A James Bond watch sold at a garage sale has been set for auction, and, according to representatives of Christie’s auction house, it’s expected to fetch as much as $91,000.
The Breitling Top Time Watch was used to detect nuclear weapons during the famous underwater sequences of Thunderball , the fourth entry in the popular film franchise.
It was worn by the quintessential 007 himself, Sean Connery. Metro News noted that the watch was thought to have come from someone who worked on the film at Pinewood Stuidos .
In an official statement , Christie’s wrote, “It was the first watch to be modified by the famous Q Branch and is equipped with a ‘Geiger counter’ which in the film detects the emission of nuclear radiation. Made by Breitling in 1962 it was adapted by the James Bond art department and was the only example produced for the movie. This is a great opportunity for collectors to acquire a unique piece of James Bond memorabilia.”
The auction is slated for South Kensington, London, on June 26, so, if you’ve got the extra capital, there isn’t much time to waste.
The James Bond watch sold at garage sale isn’t the only low-dollar purchase to likely fetch big bucks. In January, an 1865 baseball card was picked off for less than $100. It was expected to go for six figures.
In March of this year, a “ding” bowl from China’s Northern Song Dynasty (about 1,000 years old) sold for $3 and was later auctioned by Sotheby’s for $2.2 million .
By comparison that makes the Breitling look pretty pathetic, but you never know how these things might turn out either. With the close 007 connection, the timepiece/world-saver could end up fetching a lot more than its $91,000 estimate. (Or less.)
Moral of the story: next time you want to buy a lottery ticket, go to a garage sale instead. As for Thunderball , here’s the opening title sequence in case you haven’t had a chance to check it out:
What do you think the James Bond watch sold at garage sale will end up going for? How much would you pay?