• Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Our Sponsors

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Complete Ticket Rules
  • How the Event Works
  • 2020 Tour FAQ
  • Tour Key Dates
  • Williamsburg, VA — Tuesday, APR 28
  • Nashville, TN — Tuesday, MAY 12
  • Boston, MA — Monday, MAY 25
  • Estes Park, CO — Tuesday, JUN 9
  • Santa Fe, NM — Tuesday, JUN 16
2020 Tour Hub

2020 Tour Hub

Tour FAQ

Tour FAQ

Get Your Tickets!

Get Your Tickets!

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 23
  • Best Moments of Season 22
  • Best Moments of Season 21
  • Cities from Past Seasons
  • About Executive Producer Marsha Bemko
  • Roadshow's Editorial Policy
  • About Host Mark L. Walberg
Watch | New Orleans, Hour 1

Watch | New Orleans, Hour 1

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 2

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 2

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 1

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 1

    Quick links
  • Find Features by City
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Heirlooms
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • For Teachers
  • Vintage Minute
  • AR Podcast
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Digital Shorts | Extraordinary Finds Bonus Videos

Digital Shorts | Extraordinary Finds Bonus Videos

Article | Buddhist Deities

Article | Buddhist Deities

Digital Short | Meet Ken Price

Digital Short | Meet Ken Price

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Patek Philippe GM Contract Watch, ca. 1965

Value (2018) | $12,000 Auction – $18,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
This is a watch. I don't know the brand, but it is a very important piece for our family. My husband's family, and mine as well, we were second generation automotive industry here in Detroit. My father-in-law was an executive for General Motors. He started working in 1940, and he rose up the ranks to a finance executive position in a division that no longer exists. It was called GM Overseas Operation. He was honored with this watch when he hit the 25-year mark, which was in 1965. And he received it in their division in Brazil. A lot of folks around here grew up in this environment, where they traveled all internationally. So he had a ten-year stint in São Paulo, Brazil.

APPRAISER:
The brand is Patek Philippe. Have you ever heard of that?

GUEST:
No, I think our family thought it was Phillips Paddock or something... we didn't have the information right.

APPRAISER:
Patek Philippe is one of the finest Swiss watch brands in the world, bar none. There's a lot of good other brands, but by nature of market placement and branding, it's really at the pinnacle

GUEST:
Wow.

APPRAISER:
of dress watches in this time period. It's made in Switzerland. It's all in 18-karat yellow gold. Usually, when you have a watch like this, a lot of times it came on a strap, whether it was plain calf or alligator or something like that. This particular one has a gold bracelet. Now, usually when Patek would supply the bracelet, the bracelet would be marked. And on a watch like this, they wouldn't have left this open space in here by the lugs. They would have curved the bracelet so everything fit in. So I would say that this watch bracelet is after market.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
The first thing we notice that's a little unusual is a lot of watches, the dial is white or silver or a rather light shade. This one is black. You didn't see a lot of black-dialed watches. They kind of came out of the military, because they wanted something that was non-glare. But guys like a black watch. But what's interesting is, along with the batons and the subsidiary seconds, you'll notice all the numbers have a gold tone. So it's actually what we call a gilt finish, underneath the lacquer on the watch dial.

GUEST:
Oh.

APPRAISER:
All right. Now we're going to flip it over, and then we come back here, and you see the GMC G... new logo, and it has his initials, and it has the years of service, 1940 to 1965. What I'm going to do now is we're going to pull the back off. Now every Patek Philippe has a reference number. This one happens to be reference 1578. But if you notice, after it, there's two initials, GM. So what this tells me is that this is a contract watch.

GUEST:
Oh.

APPRAISER:
That GM used to order enough watches from Patek Philippe that they made up these watches especially for them.

GUEST:
Oh.

APPRAISER:
And they even would stamp it with the GM logo. Down below it, you'll see a serial number, just as you'll see serial numbers and a lot of information on the movement that tells you it's 18 jewels. It will tell you it's adjusted to five positions, hot and cold. If you look up the number, it's made in 1964 to 1965. At auction, this watch would be $12,000 to $18,000.

GUEST:
Oh... oh, boy. Wow. I'm... I'm... It's too bad I had it in a Ziploc bag earlier today. (laughter) Okay, we'll note that. I thought you were going to say $2,500. (laughter)

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Kevin Zavian
Jewelry, Watches
Doyle New York
New York, NY
Appraised value (2018)
$12,000 Auction – $18,000 Auction
Featured In
Meadow Brook Hall, Hour 2 (#2302)
Event
Rochester, MI (June 14, 2018)
Category
Jewelry
Period
1960s , 20th Century
Form
Wrist Watch
Material
Gold , Lacquer

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

More from PBS

Broadway's Best

Sing and dance along with five amazing Broadway productions!

College Behind Bars

Explore how education in prison can transform inmates

N Scott Momaday

Examine the enigmatic life and mind of this award-winning writer.

"I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." Antiques Roadshow on Facebook

What’s inside the case?

@RoadshowPBS on Instagram

William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter… @RoadshowPBS

We're soaking up the story behind this @LeslieKeno appraisal! #antiquesroadshow @RoadshowPBS

  • Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • ABOUT ROADSHOW
  • Schedule
  • Contact Us
  • Credits
  • Press
  • For Teachers
  • Telephone Scam Warning
  • Roadshow Imitators Warning
  • Doing Business with Appraisers
  • Our Sponsors
  • Our Funders
  • Corporate Sponsorship

Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, Ancestry, and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Produced By

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by WGBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ©1997 – 2019 WGBH Educational Foundation.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Copyright
Subscribe Hide  ×

A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more!