James Bond Watches Blog

James Bond wore a Seiko LC Quartz digital watch in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (Eon Productions, 1977)

As many of you know, The Spy Who Loved Me was a “coming of age” James Bond movie for me.

The first time that James Bond watches and gadgets faced serious competition from other fronts. Bond girls, and, in this case, Barbara Bach.

Still, the Seiko Quartz LC became a grail watch for me.

Things were changing so quickly back then in the evolution (revolution) of watchmaking that the similar watch owned and worn by Albert R Broccoli just prior to commencing production on The Spy Who Loved Me had already been updated with the DK001 model worn by Roger Moore as James Bond in the movie itself.

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Actor Roger Moore wore a Seiko DK001 model, case number 0674-5009 wristwatch as James Bond in the 1977 Eon Productions 007 movie, "The Spy Who Loved Me"

This was my first “grail” Seiko James Bond watch.

As I was watching the quartz revolution play out real-time, it took me a bit to accept the notion that LED wasn’t the way things were gonna end up. Thus, my first Seiko LCD didn’t come until the Memory-Bank Calendar was selected for Roger Moore in Moonraker.

But this Seiko Quartz LC was indelibly impressed on my mind. As I’ve said in numerous presentations on James Bond watches now, it was my horologist’s connection to The Spy Who Loved Me, and the stunningly attractive Bond girl Barbara Bach.

Alternatively labeled the “Atlantis Seiko” (consumer version) and “Ticker-Tape Seiko” (gadget version) this James Bond wristwatch model is further distinguished as being the only 007 timekeeper referenced by Albert R Broccoli in his autobiography, When the Snow Melts — newly available this year on Amazon.com as a Kindle eBook.

I picked up the name he gave it, as the “Ticker Tape” watch, in honor of Cubby Broccoli.

Unique identification of this watch is model DK001, which is housed in a 0674-5009 Seiko case.

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Amazingly, the first definitive identification of all James Bond watch models supplied to the movies by Seiko UK was not made until this last decade of 007 history

Although Seiko hasn’t been a James Bond watch product placement partner in the movies since the mid-1980s, the last ten years have seen 007 history made for this great brand as well.

We’re talking about first-ever definitive identification of all models provided to Eon Productions by Seiko UK.

In 2009, I was given unprecedented access to personnel and documentation as part of my own original research into the question. Mark Mills was my lead contact — and the man who’d worked directly with the filmmakers, from 1977 onward. It was one of his very first assignments as a Seiko employee.

As with so many things with the world of James Bond watches, there’s all that goes into developing “the list,” and then there are the multitude of questions that go into validating it.

For example, the James Bond Seiko watches give no indication of model numbers on backs, dials, or anywhere else.

And the 8-digit numbers by which these watches are commonly referenced on the Internet, case numbers, sometimes refer to multiple configurations. So, part of my work to truly empower James Bond watch collectors interested in Seiko was to first explain how the pieces they wanted were actually differentiated.

Just over a year ago, then, I worked with Jack Forster and his great colleagues at Revolution magazine to deliver the first-ever complete history of James Bond watches from Seiko UK. (Although I still prefer the print version, you can read it here online.)

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