KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 -- A gold pocket watch that was recovered from the body of the richest man on board the ill-fated Titanic, has been auctioned for a record-breaking £1.2m (RM7.2 million).

Auctioneers said the watch, the highest amount for Titanic memorabilia, was sold to a private collector in the US at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, reported The Guardian.

The previous highest amount paid for Titanic artefacts was £1.1m (RM6.6 million) for a violin that was played as the ship sank.

The original owner of the watch, businessman John Jacob Astor, drowned at the age of 47, after seeing his wife Madeleine onto a lifeboat.

Rather than try his luck with another safety vessel, the well-dressed Astor, who was a pro...