A man who bought a Rolex watch in 1974 for $345 (approximately £280) was left speechless when told its value could be up to $700,000 (£558,000) on the US version of Antiques Roadshow.
David, whose surname was not shared, purchased the watch while serving in the US Air Force abroad. He noticed pilots wearing Rolex watches and later took up scuba diving, ordering the watch for $345.97 – roughly a month's salary at the time.
He rarely wore it, keeping it in a safety deposit box for 30 to 40 years, only taking it out a few times to examine it. The watch came with all original receipts and packaging, which appraiser Peter Planes noted can be worth up to $2,000 alone.
Planes explained that the watch was extremely rare due to a limited production run where the word 'oyster' appeared on the dial. He noted that actor Paul Newman wore a similar model in the film Winning, but David's was even more special. The initial valuation of $400,000 caused David to collapse to the floor dramatically, legs in the air.
Planes then revised the estimate to between $500,000 and $700,000, given the watch's pristine condition. An astonished David exclaimed a bleeped-out exclamation, managing to stay upright for the second appraisal.
