I am familiar with Antiques Roadshow, but I admit I don’t watch it. Most of what I know comes from sit-coms that have characters obsessed with it. But I know enough about it to get excited about this story. On Monday’s show, an Air Force veteran named David brought in his Rolex he’d purchased for $345.97 In 1974. He said he became infatuated with Rolexes after seeing so many pilots wearing them and wanted one, but they were so expensive. When he found out they were good for scuba diving, he decided it was time to invest. But due to the cost (he said later he only made about $300-$400 a month at the time), he couldn’t bring himself to wear it, and never did. Never! He eventually put it in a safety deposit box. Hoping he’d spent his money wisely, he brought it to Roadshow where he was told this particular watch, with its particular features having only a limited release and its pristine condition, was worth half a million dollars. A fact that knocked him off his feet – literally.

The “Antiques Roadshow” guest kept his cool as an appraiser said his watch, snagged decades ago in the Air Force, was no ordinary Rolex. Informed that it was a lot like a model once worn by Paul Newman that auctions for $200,000, the camouflage-bandanna-clad owner just nodded.

Then the appraiser noted the tiny word Oyster inscribed on the face. That made the trinket “extremely, extremely rare,” the kind of watch that sells for $400,000.

The man toppled backward to the ground with enough force that his feet flew up into the air.

There was laughter and a mildly concerned “You okay?” — but also more good news to come. The Rolex was also in near-perfect condition, the grinning watch owner heard next. The discount purchase that set him back $345.97 in 1974 — in the range of a month’s military salary — was now worth between $500,000 and $700,000.

[From The Washington Post]

I’ve embedded the video of the exchange below. A lot is being made of David falling backwards. I watched it a couple of times and I think it’s a performative fall rather than a collapse but it’s still a fun reaction and the situation does merit it. It is interesting to hear all the ways in which this watch is unique. When I worked in a Ralph Lauren store a long time ago, he was selling vintage watches, mainly Rolexes, to accompany the new Purple Label suits (yes, that long ago. I was there the year they first came out). We had a small workshop on how to spot actual Rolexes, none of which helped in this appraisal but still, it was a nice trip down memory lane.

I had the opposite antique experience last year. We had a beautiful dining set my husband had inherited but they were huge pieces and I don’t think we’ll ever afford a house big enough to properly display them. He decided to sell them, and we thought we were going to pay off the car with the proceeds, especially because the table was stamped by Joseph Fitter. Nope. Nobody wanted them, so we ended up donating them to a veterans charity. Fortunately, that was not the case for David, who is now the owner of what the appraiser, Peter Planes, said was the highest-valued Rolex the show has ever had. Plus, there’s the Paul Newman connection. Paul’s ‘Daytona’ Rolex, was a gift from Joanne Woodward and sold at auction for almost $18M. And Peter said Paul’s wasn’t even as good a watch as David’s! (Plus, CB mentioned that if we talk about the Daytona, we can include photos of Paul Newman.)

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Photo credit: YouTube, Getty Images and WENN/Avalon