Antiques Roadshow guest is shocked by the value of a Second World War watch
An Antiques Roadshow guest was in disbelief when he learned how much a World War II watch was worth.
The man presented the rare 1944 watch to expert Ben Wright on Saturday’s episode of the show.
The guest explained how he originally had a cheap Rolex from Singapore, but decided to trade it with his local bar owner.
He was shocked to learn that the military wristwatch was actually worth £3,000 to £4,000 when he expected it to cost around £500.
He explained that the Rolex he had traded had been bought for just £20 over 30 years ago, so he was happy to trade it for the vintage timepiece.
Disbelief! An Antiques Roadshow guest was in disbelief when he learned how much a World War II watch was worth
BBC star Ben said: ‘This is a military wristwatch, World War II, from Longines and I’m looking at you and I don’t think you’re old enough to be in World War II.’
The guest explained: ‘No, I actually got that from one of my friends who was traveling around the world and he went via Singapore airport and I gave him £25 and said ‘Can you bring me back a solid gold diamond Rolex? ‘
“He said, ‘Of course I can.” So he came back with this sparkling diamond Rolex, worth about £20, which I put on and it looked awful.’
The guest went on to tell how he went to the pub 30 years ago, where the watch caught the attention of the landlord.
He explained, “The landlord says, ‘That’s great.’ Do you want to sell it?”
“I said, ‘I don’t want to sell it, I just got it.'” So he asked, “Would you trade it for this watch?”
“I hummed to it and gave him the watch and in his place he gave me that watch and that’s all I know.”
Ben said, “Well, this Longines watch is what some people call a dirty dozen, a group of watchmakers who supplied the British Army with wristwatches.
Rare find: He was shocked to learn the military wristwatch was actually worth £3,000 to £4,000 after expecting it to cost around £500
Congratulations! The man presented the rare 1944 watch to expert Ben Wright on Saturday’s episode of the show
He continued, “This particular one is from Longines and we know it’s military, firstly because it has the military crow’s foot on the dial, but also on the back we have the crow’s foot again.
“But we also have WWW, which is short for wristwatch waterproof, which is what all military wristwatches got through the 1960s and 1970s and maybe even today.”
He added, “It’s in super condition and it’s circa 1944, 1945, it had luminous dots on it and luminous hands.
‘Fortunately, the radium of this has now disappeared, so you won’t die from radium poisoning, but it really has to be handled with care.
Shocked! He explained that the Rolex he had traded in had been bought for just £20 over 30 years ago
BBC star Ben said: ‘This is a military wristwatch, World War II, from Longines and I’m looking at you and I don’t think you’re old enough to be in World War II
It’s always a good idea to get expert advice. So, what are we going to pay for it at auction?
‘So we had your dodgy Rolex, which is probably worth about £10 now. What do we think? £3,000 – £4,000. You did a good job.’
The guest was clearly shocked when he exclaimed, “No! No, you’re kidding. Never in a million years.
“He didn’t mention the price to begin with and I thought if I got £300 to £500 I’d be over the moon, but to hear it’s worth £3,000-£4,000 is unbelievable.”
Antiques Roadshow airs Sunday at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.