Crushed by Antiques Roadshow – this Cartier pocket watch was not worth what she thought it was…

Zach Blass

Antiques Roadshow is a source of a lot of fun for watch enthusiasts eagerly anticipating the appraisals of timepieces. Whether family heirlooms or watches bought while serving in the military, the people who bring their watches to be evaluated have their fingers crossed for high numbers – hoping they have hit the jackpot with their watch. We’ve seen people come on the show with Paul Newman Daytonas, vintage GMT Masters, and more – with some tearing up in joy and even fainting due to the overwhelmingly high prices they never expected. Not all encounters have such happy endings, however, and as The Sun recently reported, one woman on a recent episode was less than enthused with the valuation of her Cartier pocket watch.

Initially expert Richard Price had got her hopes up, exclaiming, “Ahhhh look at that and the magic name, Cartier, so we’ve all heard the name Cartier, how did you get this?” After revealing she received the pocket watch from her mother, Richard continued to praise the watch. He goes on to say, “Isn’t that lovely, it’s superb enamelling, I love it and a massive rose cut diamond.”

You would think this was the lead up to a happy moment, but unfortunately the appraisal did not end up being what the women had hoped. Viewers took to social media to note how utterly gutted the woman appeared to be when Richard declared the watch to be worth £2,800- £3,500 – by no means chump change, but neither the  hefty payday she thought a Cartier pocket watch would deliver.

Sadly, the woman also admitted that she never mustered up the courage to wear or use the watch, leaving it in the plastic pouch she received it in to keep it safe. If the nostalgic value exceeds the appraisal value for her, then I think she should take Richard’s advice and wear it on a choke chain. But based on her comment that she was looking to sell the piece and split the proceeds between her daughters and daughter in-law, she may be in quite a pickle here.