Antiques Roadshow seller goes 'good grief' after expert tells him value of his old $300 Rolex watch
Old timepieces passed down generations as family heirlooms hold a lot of sentimental value, but, in the age of thrift stores, resellers, and TV shows such as "Antiques Roadshow," people are cashing in on them as well. Peter Planes on "Antiques Roadshow" specializes in watches and often surprises people by revealing the secrets of their old or discarded timepieces. One such intricate timepiece from Rolex was presented on the show by a man whose uncle gave it to him. According to The US Sun, the guest told Planes, "It was a gift from my uncle in 1975. He bought it at Tiffany’s in New York right before I was going to college. He noticed I didn’t have a watch on my wrist, so he literally took the watch off his wrist and gave it to me."
In the video, the man revealed that his uncle was a physician who often traveled to Amsterdam. He purchased the watch in New York for less than $300 and gave it to him as a present when it was time to leave for college. To the man, it was just a regular gift, and he never realized it was 'The Rolex' he was wearing. The guest shared, "I had no idea [it was a Rolex]. I sat down on a plane, and I was next to a jeweler. He asked me how I liked my GMT-Master, and I had no clue what he was talking about until he said, 'Oh, you’re wearing a Rolex.'"
The man wore the watch almost every day for 40 years. However, in recent years, the watch required repairs. He went to a Rolex dealer but found out that repairing it might lower its value and decided to keep the original parts, including the rare double branding, which included the Rolex logo and the Tiffany & Co logo. Planes informed the guest that Rolex removes old parts during servicing to prevent the creation of counterfeit watches. He explained, "[Criminals] can take a real dial and put it on a fake watch. In this case, I’m glad you didn’t change the parts on the watch." Planes noted that the man’s rare Rolex was made around 1963-1964, and at that time, it was priced between $275 and $350. However, because of its original condition, he estimated the watch's current value to be $50,000, which shocked the owner. If the watch had been repaired, its value would have been reduced to $10,000-$12,000. The man was astonished and could only say, "Good grief! That is absolutely stunning to me."
The popular TV series Antiques Roadshow, which started in 1979, continues to showcase appraisers revealing the value of items from people around the world.
Viewers of the show were amazed and one of them @tedium37 commented, "Hard to believe something so complex could be so durable. A true testament to build quality." @richardman28 added, "Stunning watch. All original parts and a Tiffany dial. Such a collector's piece. The fading on the bezel makes it even more collectible and unique. If he had the box and papers, it would be a $100k watch, even in that condition."
@ian4299 expressed admiration saying, "The best part of this video by far is, 'I've never taken it off,' and then the camera zooms in on the watch tan line. Lol!" @AndySaenz chimed in, "He has a crazy tan line on his left wrist from having worn this Rolex so much! He really loves that watch."
