A man was adamant he wouldn’t be selling his family heirloom, despite learning its eye-watering value in the latest instalment of the BBC show.
A guest on Antiques Roadshow refused to part with his late father’s rare Omega watch, despite discovering it was worth five figures.
During Sunday’s episode (November 30), the BBC programme showcased ‘unseen treasures’ from this summer’s valuations, including a timepiece that horological expert Alastair Chandler hailed as “a real classic”.
The Speedmaster watch belonged to the guest’s father, who only wore it on special occasions throughout his son’s childhood.
Examining the piece, Alastair remarked: “This is a fabulous Omega Speedmaster made in Switzerland. It’s a real classic watch. However, what really caught my attention was it’s such an unusual dial configuration for an Omega Speedmaster.”
The guest revealed his dad purchased it for just £59 back in 1971. The specialist then explained this particular model was the first watch to travel to the moon, reports the Express.
Alastair said: “As soon as we mention the Speedmaster, we automatically think ‘moon landing’. These watches were known as the moonwatch because they were the first watch to go to the moon, chosen by NASA.
“But you’ll notice on this watch there’s nothing about the moon landing on it. And that’s because it was primarily [used] as a chronograph for racing.”
Despite its original price tag of under £60, Alastair revealed the watch is now valued at over £50,000 as of December 2024.
“Given the rarity of these watches, they don’t come up for sale very often. So it’s quite a difficult one to place. However, I can say, in December 2024, a similar watch, same model, sold for just over £50,000 at auction,” the expert revealed.
Despite learning about his family heirloom’s staggering worth, the guest insisted he wouldn’t be parting with it.
“Wow, surprising. Very surprising,” he responded after hearing the figure, before confirming: “But I won’t be selling it.”
Alastair then joked: “It’s not a bad investment on £50.” The delighted guest agreed: “No, it’s very, very good actually. Very good. Dad chose wisely.”
The timepiece’s extraordinary value stemmed from its scarcity, with only between five and twenty examples featuring the identical dial design and appearance known to exist in public hands.
Like most vintage timepieces, its worth could increase further over the years, presumably why the guest was determined to hold onto it.
Social media users picked up on this too, with one X commenter suggesting the guest might want to “take his time selling that!”.
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One.
