Two rare watches that have connections to the “Titanic” film and wreckage site will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s “Important Watches” sale in December. The tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 resulted in the loss of around 1,500 lives, and the ship’s wreckage was discovered in 1985 by Dr. Robert Ballard and his team.
Alfred “Al” Giddings, an underwater cinematographer who worked on the James Cameron-directed “Titanic” film, visited the Titanic wreckage site 17 times in his life. Sotheby’s announced that two Rolex watches from Giddings’ personal collection will be up for auction on December 6, 2024, marking the first time these watches will be available for sale.
One of the watches, a steel 1680 Submariner, was worn by Giddings on over a dozen dives to the Titanic wreckage site. The other watch, a gold 1680 Submariner, was also worn by Bill Paxton in the “Titanic” film. Paxton, who played the role of Brock Lovett, a treasure hunter searching for the RMS Titanic, visited the wreck with James Cameron for the documentary “Ghosts of the Abyss” in 2003.
The “Titanic” film, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture in 1998. The watches from Giddings’ collection have traveled with him to various locations around the world, including the North Pole and the depths of the ocean.
Sotheby’s described these watches as having extensive underwater exposure and compared them to timepieces that have journeyed to the moon. The auction will take place on December 6, 2024, following a public viewing of the watches at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries on December 5.
The story of the Titanic continues to captivate audiences worldwide, and the opportunity to own a piece of history tied to the film and the actual wreckage site is a unique and rare experience. The connection between the watches, the film, and the real-life events surrounding the Titanic adds a layer of significance to these timepieces that collectors and enthusiasts are sure to appreciate.
