James Bond Watches Blog

Exactly one week ago today, Empire magazine posted this photo of Daniel Craig in-character as James Bond in "Skyfall." Would you buy an Omega watch now based on speculated identification based only on what you see here?

Last Friday the thirteenth must have been a happy one for James Bond fans, considering the number of Tweets and eMails I’ve gotten with requests to identify the Skyfall wristwatch — based on this movie set image released through Empire magazine, one week ago today.

“There it is!” read one subject line.

Sorry. I still don’t see it. And, from the watch forum threads I’ve watched spring up that day, only to crash for lack of substance the next, neither does anyone else.

Anyone “credible,” that is. Of course there are those wish-watch experts who “see” without a doubt a blue titanium Seamaster Planet Ocean by Omega in this Skyfall image.

Nobody buys that. Or, rather: Nobody’s gonna buy based on that.

With all due respect, ask yourself: Why on earth is anyone looking in the first place?

I for one wasn’t even hell-bent to break news with the Quantum of Solace James Bond screen-worn watch model identification. Beyond that, I believe the difference in time between whoever actually did, versus the blogger from Timbuktu who picked it up as old news, could be measured in hours.

The Skyfall Omega won’t be any different.

Unfortunately, product placement partners are playing by 2005 rules, operating on assumptions based on what they saw with James Bond watches tied to Casino Royale.

Let’s remember some of the James Bond watch factors that had us watching 7 years ago:

• “The James Bond Omega” was ostensibly continue reading…

It’s not hard to find one of the ubiquitous cut-and-paste forum posts or blog with self-proclaimed “definitive list of James Bond watches” asserting that the 1967 Casino Royale James Bond watch was a Rolex GMT (“GMT-Master”).

That’s obviously wrong.

And one needn’t be an expert on Rolex to know that. Or even generally familiar with watches, for that matter. Just, you know: Actually watch the movie. (The incredible dearth of original research regarding James Bond watch identification never ceases to amaze me.)

Let’s start at the beginning

If you’ll take a look at the film on DVD or via iTunes, you’ll see before the opening credits roll that Peter Sellers is addressed as “Mr Bond” by a character who identifies himself as “Mathis.” This is clearly a preview of things to come later in Casino Royale.

We know this because Sir James Bond (David Niven) approaches Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress) about recruiting a master card player to go up against Le Chiffre. This is approximately 45 minutes into the movie. Later, about 10 minutes later, running-time, Vesper approaches the master card expert, Evelyn Tremble, to take on the cover name “James Bond” to play Le Chiffre — sort of turning on its head the notion of James Bond assuming the cover as someone else for an assignment.

Thus, it is Evelyn’s watch, and, at that, his personal wristwatch, that is describe as a:

1965 Rolex Oyster Perpetual, date indicator, and log table ’round the outer band.

To which Peter Sellers, as Evelyn Tremble, adds:

And a thing that shows you what shape the moon is.

(See starting at 59-minute marker.) Guess the self-promoters not only couldn’t be bothered to continue reading…

"Ian Fleming's Own James Bond Watch" display at the National Watch & Clock Museum, as it appeared before modification to recognize the new 007 author Jeffery Deaver yesterday

Our “Ian Fleming’s Own James Bond Watch” display was changed yesterday.

And it won’t be returned to that first configuration, shown here, at left, on this James Bond Watches Blog.

As of 7:30am this past May 4, the Rolex and Omega watches were wound; synchronized and running in time with the functioning quartz Seiko completing this trio. The case was closed, security measures put in place. Here it is.

I’ve heard feedback from some that they’d prefer professional photos taken through the cover, as this is more historically representative of how visitors actually experienced it.

First editions of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were included for the references made therein to the original literary James Bond 1016 Explorer that Ian Fleming not only wore on his wrist as he typed the very first manuscript, but also “wrote onto the wrist of James Bond” in exposition text. Topmost is a first-impression; underneath, a rarer, but inexplicably less popular Uncorrected Proof (only about 250 printings are believed to have been run).

We had several photograph options for showing Ian Fleming, some of which were previously part the “Bond Watches, James Bond Watches” exhibit that this display follows at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania. We agreed on this openning to a page from the February 2009 issue of WatchTime magazine, showing my feature article, “Discovered: James Bond’s Rolex,” for the personal, relaxed side it shows of the 007 creator.

And, of course, he’s wearing the James Bond Rolex Explorer 1016 watch that’s exhibited here.

Those claiming to be “unsure” just haven’t done their homework

The facing page of the magazine cites Fionn Morgan, Ian Fleming’s stepdaughter, as primary source both for validation of the watch as Ian Fleming’s only Rolex, and as his reference for the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service literary James Bond watch. (Keep the accountability that I have shown in mind when considering spurious arguments that there’s “still a lot of doubt” about continue reading…