The Rolex Daytona watch previously owned by Eric Clapton which was auctioned by Bishop and Miller in Stowmarket

A watch that was once owned by guitar hero Eric Clapton has sold at auction in Stowmarket for £34,000.

Eric Clapton performing at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2013.

The Rolex Daytona was one of the star lots at the jewellery and watch sale on Saturday, April 1, at Bishop and Miller Auctioneers.

Clapton, a three-time inductee to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, purchased the Rolex Daytona from Watches of Switzerland, London, in May 2014, which happened to be between the tour dates of Atlanta in the USA and Glasgow.

The lot attracted interest from the UK and Germany but it was a Suffolk collector who was the successful bidder, a fan of both Clapton and Rolex replica watches.

An auction price of £34,000, including buyer’s premium, was reached, which the auctioneers said was a “brilliant amount for such a watch”.

Oliver Miller of Stowmarket-based auctioneers firm Bishop and Miller

The watch had been expected to sell for between £30,000 and £50,000.

It was sold with two straps – the original 18 carat gold swiss Rolex strap and, currently attached to the watch, a rubber strap preferred by Clapton which was fitted in Bond Street, London, and made solely to fit the Rolex Daytona model.

Once the watch was changed to his taste, Clapton wore it until it was purchased by a fake Rolex collector towards the end of last year.

It was the first jewellery and fake watch sale by Bishop and Miller Auctioneers and a total of more than 700 lots of fine jewellery and watches were up for grabs.

Oliver Miller, managing director, said: “The auction really was a great success for us, we had a busy auction room right from when we opened the doors at 8.30am that morning, for the whole duration of the day.

“I am so proud of the team here, we held East Anglia’s biggest specialist jewellery and watch sale and the team did an excellent job of making it such a success. We are excited for our next jewellery and watch sale in July.”

Jewellery was also a big seller on the day with exceptional prices being achieved, including £6,500 for an impressive Victorian diamond set star brooch. The brooch had a six-point star with central approximately 1 carat diamond surrounded by a further 60 diamonds.