An Antiques Roadshow guest was left astounded by the ‘ridiculous’ value of his damaged watch.
The BBC show returned for a brand new series on Sunday evening, with the antique experts travelling to Swanage Pier and seafront.
Among the treasures showcased was a rare Omega watch that had endured the unfortunate fate of being run over by a lawnmower.
However, expert Richard Price was quick to reassure the couple that the timepiece is salvageable and valuable.
He said: ‘As you know this was the first watch worn on the moon but there is an unfortunate word in the watch making industry for if something is in a very poor state. We call it derelict and this is fairly derelict. How did it get in this condition?’
Wow! An Antiques Roadshow guest was left astounded by the ‘ridiculous’ value of his damaged watch
Antique: Among the treasures showcased was a rare Omega watch that had endured the unfortunate fate of being run over by a lawnmower
The guest then explained: ‘It unfortunately went through my lawnmower. We had a burglary and they must have dropped that in the grass as they left. My wife found it later in the compost bin.
He added: ‘I bought it either late 1965 or early 1966 and it was second hand at the time.’
Despite the damage, expert Richard confirmed that the watch would still be worth thousands if the couple got it repaired.
He said: ‘Assuming you can get these pieces in good condition with that strap, I see it being retailable for towards £18-20k. And the strap on its own is worth £3k.’
The male guest said: ‘I’m amazed, I’m excited, I mean I came along here convinced it was basically beyond repair a bit of rubbish really. My son will be excited because he wants to inherit it.’
Fans were shocked by the valuation, with one penning on Twitter: ‘Just the Omega metal watch strap > £3k, flippity jibbins’
Another wrote: ‘I’ve been down the garden so I might have missed it but ridiculous price for a broken watch’
Elsewhere on the show, one guest was left amazed to discover the value of the miniature silver teapot he had inherited from his great-uncle and aunt.
The tiny teapot fits perfectly in the palm of a hand and was hailed ‘the nicest teapot’ expert Duncan Campbell had ever seen.
He said: ‘This is the nicest teapot I’ve certainly ever seen on Antiques Roadshow and arguably I’ve ever seen. I absolutely adore it and I am more than a little bit envious.’
It was made in 1728 and valued at least £12,000 causing a shocked ‘wow’ from the people who had brought the teapot in.
Despite the damage, expert Richard said: ‘Assuming you can get these pieces in good condition with that strap, I see it being retailable for towards £18-20k. And the strap on its own is worth £3k.’
Fans were shocked by the valuation, with one penning on Twitter: ‘Just the Omega metal watch strap > £3k, flippity jibbins’
It comes after a guest was left astounded by the value of her beloved diamond brooch she brought to the BBC show last week.
Expert Susan Rumfitt was delighted to take a look at the ‘unusual’ and ‘stunning’ diamond brooch, which the expert revealed originated in the Art Deco period of the 1930s.
She said: ‘This is a magnificent brooch. I hope you wear it every day,’ to which the owner confirmed she wore it in the ‘evening’ when ‘going out’.
Explaining how she first came across the item, the guest explained: ‘It’s just come down to the family from my grandmother,’
Susan went on the explain: ‘The brooch dates from the 1930s which is the height of the Art Deco period, which really and truly was about having a great time as far as fashion jewels, partying was concerned.
‘So I can imagine your grandmother really having a wonderful time putting this brooch on.. It’s got a sort of sense of theatre about it, doesn’t it? It sort of plays away on its own with these beautiful diamonds in it and everything.’
Susan added: ‘When we get to the 1930s, the style of jewellery, it was very similar to the 20s in regards to being bold and impressive as we’re seeing here, but we’ve moved away from colour and also concentrating on diamonds as well, which is quite extraordinary considering that 1929 we had the Wall Street Crash and the Depression.
‘Well, one of the greatest designers who was behind the love of diamonds was Chanel, of course, and she teamed up with DeBeers to promote the diamond industry.
‘And they basically were saying that diamonds are portable, you can show the greatest of worth in the smallest volumes – this is by no means a small piece of jewellery but it’s portable so it’s no wonder so many people were turning to diamond jewellery if the likes of Chanel was saying this is the thing that you should do.
‘It’s pretty stunning, isn’t it? It does make a statement set in white gold [and] it’s got a yellow gold back to it. That white gold at the top to again help to really reflect those diamonds. It’s absolutely wonderful.’
Shocked: An Antiques Roadshow guest was left astounded by the value of her beloved diamond brooch she brought to the show at Brodie Castle in Morayshire
Stunning: Expert Susan Rumfitt was delighted to take a look at the ‘unusual’ and ‘stunning’ diamond brooch, which the expert revealed originated in the Art Deco period of the 1930s
Susan then asked: ‘Have you ever thought how many carats are in the weight of the diamonds?’
The guest guessed three before the expert revealed the weight was 14 carats and its value was £20,000.
She quipped: ‘Oh my goodness. That’s taken my breath away. Oh crumbs, brings tears to my eyes.’
‘A really big surprise, I’m still quaking at the moment,’ she later added before the expert remarked: ‘It’s been wonderful. Fantastic to find it and to make somebody’s day as well when they have no idea that it was going to be worth as much as it was – just stunning, fantastic.’
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