This article actually came about as the result of discussions involving several leading experts in the field of watchmaking as we were finalizing preparations for the then-upcoming “Bond Watches, James Bond Watches” exhibit opening.
Rolex had announced the first major change to its Submariner Date since Timothy Dalton had worn that model as Agent 007 in Licence to Kill (Eon Productions, 1989). And it was occuring to many of us that collectors and researchers were not only missing a larger appreciation of the connection between this manufacturer and Ian Fleming’s fictional agent by referring to “the James Bond Rolex” — as if there was only, obviously, one — but also a more mainstream trend that was emerging.
“Vintage” seemed (and seems) to be establishing itself as its own brand. Folks like my friend Bob Ridley, whose livelihood is dedicated to Rolex restorations, is perhaps seeing this most keenly. And he’s services through Watchmakers International are in high-demand as a result of it.
The Agent’s Secret
Is it the ultimate conversation-stopper to invoke Ian Fleming’s name when talking about what the ‘real’ James Bond watch is?
James Bond's Rolex watches: A historical perspective and thoughts on "vintage" as its own brand, Revolution magazine (2010), by Dell Deaton
by Dell Deaton
‘Rolex is the only brand ever specified by the author who originally created Agent 007. End of discussion!’
Okay— but which model? Submariner? Explorer? Sub Date?
Licence to Kill in 1989 was the last time Bond wore Rolex for the movies. This timekeeper was most likely a Submariner Date Ref 16610, and, to be exact, as when it accompanied Timothy Dalton on-screen, the case lugs still had holes. Ironically, that Rolex connection didn’t end until just this year, when the 16610 was replaced by the 116610LN at BaselWorld 2010.
Controversy erupted among both Rolex enthusiasts and James Bond fans. For some, a two-decade run just wasn’t long enough. For others, it simply provided another chance to begin the latest round of insistance that the ‘real’ James Bond Rolex must be the one worn by Sean Connery in 1962′s Dr No: A 6538 Submariner. (For a definitive identification, based on his own personal examination of the film, I’m deeply indebted to historian and editor of Rolex Submariner Story, Franca E Guido Mondani.)
Present-day Bond, Daniel Craig, has been spied doing film interviews with his own 6538 on a NATO strap. But, unlike Connery’s watch, it has individual minute-markers on the bezel, up to 15. Is that allowed for his personal choice because he’s played James Bond most recently, or should he be held up to criticism because Sean Connery enjoys a kind of wristwatch legacy-standing in perpetuity?
There’ve been quite a few developments with the Sub since those watches ceased production in 1959, of course. Some claim that a 007 pedigree should be extended to watches worn by Bond actors George Lazenby and Roger Moore. Christie’s auctions have identified more than one of these watches as the Ref 5513 with no gold surrounds for the markers, and feet before meters when indicating depth rating.
Real-world watches, of course never had bullet-deflecting magnets or saw-blade bezels. If the obvious must be stated now, let’s go on the record: ‘James Bond is a fictional character.’
But even as Connery was taking Bond to the silver screen in a dive watch on one beach in Jamaica (with Ursula Andress as the archetypal heroine at his side), elsewhere on that island — at the location of his winter home, named ‘Goldeneye’ — Ian Fleming had chosen a 1016 Explorer for himself. That’s the Rolex he gave to his literary Bond, too, for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, published in 1963.
If Fleming’s name is to be invoked to legitimize a watch, such details are everything.
Almost five decades have passed since Agent 007 managed to ‘blarney’ a nee Explorer out of his agency quartermaster in the novel. Over those years, the watch that conquered Everest has seen its own share of evolutionary advancements. Today, like the Submariner Date from Dalton’s wrist, we noticed a significantly changed Rolex Explorer come out of BaselWorld 2010.
Beefing up this timekeeper to a 39mm case broadens appeal among those who follow current style trends, to a size that would nicely complement what’s been seen of Daniel Craig and horology. But is it a ‘James Bond’ watch?
And if anyone is anticipating a continued momentum favoring gadget-free James Bond watches in the movies, don’t forget that it was originally in-character for Fleming’s gentleman agent to improvise a makeshift knuckle-duster from a less testosterone-imbued Explorer when the need arose.
The good news is that however one defines ‘the James Bond Rolex,’ common ground can be found. All are now vintage timepieces.
‘Vintage Rolex’ has almost become a distinct brand in its own right. What’s the technical substance behind the present-day appeal? How is the ideal example come upon today? Where are the boundaries that must not be crossed in making functional repairs and restorations? Permeating the minds of Rolex collectors, these questions can all be answered at the ‘Bond Watches, James Bond Watches’ exhibit currently happening at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.
Until April 2011, Ian Fleming’s very own 1016 Explorer, which he wore when writing the last of his thrilling 007 stories, and a fully restored 6538 Submariner, will be displayed, along with other types of James Bond watches (atual watches and consumer versions), answering all of the questions above — and some that most folks wouldn’t think to ask. An in-depth presentation of James Bond Rolexes that, we hope, will be the ultimate converation starter.
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