Farmer, 95, is stunned after a metal detector finds his Rolex watch 50 years after it was eaten by a cow

A METAL detector has unearthed a farmer’s Rolex watch 50 years after it was eaten by a cow.

James Steele, 95, lost his precious watch in the early 1970s when the bracelet broke while he was tending cattle.

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He searched the field of his dairy farm in Morda, Shropshire, but found no sign of the watch, which he saved £100 to buy.

James gave up the hunt and ended up buying another one, fearing the Rolex was gone forever.

But half a century later, he was reunited with the object after metal detectorist Liam King found it buried in mud.

It is believed that a member of his herd swallowed the valuable watch and it ended up in a cow dung in the field.

Steele, owner of Treflach Hall, said: “The cow could have eaten with a mouthful of grass, the vet said.

“It was an incredible stroke of luck to appear again after all this time.

“I was very satisfied.

“I never thought I would see this again.

“Unfortunately it won’t.

“The face took on a greenish color, but it did not rust.

“This shows how well it was done to survive 50 years under a field.

“It will be a beautiful memory.”

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