The Watches of 007

James Bond and iconic watches go together like Bond Girls and suggestive names (REF: a lesbian named Pussy Galore?). There have been many timepieces that have appeared in the 23 Bond films (24, if you count “Never Say Never”), but only a handful that are reoccurring; the Rolex Submariner, several Seiko digital models, the Omega Seamaster 300m, and Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean. The Rolex Submariner graced the first Bond Film in Dr. No (1962). For the filming, Rolex, declined to supply a watch for free, as the movie budget did not run to buying one, so co-producer Cubby Broccoli sportingly handed over for Connery’s use his own Submariner 6538. Dr. No was a hit and the Sub became Bond’s staple watch for the following six movies. The Submariner wasn’t actually selected for Bond in the books by Ian Fleming. Ian actually spoke of bond wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, but didn’t give specifics. Connery wore several different bands with the Sub, notably, the  strap used in Goldfinger which has  caused many attempted replicas. Although most think this particular strap to be black and grey, it’s actually 9 stripes consisting of dark blue, red, and olive green. Don’t worry, even Daniel Craig was fooled.With the dawn of the quartz and digital watch era of the 70’s, Roger Moore’s Bond sported several Seikos, including  a Seiko 0674, M354, H357, and G757. Means nothing to you? No worries. All you have to know is these watches came with a slew of gadgets… a ticker-tape printer, an explosive, a detonator, TV watch. Though you could get similar quartz watches for less than $30 now, at the time, these Seikos were cutting edge and quite expensive. The first quartz ever made was a Seiko Astron, and sold for $1,250 US in 1969.With the growing rise of product placement in movies, and Broccoli looking for a new, “more British” timepiece, the movie series parted ways with Rolex in the early 90’s. In 1995, the 007 franchise ushered in its partnership with Omega in the movie GoldenEye (1995). Pierce Brosnan began his Bond career wearing the  Seamaster 300m 2541.80.00 (Quartz), followed by the automatic version in his following three movies, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). The 300m followed the diver theme of the Rolex, the Seamaster is a divers watch with a host of Bond gadgets including: a laser, remote detonator, and grappling hook. Omega wasted no time creating limited edition 007 versions of the Seamaster 300m. Daniel Craig made the transition away from the gadget-filled Seamaster 300m to the most recent Bond watch, the Seamaster Planet Ocean, in his first Bond film, Casino Royale (2006). Though Q didn’t advertise this watch with any gadgets, the watch got considerable screen time.

Several other watches have made appearances in the series, including the Hamilton Pulsar P2, Breitling Navitimer and Top Time, the Rolex Chronograph, and most recently, the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra.

As you would expect, the older the watch, the harder it is to come by. My first Bond movie was GoldenEye. I watched it countless times and wasted way too many hours playing the N64 game. The bond watch I had to buy was the Seamaster 300m. I picked up the automatic version (since they used a quartz in GoldenEye). I figured, if you are going to go with something as iconic as an Omega Seamaster, it shouldn’t have a tiny Energizer battery inside. I know that I’m not alone in loving what Bond has; he’s a trendsetter. People want to drive what he drives, drink what he drinks, and wear what he wears. I look forward to seeing what the upcoming movie brings.