Guests on Antiques Roadshow were stunned into silence when they learned the eye-watering value of a watch purchased for just £21..

Sunday’s instalment of the popular BBC show saw expert Ben Wright presented with a pair of Rolex watches.

One of the watches, identified as the Rolex Prince, belonged to the guest’s great-great-grandfather, while the other, more recent one, was his father’s, who had also joined. 

Of the older watch, Ben said: ‘I notice there’s a little bit of wear and tear on the dial and we’ve got a later winder on the case.’

One of the guests revealed how much the antique watch belonging to the great-great-grandfather cost originally.

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Guests on Antiques Roadshow were stunned into silence when they learned the eye-watering value of a watch 

Sunday’s instalment of the popular BBC show saw expert Ben Wright (pictured) presented with a pair of Rolex watches

One of the watches, identified as the Rolex Prince (pictured), belonged to the guest’s great-great-grandfather, while the other, more recent one, was his father’s, who had also joined

‘It was £21 when it was bought,’ he said. 

Ben went on to comment on the paperwork that accompanied the watch before looking at the Rolex Submariner, which belongs to the father.

‘I was a merchant navy cadet in 1976 and I saved up my pittance to by that in Singapore. It was £250 I think,’ he revealed. 

The expert then discussed the value of the two watches. 

‘At auction the Rolex Prince is going to be between £3,000 and £4,000,’ Ben said as the two guests looked stunned. 

‘The Submariner, it’s in great condition, all in all, the full ensemble at auction easily £8,000 to £12,000,’ he added.

The father and son duo smiled and nodded silently at the whopping values before thanking Ben.  

An episode back in 2021 saw another impressive evaluation of a Rolex watch. 

Ben went on to comment on the paperwork that accompanied the watch before looking at the Rolex Submariner (pictured), which belongs to the father

‘At auction the Rolex Prince is going to be between £3,000 and £4,000,’ Ben said as the two guests looked stunned

Appearing with his family, the man brought along the silver Submariner Rolex to be valued on the programme, which was broadcast from Stonor Park in Oxfordshire.

He explained that his father had bought the timepiece for £132 in 1972 and gifted it to him months before he pᴀssed away in October.

As well as the watch, he also had its original invoice receipt and two additional silver straps.

‘My dad pᴀssed away in October and he gave it to me a couple of months before he pᴀssed away.’

Richard explained that the Submariner model was introduced in 1967 and had its model name written in red, which is why collectors today call it the ‘Red Submariner’. 

‘Nine or 10 years later, all that writing was in white,’ he said. ‘Watch collectors, particularly Rolex collectors, are really pedantic. Within that 10 year period, this watch was made with six different types of dial. 

‘But the important thing to see is to see that yours has feet first, the first three dials it was metres first, and we refer to those as marks one, two, three. Yours is a mark four dial.’

Describing it as a ‘lovely watch’, Richard said the straps alone were worth ‘a chunk of money’, and suspects one of them is the original due to the date inscribed.

Appearing with his family, the man brought along the silver Submariner Rolex to be valued on the programme, broadcast from Stonor Park in Oxfordshire

Expert Richard Price explained that the Submariner model was introduced in 1967 and had its model name written in red, which is why collectors today call it the ‘Red Submariner’

He went on: ‘With the receipt and the straps, and I hope you guys are going to be really pleased with this, it’s going to be around the £20,000 mark.’

With the owner speechless and visibly overcome with emotion, Richard added: ‘It’s something you’ve obviously loved and you’re going to keep forever aren’t you?

‘It was your dad’s and I think that’s a lovely, lovely story and a great inheritance.’

Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer