A Look at the Vietnam War and the Films and Watches Surrounding It
Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now wearing the Seiko 6105-8110 ‘Captain Willard’ / Credit: United Artists
When it comes to watches few things go better than film and war – apart from cars and whiskey, of course. Film and war have always gone hand in hand, as have film and watches. In terms of film and war, arguably there are three main conflicts that are usually included: WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War. Few military conflicts that have been depicted in film as much as the Vietnam War, with films from Tropic Thunder to Apocalypse Now. The same way film and war have had an intimate relationship over the years, timepieces and war have too. From the late 19th century and even before – most notably in the early 20th century with WWI. Soldiers, pilots, French frogmen – all kinds of military operators need to tell the time; and wristwatches have been the primary method for decades.
As such looking back at film, wars, and watches – particularly over the 20th century – can be particularly interesting. We’d, however, like to focus on a particular conflict: the Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 to 1975 thrusting a generation of American men into the jungles of Vietnam. The main proponents of the war were the communist ‘Viet Cong’ versus democracy supporting South Vietnamese and their American allies. Although the outcome of the war is widely disputed, the United States is often viewed as having failed to achieve its main goal which was stopping the influence of communism in the region. Despite the tens of thousands of lost American lives Vietnam was taken over by a communist government in 1976 along with neighbouring countries. Like in WWII, conscription was imposed on Americas, although this time there was significant resistance including high rates of draft dodging.
US soldiers helping their wounded comrade / Credit: History
Perhaps the most notable timepiece from the Vietnam war era watch was the Hamilton GG-W-113. The GG-W-113 spec watches were first issued in 1967, following the previously issued MIL-W-3818B. The Benrus was used throughout the early 1960s, where the MIL-W-3818A had previously been issued. Along with these timepieces there were several others issued for divers, pilots, and other specs for infantry/field watches. However, the GG-W-113 is certainly the most iconic – used for almost two decades. Some of the above timepieces have also been featured in film…Much like a Seiko that is often associated with the Vietnam War, one that wasn’t even issued!
That is, the Seiko 6105-8110 ‘Captain Willard’ – nicknamed ‘Captain Willard’ due to Martin Sheen’s character Captain Willard wearing it in the film, Apocalypse Now.
Seiko ‘Captain Willard’ 6105-8110 / Credit: Japan Pre-Owned Vintage
Apocalypse Now was released after the war in 1979 and featured a cast including Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Lawrence Fishbourne, and others. The film was nominated and won many awards and is highly celebrated even today. It follows Captain Willard (Sheen) on his mission to assassinate an army Colonel who had gone rogue (Brando). Throughout the film there are several shots of him wearing the Seiko ‘Captain Willard’ – making the watch extremely popular amongst Seiko collectors.
The Seiko 6105-8110 goes back to the reference 61MC 17 022 which first appeared in the early 1970s JDM catalogues at a cost of less than 20,000 yen. In the late 1960s there were already similar references of the 6105 8X-case series that were a follow up to the 62MAS. As there were not that many dive watches in the Seiko lineup the time, the ref. 61MC 17 was a one of the few dive watches available throughout the early/mid-1970s; discontinued in the late 1970s. The 6105-8110 is also known for it’s unique 8110 case design.
Seiko 6105-8110 ref. 61MC 17 022 from the 1973 JDM catalogue
Other Seikos were actually worn by American troops in Vietnam – the 7005-8030 is said to have been worn by the US Special Operations Group – along with other examples like the Sportsmatic 6619-8060.
Nonetheless, the Seiko ‘Captain Willard’ remains the most popular Vietnam War watch that was never issued. Meanwhile, the GG-W-113 watches remain the most popular spec – particularly the Hamilton variety.
1983 Hamilton GG-W-113 / Credit : WannaBuyAWatch
Although the sheer variety of military watches can be daunting for anyone interested, it is certainly something tempting to get into. Oftentimes the watches that are ‘loudest’, however, have very little to do with the actual conflict or event they represent. Given the price of the ‘Captain Willard’ these days, a nice Hamilton isn’t a bad idea.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
Spector, Ronald H. “Vietnam War 1954-1975.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War.
Johnson, Mike. “American Mil-Spec: A GG-W-113 Pilot Watch Buyers Guide.” 60 Clicks, January 10th, 2018, https://www.60clicks.com/gg-w-113-pilot-watch-buyers-guide/.
Johnson, Mike. “A Brief Guide to the Iconic Watches of The Vietnam War.” 60 Clicks, March 22nd, 2018, https://www.60clicks.com/vietnam-war-watch-guide/.
“B-153564.” U.S. Government of Accountability Office, May 4th, 1964, https://www.gao.gov/products/b-153564-0#mt=e-report.
Seiko catalogues from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Available by request.
Stockton, Michael. “#TBT Seiko 6619-8060 MACV-SOG – A Sterile Watch.” Fratello Watches, August 30th, 2018, https://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-seiko-6619-8060-macv-sog-a-sterile-watch/.
Gaffney, John. “This Is the Root of All Badass Seiko Dive Watches.” Gear Patrol, January 31st, 2021, https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a63576/watches-you-should-know-seiko-6105/.
Editor’s note (17/03/2021): an early version of this article said that the 6105-8110 was “never there” in relation to the Vietnam War, it has since been updated to be more clear as the Seiko 6105-8110 was in fact bought by many American troops at Post Exchanges on military bases but never issued. As such they were worn during the war and in the region at the time but are not of the same classification as the other watches mentioned in the article that were actually issued to American soldiers.