'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'I kept up with the times' after hearing the value of his rare Rolex
"Antiques Roadshow" isn't just a show where people find massive valuations for their family heirlooms and collections, which are often surprising. In 2023, it presented an interesting insight into the Rolex Day-Date watch, also known as the Presidential model. An army veteran recounted his time while serving in Korea during the 60s and noted that the rare luxury watch was a loving present from his wife. "This is a Rolex Day-Date model. I bought it in 1964. It became known later as the Presidential model when Lyndon Baine Johnson got one as a gift, and his was the 18-karat gold plate," he said, referring to the 36th President of the United States. As per Watch Guys, Johnson made the piece iconic for being the first ever President to sport a 36mm Day-Date decorated with a silver dial.
After that, the watch attained a powerful political symbol among the presidents, and it was worn by Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and John F. Kennedy. The veteran continued to explain that it was a birthday gift while he was serving in Hong Kong. "I bought it in Hong Kong. I had been drafted into the Army, and I was in Korea. During a tour of duty in Korea, you got one week R&R, either Tokyo or Hong Kong. My wife at the time and uh, I met in Hong Kong, and she bought this for me as my birthday present," he revealed to the appraiser. He further confessed that the particular Rolex model cost three times more than his military grade pay.
"I think it would be probably about $1,000 in those days," he said. "I had wanted the 18-karat yellow gold model, but they were out of stock," he recalled while revealing his choice of selecting the particular model. The appraiser then praised the veteran for maintaining the watch in mint condition. "We have what a lot of people threw out and nobody saved. You have the original timing paper. It's got your serial number for the watch. Over here, you have the little catalogue that came with the watch. And you've got the original box," he said. The veteran then narrated a gripping anecdote about the original Ostrich skin box that came with the watch.
"It's an ostrich skin box. As I went back to duty in Korea, the Japanese put a customs seal on it. I was going to a different airport in Japan, and they said, uh, 'Don't break that seal, because if you do, you'll have to pay duty to the Japanese.' So I was very careful and didn't break the seal," he recounted. With the Rolex Oyster hand tag intact, the value of the tag alone is about $500. After finally reviewing the white gold version of the watch, the appraiser came to a valuable conclusion. "In today's market, because it's a whole, complete set and the watch is in such great condition, a retail price on this is going to be $20,000," he revealed to the astonishment of the veteran. "Oh, my. Well, I kept up with the times!" the guest exclaimed of his little treasure.
