GUEST: I bought the watch in the early '80s from a friend of mine, a jeweler in Phoenix. And I was gonna buy a Rolex GMT, and he said, "Oh, no, no." He says, "I've got this watch. I want you to see it. It's, it's a unique watch." He said, "Rolex made this thing for cave explorers." He said, "It's got a 24-hour hand on it, and it's got real bright, luminous, uh, face and hands on it." And I said, "Okay, I'll take it." And about six months later, it wouldn't glow in the dark anymore. So I took it back to him and I said, "I can't see the hands at night." So he got ahold of Rolex, and they sent a brand-new face and all-new hands for the watch which did glow in the dark. And they did last for three or four or five years, and he gave me the hands, and he gave me the, the watch face for it. And I've kept all of it. About, I guess, ten, 15 years ago, I was in a photo store, and this guy said, "Let me see your watch." And I showed it to him, and he says, "That's one of those Steve McQueen Rolexes." So, uh, I better take this thing off and put it into storage for a while, 'cause it could be worth a lot of money.
APPRAISER: The watch is in great condition, and one reason it holds up so well is, it's made out of stainless steel. Another thing is, these early ones had an acrylic crystal because it was made for these speleologists.
GUEST: Yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER: I had to look that one up.
GUEST: All right, well, I couldn't remember what it was. I was told that, but I couldn't remember.
APPRAISER: It had this very definitive 24-hour bezel, and then it has this big hand, so they could see it quickly with the lume. It normally is a little brighter. It's faded over the years. We've talked about this on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW many times, how people take-- especially a Rolex-- in for service, and they upgrade the dial, and now the original dial is gone.
GUEST: I know, I know-- they take all that stuff. You never get it back.
APPRAISER: You never get it back. But in the old days...
GUEST: You got it back.
APPRAISER: You, you got it back. We can see the original dial, and it has zero wear because you had this issue rather quickly.
GUEST: Yup.
APPRAISER: We have all the original hands.
GUEST: Yup.
APPRAISER: And because they've been packed away, the color is wonderful and vibrant. So affectionately known as a Steve McQueen, or Reference 1655. What I find interesting is, you bought it in the early '80s. You look at the serial number on this watch, it's from 1972.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: An Explorer II. This watch, much like the Daytona, was not a big seller. You remember what you paid for it?
GUEST: No-- I thought maybe around $2,000, I think. Maybe $1,800.
APPRAISER: If you had just brought the watch in, without all the other paraphernalia-- great watch-- at auction, I probably would place this watch $8,000 to $12,000.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Okay? But it's all about the dial. Everything changes. So with the dial that could be put back on...
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: ...and the original hands, and with the box and papers, all of a sudden, this watch goes from $8,000 to $12,000 to being $18,000 to $24,000.
GUEST: I'm going to need a security guard, Kevin.
APPRAISER: We can get that for you.
GUEST: Okay. (laughs)
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: Makes me want to go ride a motorcycle again, huh?
APPRAISER: (laughs)
GUEST: I don't think so. (chuckles)
APPRAISER: The great escape from the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
