James Bond and his wristwatches - a journey through half a century

When producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman began shooting the first Bond film, " Dr. No, " in January 1962, they had no idea what an enormous success it would be and what influence the world's most famous secret agent would have on an entire society for generations to come. James Bond, the man who must save the world from chaos and disaster, wearing a perfectly tailored suit, orders a shaken vodka martini shortly beforehand and, after a successful mission, enjoys victory with one of the countless attractive Bond girls.

The BOND myth begins – IAN FLEMING and his 007

James Bond, the original character created by author Ian Fleming (first published in 1953), is a World War II veteran whose path to becoming a double-zero agent is paved through his work with naval intelligence. The Bond of the early films, however, probably has a similar background, but is too young to have actually served in a significant role during World War II. In the film "Casino Royale" (2006), the 007 producers adapted the character and his biography to the post-Cold War era. Secret agent James Bond lives in a comfortable apartment in a Regency house near King's Road in the London district of Chelsea. On the ground floor is the living room, full of bookshelves, and a magnificent Empire-style secretary stands next to a large window. His bedroom is upstairs. 007's apartment is briefly shown in two films:

In “Dr. No” (1962), the apartment has a magnificent entrance hall, and Bond already owns a television, which was rare at the time. In “Live and Let Die” (1973), eleven years later, Bond lives in a modern apartment with an open-plan living/sleeping area and an ultra-modern kitchen including an espresso machine. James Bond has a penchant for good food and select drinks. In the course of his missions, he has ordered the famous Taittinger Blanc de Blancs Crut 1943 (probably the best champagne in the world), Dom Perignon 1946, and in the film “ From Russia with Love ” (1963), his excellent knowledge of wine saved him when he realized that Captain Nash, who ordered red wine with his fish, could not possibly be a British agent. In " Diamonds Are Forever " (1971), he identifies the fake sommelier as the killer, Mr. Kidd, because the latter doesn't know that Cháteau Mouton-Rothschild (Bond's favorite wine) is a Bordeaux wine. In addition to exquisite taste in fine food, select drinks, fast cars, and beautiful women, it is, of course, the wristwatches that accompany Bond and his audience on every adventure. Therefore, we would like to briefly introduce you to the watches worn by 007, as well as those of his companions and enemies. Be inspired and discover old memories and information that were new to you until today on this journey through almost 50 years of James Bond 007 – the focus, of course, is on the various timepieces…

JAMES BOND – AHEAD OF HIS TIME

Breitling

In the film " Thunderball " (1965), 007 is forced to travel to the Bahamas. Shortly after his arrival, Q (MI6's weapons and gadgets supplier) presents him with a modified BREITLING TOP TIME watch with a built-in Geiger counter. In the film, the second hand measures radiation, allowing Bond to discreetly check whether he is near the hijacked nuclear weapons used by the villain Emilio Largo and the Phantom organization to blackmail the world. Another BREITLING ( NAVITIMER Ref. 806) is worn by Domino's brother in " Thunderball . "

Cartier

In " Diamonds Are Forever " (1971), the talented diamond smuggler Tiffany Case wears a square CARTIER watch with a black leather strap (presumably a CARTIER TANK ). While it's unclear which watch Case wears on screen, Bond author Fleming accessorized it appropriately in his novel.

Longines

In "Casino Royale" (2006), a LONGINES EVIDENZA CHRONOGRAPH Ref. L26564536 is visible on the wrist of Bond villain Le Chiffre. The banker has a penchant for the finer things in life and finances this, among other things, through deals with terrorists. The watch can be seen at a Texas Hold'em poker tournament at the Casino Royal in Montenegro, in which 007 also participates, although an Audemars Piguet, Franck Muller , or Ulysse Nardin would certainly have been equally suitable here.

omega

Ever since Pierce Brosnan slipped into the role of the British secret agent in " Goldeneye " (1995), the watch on his wrist has also changed. In the aforementioned film, 007 uses a laser on his OMEGA SEAMASTER 300M DIVER QUARTZ to cut a hole in the floor of a train belonging to ex-MI6 agent 006 Alex Trevylan. In Cuba, Bond's watch is finally confiscated from Bond by Trevylan. By pressing the watch's helium release valve, he defuses two limpet mines planted by Bond. In the following film, " Tomorrow Never Dies " (1997), Bond flies to Hamburg in a hand-wound OMEGA SEAMASTER 300M DIVER . Upon arriving at the airport, he checks into the famous "Atlantic" hotel in his 750 BMW. On this mission, he must put a stop to the media mogul Elliot Carver. During the mission, he exchanges the watch in “Wai Lin’s Bicycle Shop” for a modified version from the Chinese secret service.

In “ The World Is Not Enough ” (1999), Bond activates LEDs on the dial of his SEAMASTER by pressing the screw-down OMEGA crown. This illuminates the inside of his inflatable ski jacket, in which he is buried under an avalanche with Elektra King. Brosnan also used the helium valve on his OMEGA as a detonator in his final mission, “ Die Another Day ” (2002), when 007 puts him in C4 explosives and hides him under diamonds in the smuggler Van Bierk’s briefcase. On Colonel Moon’s compound, a turn of the watch bezel causes the C4 to explode. After his release from North Korea, he finally receives a new watch from Q – his 20th, as becomes clear in this film. In “ Casino Royale ” (2006), not only did the lead actor change with Daniel Craig, but the entire story of the character James Bond essentially starts again from the beginning.

