The Watches of James Bond

James Bond might still be the badass secret agent, but one thing that has evolved is what he wears on his wrist. In the books, the only watch Ian Fleming mentioned was Rolex. These were the days when Rolex was the only watch for the sophisticated young men of the world.

Since Fleming’s death, filmmakers have changed this and given 007 a range of impressive timepieces.

The Earliest Watches (1962-1974)

The producers of the initial films stayed true to the books by only having Sean Connery’s James Bond wearing Rolex. This applied to the first five films.

The Submariner was the most noticeable watch to begin with. These watches did not have any Crown Guards, so they looked different from the Rolex’s of today. In Dr No, Bond wore the Submariner and it worked because it carried a rugged style to it. 

Bond could use it while exercising and the lack of flash meant it could be convincingly worn in a crowd without standing out.

In Goldfinger, Bond changed the original brown leather strap to a NATO-style strap. This was a decision critics wonder about because it simply did not fit the man.

Moving Away from the Rolex (1977-1989)

The Rolex managed to remain for Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. It was Roger Moore who moved away from Fleming’s original image of Bond. He wore Seiko watches for the majority of his time as Bond.

The purists hated this move. Regardless of the critics, these were impressive timepieces nonetheless. This was the period where watches became gadgets, producing such technological masterpieces as lasers and buzz-saws.

During the Seiko years, mechanical movements faded in accordance with the watch industry’s quartz craze.

Omega Takeover (1995-Present)

Traditionalists say that moving away from the Rolex was a disgrace. Some people argue that the Rolex is what Fleming chose, but Bond would have chosen an Omega. This has been the case since 1995’s Goldeneye. James Bond has stuck to the Omega brand ever since.

If we look at a promotional still from 2012’s Skyfall, we can see Bond sporting a reliably crafted Omega Planet Ocean. These sophisticated watches stand out for their quality craftsmanship while easily fitting in with Bond’s classy, sleek look.

The Seamaster is the watch all the modern Bonds use. Since Goldeneye, this has been a variation. Brosnan’s incarnation of the secret agent wielded a Seamaster 300M. It had a blue face and blue bezel.

It also came with a number of enhancements, such as a laser beam and a remote bomb detonator.

Daniel Craig’s Bond has gone backwards when it comes to enhancements from Q, so the watch has not been a central part of the film. Eagle-eyed watch enthusiasts would have seen that Craig prefers the Seamaster Planet Ocean with a black face and matching bezel.

It works well for his portrayal of the character as rugged and utterly masculine.

What Does Spectre Bring?

Spectre offers us something slightly different. The 2015 version of Bond sees Craig introducing an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra.

Plainly, we can see that the Aqua Terra comes with a less rugged and slimmer look. It is a far more elegant design, but what makes it pop out of the screen is the blue dial complete with yellow accents.

It’s Omega’s latest innovation as it comes with the Master Co-Axial calibre 8507 movement. In basic English, this means it can resist magnetic fields stronger than 15,007 gauss.

As you can see, Bond has evolved considerably over the years. However well the films are received, we know for sure that 007 will sport only the very best when it comes to watches.

Article Source – http://www.ticwatches.co.uk/infographics-james-bond-watches : The Watches of Bond Infographic by Tic Watches