As the Titanic was out to sail to New York in 1912, many of the first watch brands were just becoming bigger and bigger. 34-year old Sinai Kantor was set to arrive in New York with his wife, Miriam. Little did he know that would be the end of his life. The couple were from modern-day Belarus and were headed to New York to start new lives. Sinai was one of the 1,503 passengers on board that died in the freezing cold waters of the Atlantic as the Titanic hit the infamous iceberg. His wife Miriam was able to escape the cold waters on a life boat.
Sinai did not carry many things as he aboard the Titanic. The only things he had on him was a small telescope, corkscrew, notebook, and a pocket watch. After eight days, Sinai’s body was later found and all his belongings went missing. After his burial, Miriam was able to recover his pocket watch.
Sinai’s pocket watch features Arabic numerals on the dial, and on its back there is an engraving of Moses with the Ten Commandments. As years passed, Miriam remarried and kept the watch as a keepsake. A descendent put the watch for sale later on through Heritage Auctions. The auction started at $22,000 and after being won by Jon Miottel, a California museum owner who collects artifacts from the Titanic.
This isn’t the first watch from the Titanic to be found and sold. In 2008, the pocket watch of the ship’s first class steward, Edmund Stone, was sold for $154,000.
