A watch recovered from the body of a wealthy businessman who drowned in the Titanic sinking is expected to fetch up to £80,000 at auction.
Frederick Sutton, 61, a first-class passenger, was among the 1,500 lives lost when the liner sank in April 1912.
Suffolk-born, the businessman amassed a fortune in property after settling with his family in New Jersey. He was returning to the US on the Titanic, having travelled to England for health reasons.
Though his body was buried at sea, Mr Sutton’s effects, including the watch, were placed in a white camp bag (number 46) and transported to Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the MacKay Bennett.
His family collected these items, remaining with his descendants ever since.
This watch is part of the second collection from Mr Sutton’s estate to be offered for sale, following an initial auction last year.
The watch, which will go under the hammer at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, on 18 April is estimated to sell for between £50,000 and £80,000.
The 18-carat gold case pocket watch is heavily dented, with the face bearing the scars of the trauma of the sinking.
The hour and minute hands are missing but the second hand is present, frozen in time by the cold North Atlantic water.
The original Albert watch chain accompanies the piece, having never been parted.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “The significance of this watch is the fact that it was onboard the Titanic and, most importantly, the seconds hand is frozen in time at the point that its owner Frederick Sutton went into the cold North Atlantic water 114 years ago.
“Watches from Titanic passengers are especially prized by collectors and historians and the fact that was onboard the Titanic elevates it to a different level.”
In November 2025, a gold pocket watch recovered from an elderly couple who drowned during the sinking of the Titanic was sold for a record-breaking £1.78 million at auction.
It was the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia, Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers said.
The previous record was set last year when another gold pocket watch presented to the captain of a boat which rescued more than 700 passengers from the liner sold for £1.56 million.
The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen engraved watch was owned by first class passenger Isidor Straus, who drowned when the ship sank in April 1912, costing 1,500 lives.
