Watch bonding
“Q” may do his best to keep 007 in fast cars and cool gadgets, but the legendary spy’s timepieces have always signaled his distinctly independent and personal style.
Perpetually impeccably dressed, Bond knows his way around timepieces. 3He has worn Rolex, Hamilton, Seiko and Breitling watches, and, for the last decade, Omega has exclusively been 007’s timepiece of choice. No matter where his adventures lead him, Bond can be relied upon to arrive in style, accessorized within an inch of his about-to-be-threatened life.
Rolex is a star in the early James Bond movies
Bond first appears wearing a Rolex in the film Dr. No. Sean Connery wears a time – only Submariner to battle the infamous villain who is intent on destroying the US Space program. Rumors have swirled about the Submariner’s origins in Bond films: some believe the Dr. No watch was Connery’s personal timepiece, while others speculate it belonged to Ian Fleming, who wrote a Rolex into the plot of Casino Royale.
The Submariner Ref. 6538 also appears in From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. While the Submariner also plays a part in 1965’s Thunderball, it is joined by a Breitling Top Time equipped with a Geiger counter. In George Lazenby’s single appearance as Bond, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, he wears both a Rolex Submariner and a Rolex (pre-Daytona) chronograph, reference 6238.
Roger Moore wears high tech watches worn by Hamilton and Seiko
Quartz watches first appear in Live and Let Die, where Bond, now played by Roger Moore, wears a Hamilton Pulsar with red digital display. From 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me through 1985’s A View to a Kill Seiko timepieces with all sorts of functions designed by Q — from homing devices to live video feed — take center stage, although Bond’s trustworthy Submariner appears occasionally.
Omega Watches in Bond films
1995’s GoldenEye ushers in the era of Omega for her majesty’s most faithful servant, and the character has remained faithful to the brand ever since, sporting mostly versions of the Seamaster, (one with a handy, detachable charge detonated by turning the dial) during Pierce Brosnan’s reign as Bond, and continuing with Daniel Craig’s 007, who made his debut in 2006 wearing both a Planet Ocean and a Seamaster Diver 300M
In 2008’s Quantum of Solace, Bond turns to the 600M Seamaster Planet Ocean, with a water resistance of 600 meters. Skyfall sees the reappearance of the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M, this time in a lighter-weight titanium, fitted with the caliber 8500 movement.
It the latest Bond film, Spectre, released in 2015, Bond wears a special edition Omega Seamaster 300 Spectre, with a retro dial design inspired by a 1960’s version of the watch, a nod to the re-introduction of the classic ‘60s villain. The watch’s striped fabric NATO strap is also a nod to the past.
What’s next for Bond? Only time will tell.
UPDATE: Revolution magazine just wrote a LIVE AND LET DIE: SIR ROGER MOORE about Sir Roger Moore who just passed away. R.I.P. 007
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