By Aileen Robertson

A DUNFERMLINE man had the surprise of his life when he took his watch to the jewellers to change the strap—and found out it was worth more than £50,000.

The rare Rolex was among fewer than 1000 ordered by the Royal Navy for commandos of the British Special Boat Service in the 1970s.

Its owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, was given the watch by his uncle, who served in the Merchant Navy and was based at Rosyth.

His uncle bought the Rolex at a naval auction for less than £100.

Watch expert Ian Malone, of Laing the Jeweller in Edinburgh, identified the Rolex SBS Submariner when the man brought it into the shop.

An anonymous private collector in England has since paid a staggering £55,000 for it.

Mr Malone said, “We do see a few rare watches, but it’s incredibly unusual to see something like this.

“It’s the first one I’ve ever seen. I believe there were only around 1000 made and over the years a lot would have been lost or destroyed.

“And it’s actually in tremendously good condition apart from a bit of corrosion on the hands. I believe he wore it a lot when he was younger and used to go diving with it, which is what it was made for.

“This one is as good as Rolex collecting gets, without it being a unique one-off.”

When the man knew the watch’s value he was happy to sell it, said Mr Malone.

However it was fortunate he took the item to an expert, because if he had managed to get the strap changed the watch’s value would have plummeted instantly.

Mr Malone explained, “The gentleman asked if we could put a bracelet on it, instead of its current canvas/nylon strap, but that couldn’t be done without drilling out the fixed pins.

“Once modified, the watch wouldn’t have been in a collectable condition.

“Once you have drilled the pins out, the watch would be worth £3000 to £4000.”