A retired soldier was stationed in Germany 55 years ago. Just before he returned back to the US, he bought a Rolex GMT master watch for USD 120.
Back in the 1960s, USD 120 was a huge amount of money and it was way more than a month of his salary in the army which was slightly under USD 100 per month
He carefully kept the watch for 55 years and he brought it to the Antiques Roadshow to have it appraise!
When the antiques valuer came over, he carefully examined the watch and looked at the retired soldier in a surprised manner
The antiques valuer said, “The value of this watch alone is around USD 35000 – USD 45000! The deal is that the watch was carefully kept and it seems that you have replaced the bracelet and retained the original bracelet. You have kept all the paper work.”
“Here is the original receipt, this paper here is a certificate by an observatory in Geneva to certify this Rolex GMT master is a chronometer watch and it is the original copy for this watch and there is also the original brochure of the watch, there is also the original hand tags thus making this watch a very, very collectable watch.”
“With the complete paperwork and the original watch, it is now worth around USD 65000 – USD 75000!” Now this is obviously more than a soldier’s monthly salary!
The retired soldier looked at his watch which he purchased 55 years ago and could not believe his ears.
He said his sergeant told him, “Before you go back to the States, get a Rolex watch!”
“He recommended me to buy and I did not know what a Rolex was then. I kept all the paperwork carefully with the original box”
This was the first batch of Rolex GMT master and it is now a collectable item sought after by many watch collectors!
After hearing the auction price was around USD 65000-USD 75000, the old man took a deep breath and said, “I would be very happy if you had told me it was around USD 1500. I have not heard of a Rolex watch back then but I took a liking to this watch and my officer recommended me to buy one so I got one!”
Take a look at the stunning scene of the auction here!
The moral is, do not simply throw things away and invest wisely! Show this clip to your parents or grandparents as their old and vintage items could be worth a fortune and have them sent to the Antiques Roadshow for an evaluation!
