Watch that's back from the seabed... And it's still working, after 67 years

By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 1:17 AM on 09th June 2008

The last time Teddy Bacon saw his expensive gold watch it was sinking down into the harbour in Gibraltar.

That was in 1941, and the watch had slipped off his wrist when Lieutenant Bacon threw a line to shore from his ship, HMS Repulse.

After two divers failed to find his lost treasure, the young officer gave up on ever seeing it again.

Veteran Teddy Bacon is thrilled to be reunited with his watch 67 years later

But 67 years later, it turned up on his doormat  -  still ticking.

The Bulova Automatic, wrapped in a brown paper bag, did not seem at all the worse for wear after decades on the ocean floor.

The timepiece had been discovered by workers dredging the harbour in 2007, who scooped it up with other debris in their machine.

Still is working order: The Bulova watch

Because the deputy harbourmaster in 1941 had made a log with a description of the watch and its approximate location, staff knew who it belonged to.

So they posted it back to the address Lieutenant Bacon had left for them on a scrap of paper all those years ago.

After being redirected from his many former homes it eventually landed on the doormat of his house in Tarvin, Cheshire.

'To say I was stunned could be considered a major understatement,' said Mr Bacon, a widower and father of four who is almost 90.

'It truly was a miracle that I had been reunited with that watch after a lifetime.

'Now I wear it every day and it keeps perfect time, even after all those years in the water. It is absolutely excellent and I consider it a long-lost friend.'

Lieutenant Bacon bought the watch in the Azores for 55 dollars on his way to Singapore as part of a fleet sent to counter the Japanese invasion, and was wearing it in Gibraltar.

He said: 'I was showing one of the sailors how to throw a line to shore and I remember, as clear as day, seeing the watch sail off my wrist and disappear into the water.

'I was pretty annoyed about it and two divers attached to the flotilla went down to have a look for it but could not see it.

'So I went to the deputy harbourmaster and left a full description, location and probable depth of around 40ft and left it at that. Obviously I didn't expect to see it again.'

He continued on to Singapore where he narrowly escaped with his life when Repulse was sunk during an attack by Japanese planes.

Teddy Bacon was on HMS Repulse when he lost his watch

After the war Mr Bacon continued his nautical career with his family's shipping brokerage and is now enjoying his retirement.

Francis Cantos, a spokesman for the Gibraltar Government, said: 'It just goes to illustrate the special and enduring relationship between the Royal Navy and Gibraltar.'