"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this 25th installment, we will be looking at Dustin Hoffman 's watch.
*Source: https://www.tcm.com/
He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor six times and has won the Oscar twice.
No movie fan would disagree that he is one of Hollywood's most talented actors .
Did you know that he wore the same watch over and over again in the films he starred in during the 70s, which cemented his reputation? This time, we would like to focus on that watch.
Straw Dog
STRAWDOGS (1971)
A modern drama by director Sam Peckinpah, who is famous for his violent action movies such as "The Wild Bunch" and "The Getaway." A city couple who move to a rural town in search of a peaceful and calm life encounter unreasonable harassment from the closed-minded locals, and gradually awaken to their violent tendencies.
*Source: https://www.criterion.com/
Dustin Hoffman plays David, the husband who becomes increasingly stressed by the relentless harassment. The contrast between his timid performance in the first half of the film and his explosive anger in the second half is a must-see.
The film's relentless violence and gore, with its extensive use of slow motion, are said to have had a major influence on the next generation of film directors, such as Quentin Tarantino and John Woo .
*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com/
In this movie, Dustin Hoffman wears a Rolex GMT-Master (Ref. 1675) with a leather strap and a blue-and-red "Pepsi" bezel . Is it a bit of a stretch to say that the rational and violent nature of all human beings is represented by the GMT's two-tone bezel (day and night)?
Marathon Man
MARATHON MAN (1976)
"Marathon Man" is a suspense thriller about a Nazi remnant who secretly manages jewels and precious metals stolen from the Jews, and a US government agent who is pursuing the Nazis' hidden funds. Dave (Dustin Hoffman), a college student who enjoys marathon running, gets caught up in their plot.
*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com
Dave, whose brother is a US government agent, is held captive by Nazi remnants and tortured as someone who knows the agent's actions. The method they use is to "file his teeth without anesthesia." However, Dave, who thought his brother was a businessman, is unable to respond and his teeth continue to be filed until he passes out. This famous torture scene is sure to be traumatic for people who are afraid of dentists.
*Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com
In this film, Dustin Hoffman wears a Rolex GMT Master (Ref. 1675) with a "Pepsi" bezel, just like in "Straw Dogs." In "Straw Dogs," the strap was leather, but in this film, it was replaced with a Jubilee bracelet. It's a bit of a pricey watch for a college student, but please forgive us, as Dustin Hoffman, who plays Dave, was in his late 30s (!) at the time .
Kramer, Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Ted (Dustin Hoffman) is so dedicated to his work that he neglects his family, forcing her to do all the housework and childcare. His wife gets fed up and leaves the house. The father and son are left to their own devices, and the bond between them deepens. However, Ted loses his job after his divorce and his son is seriously injured, and he loses his job in court over custody. Having lost custody, Ted is forced to hand over his child to his ex-wife.
*Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/
This socially conscious drama deals with the lawsuits over divorce and custody , which were social issues in the United States at the time. There is a touching scene in which Ted, who never did any housework, awkwardly makes French toast for his children. Dustin Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this film, and he firmly established himself as a great actor in both name and reality.
*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com/
Well, in this movie, Dustin Hoffman wears his beloved Rolex GMT Master (Ref. 1675) ... I'd like to say that, but the GMT Master does not appear at all in the movie. As mentioned above, there are many photos of him wearing it, but these are promotional photos, and the watch that Dustin Hoffman actually wears in the movie is a black PVD-coated chronograph.
*Source: http://filmfanatic.org/
This watch is thought to be a chronograph from the French brand Le Jour . It is said that Tag Heuer , with whom the brand had a partnership at the time, may have sold their own "Ref. 12" with the Le Jour logo, but the truth is unclear.
summary
What did you think?
Dustin Hoffman not only wears his favorite watch in the movies, but also wears it in promotional photos and behind-the-scenes shots even when he is not wearing it in the movie. In "Rain Man," where he played a disabled person with Savant syndrome and won his second Academy Award for Best Actor, he did not wear a watch in the movie, but he wore his usual GMT Master at the Academy Awards ceremony.
Dustin Hoffman pursues perfection in his acting, to the point that it sometimes creates friction with the production team.
His obsession with his favorite watch may also be connected to this "perfectionism."
Dustin Hoffman is now over 80 years old and we haven't seen him on screen much in recent years, but I hope that one day we'll see him acting again wearing his favorite GMT-Master.
see you!!