Antiques Roadshow guest 'passes out' when he's told how much watch he bought for £277 is worth now

If you’re having your big moment on TV, then you really want to make the most of it.

Maybe you get the final answer right on a quiz show and run a victory lap of the studio, or perhaps you’ll just play it super cool.

Unlike this guy, who ended up ‘passing out’ on Antiques Roadshow when he was told how much his old watch is worth now, compared to the price he originally bought it for.

On the US version of the popular, long-running show, an army veteran presented a Rolex he bought for just $345 (£277) back in 1974.

David explained he’d bought the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona purely because he’d heard it was a good brand to wear for scuba diving.

At the time, the US Air Force ended up spending nearly a whole month’s salary on the watch so it’s pretty understandable that he decided it was far too nice to be diving into salt water with.

Instead, the bloke kept it mostly in a safety deposit box for four decades before deciding to bring it onto Antiques Roadshow.

And it turns out he’s been sitting on quite a piece of treasure for all these years.

PBS

David kept all his warranty papers, receipts and the original box for his Rolex, which was made in around 1971.

Rolex-heads may know that his particular watch was pretty similar to the one Paul Newman wore in the 1969 film, Winning.

The show’s valuer told the veteran that at the time of filming those watches were going for ‘approximately $150-$250,000’ (£122,981-£204,968). But this one is worth far more.

David’s watch is ‘more special’, with ‘Oyster’ on it, it’s ‘extremely rare’.

“A watch like this, at auction, is worth about $400,000 (£327,949),” the valuer explained. And in reaction, David threw himself to the ground, as those in the background laughed.

But he was warned: “Don’t fall, I’m not done yet. I said a watch like yours.”

PBS

The army vet’s watch is in such good condition, with complete documentation and could be ‘one of the very few in the whole world that still was never worn’.

And prepare yourself for this whopper: “Your watch, at auction today, $500 to $700,000 (£409,936-£573,911).”

David’s response here feels more relatable as he closes his eyes, shakes his head and simply says: “You got to be f**king kidding me,” and laughs.

The valuer calls it an ‘absolute find’ and says: “I can’t thank you enough for bringing me one of the greatest watches to ever see on Antiques Roadshow and thank you very much for your service.”

David closes with an ‘unbelievable’ as he is not-so-jokingly jokingly warned of his rare Rolex: “You can’t wear it though.”