Theory

[Nikita70]

I’m not sure if this has been posted before, my apologies if it has.

Last night I watched the Simon & Simon crossover episode. A few nights before that I started the Simon & Simon series again. AJ is wearing his Pepsi GMT in the crossover episode as well as in his series.

My theory is this: I’m wondering if Tom Selleck saw Jameson Parker’s watch when they were filming the crossover episode and liked it so he went and bought one. The crossover episode is in season 3, Magnum didn’t start wearing his Pepsi GMT until season 4.

Possible? Or way off base?

[308GUY]

Sounds feasible and reasonable to me...

But you would probably never get anybody in tinsel town to openly admit...they emulated somebody else or their tastes!

Speculation...it's what keeps the gamblers going...

But the timeline does make perfect sense.....it's sort of "Magnumesqe"


I do remember the story about how he supposedly acquired it from his father, but don't immediately recall that episode's chronology in the series. BUT...it would also stand to reason that if that's how and when he got it originally, he should have been wearing it from the pilot...which we all know...he didn't.

(Just an afterthought footnote.. )

[KingKC]

While we are talking about Pepsi GMT watches, will somebody please explain to me how TM, who is financially irresponsible and constantly broke, manages to come into possession of such an expensive watch?? For that matter the Simons never seemed to be "rolling in the dough" either. Is there a story/episode behind either of these or is this just TV at its unrealistic best?

[308GUY]

While we are talking about Pepsi GMT watches, will somebody please explain to me how TM, who is financially irresponsible and constantly broke, manages to come into possession of such an expensive watch?? For that matter the Simons never seemed to be "rolling in the dough" either. Is there a story/episode behind either of these or is this just TV at its unrealistic best?

King...your post is what made me remember when and how he supposedly got the watch. See my "footnote" above for that.

He was supposed to have inherited the watch from his father.

[K Hale]

While we are talking about Pepsi GMT watches, will somebody please explain to me how TM, who is financially irresponsible and constantly broke, manages to come into possession of such an expensive watch?? For that matter the Simons never seemed to be "rolling in the dough" either. Is there a story/episode behind either of these or is this just TV at its unrealistic best?

King...your post is what made me remember when and how he supposedly got the watch. See my "footnote" above for that.

He was supposed to have inherited the watch from his father.

Was that exact same style of watch around that long?

I guess that’s the explanation but if not, it could easily be a gift from Robin.

[308GUY]

While we are talking about Pepsi GMT watches, will somebody please explain to me how TM, who is financially irresponsible and constantly broke, manages to come into possession of such an expensive watch?? For that matter the Simons never seemed to be "rolling in the dough" either. Is there a story/episode behind either of these or is this just TV at its unrealistic best?

King...your post is what made me remember when and how he supposedly got the watch. See my "footnote" above for that.

He was supposed to have inherited the watch from his father.

Was that exact same style of watch around that long?

I guess that’s the explanation but if not, it could easily be a gift from Robin.

https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/ ... story.html

[KingKC]

While we are talking about Pepsi GMT watches, will somebody please explain to me how TM, who is financially irresponsible and constantly broke, manages to come into possession of such an expensive watch?? For that matter the Simons never seemed to be "rolling in the dough" either. Is there a story/episode behind either of these or is this just TV at its unrealistic best?

King...your post is what made me remember when and how he supposedly got the watch. See my "footnote" above for that.

He was supposed to have inherited the watch from his father.

My memory is being jogged as well. For some reason my mind keeps coming up with an image from the episode Home From the Sea which would fit into the above mentioned time line since that episode was the opener for Season 4.

[Higgins (aka Bondtoys)]

While we are talking about Pepsi GMT watches, will somebody please explain to me how TM, who is financially irresponsible and constantly broke, manages to come into possession of such an expensive watch?? For that matter the Simons never seemed to be "rolling in the dough" either. Is there a story/episode behind either of these or is this just TV at its unrealistic best?

In the 60s and 70s, Rolex watches where toolwatches and not the luxury watches which they are today.
They where expensive back (not outrageously like today) then but many soldiers bought one in the PX stores.

[Higgins (aka Bondtoys)]

He was supposed to have inherited the watch from his father.
Was that exact same style of watch around that long?

Short reply: No.

1980, he was 30.
I‘ll estimate the boy from Home from the sea to be max. 8 years old.

Which means, that he has received the watch in 1958.
And his dad pretty much likely wore the watch for some time in 1958, so he may have purchased it some years earlier then 1958.

Until 1959, the only GMT Master, was Ref. 6542 and he‘s definitely NOT wearing a 6542 in the show
1960 - late in the 60s, the GMT Master 1675 had a small 24 hour hand.

In the show, Magnum‘s watch definitely does NOT have a small 24 hr. Hand.

Magnum‘s watch is either a 1675 with a large 24 hr hand, or a 16750

1675 with large hand = around 1965 or later - not possible in 1958
16750 = 1981 - 1988 in shops ( the 16750 was a very slow seller) - not possible in 1958

I have an extensive collection of Rolex GMT Masters and am 99,5% sure that he wears a 16750 in the show.
It makes sense, because the production would have purchased a contemporary watch for the production in 1983-1984 and the 16750 was significantly cheaper then the brand new 16760 which has been introduced in 1983.



