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MI6 explores the history of James Bond's watches
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Submariner...
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Q Branch - Watches
4th November 2004
| Ever since Sean Connery first brought 007
to the silver screen in 1962's Dr. No, his Rolex
has faithfully accompanied him on well over half of his
screen adventures.
In fact, in only 9 films has Bond been without a Rolex.
Throughout his time as 007, Connery was equipped with the
Rolex Submariner, which has just celebrated its 50th anniversary
this year.
50 Years And Going Strong
Designed with the help of professional divers and with
water sports in mind, the Rolex Submariner set the standard
of watches to come. The Rolex Submariner pioneered the calibrated
bezel - used to record and show at a glance a diver's decompression
time. |
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Above: The original Rolex Submariner
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During the original development of the Submariner, the watch
went through several name changes. The early engineers referred
to their new product as the Frogman, but other considered titles
for Rolex's new "toy" were "Deep-Sea Special" or the
"Nautilus". At the last moment, before mass-production,
the new Rolex was given the name that lived on for 50 years -
Submariner.
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The
original Submariner, worn by Sean Connery, George Lazenby,
Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore, held many of the features
still used today. |
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| A New Look
Originally the watch operated at up to 100 metres, but
in 1973 the watch was redesigned and was built to withstand
the pressure of being up to 300 metres below sea level.
007's watch of choice was redesigned again in 2003. The
new Submariner was carved from stainless steel and the workings
were housed in a Rolex designed pressure-sealed compartment
known as the Oyster.
The watch came out of the workshop with a stylish black
dial and green bezel as well as the standard features, seen
in the original model.
Right: The 2003 edition Submariner. |
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Not The Only Star
The Submariner is not the only star of the Bond series, watch-wise.
Roger Moore was seen on screen in five outings with a rival on
his wrist. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For
Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and A View to a Kill,
Moore sported a Seiko.
With the Bond of the 90's, Pierce Brosnan, came the watch of
the 90's - the Omega Seamaster. Like the latest Submariner, Brosnan's
watch was also crafted out of stainless steal, featuring a self-winding
mechanism and a date well. The Bond franchise struck up a deal
with Omega that let them proclaim themselves as the watch of James
Bond, or "Pierce Brosnan's Choice". Mr. Brosnan, throughout his
four appearances as Bond, faithfully wore the new Seamaster on
his wrist.
I've Had A Few Optional Extras Installed
Right from the word "go", well right from the word, Thunderball,
Q's stylish and sophisticated watches have assisted Bond. In the
fourth picture Sean Connery is armed with a watch with a built-in
Geiger counter.
Roger continued in true style supporting yet another Submariner
that doubled as mini-buzz saw and an extremely powerful magnet
in Live And Let Die. For the next few films, Seiko manufactured
Roger's gadget-packed time devices. These watches were all digital,
moving away from the traditional analogue style. The Seiko's held
everything from Ticker Tape transmission printouts in The
Spy Who Loved Me, to more destructive devices such as the
detonator watch from Moonraker.
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Dalton's watches provided the transition
back to the analogue style, and back with a Bond favourite
the Submariner.
Q-Branch didn't have a hand in Timothy's time devices as
he portrayed a harder edge 007, relying on wits and a PPK
and leaving the deadly watches at home.
1989, and Licence to Kill, marked the last time
007 was seen supporting arguably his favourite watch, the
classic Rolex Submariner.
Left: The updated version of the Submariner |
| With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan to the
Bond scene, his Omega Seamaster was always tinkered with
by the MI6 gadget-master, Q.
Bond's "wrist accessory" was made to cut through metal
with a built in laser, light up a small room at the press
of a button, became yet another explosive device, or even
have a piton wire cleverly built to get 007 out of tricky
situations. |
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All in all, the watches of James Bond provide some of the favourite
fan gadgets throughout the series. With 11 Bond films under its
strap, the Submariner is still the classic, stylish and practical
piece of engineering it was 50 years ago.
| The James Bond Watches
| Dr. No |
Rolex Submariner |
| From Russia With Love |
Rolex Submariner |
| Goldfinger |
Rolex Submariner |
| Thunderball |
Rolex
Submariner |
| You Only Live Twice |
Rolex Submariner |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service |
Rolex Submariner |
| Diamonds Are Forever |
Rolex Submariner |
| Live And Let Die |
Rolex
Submariner |
| The Man With The Golden Gun |
Rolex Submariner |
| The Spy Who Loved Me |
Seiko |
| Moonraker |
Seiko |
| For Your Eyes Only |
Seiko |
| Octopussy |
Seiko |
| A View To A Kill |
Seiko |
| The Living Daylights |
Rolex Submariner |
| Licence To Kill |
Rolex Submariner |
| GoldenEye |
Omega
Seamaster |
| Tomorrow Never Dies |
Omega
Seamaster |
| The World Is Not Enough |
Omega
Seamaster |
| Die Another Day |
Omega Seamaster |
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