The Ultimate Provenance: Bob’s Watches Acquires Rolex GMT-Master Worn During a Fighter Pilot’s Mid-Air Ejection

Bob's Watches

In the world of luxury watch collecting, rarity is valuable. Provenance is priceless.

Bob’s Watches

has acquired an exceptional Rolex GMT-Master dating to 1977 that comes with a story few watches — and few collectors — can match. Purchased new by a U.S. Air Force pilot, the watch accompanied its owner through one of the most dramatic moments of his life: a forced ejection from an F-105 fighter jet less than a year after he bought it.

Today, nearly five decades later, the Rolex remains with an archive that reads more like a museum exhibit than a watch listing. Included are the original box, warranty papers, purchase receipt, photographs of the pilot during his military service, newspaper coverage documenting the ejection, and a firsthand written account detailing the event itself. Together, the collection provides an extraordinarily complete record of both the watch and the life it accompanied.

Bob's Watches