James Bond watch bought for $38 to be auctioned

The Breitling Top Time watch worn by Sean Connery in the 1965 James Bond film "Thunderball" was picked up at an English yard sale for just $38, and now it could fetch $100,000 at auction, according to The Telegraph.

Made by Breitling in 1962, it was adapted by the James Bond art department and was the only example produced for the movie. The watch was the first to be modified by the famous Q Branch and was equipped with a Geiger counter to help 007 detect radiation and find two NATO atomic bombs stolen by the arch-villainous fictional terrorist organization SPECTRE.

The whereabouts of the watch were unknown for decades until it was discovered by a British bargain hunter. It is believed a crew member at Pinewood Studios where the film was shot passed the watch along.

The small piece of cinema history will go under the hammer at Christie's in London next month, and has an estimated sale price of between $60,000 and $100,000.

In October last year, Christie's celebrated the 50th anniversary of 007 on film, with 50 Years of James Bond - The Auction. The auction raised nearly $2.5 million, all donated to twelve charities including UNICEF, Barnardo's, Women for Women, Parkinson's UK and ChildLine.