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Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Antiques Roadshow expert leaves Rolex watch owner jaw-dropped with valuation
Richard Price assessed a Rolex Oyster GMT Master watch brought by someone to the Antiques Roadshow in a scene from the long-running BBC show that has resurfaced lately An expert on the Antiques Roadshow left the owner of a Rolex watch stunned by their valuation of the item. It came after the guest shared that they had inherited the antique, which was said to have cost around £200 decades ago. An episode of the BBC show filmed at Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland, which first aired in 2022 but has since been repeated, saw specialist Richard Price analyse the watch. He said that it was from Rolex's GMT Master range. During the segment, which has attracted attention in recent days after being uploaded to the show's YouTube channel last week, Richard said: "Rolex collectors obviously know what this is and this is a Rolex Oyster GMT Master. And they refer to everything by the reference number. In this case, it is the reference 1675. It's also here on the bill of sale, which I see is from a Hong Kong retailer, in the early part of 1971." When asked who had bought the watch, the guest shared that it had been a "gift" to his dad, before telling Richard: "About five years ago he passed it to me for inheritance. He's still alive but he just thought give it to me to see what I want to do with it. And it's been in a drawer ever since." Speaking about the watch's history, Richard said: "The airline industry in the 40s and 50s were making much longer trips. Transatlantic, for instance." He continued by saying: "And pilots used to fly and work on GMT - Greenwich Mean Time." The specialist added: "You've probably heard of Pan Am, Pan American Airways, they were in discussion with Rolex in the mid 50s to develop a watch with an extra hand that could be set to GMT. This thing was developed, as I say, really specifically for PanAm, initially, in 1954. By 1959, or certainly just around five years later, this reference, which is the 1675, became the standard GMT Master." He went on to praise the guest for having "all the paperwork" for the antique watch that had been inherited. Richard said to him: "What is so lovely about this is you've got all the paperwork, what we call in the trade the full set." Assessing the watch, Richard said that the bezel is "original," adding: "Had it been changed, the value would have been reduced." He however said that the bracelet on the watch was "not original," having been replaced at some point. Richard said about the bracelet: "This will be what they call a service replacement." He added: "The only thing that spoils it because otherwise it's lovely original condition." He suggested that the watch would have been bought for just under £200 in 1971. He said: "That £200 fifty years ago has actually done quite well. If it had had the original bracelet, with the full set, we could have put two noughts on and made it £20,000." Richard continued by saying that the replacement bracelet had reduced the valuation. Sharing his valuation, he said: "But it's not got the original bracelet so I'm going to take it back to, in this condition, around £14,000." Jaw-dropped, the guest was visible surprised by the figure quoted by Richard. He reacted to the news: "What? Whoa! No way!" Richard asked: "You happy?" The owner responded as he laughed: "Yeah! I didn't expect that at all." The segment has attracted reaction on YouTube recently after being uploaded to Antiques Roadshow's channel last week. One person wrote in the comments section just days ago: "Love his reaction in the end." Others said they had expected the watch to be worth more. One viewer said: "I honestly thought it'd be worth a lot more than that. Hell you pay more than that for a modern day Submariner." Another said: "To be honest I thought it was worth more?"
