The captain's watch that saved 700 Titanic passengers was sold at auction

The rescued female passengers presented him with a golden ornament.

A gold pocket watch given to the captain of the British steamer who saved more than 700 passengers on the Titanic has sold at auction for a record £1.56 million ($1.97 million).

This is reported by the BBC.

The 18-carat Tiffany & Co. watch was presented to Sir Arthur Rostron, then captain of the passenger ship RMS Carpathia, by the passengers he rescued in 1912.

Wiltshire-based auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son said it was the highest price ever paid for Titanic memorabilia and was bought by a private collector in the US.

This sale demonstrates the “enduring fascination” of the ill-fated ocean liner.

Sir Arthur altered the course of the Carpathia, en route from New York to Europe, after the ship's radio operator received a distress signal: “We have hit ice, come immediately.”

He set off at full speed and…