GUEST: I brought my stepfather's Rolex watch... APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: ...that I found with a bunch of medals and everything.

He was a P.O.W.

in World War II in Stalag Luft III.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: And that's the one that this book was written... APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

GUEST: ...and that the movie was based on.

APPRAISER: And your stepfather, he was the real... GUEST: Cooler King.

He wrote his own book, Sage.

Okay.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: But this one, Paul Brickhill was one of the P.O.Ws., and he wrote about 'em.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: And if we open the book to this page, he is... GUEST: Upper left.

This was a friend of his that did a sketch and then a painting, you know, with the supplies they had.

He really was in the O.S.S.-- he was a spy.

APPRAISER: Okay, wow.

GUEST: And if they knew he was a spy, they would execute him.

APPRAISER: Right.

GUEST: So he posed as a pilot, he... When he was getting captured... APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

GUEST: ...he got rid of all his O.S.S.

stuff.

APPRAISER: But he did survive.

GUEST: He did survive.

APPRAISER: He es, he escaped.

GUEST: He was in charge of getting rid of the sand while they were digging the tunnels.

But he was not one of the 75 that escaped that night.

APPRAISER: The movie was based on these experiences, and they got a lot of the stories and information from him.

GUEST: They did, they did.

APPRAISER: The watch does date to the end of World War II.

It is 1940s.

Oh!

It is a Rolex.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: It is a chronograph watch.

It has two buttons that operate chronograph functions on the face, which are the side dials and the sub dial.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: It's a stainless-steel case, typical of what they would've worn during the war or during that period.

Now, what makes this watch special is that it has an original black dial, which is very rare.

We do not see it on watches of this time period.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: So, that adds quite a bit of the value and quite a bit of interest to it.

It makes it more unusual and highly sought after.

So, now... GUEST: Yes?

APPRAISER: I see-- I know you're waiting.

(laughs) This watch, today, I feel this will sell very easily at auction between $40,000 to $50,000.

GUEST: Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER: Don't fall out of the chair on me now.

GUEST: Oh, I, I started to say... (laughing) APPRAISER: Okay?

(laughing) GUEST: Yeah, okay.

APPRAISER: I did, I did say $40,000 to $50,000.

$50,000?

It is an exceptional watch, it's a rare watch, the story is wonderful.

GUEST: Mercy.

(laughing) Thank you.

APPRAISER: You're welcome.

GUEST: That is-- oh, my goodness.

I love this show.

(laughs)