Hands-On Marlon Brando's Rolex GMT-Master From 'Apocalypse Now'

Announced late last week (and introduced here by Stephen), Phillips has sourced Brando's GMT-Master for a December auction they are calling "Game Changers" (slated for December 10th). Held safely by members of his family, this Rolex is not only collectable for being a vintage 1675 (which is not that rare, all things considered) but also for being on Brando's wrist as he portrayed the villainous outsider, Colonel Kurtz. Given the sad possibility that many of you reading this have never actually seen Apocalypse Now, and know it only for quotes like "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," perhaps a quick bit of context it required before we dig deeper on Brando's bezel-less Rolex. 

I will attempt to keep this to a single paragraph. Released to U.S. theatres in the middle of August, 1979, Apocalypse Now (which was inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness) takes place within the greater setting of the Vietnam War as Captain Willard (portrayed by Martin Sheen) is sent deep upriver into Cambodia on a mission to kill one Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Brando). Kurtz has gone crazy in the jungle and his extracurricular activities and operations have run afoul of the military's top brass. 

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (and written by John Milius, who also sported a GMT-Master), Apocalypse Now is much more than a war film, and it offers an entirely non-casual lesson in insanity, ego, and the concepts of control and power. It's a wonderful, cerebral, and intimidating film that rewards progressive re-watching and features two excellent watches, Willard's Seiko 6105 and Kurt'z 1675 GMT-Master. 

Worn by Brando in the film and captured in a famous collection of black and white photos by Mary Ellen Mark, this GMT-Master is from 1972 and, aside from the lack of a bezel or the original bracelet, is said to be entirely original. According to Phillips, with a 3.24M serial and a case back stamped to 1972, the dial, hands, case, movement and case back are original to the watch. Also, with an extra bit of flair, the case back is signed with an engraving made by Brando himself, reading "M. Brando." 

Held safely by Petra Brando Fischer since the mid-'90s, the watch has been within the greater Brando family for some time and, interestingly enough, is now known to be one of two Rolex 1675 GMT-Masters owned by Brando. The other watch dates back to 1961 and has a replacement dial (matte vs the original glossy). Later worn on a bracelet, and not requiring the gritty feel of a Kurtz-worn jungle watch, this earlier GMT-Master retained its bezel and is in the care of Caroline Barrett, mother of Brando's adopted daughter Petra Brando Fischer. She has no intention of offering it for sale. 

So how do we know that this is the watch from Apocalypse Now and the Mary Ellen Mark photos? The crown guards and direct connection to Brando's surviving family, mostly. The 1972 GMT-Master, as worn by Kurtz, has rounded crown guards while the earlier example (generally seen worn on a bracelet) would have pointed crown guards. 

In the metal, the Kurtz GMT is in good condition, with a sharp case, defined lug holes, and a lovely matte dial. With minimal wear on the back side of the lugs, the watch looks to have been worn on a strap and while the strap on the watch today is not original, it does capture the vibe well enough. The bezel remains AWOL, having been removed during filming to lend some credibility to Kurt'z existence on the razor's edge.  

All things considered, it's a wild thing to see come up for sale, a wild thing to witness in person, and all the more wild to have on my own wrist. Just as Stephen highlighted in his original write-up, this very GMT-Master made Ben's 2014 list of Twelve Of The Greatest Missing Watches, so while any vintage GMT-Master is cool, this is something entirely more special thanks to its Hollywood provenance (and its persistence within the Brando family for all these years). 

That being said, while this is certainly a valuable and special watch (all the more so for fans of the film), don't expect to see this bezel-free GMT-Master perform alongside watches like Paul Newman's Paul Newman Daytona. This Brando-worn GMT-Master is entirely more niche in its appeal. Newman's own Daytona is the Daytona. This GMT-Master is arguably the watch of Apocalypse Now. In the strata of movie star watches, the Kurtz GMT is certainly more valuable than, say, an Elvis-worn Hamilton Ventura, but most certainly less genre-defining than the record-setting PND. 

As a final thought, if you have the stomach for war movies but haven't seen Apocalypse Now – get on it. And if you have a prediction for the final hammer price this coming December, please put it in the comments alongside your favorite quote. I will never be enough of a collector to hope to own a watch like this but I have a camera and I wanted a mission, and for my sins they gave me one. 

For more information visit Phillips online.