GUEST: I brought a watch that I found while thrifting.
APPRAISER: And what made you pick out this piece?
GUEST: It tickled me. It had heft, it had weight.
APPRAISER: Feeling of quality, huh?
GUEST: Feeling something, and I guess that's what quality feels like.
GUEST: Yeah.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: May I ask what you paid for it?
GUEST: I paid about $100 or so.
APPRAISER: This model is the large size of the Blancpain Aqua-Lung. I would date it about 1961, and it's a diver's watch, of course. And it was made to go to 1,000 feet in depth, which was extremely deep for this time. This watch is very complete. I know you replaced the band. Very difficult to find, the original rubber straps. The straps can be worth over $1,000 for a black rubber strap. Because it's a larger size, it's a very desirable model. So do you know how much your watch is worth?
GUEST: 12 or 13?
APPRAISER: A hundred or a thousand, you're thinking?
GUEST: Well... Okay. (laughs) Well, it would be nice if it were a thousand.
APPRAISER: The value I'm giving you is just for the head of the watch. And a head is a watch without a bracelet or band on it. This particular model that you have, I think a low estimate would be $25,000. And I think it more likely would sell between $30,000 and $35,000 at auction today.
GUEST: Hm. Oh, my. That's very nice to know. Thank you. Ooh. (laughs) I'm sorry, I'm trying to compose myself.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: Thank you. (chuckles)
APPRAISER: It's a really nice one.
GUEST: You don't want to know where I keep it. (laughs)
APPRAISER: No, don't tell anybody where you keep it. You should lock it up in the bank.
