In late 2019, headlines were made about Marlon Brando's Rolex being offered for sale. The watch, a Rolex GMT-Master, was used in the 1979 classic Apocalypse Now.
The watch is somewhat unique compared to other watches from the same model series since the bezel was removed by Brando. Furthermore, Brando also hand-engraved the back case with its name "M. Brando".
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During the filming of Apocalypse Now, Brando was asked to remove his watch as it would take attention away from him. "If they're looking at my watch, then I'm not doing my job as an actor," he said. After some discussions, they agreed that he could wear the watch, but the bezel had to be removed, making the watch more discreet yet unique.
The watch gained a lot of attention in 2019 when it was offered for sale by Phillips. The hammer price ended up at $1,950,000, and the lucky buyer was the famed watch collector, Omani businessman Mohammed Zaman.
Four years later, the watch made headlines once again as it was featured as one of the top lots in Christie's "Passion For Time" auction, which included 113 spectacular watches – all owned by Mohammed Zaman.
Many believed Brando's Rolex GMT-Master would sell for a lower price than in 2019. The reason for that was simply due to the watch market not being as hot as it was in 2019. Christie's did, however, put a somewhat aggressive estimate at $4.15 to $7.2 million. The total price, including the buyer's premium, ended up at a total of $5.08 million.
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It's fair to say that the watch was an excellent investment as the profit was $3.1 million, which is a return of nearly $1 million per year.