Veteran's shocking reaction to Antiques Roadshow Rolex valuation

David brought his watch to be valued on television. Photo / Supplied

TV favourite Antiques Roadshow is no stranger to heartwarming finds and stunned reactions, but the latest clip to emerge from the US iteration of the popular BBC show has turned the Hollywood factor to the max.

The segment saw David, a veteran of the United States Air Force, present his Rolex watch for valuation at a taping of the show held at Bonanzaville in North Dakota.

The veteran told resident expert Peter Planes that he paid US$345 ($529) for it while stationed in Thailand in the 1970s.

He revealed that he bought the timepiece after seeing pilots wearing them, but decided that it was too good to wear, so stored it away for decades.

The model, the Oyster Cosmograph, is known as the Rolex Daytona and is sought-after by collectors for many reasons, including that it was worn by Paul Newman in the film Winning.

Upon learning that a similar watch sold for $611,000 recently, David collapsed to the floor with an unconvincing flourish, coming up grinning to learn that his watch could be worth up to $1m.

He appeared to be stunned by the news. Photo / Supplied

His reaction to that figure was bleeped out as Planes told him that his watch was one of the greatest to ever be seen on Antiques Roadshow.

"It's one of the rarest Paul Newman models, and in this condition, I don't think there's a better one in the world," Planes said.