There’s nothing like a nice watch to make you feel like a million bucks — even if its actual price tag was a few zeroes short of that mark. That’s why timepieces from luxury brands can cost a small fortune. Still, sometimes even the keenest-eyed appraisers can miss treasures right in front of them.
You wouldn’t, for instance, expect a watch made famous by a classic ’60s James Bond film to go missing, but that’s exactly what happened with the retro gadget. When someone claimed to spot it on sale years later, nobody could agree as to its authenticity. It seemed they needed a super-spy to get to the bottom of this case.
Big and Shiny
Even as grown-ups, we all like shiny new toys. We might wish that we had our own Q-branch to equip us with wacky gizmos capable of saving the world. But most of us settle for something a little more like this English shopper found.
Second-Hand Goods
Adventurous gadget-finders usually have to settle for garage sales and flea markets, but the anonymous man at one such sale in 2013 was largely disappointed with what he saw. A lot of junk, he thought, until he came to the counter of destiny.
Keeping Track of Time
The vendor had an array of watches laid out before him, and many of them seemed like they were half a century old. While not the biggest or the shiniest, one piece caught the bored shopper’s eye.
An Unusual Accessory
Though its appearance was a little clunky, he found himself taken by the timepiece. It looked a bit familiar, too. The make was Breitling — rather top end — but it had a weird modification.
Money on the Table
That extra metal around the side looked a little-space age, and it probably explained the low price. But for 25 pounds, the picker figured it was as good as gold.
What’s on TV
After taking the watch home, the buyer didn’t think much of it for a while. However, that all changed when he was flipping through the TV channels. Something eerily similar to his clunky Breitling appeared.
Thunderball
The station was airing Thunderball, the 1965 James Bond flick that marked Sean Connery’s fourth time in 007’s shoes. One spy apparatus from the film had the watch buyer’s hair standing on end.
Underwater Intrigue
The plot concerned an evil villain stealing nuclear bombs from NATO and hiding them in his underground lair — a clever spot. Fortunately for Bond, he was carrying a gadget capable of pinpointing these submerged weapons.
Radiating Brilliance
He did so with a 1962 Breitling Top Time watch, equipped with a covert geiger counter to measure radiation. The flea market frequenter could only hold the watch up to the screen and stare.
Giving Props
Surely, this couldn’t be the same accessory used in the film. Props from the James Bond franchise are too valuable and noticeable to pop up at a secondhand sale. His must have just been a knockoff or replica.
Spy Work
The next day, the watch fan did a bit of research. It turned out that Bond’s Breitling was a special piece, considering that the agent wore a Rolex in most films (sometimes with a laser).
Asking the Experts
Although he didn’t have Q at his disposal, the excited buyer took the timepiece to get appraised. A horologist confirmed that it was an authentic 1960s Breitling, but also shared some disappointing news.
Bit of Exaggeration
That geiger counter feature? Fake. The watch couldn’t actually read radiation, at least not without some movie magic. However, the expert indicated that the lucky buyer very well might have stumbled upon the original film prop. Suddenly, visions of a vast fortune popped into his head.
Going for the Gold
Although he admired the look of the timepiece, the savvy buyer liked the look of a potential payday even more. It was just his luck when a prestigious art institution announced a pop culture-related sale.
Christie’s in London already had some James Bond selections in their inventory, and they were happy to welcome the watch — now confirmed to be the Thunderball prop — into their auction. All kinds of loaded movie fans would be in attendance.
A Gold Ransom
Experts at Christie’s estimated that the Thunderball accessory, owing to its unique nature, could fetch over $80,000. That’s a price that would make even Goldfinger blush!
Quickly Overwhelmed
But would the watch meet that estimate? When the watch went up for auction, the staff could hardly keep up with the stream of bids. They were coming rapid fire, just like Bond’s Walther PPK.
More Than 007
Just as the watch was threatening to overtake Big Ben as London’s most expensive timekeeper, the champion bidder hit his mark. Nearly doubling the estimated price, he shelled out an incredible $160,175!
Tracing Its Past
Had he only been at the market weeks earlier, that posh buyer could have snagged the Breitling for about 0.0002% of the cost. At least he has the comfort of owning the most elusive prop in Bond history. With all the chaos behind the scenes, it’s no wonder the franchise lost track of it.
