A Titanic passenger’s pocket watch has a story reminiscent of Jack and Rose

The watch belonged to a passenger who ended up dying in the freezing waters after the sinking of the Titanic. His wife survived and got a place on one of the lifeboats.

A century-old pocket watch recovered from the Titanic, a relic of one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters, has been sold at auction for 97 thousand pounds in 2023, according to auction house Henry Aldridge & Son.

The watch was removed from the body of Sinai Officea Russian Jewish immigrant who died in the freezing waters when his ship sank on April 15, 1912 — and has a story that seems exit from the famous film by James Cameron.

Sinai Kantor, 34, and his wife Miriam boarded the Titanic as second class passengers, paying £26 for their tickets, the equivalent of around 3525 current euros.

The couple was native of Vitebskin Russia, and hoped to start a new life in New York, where he planned to study medicine and dentistry. Sinai, a fur trader, intended to sell trunks of furs to finance his American dream, reports .

However, their plans were tragically interrupted. When the Titanic struck an iceberg, the evacuation protocol “women and children first” allowed Miriam to get a place on a lifeboat, but there was no place for Sinai. Along with over 1500 others, Sinai succumbed to the icy waters of the Atlantic, just like Jack Dawson in the film.

Days later, Sinai’s body was recovered, along with his personal effects, including the now auctioned watch. For Miriam, obtaining these objects was not easy. There followed a five week legal battle until she can recover her late husband’s assets.

The watch, sold by a direct descendant of Sinai and Miriam Kantor, has significant cultural and historical value. The front has Hebrew numbers, while the back features a relief image of Moses to uphold the Ten Commandments, reflecting the Kantor family’s Jewish heritage.

Despite its age and exposure to seawater, the Swiss-made clock remains a moving artifact. The dial is tarnished, the hands are almost corroded, and the silver case has worn away, revealing the brass beneath. However, its symbolic value goes beyond its physical state.