Antiques Roadshow guest 'passes out' when his Rolex bought for less than £300 is valued on show

A man who appeared on Antiques Roadshow ended up 'passing out' when he found out how much his watch was worth.

And let's just say it was *very* different to what he originally paid.

PBS

When going on the popular TV programme, it's likely that you're either going to be faced with a small fortune or come away very disappointed.

Luckily for this bloke, it was the former and he even ended up hitting the deck when he was told how much his old watch is worth now, compared to what he originally purchased it for.

On the US version of the long-running show, an army veteran presented a Rolex he bought for just $345 (£275) 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.

You can watch the moment below:

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’ (£119,400-£199,000). 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 (£318,400),” 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.”

David fell to the ground.

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 (£398,000-£557,300).”

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 adds: “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.”

The strangest items that have appeared on Antiques Roadshow

Some items on the show have just been downright bizarre...

Human hair from famous poets

BBC

Ever dreamed of owning the locks of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge?

Well, it'll cost you, as when this item was brought on Antiques Roadshow last year it was valued at upwards of £40,000.

The clippings were a family heirloom, and according to expert Justin Croft, one was taken on a person's deathbed.

Yikes.

Nightmare fuel Teletubbies concept art

Turns out Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po originally looked pretty scary.

Jonathan Hills drew the concept art for the future children's TV icons. He sadly died in 2020 and his wife brought some of his original sketches on the show in 2022.

Expert Mark Hill admitted some of the drawings were 'creepy', but went on to value the individual pieces between £500 and £2,000, and the entire collection of 80 drawings at up to £80,000.

A bottle of pee

Who could forget the time expert Andy McConnell inadvertently drank urine back in 2016?

A bloke called John found the bottle in his garden, and McConnell used the taste test to figure out what was inside, thinking it was port.

Fast forward to 2019, and Fiona Bruce revealed to McConnell: "Inside were these brass pins, all of these dating from the late 1840s, and the liquid - urine, a tiny bit of alcohol and one human hair."

It turned out it was a 'witches bottle', buried on the threshold of a house as a protection against curses and bad luck.