Tri-Service

Rare Royal Navy Submariner's Watch Sells For £120,000 At Auction

Radioactive Submariners Watch Could Fetch £70,000 At Auction

A rare military-issued Rolex wristwatch, originally purchased for under £1,000, was sold at Bonhams London Fine Watch sale for £120,100.

The watch, which was originally valued at £50,000 to £70,000, was brought to the Antiques Roadshow when the popular TV programme visited Lincolnshire in early 2015.

The owner was told that the timepiece was worth a great deal more than he had anticipated.

The Submariner model is emblazoned with a white 'T' in a white circle, which indicates its authenticity and the presence of the luminous radioactive compound Tritium, which is used to render instruments readable in low light.

Phased out during the 1990's, most Rolex Submariners containing this radioactive material will no longer glow in the dark, as the half-life of Tritium is about 15 years.

It's currently believed that watches containing tritium don't pose a significant health concern, as the primary danger arises if it is inhaled, ingested, injected, or absorbed into the body - and this won't happen unless the device is broken apart.

A Swiss Military Watch Commander model with tritium-illuminated face

The material develops a gloss or sheen with age and is often of interest to collectors for this reason, hinting at why this particular edition is expected to fetch so much under the hammer.

On Sunday's Antique's Roadshow programme, filmed earlier in the year at RAF Congleton in Lincolnshire, Richard Price, an expert on the show, described the stainless steel watch as "Absolutely lovely, really lovely.

On the caseback is an inscription, engraved with a date from 1977, coupled with a War Department "broad arrow" or "pheon", signifying that it was military property.

Price explained the watches are "Pretty scarce, with only about 1,200 made and just a few hundred surviving now."

"In this condition, being 100 per cent right, I am going to quote you around £40,000."

The Royal Navy ordered a series of watches from Rolex for use by their specialist personnel.

There are four additional aspects besides Tritium, ordered by the M.O.D. specification, that differentiate this model of Naval Submariner Rolex from other types:

The outer bezel has minute-marks all the way round its circumference, as opposed to those with minute calibrations only to “15”.
The hands are of the “Sword” pattern, ostensibly more legible than the traditional “Mercedes” type.
The watch has solid stainless steel bars riveted into the case, replacing the sprung telescoping-style that are usually used to fasten watch straps. The riveted-in type affords much greater security against loss, particularly when used in conjunction with the NATO G10 watch strap.
The movement, Rolex calibre 1520, was to be fitted with a “hacking” or stop-seconds device, allowing the watch to be stopped and set to the second—the ability to synchronise a number of different watches being an important aspect of military operations.

Head of watches John Darracott said: "After the Antiques Roadshow valuation, the vendor was very excited to bring the watch to Bonhams.