Amazing old good news story. Rolex Red Submariner 1680 in 2018/19 Antiques Roadshow.
 

This Antiques Roadshow episode was recorded in 2018 at Hotel del Coronado. According to the owner, he lost it while body boarding in the surf and a young girl turned it in to the lifeguard HQ and the captain there happened to be the owner's friend. It was a remarkable chain of conditions for it to have found its way back to the owner they way that it did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sva5...outu.be&t=1816

Why would the end links be absent?

Maybe he had it on a leather strap at one point?


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Cool story.

Side note: The Del Coronado Hotel had the most unreal brunch buffet i’ve ever experienced. I think they did it once a quarter or something like that.

Gotta love these stories! That fading on the insert just suggests heavy usage over the years. Vintage at its best! True tool watch!

Which brings up an interesting point.
There’s a conceit, shared by many on this forum (though, not by me) that yellowing patina develops from watches that have been kept out of light (safe queens, and the like). Yet, here’s one that clearly has been outside (judging from both the bezel wear and the owner’s oral history), and yet, shows custard yellow patina on the markers.

Very nice! I may need to show this to my jeweller. He has sent my 5513 in for service and does not quite understand why I don’t want a new dial, bezel, and polish. He is a close friend, so my daily threats to his knee caps come across as amusing. His watchmaker is excellent, but could not help himself a few years back. He polished and gently cleaned the dial on my 60s Tudor. Fingers crossed. Knee cap busting hammer at the ready position!

A lot of hot climate watches get that too. Maybe it is more humidity than light. BUTTTTT I have watches and dials that have darkened in the safe after years. SO personally I have seen markers darken in the safe.

As have I! I just think it’s more a case of the jury’s still out on the theory of patina development.

I love seeing these on ARS, thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:

The "plot" thickens. :chuckle:

#puntastic

I think it’s the dark patina (pumpkin) which develops over a long period away from light.

Amazing old good news story. Rolex Red Submariner 1680 in 2018/19 Antiques Roadshow.
 

Not a Rolex story but similar. I have a rarer Seiko Willard Proof/Proof that someone found in the surf in San Diego while on vacation in the early 70's. It became his daily wearer for decades until he turned 94 and his daughter in law sold it to me. I have it at my watchmaker now for a complete restoration.

Current condition

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bd9a107af3.jpg

Check this out for good old news BBC Antique Roadshow stories.

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv...tion-BBC-video

Love how the appraiser keeps saying the phrase "condition issues." Tighten up the bracelet and a tube of polywatch and she's glorious!

Good watch at 30:15 in. never seen that one. Thanks for sharing.

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I still think it’s the color of the oil added to the movement, sealed in the case. It’s then absorbed by the lume

Correct. Specifically the old oil was animal based.

wow, i love the way that looks! :cheers:

Do you think they just used different chemicals over the years for their lume? I cant imagine the lume was always created using the exact same ingredients and conditions. Did Rolex ever have the dials and hands produced in different locations?

Yes. There’s a lot of info about this on the forum. Probably too much info to summarize here.

Interesting. That’s the first I’ve heard of that theory. Does the thinking go that the dark lume is on watches that were not or not regularly serviced in their first few decades?

You might be onto something there. I think someone posted a photo of a regularly serviced 1680 in here recently and it had very white lume.

I think a sympathetic style rejuvenation would look great. Keep the honest look going.