The watch - one of many gadget-packed models that would be assigned to Agent 007 by Q, his put-upon weapons maker and supplier - was a chronograph with two subdials, applied baton hour markers, and a tachymeter scale surrounding the black dial. 2002) is equipped with a built-in Geiger counter that Bond uses to track a cache of stolen nuclear missiles that his enemy has hidden underwater. The Breitling Top Time model that Bond wears in the film (a modified Ref. Read more about the GMT-Master and its history here.Ĭonnery wears his Submariner once again in the fourth movie, Thunderball (1965), but at one point swaps it out with another watch made (and recently re-introduced, below) by Breitling. This Submariner is notable for its oversized 8mm “Big Crown” and its aluminum bezel insert with red triangle marker.Īs a side note, lest I be remiss in emphasizing the importance of Goldfinger in not only the Bond cinematic canon but in Rolex marketing history, the movie also featured another Rolex, this one a “Pepsi-bezel” GMT-Master model worn on the wrist of actress Honor Blackman her character’s suggestive name, Pussy Galore, remains one of the enduring nicknames for that watch. No, the Sub was mounted on a brown leather strap in Goldfinger, the same watch (presumably) was attached to a notably thin, striped nylon NATO strap. As a former naval officer who often found himself in underwater danger, a Submariner certainly made sense as Bond’s go-to timepiece. No, From Russia with Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964). Connery wore the watch - which, in those halcyon days predating the era of widespread product placement, may have been from the actor’s personal collection - in his starring role in the first three movies: Dr. 6538, still referred to as “the James Bond Rolex” or the “James Bond Submariner” in the modern era. It wasn’t an Explorer on Connery’s wrist, however, but a Rolex Submariner, Ref. No, became the first Bond movie in 1962, introducing Scottish actor Sean Connery as the original (and to many still the definitive) version of James Bond, the producers adhered to Fleming’s version of Agent 007 as a Rolex wearer. Moonraker’s Hugo Drax wore “a plain gold Patek Philippe with a black leather strap,” Thunderball’s Giuseppe Petachi sported a “solid gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer on a flexible gold bracelet,” and Soviet assassin Donovan “Red Grant,” primary antagonist in From Russia with Love, was introduced with a “bulky gold wristwatch on a well-used brown crocodile strap… a Girard-Perregaux model… a sweep-second hand and two little windows in the face to tell the day of the month, and the month, and the phase of the moon.” Apparently, Bond’s villains were more into ostentatious gold timepieces than 007 himself. As an interesting side note, Fleming was not at all shy about name-checking other watches on other characters throughout the series, including those worn by Bond’s enemies. 1016 the “official” first watch of James Bond. In descriptive passages about the watch throughout the series, Fleming lets readers know that it is made of stainless steel, has an “expanding bracelet,” and a dial with “big phosphorus numerals.” The prevailing thought today is that Fleming was simply writing about his own Rolex, the one he knew, thus making the Rolex Explorer Ref. On the relatively rare instances in which Fleming (below) refers to Bond’s watch in print, he establishes that it is a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, albeit never mentioning a model name (and certainly not a reference number). Ian Fleming, Bond’s creator and the writer of the original novels that inspired the long-running movie series, was known to wear a Rolex Explorer, specifically Reference 1016. ![]() The speculation over what wristwatch James Bond would or should wear on his demanding missions is one that predated even the first movie, 1962’s Dr. ![]() 6538 Thunderball (1965) - Breitling Top Time You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Gruen 510 Precision No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964) - Rolex Submariner Ref. ![]() From Connery to Craig, from Rolex to Seiko to Omega, and with other iconic actors and notable timepieces in between, here is the complete guide to the eclectic watches worn throughout 50+ years of James Bond movies. James Bond has been a pop culture icon for more than half a century and his watches have been a subject of intense discussion, debate, and speculation for nearly as long. 0% interest for up to 24 months available on select brands.
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