One of the best war movies of all time is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, and it stars acting icon Marlon Brando giving a legendary performance as Colonel Kurtz, which he mostly improvised. Hiding in the nightmarish, war-torn jungles of Vietnam, a troubled Kurtz wore this handsome Rolex as part of his minimalist ensemble. Marlon Brando’s Apocalypse Now 1972 Rolex GMT Master Watch is now going up for auction and ready to adorn the wrist of one lucky film fanatic.
The Rolex GMT Master ref. 1675 features no bezel since Brando removed it during filming when someone mentioned the watch looked too clean for his disturbed, intimidating former Green Beret character. The back of the watch case is hand-engraved with “M. Brando” by the legendary actor himself, making it even more unique. Brando kept the watch until 1995 when he gifted it to his daughter Petra Brando Fischer who then gave it to her husband Russel in 2003. Brando is considered by many to be the greatest actor of all time, and this watch is a historic piece of his career. A portion of the proceeds will help assist a charitable foundation established by Petra and Russel to help support children living through hardships. The Philipps auction will take place in New York on December 10.
