Great thread thanks!
I never knew that the Bond watch used to be a Rolex. As somebody who is not knowledgable about watches, I associate Bond with Omega as much as I do with Aston Martin.
It's the same thing with the cars; Bond didn't have an Aston in the first film.
Great thread, a lot of useful info put together, thank you, pals!
But, talking seriously, Bond is a fiction, so are all his watches, no matter in the books, or in the movies. You may hate me for this, but that's the reality...
I think you'll find most posters,if not all, are referring to the several film incarnations of the fictional character and the watches worn in those films by the actors portraying James Bond (an obviously fictional character although possibly based on an amalgam of several people the author Ian Fleming encountered while with the Naval Intelligence Division during WW2)
Just saying
Last edited by patrick; 17th February 2014 at 21:03.
I'm pretty certain that it was about the watches worn in the fictional world of the books and specifically an argument based on historical and textual evidence.
Since when has being a fictional world meant that there could not be facts of the matter within that fictional world? When you take all the facts of the matter in the books you are left with precisely one watch that could fit them all. When Conan Doyle said the Holmes lived at 221B Baker Street, the fact that no such place actually exists in London, does not change the fact of the matter within the book. However, to discover that Fleming owned and wore precisely the watch that textual analysis implies he placed on the wrist of Bond, just as he originally gave him the same gun as he was issued, rank as he had and so on, is pretty suggestive circumstantial evidence.Great thread, a lot of useful info put together, thank you, pals!
But, talking seriously, Bond is a fiction, so are all his watches, no matter in the books, or in the movies. You may hate me for this, but that's the reality...
I was never suggesting that Bond's watch was real, merely that there is a lot of textual and circumstantial evidence that Fleming was imagining a specific watch onto the wrist of his hero and that it was the watch that he himself wore. This watch does exist.
One of the most interesting threads on any forum i've read in a while :)
Any idea which seikos bond was wearing , apparently he wore a SEIKO in 4 of the films ?
I just googled it for you
http://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/tags/seiko
mike
This thread was brilliant....love the fact that Bond wore a Submariner.
surely as a fictional character he wore a fictional watch?
....runs and hides....
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
Dont forget Lazenby and Dalton wore subs too!
Of course not. I even have the real fictional text to prove it.
You probably missed the ad in SC, but I was straight in there. There was fictional provenance and even a photograph or two:‘He’s mocking us’. Bond’s flat interjection brought the meeting to a sudden silence. ‘We don’t even know if he is a he’, M replied, with weary patience, her hands unconsciously plucking at the Tiffany pearls at her neck. Bond noted the tell with irritation but conceded the point. ‘So’, Bond continued drily, ‘our friends in Cheltenham have made no progress; what about The Company? ‘Langley?’ M snorted, ‘given the situation, Langley don’t trust us to wipe our own…’ Bond coughed pointedly, his eyes flashing dangerously.
M turned her head and inspected Bond: Bond ignored her, peeling back the immaculate sleeve of his slate alpaca Tunbull & Asser suit to pointedly glance at his watch. Q glared at Bond’s vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual in irritation. A secret agent really couldn’t afford these affectations and it struck her that it was suddenly proving that Bond was not nearly secret enough.
‘Go over it again’, she asked softly. Bond paused for a moment before reciting curtly: ‘May fifteenth, the first leak. No one even noticed until Mossad kindlypointed it out. Bond grimaced. ‘How they knew about the affair in Egypt at all is another question. The next leak mentioned Markov by name and suddenly things got rather busy. At that point, the Yanks were little more than amused, but the most recent breach outed that bloody…’ ‘Officially,’ M stated sharply, cutting Bond off, ‘Bourne does not exist’. ‘Neither does Markov,’ Bond observed, rubbing the stitches ruefully.
‘Q, tell us about this…’, M hesitated, as if searching for the right word, ‘…this forum’. Startled, Q glanced up from his glossy Alienware laptop, ‘they talk about watches Ma’am’. ‘Watches? is that all?’ M asked incredulously. ‘Actually,’ Bond interjected; 'it can get damn interesting sometimes’. M and Q both turned slowly to stare at Bond. Bond flopped back in his chair, his hands spread palm up in mock surrender, an ironic smile playing on his cruel lips...
He even kindly sent me a close up of the expanding Rolex bracelet to show that he hadn't damaged it too badly when he used it as an
imaginary knuckle duster in an imaginary fight.
Mind you, as you'd imagine, when I finally got the imaginary watch, I discovered to my horror that it wasn't real:
and that, when you actually looked in the case, it was really an Omega. I tell you, product placement is ruining fiction.
He (Connery)also wore a brietling in thunderball which turned up at a car boot sale and was sold at auction for a lot of cash
Nice thread
As a youngster I recall that Peter Sellers (as JB) wore a GMT that showed Ursula Andress in the bath..... several years later I bought one which I've been using for the last 31 years. Sadly I've still not found that function
Fascinating thread
So Bond basically 'flipped'!
I just discovered this 7 year old gem, great read!
Wish the Bond series returned to Rolex, where it belongs in my heart..
The third watch at the end of SPECTRE (dont blink you will miss it) has been confirmed as a Omega Chronograph with Caliber 321 from the mid-1960s. The exact model reference number is ST 101.010
James bond lifestyle managed to get hold of the final scene's wardrobe / costume production sheet where the model is confirmed:
Having read the novels several times and doing a bit of research I am confident to say Fleming's point was mainly stating that Bond has to wear a Rolex and not other watch.
He even equipped his antagonist Grant in FRWL with a Girard-Perregaux. You are reading about the watch described in details - just realize the watch didn't exist.
I bought a sub date 20 years ago purely because of 007
So for me although he wore many watches
I always think of JB wearing a Rolex and only a Rolex
I always had Bond as Rolex, and franchise Bond the highest bidder.
Great thread, an epic education.
But which watch will she wear next film?
I'm sure he has a collection of watches. But, even knowing this fact, I always associated Bond with Rolex and only Rolex.
Actually, Bond was wearing a 9k gold black dial Smiths Imperial when we crossed paths in the spa at the Danubius Hotel Gellért in Budapest late September of 1960. We were both enjoying the view as four young Hungarian lovelies were practicing their springboard dives. James took note of my 6538 and asked to try it on. The bracelet was too snug for him to fully close but he admired it nonetheless, saying he didn't care much for bracelets. He asked if I might be interested in a trade, but I chuckled and replied that he would need to tickle my fancy quite a bit more than with his Imperial. James gave me a wry grin, tossed down what was left of his vodka martini, and raised his bath towel ever so slightly to give me just a glimpse of a "well-used" Walther PPK. I extended my hand and we shook on it!