"One man's trash is another man's treasure."
It's an old cliché, but sometimes it's true. Sometimes one man's trash is literally a treasure.
That's what vintage watch enthusiast Zach Norris witnessed firsthand when he went shopping for a push-pull golf cart at the local Goodwill in Phoenix, AZ. He didn't leave with his intended item that day, but he did find something much better.
Norris is a fan of vintage watches and a member of a Facebook group dedicated to fellow enthusiasts. He also watches several YouTube videos on the subject. When he would go to second-hand stores, he would often swing by the watch section to see if there were any discarded timepieces that might be worth something. In fact, he'd found a few watches before that were actually worth nearly $1,000 more than what he paid for them.
He got very lucky this time, though. He saw a Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm watch selling for $5.99. He knew that these LeCoultre watches were usually quite valuable, but he had no idea it would be this valuable!
Please SHARE Zach's incredible story if you also love vintage things.
This specific watch was from a limited 1959 release and its estimated value was nearly $35,000. He, of course, only paid $5.99.
Most Goodwill customer would have passed on by, but Norris's love for these antiques helped him out. He had previously purchased a watch for a little over $40 that was valued at over $1,000.
Only 1,000 watches of this model were ever made, and it's become one of the most envied vintage watches. They were among the first watches with alarms made for divers. There was minor damage, but it was otherwise in excellent condition and the alarm still worked.
Zach dutifully considered his options. He could keep the watch as a fan and wear it with pride. He could also wait to see if its value escalated. But, eventually, he decided to sell the watch to pay for his upcoming wedding.
Watch-fanatic Eric Ku offered Zach $35,000 and another vintage watch in exchange for Zach's LeCoultre. Because of the watch's value, Eric required that Zach fly to San Francisco for the exchange. They were both worried the watch would be damaged in shipping.
For $35,000? Worth it! I think I'm going to be doing a lot more shopping at Goodwill.
Want to see a $35,000 watch in action? Watch the video below.
Please SHARE so people know that they may have treasure buried in their own junk drawer.
