Selleck's Rolex

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tidal pool · #1 Post by **tidal pool** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:22 pm

In the early 90s, I remember an interview where TS said that his father gave each son a Rolex, when they turned 21 years old, if they didn't drink or smoke up to that point. Does anyone else recall that statement?

I've always wondered if the Rolex GMT that he wears on the show is the same watch that his real father gave him and the "idea" behind the Home From The Sea episode.

If this is true, TS's Rolex GMT would be a 1966 model. I'm not sure what a '66 GMT looks like, but in this photo, his watch does have the older dial with white writing and larger dots.

Also, I noticed that TS wears a Rolex GMT in the Jesse Stone movies. I'm assuming it's the same watch he wore in Magnum.

Any thoughts?

tidal pool · #2 Post by **tidal pool** » Fri May 02, 2008 6:46 pm

Well, according to a Rolex forum that I frequent, the watch that Magnum wears in the above photo is a '65-'66 model. Here is a photo of a GMT with a serial number that dates the watch to '65-'66. Notice the same dial. So, I guess it's possible that TS is wearing the watch his real father gave him when he turned 21. If this is true, that is too cool!

golfmobile · #3 Post by **golfmobile** » Fri May 02, 2008 11:43 pm

This is very interesting, but if I recall correctly, we have determined that Magnum's father died in the early 1950s when he was something like six years old. So a 1965-66 watch wouldn't have existed then.

Whoever can find the other thread where this was discussed: Please post a link to it here.

It makes sense that the watch could be the one TS' father gave him and he had the writers use it in the "Home for the Sea" episode. But it also seems that SOMEONE at MPI should have been able to count and could come up with a way to have the watch come from the right decade, for crying out loud!

golf

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Sat May 03, 2008 12:51 pm

Maybe they just thought most people wouldn't notice a Rolex from the early fifties versus the early sixties. Plus, it saved some budget by letting TS use his own watch instead of providing one. I may be wrong but that's just my two cents.

golfmobile · #5 Post by **golfmobile** » Sat May 03, 2008 4:12 pm

IKWYT,

You're probably right. Back when the show was being filmed, "they" didn't know that 20 years later 200 people would looking at EVERY LITTLE DETAIL.

Which reminds me of why I miss most of the details: I "listen" to TV more than I actually "watch" it -- I'm always doing some other project and the TV is the background noise -- I just glance up occasionally to see what's going on and follow along. That doesn't lend itself to much "flub spotting."

golf

SelleckLover · #6 Post by **SelleckLover** » Sat May 03, 2008 8:22 pm

I do the same thing, golf! I knew you and I were kindred spirits! LOL

jimhalinda · #7 Post by **jimhalinda** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:17 pm

The Rolex GMT Master first became available for sale in late 1954 or 1955. So the whole idea that Magnum's dad owned one is historically impossible if he died in the 'early' 1950s.

Also, Rolex made several changes to the GMT master in its first few years, so even if his dad had one of the first models, by the 1980s these early models were very rare and very expensive! So I doubt the show's producers would think it worth the cost. Easier to buy a current model as 99.999 % of the viewing public would have no idea of these anachronisms.

Regards,

Jim (a bit of a watch nut!)

rubber chicken · #8 Post by **rubber chicken** » Sun May 04, 2008 12:12 am

Just to be exact, Lieutenant Thomas Magnum Senior "came home from the sea" on the 4th of July, 1951.

To me, Mr. Selleck using his father's watch would be much more meaningful than to have had the prop department find a watch from the proper time period, even though no one watching would know the real story. In this case, historical accuracy is trumped by the true sentimental value of the watch used, and adds even more to the weight of this episode. Very very cool (if true).

golfmobile · #9 Post by **golfmobile** » Sun May 04, 2008 2:59 am

rc,

I agree entirely -- IF we knew for sure that the watch TS as TM started wearing WAS the one his actual (Selleck) father gave to him. We are assuming that because of the "no drinking till 21" story. But we don't KNOW that was the watch used in MPI. (Do we even know if the watch his father gave him was a Rolex GMT?)

Maybe that should be a question asked of him in our ideal situation where we get to "interview" TS.

Can't you just see it? He comes out of a restaurant, a la the Mateo video, and a fan asks, "Mr. Selleck, was the Rolex watch that Magnum wore as inherited from his father in 'Home from the Sea' the one your father actually gave to you at age 21?"

I imagine a fan would get a VERY strange look from TS for such a question!!

Oh, SelleckLover . . . . You're going to see him at the charity function in a couple of weeks. We annoint YOU the honoree to get close enough to him to ask that question (RIGHT! Among all the OTHER questions we want to ask him . . . . ).

I suppose we could email Larry Manetti (since he has been known to respond to our questions sometimes) and ask him if he knows. However, if his memory is about the way it has been for most of the questions we've asked him, he probably doesn't remember. Still, I would think that would be the kind of thing that would be remembered. But we are apparently the MPI Archives, so I'm not sure that would get us any farther along in resolving this conundrum. SL, back to you . . . .

Ya know, there should be SOME way that we could get in touch with CBS and appeal to the network to do a "fan interview Q&A" as a promo for the new Jesse Stone movie and have TS answer some fan questions. Of course, we'd all be asking MPI questions, but we could make up a few JS questions, enough to get CBS interested --

This is just far too good a website (thanks to James for creating it and the rest of the loyal fans here for assisting in keeping it fresh and interesting) to be ignored by TS. I think he would appreciate us, if he knew about us -- or at least I'd like to think so.

Have I had one too many margaritas to be thinking like this?

golf

SelleckLover · #10 Post by **SelleckLover** » Sun May 04, 2008 5:05 am

I don't know if the watch TS's father gave him was a Rolex or not, but in his A&E Biography he is wearing the watch that his grandfather gave his father. He lifts his wrist up into camera range and pulls his sleeve back and proudly displays it. You can tell it means a lot to him. It is just a plain gold watch. He points to it and states, "I don't know why I wore this today."

Just thought I'd share!

tidal pool · #11 Post by **tidal pool** » Tue May 06, 2008 4:14 pm

golfmobile wrote:(Do we even know if the watch his father gave him was a Rolex GMT?)

No we don't, but I specifically remember him saying a "Rolex" because it was about the same time (1989) that I had purchased my Rolex Submariner, so it caught my attention. Perhaps TS's father let his sons pick the model and Tom went with the GMT.

Because of the older style dial that dates to the mid 60s, I'd be willing to bet that it's the Rolex that his real father bought him.

Is Selleck listed in the Home From The Sea credits as a writer or Executive Producer? I'm still wondering if that episode's idea came from him.

tidal pool · #12 Post by **tidal pool** » Wed May 07, 2008 4:57 pm

tidal pool wrote:Is Selleck listed in the Home From The Sea credits as a writer or Executive Producer? I'm still wondering if that episode's idea came from him.

From the Magnum Mania Trivia Page.....Hmmm?

"Both Tom Selleck and Donald P. Bellisario cite "Home From the Sea" (4.1) as their favorite episode of the series."