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Submariner Rolex with Documentation, ca. 1970

Value (2018) | $20,000 Retail – $25,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
I was a lieutenant and stationed in Japan in 1971, and a friend was going to Hong Kong, said he was going to buy a Rolex watch, and he asked if I would like to get one, also. It cost $110, so I gave it to him, he went to Hong Kong, came back with this watch for me. I've run with it, I've surfed with it, I've scuba dived with it, I've orienteered with it, I've backpacked with it. I was bodysurfing off of Solana Beach, and then I came up, and the watch was gone, and I couldn't find it in the surf. My roommate was the captain of the county lifeguards. Three days later, he came in, and said, at low tide, a young girl, about seven or eight years old, found this watch and brought it to the lifeguard headquarters. I never found out who she was, I wanted to reward her, but I've always appreciated that.

APPRAISER:
And I notice you've kept the paperwork on it, on the box.

GUEST:
Yeah, I just-- I don't know, I'm just sort of a pack rat.

APPRAISER:
It is a Rolex Submariner, it is a diver's model. It has some very collectible features on it. On the dial, the "Submariner" is printed in red ink.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
You said you got it in what year, again-- 1971?

GUEST:
1971.

APPRAISER:
That's the right timeframe for the watch. Is there a reason why you haven't refurbished the watch and redone it?

GUEST:
I've talked to somebody that's collected watches, and they said that refurbishing it would make it nice and pretty, but they said collectors like ones that hadn't been refurbished.

APPRAISER:
You were advised correctly not to change things on the watch and leave it as original as possible, because collectors do like originality. It does have condition issues, but there are some really wonderful things about it. The bezel insert when you first got it on that watch was really a dark black, and it has faded out, and it's very grayish-looking now. Collectors actually prefer it this way. The bracelet has major condition issues. It's missing the end pieces, the band's been pretty stretched out, but that's just from wear. That certainly could be replaced at some point.

APPRAISER:
The crystal is quite scratched up-- it's an acrylic crystal, plastic crystal. It's not a real difficult thing to replace that. The dial should never be touched, always left original. Great that you kept the paperwork because almost nobody saves the paperwork. The warranty was only good for one year. We call this a kit. Market's very strong right now on this watch. And even with the condition issues that we've discussed, this watch today, easily, retails for $20,000 to $25,000.

GUEST:
$20,000 to $25,000?

APPRAISER:
Yes.

GUEST:
My son will buy breakfast this morning, when he finds that out. He's gonna get this watch. Well, that, that's amazing.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Peter Planes
Jewelry, Silver, Watches
Luxe Auctioneers, Inc
Palm Beach, FL
Appraised value (2018)
$20,000 Retail – $25,000 Retail
Featured In
Hotel del Coronado, Hour 2 (#2308)
Event
San Diego, CA (May 29, 2018)
Category
Watches
Period
1970s
Form
Watch
Material
Acrylic

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.

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