Watch recovered from the body of a Titanic victim, hands frozen in time

First Class passenger Ramon Artagaveytia Gomez was a Uruguayan national travelling home after visiting his nephew who was the Uruguayan Consul General in Berlin, Germany.  Mr Artagavaytia boarded the Titanic when it touched at Cherbourg on the evening of 10 April 1912.

The watch has never been restored and the effects of its immersion in the cold waters of the Atlantic are plain to see.  

The watch has been in the family ever since they received his effects in 1912, but it will now be sold at the Auction of Titanic, White Star, Ocean Liner and Travel Memorabilia at Henry Aldridge & Son on 16 November.  Further details.

Auction Description

The Zenith Swiss pocket watch has a white dial with Arabic numerals. Its case consists of two covers, silver and gilt, Case No. 2641765, 52 mm. Movement No. 1689891. It is missing the glass and second hand owing to its obvious trauma and submersion in salt water. The hour and minute hands are present and are stopped at the time 4:53, 2 hours and 33 minutes from the time of the sinking. The time indicated arises from numerous possibilities including whether Artagaveytia had reset his watch during the voyage, the one-hour time zone difference in Uruguay at the time or a testament to the tenacity of a Zenith timepiece.

In an article dated May 2, 1912, appearing in La Tribuna Popular the Uruguayan Consul sent a wire from Halifax noting, among other things, that Artagaveytia’s watch read seven minutes to five (i.e. 4:53). Copies of the article referencing the consul’s wire in its original Spanish and in English accompany the lot. This contemporaneous account provides a level of unprecedented corroboration. 

In a very unusual series of events, the Consul General of Uruguay in New York came to Halifax to claim Artagaveytia’s body which, along with his body effects, were brought to New York. From there they were forwarded to Artagaveytia’s brother in Uruguay. The bag containing Artagaveytia’s effects was handed to the Consul General directly from the Mackay-Bennett by way of a handwritten receipt specifically referencing the watch along with the other effects. It can only be assumed that this very unusual direct diplomatic interdiction was the result of Artagaveytia’s nephew being the Consul General in Berlin. 

No repair or restoration of the watch has been undertaken. It is in the same condition as when it was removed from the North Atlantic, the hands frozen in time. This is one of the most provenanced watches from a Titanic victim which has ever been offered. It is a true museum piece and can easily represent the centrepiece of any Titanic or antique watch collection. £60,000–80,000