Henry Silva wears a Rolex Day-Date

Fernando Di Leo directed The Italian Connection (1972), a poliziotteschi about a heroin shipment that vanishes between Milan and New York. The Milanese mob frames a small-time pimp, Luca Canali (Mario Adorf), and two American hitmen fly over to find him: Henry Silva as Dave Catania and Woody Strode as Frank Webster, moving through the city like professionals on an expense account. Di Leo wrote it with Augusto Finocchi.

Catania wears a gold Rolex Day-Date, or so it reads: BAMF Style judges it most likely a yellow-gold Day-Date, probably the reference 1803. Rolex introduced the Day-Date in 1956 as its flagship, the first wristwatch to spell out the full day of the week across the dial, and it has only ever made it in 18-karat gold or platinum, never steel. The President nickname came later, after Rolex began putting them on heads of state. By 1972 a gold one cost several thousand dollars, and on Silva's wrist it catches the light in every scene.