*Source: https://medium.com/
"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this 12th installment, we will be introducing two watches that appear in the movie 'Apocalypse Now.'
Gentlemen, the smell of napalm in the morning is something special! (Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore)
A unique Vietnam War film
"Apocalypse Now" was released in 1979 and is based on Conrad's novel "The Dark Lord," which depicts the dark side of Western civilization's colonization of Africa, but replaces the Vietnam War.
The story is set in the late 1960s, during the latter stages of the Vietnam War. Captain Willard, an army officer, is ordered to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, who is said to have betrayed the military and built an empire deep in the jungle. Willard and his men travel up the Nang River to carry out the mission, but along the way they encounter various "dark aspects of war" that trap them...
*Source: https://cinemaunchained.wordpress.com/2019/04/05/remembering-a-masterpiece-apocalypse-now/
The film was hit with all sorts of difficulties, including the arrival of a typhoon, the withdrawal of Harvey Keitel who was supposed to play Captain Willard, the selfishness of the veteran actor Marlon Brando who played Colonel Kurtz, and the actors and staff starting to use drugs, and the filming period and budget ballooned to nearly three times what was originally planned, and it is acknowledged by everyone in the film industry and fans as the "problematic film of the century." However, in modern times, Apocalypse Now is unshakably regarded as a historical masterpiece, alongside The Deer Hunter and Platoon , as a work depicting the madness of the Vietnam War .
*Source: https://apnews.com/
Now let's take a look at two memorable watches that appear in the movie "Apocalypse Now."
Martin Sheen's Seiko
Martin Sheen plays Captain Willard, who is ordered to assassinate Colonel Kurtz.
He was planning to turn down the offer due to his chronic illness, but was persuaded to accept the role after being told that filming in the jungle would only take a short time. However, filming lasted 61 weeks, more than three times longer than planned, and he ended up suffering a heart attack and hovering between life and death, which also caused the filming of the movie to be delayed.
The watch he wears in the film is the Seiko 6105-8110 .
This watch is popular among watch enthusiasts as a later model of the "Second Divers."
*Source: https://montrespubliques.com/new-1minute-reads/film-war-and-watches
It is known that many American soldiers wore this watch during the Vietnam War, and the reason for this is said to be that this watch could be purchased cheaply and tax-free at military stores. It was loved by many American soldiers as a "cheap and durable watch."
This watch is known in Japan as the model worn by the late adventurer Naomi Uemura, and is sometimes referred to as the "Naomi Uemura model," but overseas it is more familiarly known as the "Captain Willard model."
*Source: https://www.horologii.com/watch-reviews/seiko-prospex-captain-willard-spb151-and-spb153-watches-review/
Isn't it quite unusual for the same watch to be given nicknames after different users in Japan and overseas?
This "Captain Willard" has been reproduced twice, first as "Prospex SBDX031" and then as "Prospex SBDC109 (black) / SBDC111 (olive)" , which shows how beloved this watch is.
*Source: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/seiko-spb151-and-spb153-captain-willard-prospex-introducing
Marlon Brando's Rolex
Colonel Kurtz, a mysterious elite soldier, is said to have originally been created based on Steve McQueen. He is played by Marlon Brando, who is also known as the "greatest actor of the 20th century." However, he is also known for his selfish behavior on set, and in this film he shows his rare trouble-making side by being "too fat," "not remembering his lines," and "refusing to film with Dennis Hopper."
In the film, Colonel Kurtz wears a Rolex . It is the same model that everyone is familiar with.
*Source: https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/marlon-brandos-apocalypse-now-rolex-gmt-master-2857936/
Don't you know?
never seen?
In fact, this is a GMT Master (Ref. 1675) with the bezel removed.
Colonel Kurtz abandoned his path as a super elite soldier, threw away everything, and reigned as king deep in the jungle. The staff pointed out that if he wore a luxury watch, it would not match the background, so Marlon Brando removed the conspicuous bezel and replaced the bracelet with a belt, making it look like a plain watch for the shoot. However, looking at it now, the GMT Master without the bezel seems to express the personality of Colonel Kurtz, who was captured by the madness of war and lost something important.
By the way, this "Marlon Brando GMT Master (Ref. 1675) with the bezel removed" was put up for auction at Phillips auction held in New York in December 2019, and sold for the high price of 1,952,000 dollars (approximately 210 million yen) .
*Source: https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/marlon-brandos-apocalypse-now-rolex-gmt-master-2857936/
summary
The "Captain Willard" has been reissued many times, and a GMT Master without its bezel has been sold at auction for a high price. This is all about "passing on value to the next generation," which coincides with one of the themes of "Apocalypse Now" - "passing on." It is no exaggeration to say that the meaning and value of the film later increased the meaning and value of the watch, leading to its passing on to the next generation.
Mechanical watches, which incorporate advanced technology while preserving traditional mechanisms, are made through a "continuous inheritance." Moreover, both watches and movies enhance their value by expressing this "inheritance," and can be said to be one of the driving forces behind the next generation.
When choosing a watch, you might find a slightly different option if you think about who you want to pass it on to and what kind of watch you want to inherit.
see you!