If you think Hollywood has restored all the franchises that can be restored, think again. Fletcher is back! This new movie is called “Confess, Fletch”. For all you millennials and Gen Zers out there, Fletch (1985) was a comedy film series starring Chevy Chase as a slick investigative reporter in Los Angeles. He gets into nonsense while providing vocal and physical Chevy Chase’s peak comedy. 
As you might expect, the process of making a film is not a short one. About a year and a half ago, we started discussing casting replica watches for the role. The only direction I got was that they wanted a steel Rolex sports to watch, preferably a vintage one. My gears started turning, and I immediately thought of the two most iconic watches. The Daytona and the Submariner. So we sent in two watches for the props and costume fitting.
The first was a steel Rolex Daytona ref. 6262 from 1970 with a silver dial and silver strap, and the other was a Rolex Submariner from 1978 with gold-plated markings. The other is a replica Rolex Submariner ref. 1680, from 1978, with bronzing markers. The news came quickly that the Submariner was the best choice.
For a few months, while the film was in production, I tried to find some tidbits online – to see the watch I had helped choose in action. Hamm had a viral moment when he was photographed on a Boston street with a passerby’s dog during a break in filming. Not one to usually be drawn to canine headlines, I clicked in to see the watch, and there it was.
The Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 is a very important watch in the history of fake Rolex. It is the first Submariner watch with a date complication under the Cyclops magnifying glass. Part of the appeal of this watch to the character of Fletcher is the connection of the Submariner date watch to a certain another actor who plays a journalist on screen.
Fletcher continues to investigate the theft of his girlfriend’s kidnapped father’s artwork, a murder he is tracking as the prime suspect in the case. He attends a luncheon with the Countess, who is believed to be implicated in the whole affair. We get our first clear view of the antique submarine when he sits at an exquisite table in a posh hotel restaurant.
Moments before the film’s end, we find Fletcher lying in a hammock on the ship – an odd choice, but admittedly, it sounds very relaxing. I won’t spoil it, but let’s say he has solved the case surrounding the murder and stolen artwork. He gets a call from his editor friend Frank asking him to complete a writing assignment, but he feels content to remain retired as a journalist who once had a certain amount of fame.
A Rolex Submariner Ref. 1680 In a popular movie
