伦敦-一枚金质怀表在拍卖会上以近200万美元的价格售出，创下了2000万美元的拍卖纪录沉船的大事记.
18克拉的蒂芙尼&1912年，泰坦尼克号首航时撞上冰山并在北大西洋沉没，船长亚瑟·罗斯特龙为了拯救他们和其他人，驾驶着他的客船“皇家卡帕西亚号”改变了航向。
拍卖商亨利·奥尔德里奇父子公司于上周六以156万英镑的价格将这只表卖给了美国的一位私人收藏家，他们表示这是泰坦尼克号纪念品中价格最高的一只。价格包括买方支付的税费。
这只表是在灾难中死去的首富约翰·雅各布·阿斯特的遗孀，以及另外两名随船沉没的富商的遗孀送给罗斯特龙的。
阿斯特的怀表在沉船七天后被发现时还在他身上，此前曾创下泰坦尼克号纪念品的最高价格纪录，今年4月在同一家拍卖行拍出近150万美元(117万英镑)。
拍卖商安德鲁·奥尔德里奇说，泰坦尼克号纪念品今年创下两项纪录的事实证明了这个故事的持久魅力，以及对船只文物供应减少和需求增加的价值。
“每个男人、女人和孩子都有一个故事要讲，这些故事在一个世纪后通过大事记被讲述，”他说。
罗斯特龙因其在泰坦尼克号沉没当晚的行为而被誉为英雄，他的船员因其勇敢而得到认可。
1912年4月15日凌晨，当“喀尔巴阡”号从纽约驶往地中海时，一名无线电报务员听到泰坦尼克号发出的求救信号，叫醒了船舱里的罗斯特龙。他调转船头，全速驶向那艘注定要毁灭的船，穿过冰山到达那里。
当喀尔巴阡号到达时，泰坦尼克号已经沉没，1500人遇难。但是船员们找到了20艘救生艇，救出了700多名乘客，并将他们带回了纽约。
罗斯特龙被威廉·霍华德·塔夫脱总统授予美国国会金质奖章，后来被乔治五世国王封爵
马德琳·阿斯特在丈夫的搀扶下登上救生艇，在她位于纽约第五大道的豪宅举行的午宴上，她将这块手表赠送给了罗斯特龙。
碑文称，这是“三名幸存者由衷的感谢和赞赏”上面列出了约翰·b·塞耶夫人和乔治·d·威德纳夫人以及阿斯特的已婚姓名。
奥尔德里奇说:“这主要是为了感谢罗斯特龙在拯救那些生命中的勇敢行为。”。“没有罗斯特龙先生，那700人就不会成功。”
Gold pocket watch given to captain who rescued Titanic survivors sells for nearly $2M
LONDON --A gold pocket watch given to the ship captain who rescued 700 survivors from the Titanic sold at auction for nearly $2 million, setting a record formemorabilia from the ship wreck.
The 18-carat Tiffany&Co. watch was given by three women survivors to Capt. Arthur Rostron for diverting his passenger ship, the RMS Carpathia, to save them and others after the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the north Atlantic on its maiden voyage in 1912.
Auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son, who sold the watch to a private collector in the United States on Saturday for 1.56 million British pounds, said it’s the most paid for a piece of Titanic memorabilia. The price includes taxes and fees paid by the buyer.
The watch was given to Rostron by the widow of John Jacob Astor, the richest man to die in the disaster, and the widows of two other wealthy businessmen who went down with the ship.
Astor's pocket watch, which was on his body when it was recovered seven days after the ship sank, had previously set the record for the highest price paid for a Titanic keepsake, fetching nearly $1.5 million (1.17 million pounds) from the same auction house in April.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said the fact that Titanic memorabilia has set two records this year demonstrates the enduring fascination with the story and the value of the dwindling supply and high demand for ship artifacts.
“Every man, woman and child had a story to tell, and those stories are told over a century later through the memorabilia," he said.
Rostron was hailed a hero for his actions the night the Titanic sank and his crew was recognized for their bravery.
The Carpathia was sailing from New York to the Mediterranean Sea when a radio operator heard a distress call from the Titanic in the early hours of April 15, 1912 and woke Rostron in his cabin. He turned his boat around and headed at full steam toward the doomed vessel, navigating through ice bergs to get there.
By the time the Carpathia arrived, the Titanic had sunk and 1,500 people perished. But the crew located 20 lifeboats and rescued more than 700 passengers and took them back to New York.
Rostron was awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal by President William Howard Taft and was later knighted by King George V.
Madeleine Astor, who had been helped into a lifeboat by her husband, presented the watch to Rostron at a luncheon at her mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York.
The inscription says it was given “with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors.” It lists Mrs. John B. Thayer and Mrs. George D. Widener alongside Astor's married name.
“It was presented principally in gratitude for Rostron’s bravery in saving those lives,” Aldridge said. "Without Mr. Rostron, those 700 people wouldn’t have made it.”
