James Bond, much like his creator Ian Fleming, has a great fondness for timepieces.
From the early Sean Connery films where 007 would sport a Rolex (also Fleming’s watch of choice) to the more recent Daniel Craig movies where he would wear Omega, the world’s most famous secret agent is as synonymous with what he wears as he is killing various assortments of bad guys.
In between, 007 has been wearing everything from a sporty Seiko to elegant TAG Heuer’s, befitting changes in taste and the different takes on the character.
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It remains to be seen if the next James Bond will continue the series’ long relationship with Omega or pivot to something else but in the meantime, here is each 007’s most iconic timepiece.
Rolex Submariner
The first piece to be closely associated with James Bond, Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner in Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. Unlike later pieces, the Submariner was not part of any marketing deal between the producers and a watch manufacturer.
The watch undergoes some subtle changes throughout its three appearances in the franchise. In Dr. No, the Rolex has a brown strap but by the time of Goldfinger, Bond wears it with a nylon strap. The Submariner was a seamless choice for Connery’s portrayal of Bond in that it’s timeless in design and style, relatively subtle and befitting a naval commander.
Rolex Chronograph
When George Lazenby was angling to replace Sean Connery as James Bond, he famously went to the same barber and tailor as the iconic Scotsman. When he did finally win the role and become the second 007, he didn’t change much up in the watch department either, wearing two Rolexes in his only Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The most notable of these is the Rolex Chronograph in the pre-Daytona style. In the film, Bond wears the watch when he goes undercover as a genealogist to infiltrate Blofeld’s compound in the Alps. It still stands as one of the few times 007 can be seen wearing an analogue watch. The piece, after it was sold off at the end of production, did come to market in 2003, selling for more than £20,000.
Seiko M354 Memory Bank Calendar
A sign of the times and the James Bond franchise in general, midway through Roger Moore’s tenure as Bond, the producers switched to dressing 007 in Seiko watches as the series grew more high-tech and action orientated.
The most famous piece from the Bond-Seiko partnership is undoubtedly the M354 Memory Bank Calendar that appears in Moonraker. Undoubtedly the most digital watch Bond had worn up to this point, what 007 wore on his wrist was also becoming a larger part of the plot as they were often doubling as gadgets. In Moonraker, the Seiko is fitted with an explosive device and plays an important role in Bond’s escape from Hugo Drax’s launch pad.
TAG Heuer Professional Night Diver
As Bond was moved back in a more serious direction with Timothy Dalton in the lead role, a fitting choice for the Welsh actor was the TAG Heuer Professional Night Diver. Only featured in The Living Daylights before the Rolex Submariner had a swansong in License to Kill, the Night Diver is not seen prominently in the film but is a perfect example the thought that goes into Bond’s wardrobe and how a watch can reflect a character.
Best seen in the opening sequence with Bond on top of a Land Rover, the watch glows in sunlight, the model was later re-released by TAG in 2021.
Omega Seamaster Professional 300M
The Omega era started with Pierce Brosnan and 1995’s GoldenEye and has continued ever since. In his first outing as Bond, Brosnan sports a beautiful Omega Seamaster with a blue dial. Exclusively for James Bond and not the normal consumer is the laser beam which comes in very handy during the film’s climax.
Brosnan would continue to wear Seamaster’s for his other three Bond films and each time they would be equipped with special add on’s including a grappling hook and detonation device.
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean
Like his predecessor, Daniel Craig exclusively wore variations of the Omega Seamaster during his run as James Bond. Also like Brosnan, he wears a Professional 300M during Casino Royale‘s dramatic poker sequence. But in the film’s many action scenes, Craig’s Bond can be seen wearing a Seamaster Planet Ocean, which was only released by Omega in 2005.
The film was the perfect showcase for the watch as Bond duels in hand-to-hand combat many times throughout Casino Royale including in the now iconic free running sequence. A different, slightly smaller version of the Planet Ocean would also feature in Quantum of Solace and the watch would also return later on in Skyfall and Spectre.
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