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow guest's jaw drops as they learn whopping value of Rolex watch bought for just £200 and left collecting dust in a drawer
An Antiques Roadshow guest's jaw dropped as they learned the whopping value of a Rolex watch that they bought for just £200. In a recent episode of the BBC show, which originally aired in 2022, a number of guests travelled to Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland to get their special items looked at. One man brought along a watch for expert Richard Price to look at. Richard told the guest: 'So, Rolex collectors obviously know what this is and this is a Rolex Oyster GMT Master. 'And they refer to everything by the reference number. In this case, it is the reference 1675. 'It's also here on the bill of sale which I see is from a Hong Kong retailer in the early part of 1971. 'It's obviously not bought by you so who bought it in 1971?' And the man explained how he got his hands on it and said: 'It was basically a gift to my dad and about give years ago, he passed it to me for inheritance. 'He's still alive, but he just thought give it to me to see what to do with it and it's been in a drawer ever since!' Richard then shared the history of the watch, explaining that the airline history in the 40s and 50s made longer trips, and pilots flew on GMT. Pan American Airways has a discussion with Rolex to develop a watch with an extra hand to set it to GMT - it was developed for the airline in 1954. The watch became the standard GMT master. 'What is so lovely about this is that you have got all the paper work,' Richard said. He pointed out that the bezel was original, but the value may have been reduced if it wasn't, but the bracelet wasn't the original. The expert pointed out that he thought it was purchased for £200, and then went on to say how much he think it is now. Richard said: 'That £200 50 years ago has actually done quite well. 'If it had the original bracelet with the full set, we could have put two noughts on and made it £20,000. 'But it's not got the original bracelet. 'So I'm going to take it back to in this condition, around £14,000.' The guest was lost for words and said: 'What?! Woah! No way.' Richard asked: 'You happy?' 'Yeah!' the guest replied. 'I didn't expect that at all. It comes after an Antiques Roadshow guest's jaw dropped in shock as she learnt the eye-watering value of her 'exquisite' watch - despite a swipe from a BBC expert. A recently repeated 2004 episode of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to Hampton Court Palace in London. Expert Richard Price met with a woman who had brought in a gorgeous Swiss ball watch she had inherited after a 'very dear friend' passed away. She explained their relationship: 'I actually used to work for her and her husband was a buyer at one time in Harrods, a jewellery buyer for Harrods.' The antiques specialist asked if her friend wore it often, to which she replied: 'Yes, she used to wear it nearly every day on her suit lapel.' Richard was touched - and impressed: 'That's a lovely story and I'll tell you something, it is in absolutely exquisite condition. An Antiques Roadshow guest's jaw dropped in shock as she learnt the eye-watering value of her 'exquisite' watch - despite a swipe from a BBC expert The guest was absolutely amazed at the eventual valuation, with her jaw dropping in shock 'There's not a chip out of that enamel anywhere.' He tried out the mechanism, winding the unusual spherical watch using the bezel and testing the clock hands, before saying it 'does everything it should do'. The antiques expert showed off its inner workings to the camera, dubbing the delicate metal work 'absolutely typically Swiss'. 'It is an exquisite thing. Wonderful quality', he exclaimed. But it was not an entirely positive assessment, as the expert took a swipe at the watch's bezel: 'But there's just one thing I'm not entirely happy with. 'The little rose diamonds around the bezel of this watch just don't have quite the same style and class, if I can use that word, of these brilliant cut ones here.' He asked, as the guest nodded in agreement: 'Do you see how that's just a little bit nicer than the watch itself?' Richard also had a problem with the chain used to hang the watch: 'I'm not sure that the pendant actually went on with the watch when new.' But it was not an entirely positive assessment, as the expert took a swipe at the watch's bezel: 'But there's just one thing I'm not entirely happy with' 'The little rose diamonds around the bezel of this watch [left] just don't have quite the same style and class, if I can use that word, of these brilliant cut ones here [right]' But the appraiser was willing to move past that: 'The colours are so good that it doesn't really matter. 'It blends extremely well because this is an unusual quality of enamel and it's an unusual colour because you've got the dark reds and you've got these lovely almost coral-y petals.' The guest was not sure what period the watch was from - but Richard used his expertise to identify it: 'Well, these flowers, the petals, leaves, the enamel, it's very sort of art nouveau in style, isn't it?' 'And just looking at the general shape and size of the piece, I'm quite happy to say it's about 1905 to 1910.' Then came the moment the guest had been waiting for - the valuation. Richard said: 'Well, you're never going to replace it because you'll never need to. 'But if you went to look for one, I think that's going to cost you an absolute minimum of £6,000 to £7,000.' The guest was absolutely amazed, with her jaw dropping in shock: 'Oh goodness! Oh goodness me! Thank you, that's wonderful.' Richard said, laughing: 'Next time somebody takes you out for a lovely dinner, pop it on.' The woman chuckled, looking towards her partner off camera: 'I'll tell him!' It comes after an Antiques Roadshow guest was left wide-eyed as an expert gasped 'I need time to come down from this' in response to the 'trickiest item she's ever had to value'. A repeat episode of the BBC show went to Belton House near the town of Grantham, Lincolnshire. Expert Hilary Kay met with a woman who had brought in a unique item - the funeral standard of 17th-century English statesman Oliver Cromwell. He led parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars in the mid-1600s against King Charles I, helping to overthrow him before his execution in 1649. The soldier and politician then led the Commonwealth of England that was quickly established, serving as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658. Hilary began the segment: 'Sheltering from a passing shower and sheltering with an object which is, I feel, almost radioactive with power. 'It's a very interesting phenomenon to be this close to something that is really quite important.' The woman explained how such an incredible object came into her possession: 'It was in a collection about seven years ago. My father actually bought the collection of militaria. 'We now own it as a family. It's actually kept in one of our spare rooms and as you say, it's one of those objects that make you tingle.' With anticipation built up, about an item with such historical value, the valuation could not come sooner - and it did not disappoint. Hilary said: 'This is about the trickiest thing I've ever had to value. 'It is certain to fetch £25,000 but how much more would it go for?' The wide-eyed guest was rendered absolutely speechless, with Hilary saying: 'It's going to take me a little while to come down from this. 'It'll take a couple of bars of chocolate and a cup of tea but this has been a really special moment with a really extraordinary object, don't you agree?'
