The first TAG Heuer Bond watch
Both David Chalmers and Paul Gavin expressed concern during our research about the relatively small bezel diameter of the TAG Heuer 980.031 relative to current style trends.
It didn’t seem “big enough” to be a James Bond watch.
So we took a close look at Timothy Dalton wearing the Rolex Submariner Date in Licence to Kill (1989), the second of Dalton’s two outings as James Bond. This watch has been clearly identified by model, if not number, and thus it can thus be used as a frame-of-reference on the actor’s wrist. The Sub Date bezel diameter is 8% larger than that of the Gibraltar Heuer, and it’s well-over 6% longer lug-to-lug. That gave us the comparative fit for which we were looking to validate the Heuer.
Short of having original detailed records from Eon Productions, the thin-case Heuer or TAG Heuer 980.031 Professional black PVD “Night-Dive” watch with phosphorescent dial, uni-directional turning bezel with click-stops, 38mm case (excluding crown), and water-resistant to 660 feet, is the JamesBondWatches.com 80-100% certainty determination for the Gibraltar Watch worn by Timothy Dalton as 007 in The Living Daylights.
Equally, though subtly different possibilities include the version with Heuer-only branding, and with either white-on-black or black-on-white date window numbering. Markers must be open at the 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions (actually, they are filled with Tritium), with or without “1000” below the logo, and either “1000” or “Quartz” above the depth-rating near the 6 o’clock dial position.
Use of its watches in The Living Daylights is no surprise to TAG Heuer itself. Last month, David Chalmers contacted several current and former Heuer and TAG Heuer employees in the United States and in Europe with fundamentals of the research presented here.
TAG Heuer confirmed that it was already aware of the arguable James Bond connection to its brand, but declined to “officially” confirm which watches were used.
For James Bond fans with interests beyond the lead character, Chalmers, Gavin, and I believe that the TAG Heuer 980.031 is worn by two other actors in The Living Daylights. Starting approximately 3 minutes, 16 seconds into the film, it is evidenced on the imposter (Carl Rigg) as he clips the Smiert Spionam tag to the climbing rope of a Double-O agent who meets a sad demise. Later, proximal to 2 hours, 52 seconds, Felix Leiter (John Terry) raises his left hand to his ear in contact with Bond — showing the audience that he, Leiter, is also wearing a 980.031 TAG Heuer wristwatch.
It’s credible, one might suppose, that James Bond and Felix Leiter could be wearing virtually the same type of watch as field operatives. But the imposter on Gibraltar, too? Sure. Recall at just after 3 minutes into the pre-title sequence, the imposter’s clothing closely resembles that of the three men deployed from MI6. This is clearly intended to fool the NATO exercise guards on the military installation, which it does, as we see when the imposter is shot with what appears to be pink paint, as if merely another player in the exercise.
Two of the added challenges to identification of this James Bond Heuer lie in the watch itself.
In a marketplace where appearance is important to the trade of aging pieces, these watches not only take a step back to the shine of comparable stainless steel horology, but also more readily show their age in PVD wear. Many of the few watches that do come up for sale have cases where the coating has degraded to a point that leaves them looking more silver than black; a large number no longer include their original bracelets. Mid-sized diver watches such as this are not that popular among collectors anyway.
Pricing is another factor. Used reference 980.031 Heuers and TAG Heuers currently sell for between $250.00 and $500.00 (U.S.). That’s a far cry from Omega and Rolex values. Over the years, it’s possible that owners of these TAG Heuers simply haven’t seen them as worth the effort to market as vintage.
There’s a final note of irony in this watch as it relates to the original Ian Fleming short story that provided the impetus for scripting The Living Daylights. That brief adventure was first published in the June 1962 issue of ARGOSY magazine under the title, “Berlin Escape.” There, on page 99, “…James Bond glanced down at the luminous dial of his watch.” How nicely consistent these words are with what we now know of the actual watch that Timothy Dalton wore for his introduction as Agent 007.
But what of the second James Bond watch in that film, the “Tangier Rooftop Watch”? Look for those details in “Introducing the TAG Heuer James Bond Wristwatch: Part II,” coming up next.
That article also completes the indications that point to a dominant, if not exclusive TAG Heuer association with The Living Daylights.
Go to “James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (a)
James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (a)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (b)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (c)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (d)
James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (a)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (b)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (c)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (d)
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