He bought the cast and crew, all 450 of them, expensive watches when the show wrapped. Many of them were even made of gold. All in all it totaled just about $2 million for such a generous gift.
He was a bit of a recluse with an interest in watches, which is why one of his best friends became a watchmaker for Kobold Expedition Tools out of Pittsburgh. When the young man hand delivered the watches to Gandolfini, they instantly clicked with a similar sense of humor.
He was one of the only friends Gandolfini made from before he became famous—a rule that he only made the one exception for. They spent plenty of dinners, trips around New York and weekends together. Kobold eventually spoke on behalf of Gandolfini after his death.
