Farmer gets his Rolex 'Eaten' by Cow fifty years ago, found unrusted

In a bizarre incident, a 95-year-old British farmer was reunited with his cherished Rolex watch, nearly half a century after he thought it was lost forever. James Steele, residing at Treflach Hall in Morda, Oswestry, had lost the timepiece back in the early 1970s when its bracelet broke unexpectedly.

"The cow could have eaten it with a mouthful of grass, the vet said," recalled Steele, as reported by the BBC. For years, he believed the watch had been swallowed by one of his cows. However, a recent discovery by a diligent metal detectorist has brought the watch back into Steele's possession.

Describing the find as a "stroke of luck," Steele expressed his amazement at the unexpected recovery after such a long time. "I was quite pleased because I never thought I would see the watch again," he admitted. Despite the missing half of its bracelet and a greenish face, the watch has remarkably not rusted over the decades.


Steele was effusive in his praise for the metal detectorist who unearthed the long-lost timepiece. "I was really pleased he gave it back," Steele remarked, noting the detectorist's honesty in returning the valuable item. Grateful for the return, Steele now plans to keep the watch as a sentimental keepsake, acknowledging that restoring it to its former glory would be prohibitively expensive.

Looking ahead, Steele remains optimistic about potential discoveries on his land, encouraging the metal detectorist to continue searching. Reflecting on the remarkable reunion, he expressed gratitude for the unexpected return of his beloved watch, concluding a decades-long mystery.

This heartwarming tale underscores the persistence of memory and the unexpected joys that can emerge from diligent efforts, reminding us that lost treasures may yet be found, even after the passage of time.