold in Geneva in 2019.)
The timepiece, beautifully engraved with Astor’s initials, sat in a glass case at Freeman’s in New York at a gathering on Tuesday night. Gazing through the case, viewers could watch the second hand make its smooth journey between the 5 and the 7, as it has done, with brief interruptions, since Astor purchased the watch at Tiffany & Co. in 1904. The watch was designed for travel and easy access to the time, as clear from the numbers on the dial. No messing about with Roman numerals or pure ornament here. It was made for a traveler to tell time quickly in an era long before smartphones. The watch has minor signs of exposure to saltwater.
How is the watch still here and functioning despite being soaked in the Atlantic for a week over a century ago? The answer is in Patek Phillipe and Tiffany & Co.’s supreme care for their product. Vincent Astor, JJ’s son from his first marriage, was desperate to recover his father’s remains and personal effects. Upon his return from Halifax, the watch was quickly brought to Tiffany & Co. for refurbishment. This is where Patek’s famous “Generations” values—their ethos that “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation”—really comes into play. Patek has records for every watch created since its founding in 1839, which is important for managing the parts of such a rare watch.
Vincent Astor wore the watch until his death in 1959, when it was inherited by his widow, beloved socialite Brooke Astor. His widow left the watch to her son by a prior marriage, Anthony Marshall. Marshall, in turn, willed the watch to his wife, Charlene, who died last year, and it is being sold by her estate.
Also in the Freeman’s Watches sale is Astor’s 14k yellow gold, diamond, and sapphire Battin & Co. pencil case that was recovered in addition to the watch. If the pencil case, which is complete with a scratched vintage pencil, beats its estimate of $10,000–20,000—which would not be surprising for an item connected to the most famous Titanic passenger fatality—it will become the second most expensive pencil ever sold.
