The shark attack made an indelible impression on the British statesman, who often recounted tales of his youthful adventure in the Caribbean.

When he became a baronet in 1803, Watson specifically requested that his coat of arms include literal references to the terrifying ordeal. With the Latin motto Scuto Divino, meaning "under God's protection," the design places Neptune, god of the sea, at the apex, brandishing a trident to repel an attacking shark, and in the upper left corner of the shield, prominently displayed, is his missing right leg!