Titanic Belfast is delighted to introduce its latest artefact: the pocket watch gifted to RMS Carpathia’s Captain, Arthur Rostron for his heroic efforts during the ship’s tragic sinking on her maiden voyage. Now on public display for a limited time at Northern Ireland’s most popular visitor attraction, this follows Titanic Belfast’s recently completed a £4.7million refreshment. The luxury 18th century gold Tiffany & Co. timepiece, on loan from Wiltshire auction house Henry Aldridge and Sons until the end of October, was presented to Captain Rostron by the widows of high-profile businessmen, John Jacob Astor, George Dunton Widener and John B. Thayer – victims of RMS Titanic’s sinking.
The pocket watch will be free for the public to view on the Level 1 Apex of Titanic Belfast until 31st October before it goes to auction on 16th November and will also be part of the visitor attraction’s Titanic Experience by Night events being held every Friday evening throughout August.
Captain Rostron’s quick reaction and bravery resulted in him and his crew rescuing over 700 surviving passengers and crew of RMS Titanic. Madeleine Talmage Astor, Marian Longstreth Thayer and Eleanor Elkins Widener, whose husbands were considered three of the wealthiest businessmen in the world at the time, presented the pocket watch to Rostron ‘with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation’ during a lunch at the Astor mansion in New York on May 31st 1912, exactly one year after Titanic’s launch.
The pocket watch joins another of Captain Rostron’s heroic gifts, the Carpathia Loving Cup,which was presented to him by one of Titanic’s most famous survivors, Molly Brown. The Loving Cup is now permanently displayed as part of the Titanic Experience along with a collection of other rare artefacts.
Judith Owens MBE, Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast comments, “Captain Rostron is a significant part of RMS Titanic’s story as his heroic efforts ensured that over 700 of its passengers were rescued. We are proud to be able to publicly display his pocket watch until the end of October, presented to him by these high-profile widows and survivors of the tragic sinking.
This adds to the collection of artefacts we already have displayed within the Titanic Experience, including the Carpathia Loving Cup and an original Fosbery lifejacket, one of only twelve remaining from onboard Titanic. Only the survivors will understand the true heroics of Captain Rostron on that fateful night, but these artefacts are a lasting legacy of the unbelievable gratitude they had for this man.
We are honoured to have the pocket watch visit Titanic Belfast, giving the public an opportunity to view this piece of maritime history for free ahead of it going to auction. So we would encourage everyone to take this unique opportunity to come and view it before 31st October.”
Andrew Aldridge, Managing Director of Henry Aldridge and Sons, the world’s leading Titanic memorabilia auctioneers, said: “We are delighted to be able to place a watch of this importance with Titanic Belfast, the birthplace of Titanic this summer for visitors to enjoy prior to our specialist auction on November 16th. It’s a unique opportunity to see first-hand this stunning artefact, gifted to Arthur Rostron who was one of the heroes of the disaster.”
A world-class visitor attraction situated a short walk from Belfast City Centre, Titanic Belfast boasts four new galleries within the Titanic Experience, a new artefact collection and an illuminated 7.6m long scale model of RMS Titanic following its multi-million-pound renovation. Having recently won the THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement – Visitor Experience Re-envisioned: Limited Budget from the Themed Entertainment Awards in 2023, Titanic Belfast is the only winner to have won this global accolade twice for the same experienced reimagined in the awards’ 30-year history.
For further information on the display of Captain Rostron’s Pocket Watch or to book tickets for the Titanic Experience, visit titanicbelfast.com
