55 years is a long time for a film franchise.
Since Sean Connery delivered his first lines in the 1963 film “Dr. No,” the world has witnessed the dissolution of the USSR, the first Moon landing, the reduction of room-sized computers to pocket gadgets, and countless other changes in geopolitics, culture, and business. So why has a certain suave British spy with a taste for cocktails managed to survive all these changes?
Partly because Bond is a cultural chameleon. The character, first penned by Ian Fleming in 1953 in the novel “Casino Royale,” reflects the tastes and preferences of the moment he inhabits. One of the best ways to track these changes over time? Look at Bond’s wrist. To help trace this history, we’ve compiled a list of what we consider the best Bond watches. We've covered everything from Connery’s suave and agile persona to Craig’s gritty and intense portrayal.
The History of Watches in Bond Films
Rolex: Watches have been part of 007's gear since the start of his cinematic career, but author Ian Fleming detailed in his text that his superspy wears a Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Following this, the Swiss icon appeared in the earliest films in the form of the Submariner diver, which makes sense as the '60s are considered a heyday for these watches. Bond wore Rolex with several strap types in the first handful of films, with some exceptions (detailed below).
Quartz: When the quartz crisis hit in the 1970s, James Bond, always at the cutting edge of technology, began wearing quartz and digital watches. From the late '70s to the '80s, these watches dominated 007's wristwear, including several models from Seiko.
Omega: Love it or hate it, Pierce Brosnan's tenure as 007 marked a change in tone and ideals for the franchise. And as brand placements became commonplace, Bond became an Omega wearer - and has remained so since the 1995 film “GoldenEye.”
Rolex Submariner 6538
When people think of Bond watches, this model comes to mind. The Rolex 6538, often referred to as the “big crown” Rolex or simply the “Bond Rolex,” was produced over a brief five-year period between 1954 and 1959. The case of these watches measures just 38mm and houses the Rolex Caliber 1030 automatic movement. Partly due to its connection to the first James Bond film “Dr. No,” these watches can fetch up to $100,000 when sold at auction or online.
- Film: Dr. No
- Bond: Sean Connery
- Year: 1962
Breitling Top Time
007's mission in the film “Thunderball” was no easy feat - finding two stolen NATO nuclear warheads. To aid him in his search, Q equips Bond with a modified Breitling Top Time chronograph fitted with a Geiger counter. Although this special addition certainly helped Bond on his mission to save the world from the evil and secretive organization Spectre, the watch itself needed no assistance. First introduced by Breitling in 1964, the chronograph has a clean, attractive look that doesn’t suffer from clutter despite having two additional sub-dials. The watch is equipped not with an in-house movement from the Swiss watchmaker but with a third-party manufacturer named Venus. Specifically, the Breitling Top Time model first used the manually wound Venus 178 chronograph.
- Film: Thunderball
- Bond: Sean Connery
- Year: 1965
Rolex Submariner 5513
Connery wasn’t the only Bond to wear a Rolex Submariner. Moore strapped one to his wrist in the film “Live and Let Die.” These watches made an impression on many watch and film fans - though not for usual reasons. Moore’s reference 5513 watch featured serrated edges along the bezel that lifted and rotated to free him from ropes binding his hands in the climactic scene (this prop sold at auction for $200,000, making them some of the most expensive watches without a movement). The market version of the watch, produced from 1966 to 1984, didn’t have this wild feature but boasted a mechanical Caliber 1530 movement, which was soon replaced by the 1520 movement. Both movements power a trio of hands around a two-layered matte dial adorned with large luminescent indices. Depending on which dive watch you get your hands on, they can cost up to $20,000.
- Film: Live and Let Die
- Bond: Roger Moore
- Year: 1973
Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900
James Bond, for better or worse, always has the latest and greatest gadgets. Viewers have come to love this trait in Bond, but it has the side effect of dating the films. The Hamilton Pulsar (like most other digital watches Bond wore) were groundbreaking at the time of the 1973 film “Live and Let Die.” They were not only the first electronic watches without moving parts but also the only ones in the world that displayed time using a new technology called LED. During filming, these watches (apparently inspired by another, more famous film - “2001: A Space Odyssey”) cost as much as a Rolex. A modern reissue can be purchased from Hamilton itself, replacing the “Pulsar” label with the brand name.
- Film: Live and Let Die
- Bond: Roger Moore
- Year: 1973
Seiko 0674 5009
The Pulsar watches lacked a date and second function. Seiko addressed this shortcoming by releasing the 0674 5009 LC model. The quartz watch displays AM and PM time and shows the day of the week in digital format. But for the creators of the film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” this wasn’t enough to make the watch worthy of Bond. They added a special scrolling message feature for those times when M wanted to contact 007 and couldn’t reach a phone booth.
