Man collapses after finding out eye-watering valuation of rare Rolex he bought for under £300 in 1975

The beauty of Antiques Roadshow is that viewers, and the guests, never know just how much something could be worth.

It might look like an old bit of tat to the untrained eye, but the experts are pretty astute when it comes to determining whether someone has been sat on a gold mine - which makes for some quite hilarious reactions.

But this bloke really took the biscuit when he was floored - literally - after being informed of the value of his rare timepiece, which he snapped up for less than £300 back in 1975.

Take a look at this:

As you can see, the news that he could enjoy a comfortable retirement swept him right off his feet.

The Antiques Roadshow team had descended on West Fargo, North Dakota, back in 2020 to find some treasures when the Vietnam War veteran decided to weigh up the worth of his watch.

He explained that he had purchased the Rolex when he was stationed in Thailand and serving in the military, after noticing that the watches were very popular among pilots.

"I was intrigued by them," the guest said. "I always wanted to purchase them, but they were very expensive. Later, when I was transferred to another base, I did some scuba diving, and I knew that the Rolex watch was good for scuba diving.

"I found this particular watch where I could afford it, and I never used it. I looked at it and I said, 'You know, this is really too nice to take down in salty water'."

The stunning timepiece was worth more than a few bob (PBS)

So instead, he left it sat in a safety deposit box for four decades, only taking it out a handful of times 'to look at it'.

And it turns out that his decision to keep it tucked away paid off - big time.

The watch in question was a Rolex Daytona with a Panda Paul Newman dial, and the appraiser's eyes lit up as soon as he saw it, clearly wowed by its impeccable condition and rarity.

He pointed out that the former Air Force vet had gotten a 10 percent discount on the watch in 1975 - at a time when he was earning around $400 (£298) a month - bringing the total of his purchase $345.97 (£258).

Discussing its interesting details, the appraiser said: "This particular model is referred to as an Oyster Cosmograph. They're also referred to as Daytonas. This is a reference 6263. You saved everything, which is really wonderful.

"The warranty paper was never filled out and was never numbered, so you have, actually have a blank guarantee, which is quite unusual."

The appraiser was left stunned that the Rolex still boasted a sticker with its reference number (PBS)

"And even over here, this paper is blank," the expert went on. "A blank paper today is probably worth about $2,000, because it can be made to match any watch and add value to it, so guys would pay money to buy a blank paper."

The guest also had the original Rolex brochure, the watch's order and payment receipt, the original box and outer box.

"It's got a couple of very special features about it," the appraiser went on. "It still has the foil sticker on the back with the reference number of the watch, 6263. Had it be worn, that would be the first thing that would wear off the watch."

Discussing its allure to watch connoisseurs, he continued: "The date mark on the bracelet shows that it was made in the first quarter of 1971. Collectors love this watch because Paul Newman wore it in a movie called Winning.

"It wasn't this particular model, it did not have the screw-down buttons. The one that Paul Newman wore, currently at auction, those watches are going for approximately $150,000 to $200,000. Your watch is more special."

The Antiques Roadshow guest hit the deck after hearing the initial valuation, only for the appraiser to reveal it was worth even more (PBS)

And as it was more special, it obviously had a larger price tag - and the guest was bowled over after being informed that a watch 'like' his could earn a whopping $400,000 (£298,378) at auction.

In sheer shock, the fella jokingly fell to the ground - but the appraiser explained he wasn't done yet.

As the veteran's Rolex had never been worn and he had kept all the tidbits which came with the timepiece, the appraiser reckoned he could bag anywhere between $500,000 to $700,000 for it at auction.

"It's maybe one of the very few in the whole world that still was never worn," the expert explained. "It's an absolute fabulous find. It's one of the rarest Paul Newman models and in this condition, I don't think there is a better one in the world. Unbelievable. You can't wear it though - if you wear it, it drops down to the $400,000 value."

So the lesson here is - treat yourself to that shiny new toy, as it might be worth a few quid one day.