The gold pocket watch, extracted from the body of the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic, is up for auction.

Business magnate John Jacob Astor was one of the wealthiest individuals in the world when he boarded the ship in 1912, and he was last seen smoking on the deck when the ship sank, writes the Telegraph.

The 47-year-old man went down after seeing his pregnant wife, Madeleine, in a lifeboat. He was taken by first officer Charles Lightoller, and instead of trying his luck with another lifeboat, the impeccably dressed Astor was last seen smoking a cigarette on the starboard wing of the bridge as he conversed with another first-class passenger.

Astor’s body was discovered in the North Atlantic seven days later. He was later identified by the initials JJA embroidered on the lapel of his jacket.

His gold Waltham pocket watch, also bearing the initials J.J.A, was found on his body.

The watch, along with his estate valued at £55 million (£7 billion today), was inherited by his 20-year-old son Vincent.

Vincent Astor later restored and repaired the watch and wore it until 1935, after which he gifted it to his godson William Dobbin. William Dobbin’s father, also William, was Astor’s executive secretary and was also close to Vincent.

The gold watch was acquired from the Dobbin family by a private collector of Titanic memorabilia in the 1990s. They are now being sold at a specialized Titanic auction by Henry Aldridge. The watch is estimated to be worth £100,000–£150,000.