A grandfather got an unexpected pay out when a watch he bought more than four decades ago for 335, sold at auction for over £30k.
Roger Cooper spent a month’s wages on the Omega Speedmaster ‘Ultraman’ in 1968, while serving in the Merchant Navy in Hong Kong.
During an appearance on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow he was told that the rare timepiece, of which it’s believed only 50 were ever made, was worth an estimated £40,000.
He then went on to sell the watch with auction house Gardiner Houlgate for £31,000.
Speaking to local press, auctioneer David Hare said: “The Ultraman is an extremely rare version of the more common Speedmaster made famous by Neil Armstrong wearing one on the Moon. The only difference is that it has a very rare red/orange second hand and was made in limited numbers only in 1968.”
The watch earned its nickname after featuring in a Japanese TV superhero series The Return of the Ultraman in 1971.
