A tycoon went to extraordinary lengths to recover his $60,000 watch after it slipped off his arm while wakesurfing.
Colin Brady, 29, who established a real estate technology company located in Austin, Texas, was having a day out by the water when he unexpectedly lost his expensive Patek Philippe watch worth thousands.
He then jumped into action, enlisting a team of divers to scour the lakebed in an effort to recover his prized possession.
The unlucky incident was first brought to light in a now-viral video posted to Instagram by vintage watch expert Mike Nouveau.
Nouveau explained that Brady was nearing the ‘acceptance’ stage of grief before deciding to make a surprising ‘last-ditch effort’ to try and find it.
‘My friend misplaced his $60,000 Patek Philippe wristwatch in Lake Austin while enjoying wake surfing… and what he decides to do next is something most people wouldn’t even consider,’ the video by Nouveau mentioned.
Colin Brady (pictured), 29, was enjoying a day on the water when suddenly he lost the $60,000 timepiece
The founder and ex-CEO of a real estate tech company from Austin saw his valuable Patek Philippe timepiece slip off while he was wakesurfing on Lake Austin (as seen in the picture).
The $60,000 Patek Aquanaut wristwatch
Seemingly disheartened by his five-figure loss, Brady said the incident left him ‘feeling like a bit of an idiot.’
‘It’s a sports watch… known as the Patek Aquanaut,’ Brady states in the popular video, noting that the luxurious watch is ‘intended for the water.’
‘It flew off while I was wakesurfing. Now it’s 22-feet deep in Lake Austin,’ he said.
To attempt recovering his watch, the Startup co-founder enlisted the help of professional divers to search through the 1,599-acre lake, situated five miles from central Austin.
‘So, I have divers arriving in the morning. They plan to sweep the entire area,’ he explained. ‘I view it as lost, but wouldn’t it be amazing if they could actually recover it for me?’
The following morning, Brady, along with a hired professional diver, drove a boat back out on the water to begin combing the lakebed for the drowned keepsake.
‘It’s a sport watch… it’s called the Patek Aquanaut,’ Brady said, adding that the ostentatious timepiece is ‘supposed to be in the wate.’ Pictured: The Patek Aquanaut watch
In an effort to retrieve the wristwatch, the Startup co-founder hired a team of professional divers to search the 1,599-acre lake – five miles west of downtown Austin
‘Hopefully we dropped him directly on the watch and it’s clear down there, and it’s easy to see. Maybe this guy is just really good, or lucky, or both,’ Brady said.
Despite setting the diver up in the spot where he believed the watch had fallen, the search and rescue professional came up empty.
‘Looks like we came up empty-handed today. Going to try again with a larger team as soon as they can come out. Let’s hope it’s still there – got high hopes,’ he added.
Still determined, Brady later returned with a full squad of divers – this time four professional searchers – to try yet again.
After another full day of searching, this time setting boundary lines around the suspected drop site, the team of divers finally located the watch about 20 feet from a marker flag Brady had placed to guide the search.
After a second full day of searching, this time setting boundary lines around the suspected drop site, the team of divers finally located the watch about 20 feet from a marker flag Brady had placed to guide the search. Pictured: Divers recover the five-figure watch face-down in the Texas lakebed
Remarkably, the timepiece was still running when it was brought back to the surface
Disheartened by his near five-figure loss, Brady (pictured) said the incident left him ‘feeling like a bit of an idiot’
‘No! What! Oh my God!’ Brady exclaimed when the divers revealed they had found the watch.
Remarkably, the timepiece was still running when it was brought back to the surface.
The Patek Philippe Aquanaut is rated to withstand depths of up to 30 meters -approximately 100 feet.
While watches like the Aquanaut are not cheap – typically ranging from $25,000 to $80,000 depending on the model and condition – they are built for durability. Still, most people would assume a watch lost in a lake was gone for good.
