A Rolex bought for £70 nearly six decades ago has sold for £40,000 at auction after appearing on Antiques Roadshow.
Peter Barnett, 57, inherited the timepiece from his father Simon Barnett, a Royal Navy search and rescue diver, just before he died in 2019 aged 80.
But he deemed it too valuable to wear day in day out, adding: ‘The watch is very precious to our family and it’s not a fashion piece. It was involved in a number of important rescue missions.
‘It’s been a hard decision, but I feel selling it was the right thing to do.’
The historic 1963 Rolex Submariner watch was bought by Simon, a chief petty officer, while he was deployed in Singapore in 1964.
It remained on his wrist throughout his 23-year career, helping him keep track of time while he was involved in a number of dangerous rescue missions.
Four years after his death, Peter decided to sell the watch after experts on Antiques Roadshow valued it at between £50,000 and £60,000.
While bittersweet, his appearance on the BBC show helped Mr Barnett piece together more of his father’s career in the navy.
And, after the show, a number of former servicemen got in touch to share the adventures they had with him.
The watch can be seen in countless photographs taken of Mr Barnett during his time in the Royal Navy, capturing its place in naval history.
Peter, a retired police officer and dad-of-one from Diss, Norfolk, added: ‘I would wear it all the time and I felt very close to my father while wearing it.
‘But after finding out how much it was worth, I couldn’t walk around with potentially £60k around my wrist.’
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