At the beginning of the film, Bond wears a black OMEGA SEAMASTER CO-AXIAL PLANET OCEAN and later an OMEGA SEAMASTER 300M DIVER. When Quantum of Solace was released in 2008, Bond wore a black OMEGA SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN . To coincide with the film's release, OMEGA also launched the SEAMASTER DIVER 300M JAMES BOND 007 COLLECTOR'S PIECE CO-AXIAL with a black dial, 41 millimeters in diameter, and the 007 logo at the end of the seconds hand.

To coincide with “ Skyfall ” (2012), OMEGA released the limited edition SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN SKYFALL with the reference number 232.30.42.21.01.004. The 007 logo can be found on the dial at the seven o'clock position and on the stainless steel clasp. The glass sapphire case back also allows a view of the movement and the rotor engraved with “ Skyfall 007 ”. The original model worn by Daniel Craig in Skyfall was auctioned by Christie's after filming. This was the SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN 600M TITANIUM. The model was a special edition and is otherwise only available in stainless steel. It is therefore not surprising that the 42-millimeter titanium watch fetched the equivalent of 194,000 euros.

In the last 007 adventure “ Spectre ” (2015), the secret agent presents himself with the OMEGA SEAMASTER AQUA TERRA 150M , James Bond Limited Edition with yellow dial elements – as a special tribute to the famous secret agent, the watch is immune to magnetism of more than 15,007 gauss.

Patek Philippe

In " Moonraker , " Bond's antagonist Hugo Drax has a vision of using a chemical weapon to kill all of humanity and then hiding in space with a group of "perfect" men and women, later building a new civilization. Besides his plans to conquer the world, Drax is certainly interested in the finer things in life, including classical music and art, and enjoys living in a French chateau. In Fleming's novel, Drax wears a simple gold PATEK PHILIPPE. We're guessing it's a CALATRAVA .

Rolex

Ian Fleming describes to readers in his novels exactly what the secret agent's watch looks like - here it is a heavy "ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL" . In the first filmed Bond adventure " Dr. No " (1962) Sean Connery aka 007 wears a ROLEX SUBMARINER , although at that time it did not have any additional functions. This was also the case in " From Russia with Love " (1963) and in " Goldfinger " (1964). Here, however, the watch can be seen in the prequel with the famous NATO strap, when Bond shines a lighter on it. The beautiful Pussy Galore, as the Goldfinger pilot and Bond girl, also wears a ROLEX , namely a GMT MASTER Ref. 6542.

In " On Her Majesty's Secret Service " (1969), Bond wears a ROLEX SUBMARINER with an Oyster bracelet and his first Rolex chronograph (pre- DAYTONA ) . In the film " Live and Let Die " (1973), his ROLEX SUBMARINER is equipped with what are probably the most remarkable functions of the time. By pulling out the crown or turning the rotating 60-minute bezel, the watch can generate a strong magnetic field. According to Q, this could even stop bullets. At the beginning of the film, Miss Moneypenny delivers Bond's freshly repaired watch to his home before Bond begins his mission to investigate the deaths of three British agents. Later, we find Bond tied up and hanging over a shark tank. With the help of his ROLEX and the built-in saw, he is able to cut his bonds and overpower his opponent Dr. Kananga.

In 1974, Roger Moore wore a Rolex Submariner 5513 in " The Man with the Golden Gun ," while his antagonist Francisco Scaramanga wore a Rolex Cellini King Midas. Although Seiko became a new sponsor in 1977, Roger Moore briefly wore a two-tone Rolex Datejust with a Jubilee bracelet in " A View to a Kill ." In " Licence to Kill, " 007 was seen again wearing a Rolex Submariner, before OMEGA and Pierce Brosnan took over.

Seiko

James Bond wears a SEIKO watch on his wrist in five different missions. In “ The Spy Who Loved Me ” (1977) it is a SEIKO 0674, which can receive a text message and print it on embossed tape. In “ Moonraker – Top Secret ” (1979) it is a SEIKO DIGITAL LC M354 MOMORY BANK CALENDAR that accompanies 007 on his mission. The back of the watch has a detonating cable incorporated into it. 007 uses the cable to free himself from the fiery shaft of the Moonraker shuttle. In “For Your Eyes Only ” (1981) Bond is equipped with a SEIKO H357 DIGITAL ANALOG ALARM with an LED display for ongoing text messages and an integrated radio. In " Octopussy " (1983), it's a SEIKO G757 SPORTS 100 with a radio direction finder that helps him track the fake Fabergé egg. Toward the end of the mission, he wears a color model of the SEIKO Liquid Crystal TV watch, on which he can view the footage from Q's video camera installed in a hot air balloon. Bond's SEIKO watch in " A View to a Kill " (1985) has no special functions.

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