Phillips is proud to offer what is, without a doubt, the most important wristwatch formerly owned by Academy Award® winner, Marlon Brando. An exceptionally well-preserved example of a Rolex GMT-Master reference 1675, it is the watch worn by Brando in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. With its absolutely superb provenance, it is the watch seen by millions on the wrist of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz – the character played by Brando – and long thought to have been missing. In addition to its role on the silver screen, the present GMT-Master is made even more extraordinary by the engraving on the caseback, “M. Brando,” hand-engraved by Marlon Brando himself.
Colonel Kurtz, a former Green Beret who, during the Vietnam War, went rogue running his own military unit in Cambodia. On Marlon Brando’s wrist, as seen in the film, was this exact Rolex GMT-Master, a reference 1675 manufactured in 1972, fitted on a black strap with its bezel missing. Brando told his daughter, Petra Brando Fischer, that he wore the watch to the set of Apocalypse Now in the Philippines, and was told that he had to remove it during filming, as it would stand out. Brando said that he argued, “If they’re looking at my watch, then I’m not doing my job as an actor.” He said that the filmmakers let him wear the watch, but he removed the bezel.
Petra Brando Fischer first met Marlon Brando in 1976, when her mother, Caroline Barrett, became Brando’s long time assistant and later, romantic partner. Marlon Brando asked her shortly thereafter, to call him Dad, eventually legally adopting her. Marlon Brando would also become her Godfather, even though he was not Catholic.
In 1995, 20 years after the filming of Apocalypse Now, Brando gifted the watch to Petra following her graduation from Brown University in 1994, before she attended law school at the University of Southern California. According to Petra, her father was often hard on his watches, but this particular watch held a special place in his heart and he treasured it, rather than wearing it continuously. Brando handed Petra a hand-written letter, poignantly addressed to “Petra (dream girl)”in which he wrote that he was proud of her accomplishments, then gave her this GMT-Master and said, “This watch is like a tank. You can do anything you want to it and it will keep on going. I want you to have it as a reminder of how proud I am of you.” In 2003, Petra gifted the watch to her husband, Russel, on their wedding night. He appreciated its significance and has cherished it ever since, having chosen to never wear it.
The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 is being offered as it was received by Petra, without a bezel and fitted on a rubber strap. The watch is exceptionally well preserved and has never been polished, retaining all bevels, curves, and sharp edges as delivered from the Rolex factory nearly five decades ago. The luminous hour markers and hands have aged beautifully to a gorgeous shade of golden beige, and the dial, hands, case, crystal, and crown are all original to the watch. The Mark IV dial, with the typical tiny oval at the base of the Rolex coronet, is quite striking without the bezel. Accompanied by two signed provenance letters from Caroline Barrett and Petra Brando Fischer, two hand-crafted, custom made straps by the Los-Angeles-based collector and strap maker, Attila Aszodi are also included.
Through the sale of the watch, Petra and Russel would like the public to remember Marlon Brando’s great contribution to film and celebrate his legacy. A portion of the sale proceeds will assist The Brando Fischer Foundation, a charitable foundation established by Petra and Russel, which will provide financial support to children who are living through serious hardship due to abuse, neglect, poverty, or disability - causes which Petra believes would have been very important to her father.
We are thrilled to offer it here with its impeccable provenance, incredible “M Brando” engraving made by Marlon Brando himself, and superb original condition. The Marlon Brando “Apocalypse Now” Rolex GMT-Master is one of the world’s most important wristwatches ever publicly offered, and is an ultimate trophy watch to crown a collection of the world’s best timepieces.