Quentin Tarantino's second feature film, Pulp Fiction is known for its iconic scenes, like the dance sequence between Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman). The movie was Thurman's breakout role and it reinvigorated Travolta's career.

Travolta, Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis are all note-perfect in their lead roles, and the genius of Pulp Fiction's casting extends to its ing players, Christopher Walken among them. Walken has one of Hollywood's most eclectic filmographies, and has been nominated for two Oscars, for The Deer Hunter and Catch Me If You Can). The actor brings a distinctly eccentric flair to all his roles, with his hilarious performance in Saturday Night Live's "More Cowbell" sketch considered peak Walken. Nobody but Walken could have brought that level of quirky earnestness to Pulp Fiction's gold watch monologue scene.

What Happens In The Pulp Fiction Gold Watch Monologue Scene

Walken's Captain Koons Tells A Young Butch Coolidge A Graphic Story About His Family Heirloom

Preceding the gold watch scene, boxer Butch Coolidge is resting up before a very important match — one that will make or break his fate. The movie then cuts to a flashback, where a young Butch watches TV before being interrupted by his mother, who tells him that a visitor has arrived to see him. The visitor is Captain Koons, a decorated officer who was once a POW in Vietnam along with Butch’s father. Koons has come to give Butch his father’s watch, an heirloom that has been ed on since the days of Butch’s great-grandfather, who fought in WWI.

There is a sense of sacred duty that the veteran soldier is imparting to the young boy.

As Koons relates the watch’s history to 8-year-old Butch, there is a sense of sacred duty that the veteran soldier is imparting to the young boy. The monologue cuts between shots of Koons speaking, the boy listening silently, and a close-up of the watch itself. As the monologue comes to its conclusion, it’s revealed that Butch’s father had stowed the watch in his anus, then died of dysentery. Koons then hid the watch in the same manner, determined to fulfill his friend’s dying wish to the watch on to his son, Butch.

As he describes the discomfort he’s had to endure for years, Koons seemingly forgets that he is speaking to a child. Like the ing of a torch, Koons then finishes his tale and presents the gold watch to Butch, and the boy’s hand reaches out to snatch the trinket. A trip gong bell rings in the present day, as an adult Butch sits up with a gasp.

How Quentin Tarantino Shot The Pulp Fiction Gold Watch Scene

Tarantino Initially Planned To Shoot It In One Take

Despite a popular internet myth that the watch scene in Pulp Fiction was done in one take, Quentin Tarantino actually opted for several. In a 1994 interview at the Cannes Film Festival, the director shared that he wanted a specific tone for each beat of the monologue, resulting in many different pieces being brought together to make a whole. Although initially his intention was to do the whole scene in one take, Tarantino stated that later rethought the process:

I chose from among these shots according to the three stages of the story: the great grandfather’s, the grandfather’s and the father’s. And for each section there was a different connotation which corresponded to the various interpretations offered by Christopher Walken. For the great grandfather, I chose a lighthearted interpretation. For the grandfather, when he’s talking about himself on Wake Island, I made a sea-green, sort of hard tonality. For the third section, the beginning was more matter-of-fact and informative. I think that gives a very strange rhythm to the monologue.

In total, Tarantino claims that it took “13 or 14 takes” with shots of actor Christopher Walken, and “five or six” more takes that were close-ups of Walken and the little boy (via Film Comment). Although the scene has the feel of a single take because of the sinuous flow of dialogue, it took a lot of time and effort to get things just right.

Where The Pulp Fiction Prop Watch Came From

Prop Master Jonathan R. Hodges Found The Watch At An Antique Store

Because the gold watch is the focus of the scene, it was imperative to find the perfect prop to play the part. According to the Pulp Fiction prop master, Jonathan R. Hodges, it was not an easy search. The history of the watch, and the way it was written into the script, meant that historical accuracy and specifics were key. In the monologue, Koons tells Butch that the watch was made by the first company to ever make wristwatches — which means that not just any watch would do for the film.

“I knew wristwatches started becoming common in probably the late teens, early '20s and prior to that people wore pocket watches,” Hodges told the website Hodinkee in a 2021 interview. “So what I was looking for was a watch that had the basic shape of a pocket watch but could be used as a wristwatch.”

After a long search of antique stores, Hodges finally found the perfect timepiece. “The main thing that struck me was if you look at it, yes it's round and approximately the size of a wristwatch, but the little pieces on each side to run a band through [wire lugs] are like welded on. It's not crudely done as if someone did it themselves, it's obviously done by the company.” Hodges said that Bruce Willis asked for a Speidel band to be attached to the watch, and that the cost of the prop altogether was less than $50.

Why Christopher Walken's Gold Watch Monologue Is So Iconic

His Earnest Delivery Perfectly Suits Pulp Fiction's Tone

The gold watch scene in Pulp Fiction holds a special place of honor in fans' hearts, and for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is the way the tone shifts drastically from the beginning of the monologue to its end. It starts with a man speaking earnestly to a young boy about the importance of family, tradition, and sacrifice. His words carry weight and substance as young Butch listens, blank-faced yet respectful. Then as Koons goes on to describe how the watch was secretly transported, it takes an unexpectedly hilarious turn that the audience did not see coming.

Young Butch Coolidge was played by Chandler Lindauer, and Pulp Fiction is his only acting ctr3edit.

Another reason that the watch scene in Pulp Fiction works so well is partly thanks to Christopher Walken’s fantastic performance. The matter-of-fact way in which he describes the father putting the watch in his anal cavity, and then doing it himself, was a brilliant comedic choice. In one interview with THR, Walken spoke about how much he enjoyed doing the scene. “It was great. I had the speech for months. I must say in that case every time I went through that long speech, every time I got to the end, it cracked me up. It stayed funny,” Walken said.

It almost feels like Koons is purposely pausing for effect to emphasize the importance of his next words. In reality, Walken had forgotten the next line and needed a moment for his memory to catch up to him.

Even more interesting, a mistake during Walken’s speech was kept in the final cut. In one close-up shot, Koons pauses in the middle of a sentence and stares at the boy for a long while before continuing. It almost feels like Koons is purposely pausing for effect to emphasize the importance of his next words. In reality, Walken had forgotten the next line and needed a moment for his memory to catch up to him. The result is an intense moment of silence that forces the viewer to hold their breath as they wait for what comes next.

Between the cleverly written dialogue and instinctive direction, Christopher Walken's watch monologue scene remains a staple of film history. It helped not only make Pulp Fiction the film that is today but also to jumpstart Quentin Tarantino’s legendary career.