One of the most famous antique pocket watches in Britain is the one which made Del Boy and Rodney rich in Only Fools and Horses – but it isn’t actually a genuine piece.
That’s right – the antique piece which Del Boy found hidden in a garage in the much-loved BBC sitcom was one made by the BBC’s props department.
The iconic wheeler dealer found the watch during the 1996 Christmas special, an episode which was shown on Christmas day and watched by an incredible 20 million people. The replica time piece was then sold at auction in the episode, called Time On Our Hands, earning the market trading brothers £6 million.
Apart from a few special episodes which have been aired on a few occasions since, the episode was the last of the series to be made.
Despite the fact the watch isn’t genuine it’s still relatively valuable and was actually stolen from an Only Fools and Horses display at a museum in Norfolk in 2007.
It was taken along with Del’s rings and neck chain and a £1,000 reward was offered for its return.
It was eventually returned and can occasionally be seen in pop up exhibitions at museums around the country.