The best source about GMT Masters:
http://www.gmtmasterhistory.com/gmt-mas ... _1675.html

[Pahonu]

He was supposed to have inherited the watch from his father.
Was that exact same style of watch around that long?

Short reply: No.

1980, he was 30.
I‘ll estimate the boy from Home from the sea to be max. 8 years old.

Which means, that he has received the watch in 1958.
And his dad pretty much likely wore the watch for some time in 1958, so he may have purchased it some years earlier then 1958.

Until 1959, the only GMT Master, was Ref. 6542 and he‘s definitely NOT wearing a 6542 in the show
1960 - late in the 60s, the GMT Master 1675 had a small 24 hour hand.

In the show, Magnum‘s watch definitely does NOT have a small 24 hr. Hand.

Magnum‘s watch is either a 1675 with a large 24 hr hand, or a 16750

1675 with large hand = around 1965 or later - not possible in 1958
16750 = 1981 - 1988 in shops ( the 16750 was a very slow seller) - not possible in 1958

I have an extensive collection of Rolex GMT Masters and am 99,5% sure that he wears a 16750 in the show.
It makes sense, because the production would have purchased a contemporary watch for the production in 1983-1984 and the 16750 was significantly cheaper then the brand new 16760 which has been introduced in 1983.



The best source about GMT Masters:
http://www.gmtmasterhistory.com/gmt-mas ... _1675.html

Didn't his father die in the Korean War? That ended in 1953.

[K Hale]

Magnum turned 40 in 1987. He was born 1947.

[KingKC]

Putting some things together Bondtoys.de seems to think the boy in Home From The Sea was a maximum of 8 years old. Probably a good guess. K Hale educates us that TM was probably born in 1947 and I think that is probably true for the show. The notes from the Episode Guide on our website says that TM's father "came home from the sea on July 4, 1951". That would make TM about 4 when his father died. My memory isn't all that great but I would agree that the child in Home From the Sea was a lot closer to 8 years old than 4. Maybe we analyze things too much sometimes but there is probably more than one issue of age, dates and years to discuss besides this one. Oh well.

[K Hale]

Putting some things together Bondtoys.de seems to think the boy in Home From The Sea was a maximum of 8 years old. Probably a good guess. K Hale educates us that TM was probably born in 1947 and I think that is probably true for the show. The notes from the Episode Guide on our website says that TM's father "came home from the sea on July 4, 1951". That would make TM about 4 when his father died. My memory isn't all that great but I would agree that the child in Home From the Sea was a lot closer to 8 years old than 4. Maybe we analyze things too much sometimes but there is probably more than one issue of age, dates and years to discuss besides this one. Oh well.

We could split the difference and say he was 6. He looks like he could be that age.

When casting the part of little Thomas, the role would go to the best actor, as long as his age was reasonably believable for the part (i.e., not a teenager for example). They did the same thing when they cast Higgins, after all. Hillerman was the best actor for the role even though he would’ve been too young for Higgins’ military career.

[Higgins (aka Bondtoys)]

If Magnum was born in 1947, he would have been 13 to have the remote chance for receiving a 1960 GMT 1675.

If his father really died in 1953 (or earlier 1951) and the first GMT Master 6542 started production a year later (1954), this would not make sense at all.

But we are overthinking it.

Maybe Selleck started to enjoy a GMT Master in his private life and the producers webbed that into the storyline. Selleck is still wearing GMT Masters in his private life.
Maybe the GMT (and I know that they had one watch which was collected at the end of the shooting day and has been returned when shooting continued) was a special bonus gift to him at the expense of the production, maybe they tried to get product placement revenue from Rolex ( Rolex never pays for product placement) maybe the Simon & Simon story has some substance - we don‘t know.

All I know is, that they where not very careful with the storyline and like someone previously said, if he‘d received the watch from his father (regardless of the model), he‘d worn it from episode one.

There is no way to put all the data into a perfect continuity, it just doesn‘t add up.
And I am sure they did not care when they chose the watch.

[KingKC]

If Magnum was born in 1947, he would have been 13 to have the remote chance for receiving a 1960 GMT 1675.

If his father really died in 1953 (or earlier 1951) and the first GMT Master 6542 started production a year later (1954), this would not make sense at all.

But we are overthinking it.

Maybe Selleck started to enjoy a GMT Master in his private life and the producers webbed that into the storyline. Selleck is still wearing GMT Masters in his private life.
Maybe the GMT (and I know that they had one watch which was collected at the end of the shooting day and has been returned when shooting continued) was a special bonus gift to him at the expense of the production, maybe they tried to get product placement revenue from Rolex ( Rolex never pays for product placement) maybe the Simon & Simon story has some substance - we don‘t know.

All I know is, that they where not very careful with the storyline and like someone previously said, if he‘d received the watch from his father (regardless of the model), he‘d worn it from episode one.

There is no way to put all the data into a perfect continuity, it just doesn‘t add up.
And I am sure they did not care when they chose the watch.

I feel safe in saying the show never imagined a website/forum with such scrutiny as this one. I don't know of any other show with this detailed of a site.