Rolex "James Bond" Submariner Watch Surprises Consigners

A vintage Rolex Submariner achieved a sale price of $107,550 at a Heritage Fine Jewelry and Timepieces Signature Auction on May 20, surprising and delighting the couple who had consigned it.  

"They stated there were great concerns about where money was going to come from for an important situation they needed to cover," said Jim Wolf, Heritage's Consignment Director for Timepieces. "The auction proceeds alleviated their worry, so this story had a very happy ending."

The watch in question, obtained by Heritage Auctions, Inc. during an Appraisal Day in San Antonio, TX was a Rolex Submariner, Ref. 5510, circa 1958.  Considered one of the rarest and most collectible of the vintage Rolex Submariner models, the Ref. 5510 has been featured in several classic James Bond films, including "Dr. No", "From Russia with Love", "Goldfinger", and "Thunderball".  At the time that Heritage agreed to include the watch in the auction, it was assumed that the sales value of the watch would fall within a range of $500-$1,000.  Subsequent research by the Dallas, Texas-based auction house revealed that they had a truly rare watch on their hands, something the sale certainly revealed.  

Overall, the auction comprised 667 lots of both fine watches and jewelry, which brought in a total of $1.4 million.