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow guest gasps 'I can't believe that!' as he learns staggering value of watch bought for £300 - and BBC crowd erupt into applause
An Antiques Roadshow guest gasped 'I can't believe that!' as he learned the staggering value of a watch bought for £300 - while the BBC crowd erupted into applause. A repeat episode of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to Brodie Castle in the Moray area of Scotland. In the instalment that reran on Sunday, expert Richard Price was asked to assess a 1960s Rolex GMT-Master watch. The guest said he had owned the timepiece for 32 years, having inherited it from his uncle, who he thought most likely received it as a gift in the sixties. Richard quickly spotted the specific model on the dial, important to note for this watch brand: 'All Rolex collectors refer to these things by their reference number.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The expert explained further: 'It's the reference 1675, which is the classic GMT-Master. 'When you said sixties, I think we could fairly safely say 1960 to 1961 so that all fits in.' Inspecting it further, Richard was delighted to find it unaltered - a rare outcome, as watches are often modified when their owners take them in for servicing. The appraiser told the guest how watch repairs normally go: 'They would've changed the bezel and they would've changed the dial with an upgrade. 'You would've had it back thinking, "Oh, it looks new." Collectors hate that.' As to this particular timepiece, by contrast, Richard noted: 'It's absolutely original - spot on.' There was some cause for disappointment, however, over the style of the watch bracelet. The timepiece had a strap in Rolex's five-link Jubilee style, as opposed to the brand's iconic, older, three-link Oyster design. Richard explained to the owner: 'It's a Rolex product of course but it says "Made in the USA". 'So, perhaps [his uncle] specified that he did not want the Oyster bracelet, he wanted a Jubilee bracelet, and they put this one on for him.' This 'detracts from it a little bit', he added - probably by 'a couple of thousand pounds' sadly, which saw the guest look visibly downcast. The expert estimated the watch would have cost around £300 to £350 when the guest's owner bought it back in the sixties. The guest simply replied: 'Wish [my uncle] bought more.' But even the single watch proved a good investment - as Richard valued it as now being worth £12,000 to £15,000. The owner was left in utter shock, as the crowd broke into applause. He exclaimed: 'I can't believe that, can't believe that.' The watch proved a good investment - as Richard valued it as now being worth £12,000 to £15,000 It comes after another guest also came in with some surprisingly valuable Rolex timepieces. A recent instalment of Antiques Roadshow saw expert Ben Wright presented with a pair of Rolex watches. One of the watches, the Rolex Prince, belonged to the guest's great-great-grandfather. The other, more recent one, was the guest's father's, who had joined his son to appear on the popular BBC show. Of the older watch, Ben said: 'I notice there's a little bit of wear and tear on the dial and we've got a later winder on the case.' One of the guests replied: 'It was £21 when it was bought.' Ben went on to comment on the paperwork that accompanied the watch before looking at the Rolex Submariner, belonging to the father. 'I was a merchant navy cadet in 1976 and I saved up my pittance to by that in Singapore. It was £250 I think,' the father revealed. The expert then revealed his pricing estimate: 'At auction, the Rolex Prince is going to be between £3,000 and £4,000. 'The Submariner - it's in great condition. All in all, the full ensemble at auction - easily £8,000 to £12,000.' The father and son duo looked stunned, smiling and nodding silently at the whopping values before thanking Ben.
