Ian Fleming's James Bond watch: Rolex 1016 Explorer, with original letter written by Ian Fleming on Dr No letterhead supplied by Eon Productions
The original literary James Bond watch.
Original Dr No letterhead, courtesy of Eon Productions.
And, ironically— evidence that a Rolex Explorer reference 1016 wristwatch was formally associated with the movie Dr No before any other watch, of any other sort.
So to speak.
My latest release of computer wallpaper images featuring James Bond watches is focused on the only Rolex Ian Fleming is known to have owned and worn.
This is his personal Explorer model, in a photograph I made while it was concluding its display as part of the “Bond Watches, James Bond Watches” exhibit at the National Watch & Clock Museum last year.
A further part of that display consisted of original 007 thriller manuscripts and papers. These were made available for loan courtesy of the Lilly Library, Indiana University at Bloomington.
We believe that our “Bond Watches” exhibit was the first time that the watch and letter have been together since Mr Fleming signed the latter.
Of additional interest to those looking to establish accurate histories, I’ll share a few things from what we have here.
First, the date of the letter is May 24, 1962.
After the film title, its most dominant feature is Ian Fleming’s name. For all that’s been and is being made of film franchise success now, fifty years later, it’s important to note that Skyfall isn’t the legacy of something that simply sprung forth from whole cloth in 1962. It leveraged momentum that was already there.
Ian Fleming’s James Bond.
Second, the letterhead touts Dr No as “The first James Bond film,” further corroborating all we’ve heard about where things were going with the franchise from the very outset.
Last but not least, this letter establishes a time-frame for when the Amherst Villiers painting of Ian Fleming, who sat wearing his Rolex 1016 Explorer, was done. Reading the last paragraph, it’s clear that that painting was in-process as of late-May 1962.
The image above is part of a group released yesterday on the James Bond Watch Photos website.
Enjoy!
Image © 2011 Dell Deaton. All Rights Reserved. Published in USA
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