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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for October 2012 is the 14k Gold Hamilton Pocket Watch.
Mark E. from Bermuda discovered this gorgeous pocket watch with his Sea Hunter Mk II in the waters off Elbow Beach. Mark tells us some details. “With 3 feet of sand gone due to Mother Nature and low tide, I remember the depth of my dig being 7 to 8 inches while I was standing knee deep in the ocean. Of course with a large object like a watch, it gave off a healthy sound!” Mark dug deep with his scoop several coral sand stones, but the largest one about the size of a fist, gave a strong beep. He put it in his pouch and later dropped it into a bath of weak acid.
This is where it gets interesting. Mark elaborates, “Slowly a beautiful gold colored pocket watch was revealed in the shape of a shield with a large “B” inscribed on the back. There were no stamps or watch-maker’s marks anywhere to be found. I took it to my daughter Hannah, a goldsmith, to run tests on the metal. It was 14k gold!”
There was still the mystery of how such a beautiful and expensive watch found its way into the waters off Elbow Beach. One plausible idea was that the watch was from the wreck of the Pollokshields, a British steamer which met its fate on coral nearly ashore on September 7, 1915 during hurricane conditions off Elbow beach! All of the crew survived to tell about the disaster, but Captain Ernest Boothe was swept overboard and astern by tremendous waves, just ten feet from a sharp coral rock. The crew was powerless to help him. Captain Boothe sacrificed his life attempting to get a lifebelt for one of his crew.
Mark theorizes, “Could the “B” on the watch I found stand for Boothe? Was the watch in his pocket when he was swept overboard? Could this be the watch of a brave man who lost his life for the sake of another man?”
Fascinating story Mark. Thank you so much for sharing your discovery with us. This is one of my all time favorite finds!
Mark E. WINS a Garrett PRO-POINTER®!
Mark E. from Bermuda discovered this gorgeous pocket watch with his Sea Hunter Mk II in the waters off Elbow Beach. Mark tells us some details. “With 3 feet of sand gone due to Mother Nature and low tide, I remember the depth of my dig being 7 to 8 inches while I was standing knee deep in the ocean. Of course with a large object like a watch, it gave off a healthy sound!” Mark dug deep with his scoop several coral sand stones, but the largest one about the size of a fist, gave a strong beep. He put it in his pouch and later dropped it into a bath of weak acid.
This is where it gets interesting. Mark elaborates, “Slowly a beautiful gold colored pocket watch was revealed in the shape of a shield with a large “B” inscribed on the back. There were no stamps or watch-maker’s marks anywhere to be found. I took it to my daughter Hannah, a goldsmith, to run tests on the metal. It was 14k gold!”
There was still the mystery of how such a beautiful and expensive watch found its way into the waters off Elbow Beach. One plausible idea was that the watch was from the wreck of the Pollokshields, a British steamer which met its fate on coral nearly ashore on September 7, 1915 during hurricane conditions off Elbow beach! All of the crew survived to tell about the disaster, but Captain Ernest Boothe was swept overboard and astern by tremendous waves, just ten feet from a sharp coral rock. The crew was powerless to help him. Captain Boothe sacrificed his life attempting to get a lifebelt for one of his crew.
Mark theorizes, “Could the “B” on the watch I found stand for Boothe? Was the watch in his pocket when he was swept overboard? Could this be the watch of a brave man who lost his life for the sake of another man?”
Fascinating story Mark. Thank you so much for sharing your discovery with us. This is one of my all time favorite finds!
Mark E. WINS a Garrett PRO-POINTER®!
