Rare pocketwatch linked to episode of Only Fools and Horses found

27 December 2023 , 12:14

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A similar watch featured in a record-breaking episode of Only Fools and Horses

An Incredibly rare pocketwatch linked to an iconic scene in an “Only Fools and Horses” TV record breaking episode has been found.

In the 1996 Christmas special Del Boy and Rodney made £6.2m after their Harrison H6 Timekeeper was sold at auction. For years they had believed it was a worthless Victorian egg timer. It was the most watched TV sitcom programme in history with 22 million people tuning in. Now another “priceless” 18th century Harrison watch has been discovered and just restored.

A rare pocketwatch, which became the storyline of a classic episode of the sitcom, has been found

It’s only the second one known to exist and its discovery has stunned the watch making community. Expert watch restorer Seth Kennedy spoke of his pride at working on the Harrison 26 pocket watch. Seth said: “As far as I know the Harrison pocket watch I have just restored - No.26 - has never been mentioned anywhere.

The priceless item was ‘discovered’ and recognised at auction by a dealer

“Only those with particular interest in Harrison probably knew about the one I did. It was ‘discovered’ and recognised at auction by a dealer who I recently carried out the restoration work for.” This particular ‘new’ watch was made by William Harrison who worked with his dad John who was responsible for the legendary H6.

The H6 John Harrison watch was thought to be a worthless Victorian egg timer

The H6 John Harrison watch has never been found but experts believe it is still possible it could be somewhere in the world - with its owner not realising what they have.
Seth, an antiquarian horologist based at Grandey’s Place Heritage & Craft Centre in Hertfordshire, said: “It would be worth perhaps £10-15 million? “It would be incredible if it was ever found but just to work on this rare Harrison pocket watch was an amazing privilege.”

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Expert watch restorer Seth Kennedy was proud to work on the Harrison 26 pocketwatch (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

This latest watch was in private ownership for decades with no-one realising its significance. Its value remains unclear but could make hundreds of thousands of pounds if sent to auction. Only two William Harrison pocket watches of this type have ever ever come to light - this No. 26 and No. 33. In the Old Fools and Horse episode the auctioneer described Del Boy’s discovery as a “solid silver pocket marine timekeeper… the most significant discovery in horological terms of this century. It is the last watch ever made by John Harrison. It is the fabled H6, the until now mythical ‘lesser’ watch.”

The 'priceless' 18th century Harrison watch has now been discovered and restored

Even the BBC prop from the TV episode “Time on our Hands” sold for £35,000. Throughout the middle of the 18th century, John Harrison made a series of marine timekeepers, highly accurate devices used for determining longitude at sea. The fourth, later known as H4, was tested successfully on two voyages to the West Indies and won him the Longitude Prize of £20,000, a vast sum in those days.

Seth Kennedy at work on the timepiece (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

The first four Harrison watches are at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the fifth H5 is with the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers’ collection in London and is on display at the Science Museum. Only a drawing exists of the fabled H6 and no one knows for sure if it was ever actually made. Seth, a married dad of one, added: “William was certainly involved in his father’s work and it he travelled with H4 on its testing voyages to the West Indies

The type of pocketwatch featured in a 1996 Christmas special of 'Only Fools and Horses'

“He was born in 1728 and so was in his 20s and 30s when H4 was being made, experimented with and tested and was a key figure in securing the Longitude prize money.”

Andy Lines