GUEST: My wife bought a file cabinet at a thrift shop here in El Paso about 10 or 11 years ago And the cabinet happened to be locked when we got it.

So we took it home, got a locksmith to open it, and I was digging around in it, trying to see what, what was in it, and make sure all the slides and stuff worked.

And I heard a clunk, and looked back at the slides of one of the drawers, and there was the watch.

APPRAISER: It's made around 1860, 1870.

It's 18-karat gold, and you can see this incredibly detailed dial, which is one of the characteristics, with this multicolored-gold dial.

The case, as well, is very highly decorated, to the edges, to the band here.

It is made, most likely, for the South American market.

Despite that, all the ones that I've seen have all been made or, or certainly signed by English makers.

This particular one is signed by George Reynolds, from Liverpool.

Although they use English movements, the cases, et cetera, are European, most likely Swiss.

Then you have this gorgeous engine-turn reverse.

This particular design we do see, um, turning up from time to time.

The condition of this one is significantly nicer than many others.

Because it's 18-karat gold, the engine-turning on the reverse will wear, et cetera, and, and they will get dented.

Now, you can open up the reverse.

It has a, a hole in the back.

This is to wind the watch.

Now, the way this watch is made, and particularly around this type of 1860 period, rather than the reverse entering straight into the movement, it actually comes through the front.

So the front hinges up in this way.

And this is how you set the hands.

You'd have a, a small key, which fits into this central arbor here, and you change the hands directly.

These hands are also quite wonderful.

They're called serpent hands.

I don't know if you noticed how they have this, this, uh... GUEST: I've never, I've never seen watch hands like that before.

APPRAISER: Th, th, quite unusual, I have to say.

But normally, on this model, there will be these type of serpent hands.

And then I'm just gonna unclip it from here.

Now, here we have the dust cover on the inside, which protects the movement, as the name suggests, from dust.

Here we have the movement, signed "George Reynolds" to the underside.

And at the top, "Liverpool."

Again, very classic of this type.

But we do see these coming up from time to time.

They have started to gain in popularity because of the, the decoration behind it.

Can you remind me how much you paid for the filing cabinet?

GUEST: As I recall, my wife paid about $20 for the cabinet.

APPRAISER: Okay-- I think at, at auction, a watch like this is going to sell for about $2,500.

GUEST: Wow, that's nice-- that's nice.