Mogambo (1953)

Mogambo

A big-game hunter running a safari outpost in Kenya finds himself caught between a brash showgirl and the refined wife of a visiting anthropologist. (Wikipedia) Directed by John Ford, the film stars Clark Gable as Victor Marswell, with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly as the two women drawn into his orbit; it was released by MGM in October 1953, a loose remake of the 1932 pre-Code drama Red Dust, which had also starred Gable. Kelly's performance earned her first Academy Award nomination.

Watches

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6011

Worn by Clark Gable as Victor Marswell. BAMF Style identifies the watch on Gable's wrist throughout the film as the actor's own 14-karat yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual, ref. 6011, worn on a textured black leather strap; the source notes the watch was later included in a 2013 auction of Gable's Hollywood memorabilia. Montres de Luxe adds that Gable bought the watch from retailer Brock & Company, whose name is signed on the dial. (BAMF Style; Montres de Luxe) That 2013 sale was Bonhams' TCM-curated "What Dreams Are Made Of: A Century of Movie Magic at Auction" (Los Angeles, 25 November 2013), which sold the watch itself as lot 91, "A Clark Gable personal wristwatch": "A 14K gold automatic center seconds wristwatch, signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Ref. 6011, retailed by Brock & Co., circa 1940", with a "silvered matte dial with Arabic and triangular numerals", the essay stating that "Gable also wore this watch in Mogambo (1953), opposite Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly" and tracing it from the Gable estate through Christie's Film and Entertainment sale of 22 June 2006 (lot 1681); the lot gallery ends with two frames of Gable wearing it at the outpost desk and beside Ava Gardner. It made US$28,750 with premium. (Bonhams)

© Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer