A gold watch worn by John Jacob Astor IV, a member of the wealthy Astor family and the richest man aboard the Titanic, sold for a record-breaking £1.175 million (US$1.485 million) at auction on Saturday.

The timepiece sold for ten times its expected auction price of between £100,000 and £150,000.

Its high selling point has set a “new world record for Titanic memorabilia,” Andrew Aldridge, the managing director of auction house Henry Aldridge and Son, told CNN on Sunday.

Astor was one of around 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg. His pregnant wife, Madeleine, survived.

The watch was among a number of notable items on offer at Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England, on Saturday, including the valise that held the violin famously played by the band leader as the ship sank, and a pocketbook that documents the Titanic’s scheduled voyages.

The valise was sold for £360,000, while the violin itself was sold for £1.1 million (nearly $1.7 million at the time) via the same auction house in 2013. It was, until Astor’s pocket watch claimed the title, the highest-selling item from the Titanic.

“These prices for these unique pieces of history reflect not only their importance but also the ongoing interest into the Titanic story and the memory of her passengers and crew,” Aldridge told CNN.

The watch was among the personal effects found with Astor’s body after the Titanic sank, according to the auction house. He also had gold cufflinks, a diamond ring, money and a pocketbook on him, among other items.

After the recovery of Astor’s body, those possessions were sent to his son, Vincent Astor, who completely restored the watch so that it worked.

In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the infant son of William Dobbyn IV, John Jacob Astor’s executive secretary, according to the auction house.

Aldridge told CNN that the Dobbyn family kept the item until the late 1990s, when it went to auction.

An unnamed collector in the United States bought the watch at that time. Since then, it has been displayed in several museums.

“So, you know, over the course of its time, quite literally millions of people have viewed it, which is fabulous,” Aldridge said.

Since 1932, Montreal’s Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.

Until 16 years ago, Francis Bissonnette-Gilker didn’t know much about hats, but during a resume run in the city’s Latin Quarter, a friend dared him to apply to Henri Henri.

“I guess they liked the cut of my jib since they told me to get a suit and come back tomorrow,” he said.

Now, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of hats and uses it to help customers find their perfect match.

“We also look at what people like, what they wear and we try to find the best style, the best balance,” he said.

The store was founded by hat salesmen Jean-Maurice Lefebvre and Honorius Henri in 1932.

At first they only specialized in a few brands and styles, but over the years their collection and clientele expanded.

Today, many celebrities, musicians and hockey players stop by Henri Henri when they’re in Montreal.

Shows like Yellowstone and Peaky Blinders have also created more hat interest in young people.

But it’s also the old-school glamour that attracts them, according Bissonnette-Gilker.

“They like the fact that we have the same furniture for 90 years and that we have the same cash register,” he said. “They love that we still serve them kind of old school.”

The hats aren’t cheap, but they are made to last.

The store also offers cleaning, reshaping and repair services.

Sylvain Labbe is one of the few hatters or “chapeliers” in the country.

Trained in France, and having spent 18 years with Cirque de Soleil, he does all his work by hand.

“It’s an ancient art,” he said. “The tools and methods haven’t changed much.”

The throughline at Henri Henri is tradition.

The business has always been family fun, and today, father and son duo Joel and Yannig Plunier are at the helm.

Lately, Joel has been working on taking Henri Henri to a wider audience.

“We’re putting a lot of energy in our e-commerce,” he said. “that’s the future.”

Their stockrooms are filled with the latest bowlers, porkpies, Stetsons and even kangaroo-leather caps, but the most prized is a Borsalino panama hat.

Each one takes three months to weave and costs $1,400.

“They are more than just fashion accessories,” Bissonnette-Gilker said. “Yes, they look good. But they also serve a purpose, especially if you’re balding.” 

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 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
Who doesn’t love a large, overstuffed chair? But if your room is on the smaller size it may look out of place and make your room seem even smaller than it is. Keep proportion in perspective. Proportion is the ratio between a piece of furniture and the size of a room. Scale is the size of a piece of furniture in relation to the other pieces of furniture in the room. A super large chair will overpower an apartment of loft size sofa or loveseat and create a sense of unbalance in the room.

Have your room humming harmoniously
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What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?