Veteran Collapses After Being Told His Rolex is Worth $700,000 on ‘Antiques Roadshow’

An Air Force veteran who appeared on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow this week fell to the floor in shock after learning that his Rolex he purchased nearly 50 years ago was worth $700,000.

The veteran, who has not been identified, showed off his unworn 1971 Rolex Oyster Cosmograph to the appraiser, Peter Planes.

The veteran explained how he bought the timepiece after being stationed in southeast Asia in the 1970s and being fascinated by the pilots who would wear the watches.

He eventually ordered a model which he believed would stand up well to water and ordered it through his military base exchange in November 1974. He received the watch in April 1975.

“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,’ ” he said. “I just kept it.”

The watch was well-preserved, too. The veteran kept all purchase and maintenance documents, increasing its value, according to Planes.

When Planes said that the watch this Air Force veteran bought for $345.97 in 1974 could go for $400,000, the veteran collapsed in disbelief.

“You OK?” Planes said calmly as the man collapsed heels over head. “Don’t fall. I’m not done.”

The man got up, flashing a smile and waiting to hear the rest of the good news.

“Because of the condition of it, basically, it’s a new old stock watch, no wear on it,” Planes said. “We have all this complete documentation here, also, maybe one of the very few in the whole world that still was never worn, your watch, at auction, today, $500,000 to $700,000.”

“Half a million dollars, 700,000 dollars— that’s life-changing for somebody,” Planes told the Washington Post.

This Rolex model is particularly sought after because Paul Newman wore it in the 1967 movie Winning, according to Planes.