Luxury Watch Made from Titanic

A watchmaker in Switzerland has created a new line of very limited, luxurious watches, each made from pieces of the infamous Titanic oceanliner.

The luxury wristwatches were unveiled at the biggest annual watch and jewellery trade show, 'Baselworld', recently. They are being called, 'Titantic DNA', and could definitely be considered one of the most exclusive items displayed at 'Baselworld'.

The watches were made using coal and steal taken from the Titanic, which sank in 1912 killing 1,500 passengers and crew. It was designed to appeal to collectors and the very wealthy who wanted a unique item and story behind the item.

The head of the watch making company that created the Titanic watch said, "It's very luxurious and very inaccessible." "So many rich people buy incredibly complicated watches without understanding how they work, because they want a story to tell."

Titanic cruise ship sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic. The legendary ship was making its maiden voyage across the Atlantic from Southhampton in England to New York in the US.

In recent years the wreckage of the Titanic has been protected from pilfering. However, a number of years ago, when diving expeditions were beginning to go to the Titanic, many pieces of the ship were retrieved.

One of the creators of 'Titanic DNA', Romain Jerome, said that his company bought a small piece of the Titanic's hull. The piece was taken from the Titanic in 1991 and weighed three pounds. The company that built the Titanic, Harland and Wolff, have confirmed that the piece of hull was from the Titanic.

The Titanic watches were first made available to purchase at the 'Baselworld' trade fair. The cost of getting one of these rare watches is not cheap. The prices range from $7,800 to $173,100 dollars.

The watches also contain platinum and gold along with black dial faces.

The makers of the watch hope that it will not end up standing as a way to reminder the people who died on board the ship and but instead sybolized a sense of renewal. Romain Jerome said, "It is a message of hope, of life stronger than death, of rebirth."

There will be a total 2012 Titanic watches created. This number was decided, as it is the same as "the centenary anniversary of the Titanic's sinking in 2012."

The watch making company are no setting their sights on next year's 'Baselworld' where they will showcase another watch themed around another legend. However, the company was staying tight-lipped and offered no clues as to what legend this is.

Some people on hearing about the Titanic watch may think they are buying a piece of history, something that is sure to spark interesting conversations during social events. However, there can be a negative reaction as well. Some may think that the watch is in bad taste and is profiting off one of the most famous tragedies the world has seen.

Sources
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1310422320070415?pageNumber=2
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=8d5ff20d-26f6-4177-9f46-2f4230b0d703