There are quite a few iconic watches from film. James Bond’s Rolex, the TAG Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, the Seiko 6105 Captain Willard from Apocalypse Now, and even Marty McFly’s Casio Calculator watch from Back to the Future. Another would be Marlon Brando’s Rolex 1675 GMT Master from Apocalypse Now (yes, two famous watches from the same film), and that’s what this Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT was inspired by.
Marlon Brando with his bezel-less Rolex GMT Master
The GMT Master was Brando’s personal watch, and production was not sure it was appropriate for the film. They wanted him to take it off, but he removed the red and blue GMT bezel as a compromise, thinking it would be less recognizable with no bezel and on a leather strap. The opposite happened, and while the watch was thought to have been lost, it went up for Auction in 2019. Now, Vaer chose to do their version of this watch, but they made it their own. It’s a 39mm case with lyre lugs, crown guards, and a quartz movement, and it starts at $399.
Specifications
15ATM (150m) water-resistance rating
Locking screw-down crown
316L stainless steel
Single domed sapphire w/ AR coating
20mm lug width
39mm case diameter
Case thickness with crystal: 10.8mm
Lug-to-lug distance: 46mm
Weight: 75 grams
Swiss Ronda quartz GMT movement
40-month battery
FKM Ocean Strap
Multiple optional strap choices
Starting Price $399
https://www.vaerwatches.com/products/g2-apocalypse-gmt-39mm-usa
What’s fun and unique about this Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT is that they didn’t go the standard homage route. I’ve talked about how the word homage, especially when it comes to watches, has just become a word that means copy these days, ย and this Vaer is more of what homage actually means: it’s a tribute, inspired by, but you really wouldn’t confuse the original and this for the same watch.
Vaer has been using the lyre style case for years now, on their dive watches and GMT watches, but now they have added crown guards, the first watch of theirs to have crown guards, believe it or not. These crown guards mimic the round crown guards on the original 1675, but aren’t as stout or blocky, matching better to the twisted lug case. The crown is ibber though at 6.3mm, and it does crew down, and along with the 150m of water resistance, this is a watch that you don’t have to baby, and can be worn daily or in almost any situation.
The other area Vaer needs to tackle is the lack of a bezel. In the film, it was just a Rolex with the bezel removed, which was not an astecihc choice. Vaer chose to go with a radial brushed fixed steel bezel, with a slim polished edge. While a GMT without a bezel is a little odd, it’s not completely uncommon, and I like how they made this area wider and made sure to finish it in a way that would catch your eye. When you look at it, it doesn’t look out of place or like something is missing. It’s intentional, even if it really doesn’t serve a purpose.
The rest of the case is similar to other Vaer models using this case, brushed sides, a thick polished chafer running the top side of the case, and a polished crown as well.
The dial of the Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT only comes in one dial color, matte black with old radioum or vintage color lume on the indices and hands. For the most part, this is pretty standard Vaer here; date at 6, sword hour and minute hands, a lollipop second hand, and of course, this one has a GMT hand. The GMT hand is orange and distinguishable from the second hand, though I do wish it were an arrow instead of just a rectangle.
Speaking of rectangles, you’ll see around the regular indices on the dial that there are small rectangle indices. These are the 24-hour indicators. Vaer chose to go this route instead of numbers, not sure I love it, but it is funky to say the least. I feel that at certain angles or in certain lighting, this is distorted because of the domed sapphire, and while it may keep the dial less cluttered, they could have just done the standard 24-hour numerals on the inner part of the dial, which, for me, would have been more functional. I think they wanted to have the GMT function, unlike the Rolex from the film, so this would be an actual GMT that can track two time zones, while still retaining the look of that bezel-less 1675.
Vaer is known for offering a lot of value, and as such, this G2 Apocalypse GMT comes with 2 straps. The catch is that there are only a few options that will keep it at that $399 price point. The default strap that comes with this watch is the FKM Ocean strap. There are other FKM options, as well as nylon Nato straps, leather straps, alligator straps, and bracelets. All will vary in cost, though, up to $200 more if you go alligator. So if you want to keep it at $399, pick one of the Nato strap options.
Vaer sent me the khaki single pass as the second strap, and well, that’s what it is called on the website, but this is a two-piece NATO-type strap, so they need to fix the description. The leather strap shown below is not from Vaer, but I put it on as Brando’s Rolex was on a leather strap, so I just wanted to show what it looks like. I like the look of the tan nylon NATO-style strap; it looks great with the old radium lume, but I would prefer a two-piece nylon strap, as I generally don’t care for nato straps. All options looked good on my 7 1/2 inch or 19.05cm wrist.
The old radium Super-LumiNova does look good with the black dial, and in the dark does glow well, but I still would have preferred X1 C2 lume, but I guess going old radium was a nod to this being modeled after a very vintage watch. The lume is not what I would have a 9/10 as the website does, but more of a 7/10, and should last about 4 hours or so in the dark.
This is a fun watch for sure, and I like how Vaer didn’t go the standard homage route like so many other brands would have, and made something more distinct. I also like how this Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT is the first Vaer to have crown guards, and I hope we see this case being used in other models eventually, especially in the 42mm range.
Unlike many watch enthusiasts, I never fanwed over the movie or the original watch, which is why I dint really comment on it here in this article, but obviously if you are a fan of the movie and/or the watch, this is a pretty cool and unique tribute and taking the movie inspiration out of it, its still a solid GADA watch, and pretty affordable at that $399 price point, which is why at the time of publishing this article, it is currently sold out and slated for restock in July 2026. While I don’t have the connection to the movie, I do appreciate what Vaer did with this model; it’s a solid watch that mimics the original while also not taking itself too seriously.
I've been an avid watch lover since the age of 7. Watches are not only my hobby but a passion. My favorite style used to be dive watches, but field or non bezel watches have been growing on me. When I'm not reviewing watches I am either cooking or with family and friends.
