Antiques Roadshow guest passes out after eye-watering valuation for rare piece
An Antiques Roadshow guest seemingly passed out after receiving an eye-watering valuation for an antique they brought on the show.
The guest presented a Rolex watch to the show in Florida and couldn't believe their luck when auctioneer Peter Planes delivered him estimation on the product's worth.
The owner explained that he bought the watch by mail order for less than $400 - $345.97 to be exact - more than four decades ago, after hearing that the watches were great for Scuba diving.
Rolex's now sell for an average of $7,000 – $12,000, but some of their most expensive watches can set you back by about $485,350 depending on the model.
The watch was untouched (PBS)Luckily, the guest had decided against wearing the watch in the sea and instead kept it in its box with the original paperwork and reference number on the back.
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With the original reference number - 6263 - still intact, Peter was able to date the item and revealed that this particular model was actually a rarity.
"Your watch is more special - it says Oyster on it," he explained. "They did that for an extremely short period of time. We refer to that as a mark two dial.
The owner was shocked at the news (PBS)"This particular model, being marked Oyster is extremely, extremely rare."
Peter went on to tell the guest: "A watch like this, at auction, is worth about $400,000 (£317,000)."
After hearing the news of the watch's whopping worth, the owner pretended to faint on the floor, leaving onlookers laughing in the background.
"Don't fall, I'm not done yet," Peter added before explaining that because the watch had never been worn, a high valuation could be given, leaving the owner in more disbelief.
The owner pretended to faint (PBS)Peter revealed that the item could be worth anything between $500,000 (£397,000) to $700,000 (£555,000) – leaving viewers and the owner in shock.
It's not the first time a watch has been given a jaw-dropping valuation. In an old 2004 episode, a Patek Phillipe watch was valued at $1.5m.
The owner of the watch said that the watch was created by Swiss watchmaker Patek Phillippe and had become a family heirloom.
"This watch was handed down from my great-grandfather," adding: "It was handed down from him to my father, and then he gave it to me," he said.
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