An Antiques Roadshow guest was left speechless over the “incredible” value of a watch he bought for just £40.
A recent episode of the BBC One series stunned viewers after one of the experts, Alastair Chandler, was given a rare timepiece by an unsuspecting man at the show held in the grounds of Powis Castle, Wales.
Alastair knew immediately the watch was valuable and told the man: “This is probably one of the most stylish watches I’ve certainly seen today and certainly seen in a long time.
“It’s a beautiful watch, is it something you inherited?,” he asked.
The guest revealed the watch wasn’t inherited but was included in a box of junk he bought as part of a deal.
“I paid approximately £40, there were all sorts of bits in it. There were some tools that I wanted, but in the bottom, there were some dead watches and amongst them was that one,” he explained.
He then told Alastair he had tried to get the watch fixed 10 years ago, as it wasn’t working.
However, the expert noticed Asprey on the front of the timepiece, and identified it as a pricey Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, which is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer.
“Asprey, is one of the most famous jewellers in London and they were retailed for Jaeger-LeCoultre,” Alastair continued.
“But, what I find interesting about this watch is just the design of the case, it really oozes style and class,” he added.
He told the guest the watch was made in the 1930s, making it almost 100 years old.
“I’d be delighted to have found this, but to have found it at the bottom of a box? I think is quite incredible,” Alastair said, as he prepared to give an estimate of what the watch could fetch at auction.
“I think in today’s current market, with the interest in watches and with Jaeger and given the Asprey retailing name, I think someone would easily pay £1,500 to £2,000,” he stated.
The man gasped as the valuation was given, and looked stunned with the price.
“Woah, it’s not a bad day’s shopping, was it? I’m quite amazed by that actually. Thank you very much indeed, that’s really good,” he exclaimed.
