Do you know what it feels like when you find something you thought you had lost? The feeling of pure happiness, as if you’ve almost cheated your chance and been given a gift? Well, if you’re someone interested in the history of Rolex watches, cinema, or both, this should get your blood going: Phillips has unearthed the replica Rolex GMT-Master worn by legendary actor Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz in 1979’s Apocalypse Now. For a long time, people thought it was the passage of time, but now it’s here, in metal, ready to be auctioned in New York this winter.
The replica watch itself is very special. In many aspects, it’s a classic matte dial ref. 1675 GMT-Master. But then things get a little strange. On the set of Apocalypse Now, someone on the crew thought the watch looked too nice, so Brando popped the bezel off, leaving the watch in the state in which you see it here. In addition to the ruggedness is an “M. Brando” engraving on the caseback that Brando did himself with a simple engraving pen. It looks suitably rough and fits the great watch nicely.
Back in 2014, Ben rounded up 12 of the most legendary watches that appeared to be lost to history. This very watch was among the dozen, sitting alongside the now-found ref. 6239 Rolex Daytona owned by Paul Newman, John Lennon’s still-missing the replica Patek Philippe ref. 2499, and more.
How the watch was lost and then rediscovered is a familiar story. The watch was given as a gift by Brando to his adopted daughter, Petra Brando Fischer, in 1995. She then gave it to her husband in 2003, who kept the watch somewhere safe as a family heirloom, preferring not to wear it out and about. It’s a slightly more romantic twist on the old “it sat in a sock drawer for decades” story that we’ve all heard. Luckily, after the sale of the Paul Newman Daytona in 2017, Fischer found she had something really particular on her hands and she decided to bring it back out into the light.
“I just feel like it’s lost in our drawer at home,” Fischer told the New York Times in this story. I think there are a number of replica watches lovers out there who probably agree with her. It’s not easy to guess at this point how much this unusual GMT-Master will fetch, but it’s sure to command much interest and attention. In that same New York Times story, Paul Boutros, head of watches for Phillips said that bidding will start “in the six figure” giving us a little sense of where Phillips sees this watch going.
One important aspect we should notice is that the auction in which this watch will be sold is called “Game Changers” and it will be held on December 10 in New York City. The replica Rolex Day-Date owned and worn by Mr. Jack Nicklaus for more than 50 years. Beyond their celebrity provenance, the two watches are connected in another important way: charity. A portion of Brando’s watch proceeds will go to a charitable foundation for abused children.
