Happy James Bond Day! The date of the premiere of Dr. No some 64 years ago, October 5 is a celebration of everything 007.
And here at Something About Rocks, we are looking at the watches of James Bond’s villains. Everybody knows about Bond’s watches. The Rolex’s of Sean Connery, the digital models of the Roger Moore era and Omega’s now synonymous association with the character of supplying both Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig with Seamaster’s over the last 30 years.
But the villains? Not so much. Below, we have spotlighted some of the best villains to cross paths with 007 and take a deep dive into just what they wear on their wrists while planning world domination.
Rolex Cellini King Midas – Scaramanga
Inspired by the Ancient Greeks and designed by the legendary Gerald Genta, the Cellini King Midas almost resembles a piece of gold bullion, which would have made it perfect for Goldfinger but alas, it is worn by the world’s best assassin, Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun.The watch is featured prominently throughout the film given how many shots there are of Christopher Lee holding a gun and it’s a piece that accurately reflects the often extravagant personalities of Bond villains.
Longines Evidenza – Le Chiffre
While Bond is firmly in his Omega era by the time of Casino Royale, the film’s villain, Le Chiffre, opts for a Longines Evidenza with a chronograph function. Noted for its unusual rectangular shape, the watch is clearly seen during the climactic poker scenes in which Bond defeats Le Chiffre, bankrupting the financier. Like Omega, Longines is under the Swatch umbrella and their watches later pop up in Skyfall.
Rado D-Star – Mr Hinx
A left-field choice for Dave Bautista’s hulking yet silent henchman, the Rado D-Star gets the limelight during arguably the film’s most famous scene – when Mr Hinx squeezes out another human being’s eyeballs with his thumbs. A large watch and made out of ceramic but made to look like metal, it’s a piece befitting the muscularity of its wearer.
Tissot T-Touch – Miranda Frost
The rare watch to feature in James Bond that sits on the affordable end of things, the Tissot T-Touch is a functional piece with a unique touch screen feature which allows the wearer to access features such as a compass, thermometer and altimeter – basically the closest thing to an Apple Watch in 2002. In Die Another Day, the watch is worn by Rosamund Pike’s Miranda Frost, the MI6 spy who betrays Bond to Gustav Graves with the watch seen during her fight with Halle Berry’s Jinx.
Omega Seamaster – Alec Trevelyan
Yes, the exact same watch as what James Bond wears throughout GoldenEye but with one very noticeable difference – the strap. Bond’s Seamaster is worn on a metal bracelet while friend turned foe Alec Trevelyan has a rubber strap. The only Bond film where the villain has the same watch as 007, the choice seems to suggest that the Seamaster is standard MI6 issue given the world’s favourite super spy is still wearing it decades later.
Like this? Pierce Brosnan’s best watches: From James Bond’s Omega to his own vintage Cartier
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