Apparently, a star watch is priceless. At least some... The best example of this is Paul Newman's first Rolex Daytona in Hollywood, which has become the most expensive wristwatch in the world. Aptly nicknamed the Paul Newman by aficionados, it was sold for €17.8 million at the end of 2017. Closer to home, another emblematic piece will be back under the hammer in a few days at Christie's in Geneva: the Rolex GMT-Master worn by Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now. The actor had "personalized" this piece by hand-engraving his name on the caseback.
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He wore it on the set of Apocalypse Now in the Philippines, but he was asked to take it off during filming because it would be too visible," said his daughter, Petra Brando Fischer. His father reportedly replied, "If they're looking at my watch, it's because I'm not doing my job as an actor." He still removed the bezel and the steel bracelet, replaced by a black strap, to embody the character of Kurtz in the film. Exactly forty years after the release of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece, this GMT-Master was sold for €1.8 million at the end of 2019. The perfect marriage between a legendary actor, a mythical film and a flagship model of a major brand was then in full play to raise the stakes...
A watch that combines everything that can seduce a collector. Bridgeman Images / /Christie's
Barely four years after being sold for the first time, this "Rolex de Brando" will once again change hands, while its current owner has decided to part with his collection during a dedicated sale at Christie's. This time...
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