Daily Record
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Antiques Roadshow guest stunned by jaw-dropping value of inherited Rolex
A guest brought a classic Rolex on to the BBC show to be valued by an expert and the crowd was left gobsmacked An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked by the valuation of his Rolex watch, after expert Richard Price examined the impressive timepiece. In a rerun of the beloved BBC show, which aired on Sunday night (June 8), viewers were treated to an incredible line-up of rare items and local treasures as the team visited Brodie Castle in Morayshire. Expert Richard was left stunned by a guest's GMT Master Rolex, which dated back to 1960-1961. The guest had acquired the watch from his late uncle over 32 years ago - although an original piece, there was just one thing that detracted the value by around £1,000, the Echo reports. Checking the reference of the watch, he explained: "It's the reference 1675 which is the classic GMT Master and I think we could fairly safely say 1960 to 1961 so that all fits in. "The joy of this is that nothing's changed. Because so often, not so much now because they won't do it, but even 20 years ago these big manufacturers if you put a watch in for service, they would have changed the bezel." "Because that bezel is beautifully faded, it was light blue and red there and it's all faded, but they would have changed the bezel and changed the dial with an upgrade. And you'd have had it back like all new - but collectors hate that," he continued. However, one factor brought down the watch's value, despite it being a classic model - when the expert expressed his disappointment over the watch. "It's absolutely original, spot on. The only thing I'm not terribly happy about is the bracelet. It would originally have had what they call the oyster bracelet and this is actually a jubilee bracelet which has Rolex, made in the USA." "Which, sort of detracts from it a little bit, probably detracts from it by £1,000 actually. Richard explained to the guest that his late uncle likely requested a different bracelet than the one the watch originally came with - the watch had a jubilee bracelet instead of the original oyster type. He went on to reveal the watch would have cost between £300 and £350 back in the early 60s, much to the disappointment of the guests and crowd who gathered behind them. However, despite the modification and the price back in the 60s, the value of the watch was considerably high. The guest and crowd were stunned to find out the Rolex watch was valued at an incredible £12,000 to £15,000, as they broke out in applause. The guest jokingly stated: "Wish he [his late uncle] bought more." Overwhelmed by the value, he exclaimed: "I can't believe that, can't believe that."
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
The enduring legacy of Rolex's 70-year-old GMT-Master
Visitors to West Kowloon Cultural District's Freespace in Hong Kong between May 26 and June 8 can catch an exhibition on one of Rolex's most important models: the GMT-Master. The watch celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, an occasion that marks one of watchmaking's most elegant answers to the problem of tracking multiple time zones. The watch and its namesake GMT complication gain their name from the addition of an extra watch hand that tracks time on a 24-hour index. The GMT hand can be set to one's home time zone, or to Greenwich Mean Time – also referred to as UTC or Zulu Time. The Longines Zulu Time from the 1920s also allowed for multiple time zones, but the 24-hour index of these watches was located within the minute track rather than on a rotating outer bezel. Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition. Photo: Armin Strom The GMT complication was mainly seen on pilot's wrists in the mid-20th century – indeed, Rolex developed the GMT-Master together with the historic airline Pan American Airways. Today however, anyone who travels frequently might consider getting one. 'Nowadays, we are travelling on planes more than ever,' says Helbert Tsang, co-founder of watch community The Horology Club, 'and the GMT-Master still looks pretty much as it did when it was first launched in the 50s. What has changed since then is the reason people buy and wear watches. What used to be an essential tool (for fliers) is now a luxury item or a status symbol. People working in front of a screen all day may still imagine themselves as a globetrotter or a commercial pilot landing at different destinations every day, and a GMT watch is the perfect prop for them to live out that fantasy.' The GMT complication's history, combined with its surprisingly modern utility, has led to its consistent popularity. Unlike dive watches or chronographs – the functions of which have since been supplanted by computers – wearing a GMT watch means one can still use the complication to track time for loved ones in a different part of the world, or to recall important international meetings at a glance. Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante 2025. Photo: Handout Luxury brands now put design at the forefront of GMT watches to appeal to collectors. At Watches and Wonders in Geneva this year, manufacturers made their own efforts to show multiple time zones elegantly. Rolex interpreted their modern GMT-Master II with green Cerachrom and tiger iron dials. Panerai, Armin Strom and Parmigiani Fleurier chose to add additional complications with GMTs (respectively, perpetual calendar, simultaneous dual time display and rattrapante). Tag Heuer, known for its racing chronographs and divers, added a Twin-Time model, which tracks the second time zone along a two-coloured internal 24-hour index, to its Carrera pieces. Nomos Glashütte developed a new automatic movement and introduced a world time complication to their Club collection.•
