Sotheby’s will auction two Rolex Submariner watches from the personal collection of filmmaker Al Giddings, a co-producer of the 1997 blockbuster film "Titanic." Both watches are linked to the famous ship through appearances in the movie and visits to its wreckage on the ocean floor.
Giddings, a four-time Emmy winner, lent his Gold 1680 Rolex Submariner wristwatch, which was worn by actor Bill Paxton in scenes from "Titanic." Sotheby’s estimates his watch to be worth between $30,000 and $60,000.
Giddings' other Rolex up for auction is a Steel 1680 Submariner valued at $20,000 to $40,000, which Giddings has worn on over a dozen of his personal dives to the Titanic wreckage.
“Al Giddings has lived an extraordinary life, brimming with experiences that only the most intrepid adventurers could dream of,” said Geoff Hess, Sotheby’s global head of watches. “For 50 years, these watches have journeyed with him across the globe, from the icy realms of the North Pole to the profound depths of the ocean. No other timepieces boast such extensive underwater exposure, particularly the steel model, which has accumulated tens if not hundreds of thousands of hours beneath the waves.”
Other shipwreck adventure films Giddings has worked on include "The Deep" (1977) and "The Abyss" (1989), which like "Titanic" was directed by James Cameron. The two Rolexes from Giddings will be auctioned by Sotheby’s on Dec. 6 in New York.