WEST FARGO — The top find of this season of "Antiques Roadshow" was unveiled during the first of three episodes that were taped at Bonanzaville last summer.
Monday night, Jan. 27, viewers from Fargo-Moorhead, West Fargo and around the country watched as a man identified only as David fell to the ground when he learned his Rolex watch was actually worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
David and his watch were featured during an episode of "Antiques Roadshow" filmed at West Fargo's Bonanzaville in June 2019. About 4,000 artifacts were appraised during the taping. Among them was a Rolex Oyster Cosmograph watch with original documentation, which was brought in by a former U.S. Air Force service member.
ADVERTISEMENT
Appraiser Peter Planes declared it one of the greatest watches he had ever seen on “Antiques Roadshow," now in its 24th season. Broadcast on PBS, episodes for "Antiques Roadshow" are filmed when appraisers travel the country in search of America's hidden treasures.
Planes estimated the watch to be worth between $500,000 and $700,000, a price that caused the treasure owner to drop to the floor.
"It's one of the rarest Paul Newman models, and in this condition, I don't think there's a better one in the world," Planes said. "It's one of the best watches I've ever seen."
The watch owner greeted the final dollar estimate with a word that was bleeped out.
The rare find received national attention due to David's "fainting" reaction. In fact, the video clip featuring David's watch ranked #15 in trending videos on YouTube one day after the episode originally aired, and Prairie Public's Facebook page received numerous reactions to the post in which the video was shared.
About 150 people, including Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney, watched the entire first episode during a viewing party at Bonanzaville on Monday, Jan. 27.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the PBS television show's first trip to the Fargo area, producers said the Cass County Historical Society's Pioneer Village was the perfect backdrop to film three episodes of the show. The show previously visited North Dakota in 2005, setting up shop in Bismarck.
People can watch the additional episodes filmed at Bonanzaville when they air at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3 and 10 on Prairie Public.
More information about the show is available at video.prairiepublic.org/show/antiques-roadshow .
