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What Marlon Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master Brought at Auction in 2023

Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master, worn as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, sold for CHF 3,443,000 at Christie’s Geneva in 2023.
Estimate2–3 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team
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Marlon Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 sold for CHF 3,443,000 at Christie’s Geneva on 6 November 2023. The watch had previously sold for $1,952,000 at Phillips New York on 10 December 2019. The question is now historical: Christie’s listed its estimate as “On Request,” and the documented sale took place in 2023—not at a current auction.

What did Kurtz’s watch sell for?

Christie’s reported a result of CHF 3,443,000 for the Rolex at its Geneva sale on 6 November 2023. Four years earlier, Phillips recorded a result of $1,952,000 for the same watch at its New York auction on 10 December 2019. The figures are in different currencies and come from separate sales; without a specified exchange-rate date and treatment of fees, they should not be presented as a directly comparable percentage increase.

Auction date Auction house and venue Reported result
10 December 2019 Phillips, New York $1,952,000 — Phillips lot 30
6 November 2023 Christie’s, Geneva CHF 3,443,000 — Christie’s sale recap

Which Rolex was sold?

The watch is a stainless-steel Rolex GMT-Master, reference 1675, catalogued by Christie’s as circa 1972. It has a 39 mm case, black dial, automatic movement and case number 3’245’836. Brando wore it as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz during the filming of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, released in 1979.

Its distinctive appearance includes an absent bezel and a hand-engraved “M. Brando” on the caseback. Christie’s documents those details but does not establish why the bezel was removed.

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How did the watch reach the 2023 sale?

Christie’s provenance records that Brando gave the watch to his daughter, Petra Brando Fischer, in 1995. Phillips sold it in New York on 10 December 2019, as lot 30; it later appeared in Christie’s Geneva sale in 2023. The Christie’s lot included signed provenance letters from Petra Brando Fischer and Caroline Barrett, plus two custom “M B” straps designed by Attila Aszodi. Christie’s lot 6446731 records the description and provenance.

Was there a public estimate for the Christie’s auction?

No public estimate was stated: Christie’s displayed “On Request” in the estimate field. The lot listing also disclosed a minimum price guarantee financed by a third party, who might receive a fee, and stated that bidders needed a high-value paddle. Those sale conditions do not change the reported CHF 3,443,000 result, but they are relevant context for how the lot was offered.

The two auction records document what this particular watch brought in 2019 and 2023. They do not establish a current valuation, a future sale, or a market trend for other Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 watches.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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