Deputy Editor
Famed author and multiple-time World Series of Poker winner David Sklansky died last Monday. Amid heated debates over the controversial poker figure’s legacy, one small storyline caught PokerScout’s attention. A poster on TwoPlusTwo claimed to have an ultra-rare WSOP watch long owned by Sklansky, speculating on its value in the wake of his death.
What Are WSOP Watches?
The 1982 WSOP produced a unique footnote in poker history, as the WSOP strayed from tradition. Having awarded gold bracelets to its winners in most prior years, WSOP opted to switch it up and give winners gold watches.
There were 14 events that year and 15 watch winners, since one of the events (one of the two won by Sklansky) awarded two bracelets due its tag-team format. Sklansky won $800 mixed doubles and $1,000 draw high, so he owned two of the rare watches at one point.
He told PokerOrg last summer that he believed only four of the 15 watches remain in existence.
“The Horseshoe thought that they wanted to upgrade the trophy,” he said. “Even though these things were worth more money than the bracelet, the poker players wanted to continue the tradition of a bracelet. So, they went back to the bracelet.”
The gold watch posted on TwoPlusTwo was from Sklansky’s mixed doubles win. The person posting photos of it said only that they acquired it “directly from David Sklansky.” Given that Sklansky reportedly attempted to sell them on the TV show Pawn Stars in 2024, the new owner should theoretically have acquired the watch in the past 1 1/2 years or so.
How Much is Sklansky’s WSOP Watch Worth?
The WSOP watch, made by Baume & Mercier, weighs about 2 ounces, according to the forum poster. They said it’s marked as 14 karat and doesn’t currently function.
According to the PokerNews piece, Sklansky marched into Gold & Silver Pawn Shop with an obscene asking price of $50,000 for both or $27,000 for one. Almost needless to say, Sklansky failed to convince the proprietors to buy the rare jewelry.
Posters in the TwoPlusTwo thread are skeptical that the watches have much value outside of their innate gold. Sklansky cited the pieces’ rarity when explaining his ask, but several posters said poker memorabilia just has too limited an appeal.
“There just isn’t a big poker memorabilia market,” someone said. “Rarity doesn’t equal value if there’s no market.”
Still, they may be selling the watch a little short by pigeon-holing it as nothing more than a piece of poker memorabilia.
A quick search on eBay reveals that Baume & Mercier watches can have a pretty wide range in perceived value. Listings are as low as a few hundred dollars, with a high of almost $28,000. One watch that resembles the WSOP ones and has similar characteristics (14k gold) has a listed ask of $6,500.
Of course, the bottom line is that the value of anything is what someone will pay for it. And that circles back to the reality that there simply aren’t many individuals looking to own pieces of poker history. Even ones as rare as Sklansky’s WSOP watch.
“I’d start the bidding, but I’m not looking to bid against myself,” someone quipped.