- Film: The Spy Who Loved Me
- Bond: Roger Moore
- Year: 1977
Seiko M354 Memory
After the release of the 0674 model, Seiko doubled down on the calendar feature. The new version, worn by 007 in the Star Wars-themed film “Moonraker,” is equipped with a full calendar that can display any month over an 80-year period. In addition to showing the day of the week, date, and full calendar, the watch could be programmed to remind you of specific dates even years in advance (though we're not sure why you’d need that). Bond found the watch useful - but not for any of the aforementioned reasons. Instead of reminding himself to get Q a birthday gift in a few months, he used it to detonate a bomb.
- Film: Moonraker
- Bond: Roger Moore
- Year: 1979
Seiko 7549-7009
In 1975, a man in Hiroshima sealed a letter, scrawled the address of Seiko's headquarters in Japan, and dropped it in a mailbox. The contents of this letter - a complaint from a professional diver claiming the company’s watches were not sturdy enough - set the company on a path that culminated in the release of the 7549 model, popularly known as the Seiko “Tuna Can.” These watches, which Moore wore in a diving scene in the 1981 film “For Your Eyes Only,” were specially designed to operate under enormous pressure. As a result, they featured a titanium monocoque case and a valve releasing gases like hydrogen and helium from the case.
- Film: For Your Eyes Only
- Bond: Roger Moore
- Year: 1981
Seiko 7A28 7020 Quartz Chronograph
Quartz movements are famously used not only in digital watches. Eventually, the technology made its way into analog formats - as with the Seiko 7A28 7020 watch. These watches became the first chronograph with a quartz movement, and it’s no surprise that James Bond wanted to wear them on his wrist. The appearance of the watch in the 1985 film “A View to a Kill” was a real feather in the cap for the Seiko executives who designed the watch largely to compete with the Swiss.
- Film: A View to a Kill
- Bond: Roger Moore
- Year: 1985
Tag Heuer 980.031 Professional
In most cases, product placement in 007 films is unquestionable. Luxury watch brands are always happy to announce that their watches were on the wrist of the world’s most famous British rogue. However, there is some debate as to whether Tag Heuer watches were on the wrist of two-time Bond Timothy Dalton in the 1987 film “The Living Daylights.” Although not credited in the film, Bond watch fans noted that Dalton appeared to wear Tag Heuer 980.031 Professional diver’s watches. The watch features a glow-in-the-dark dial and a black PVD-coated case.
- Film: The Living Daylights
- Bond: Timothy Dalton
- Year: 1987
Omega Seamaster 300m Chronometer
After several years of fascination with Japanese watches, Pierce Brosnan in his first role as Bond in the film “GoldenEye” wears Swiss watches. And only in his second film “Tomorrow Never Dies” does Brosnan’s hero abandon quartz in favor of the signature Omega 1120 movement. This movement drives a date window and three hands with luminescent markings on the blue dial. Thanks to the robust waterproof 41mm steel case, the watch can be submerged to depths of 1,000 feet.
- Film: Tomorrow Never Dies
- Bond: Pierce Brosnan
- Year: 1997
Vintage Omega Chronograph Caliber 321
Craig’s Bond, unlike almost everyone else, isn't as keen on all the new beeping and buzzing gadgets at his disposal. Taking a cue from the Bourne series, this Bond is comfortable carrying no more than a pen. He’s also a bit nostalgic. He favors retro cars, old-school clothing, and - as we learn in “Spectre” - mid-century watches. In the final scene of “Spectre,” eagle-eyed fans of the series noticed a vintage Omega Chronograph Caliber 321 on his wrist. The watch has a much smaller diameter - 35mm, three additional sub-dials, and a trio of thin gold hands that move across the white dial with the Lemania caliber 321 movement - the same used in the original Speedmaster. This James Bond has very good taste.
- Film: Spectre
- Bond: Daniel Craig
- Year: 2015
Omega Seamaster 300M Co-Axial Chronometer 007 Edition
While the tone of the Bond films has changed significantly since Brosnan left the role of 007, Omega remains the official watch of the world's favorite British rogue. In the 2021 film “No Time to Die,” Craig’s swan song as the special agent, the actor showcases a special 007 Edition Omega Seamaster 300M - a watch with a 42mm case, unidirectional bezel, and engraved case back. The grade 2 titanium case houses the in-house Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8806 movement with a 55-hour power reserve and automatic winding.
- Film: No Time to Die
- Bond: Daniel Craig
- Year: 2021