During a vacation about 20 years ago, Sacramento resident Gary Summers was swimming at Lake Siskiyou with his five year old son when he lost his Seiko dive watch. There it remained until about two weeks ago, when a Mount Shasta man picked it up and took it to the Mount Shasta Police Department.

During a vacation about 20 years ago, Sacramento resident Gary Summers was swimming at Lake Siskiyou with his five year old son when he lost his Seiko dive watch. There it remained until about two weeks ago, when a Mount Shasta man picked it up and took it to the Mount Shasta Police Department.

On Monday, officer Frank Goulart put the watch in an envelope and sent it off to Summers. He and dispatcher Dawn Snure identified him as the owner from the driver’s license number engraved on the back.

“I was so shocked. They were very friendly,” said Summers, who received a letter in the mail saying the MSPD had the watch and to call to recover it. He hasn’t visited Mount Shasta for at least 10 years, but he remembers the day he lost the watch.

Summers said he was swimming in about 15 feet of water when little Kyle (now 24) grabbed his arm, breaking the strap and allowing the watch to drift to the bottom of the lake.

“I swam back out and went down to look for it a couple of times, but the mud was too thick,” he said.

The watch has some emotional value, though it’s not extremely valuable. The current price of the same watch is around $200 or $300, Summers estimates.

Goulart, who coincidentally wears the same watch on his own wrist, said he was happy to help.

Though Lake Siskiyou isn’t in Mount Shasta’s jurisdiction, dispatcher Snure said she wanted to ensure it got back to its owner.

Any time property is found and the department is able to identify the owner, they’ll do all they can to return it, said Goulart.

Aside from some mud on the band and a need for a new battery, the watch is good as new, even after 20 years underwater. The low water level helped bring it close enough to the shore to be spotted.

If he can get the name of the person who found his watch, Summers said he plans to send them a small reward for their kindness.