Among other things, I’m a watch guy, so I appreciate rare and expensive timepieces — even if I can’t afford anything that costs more than a buck-o-five. But even I have my limits. $1.1 million for a Vacheron Constantin? Uh, ok. It’s nice and all, but damn. Well, to the list of head-scratchers I would like to introduce a new line of “luxury” watches from Romain Jerome, a Geneva-based watchmaker. Mr. Jerome has created wristwatches made from bits of the Titanic.

“It is very luxurious and very inaccessible,” said Yvan Arpa, chief executive of the three-year-old company that hopes the limited edition watches will attract both collectors and garrulous luxury goods buyers.

Wait, what? Apparently he bought a 3 pound section of the hull from some seller that he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) identify for the sole purpose of making something rich people would buy without compunction. But hang on, what about all those dead people? No worries, mate. Mr. Arpa’s response that “The combination of new and old materials infused the watches with a sense of renewal, instead of representing a reminder of the 1,500 passengers who drowned when the oceanliner met her tragic end off the coast of Newfoundland” makes perfect sense to me.

After all, ’twas capitalism that sailed the ship. You have to give it to them, though. I never would have thought of that.

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