James Bond Watches Blog

In case there’s any doubt—

Ian Fleming created James Bond.

On January 15, 1952, at his home, Goldeneye, in Jamaica. Starting with a blank sheet of paper, it all began with these words.

The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino combine together and hit the taste-buds with an acid shock at three in the morning.

Feel free to confirm this history for yourself. You’ll find Ian Fleming’s first-draft manuscript for Casino Royale in the Lilly Library archives, Indiana University at Bloomington. That’s where I took the time to do my own original research into into this aspect of the James Bond legacy.

Elsewhere in the world, from what I’ve been seeing on the ‘net and print, tomorrow’s gonna be a big day as anniversaries of the Eon Productions 007 movies go. I’m looking forward to it.

But today, I’m remembering that it all began with Ian Fleming. Six decades ago.

With his wife-to-be, Ann.

How do you know for certain it's a James Bond watch?

Any effort to definitively identify a James Bond watch brand and model requires balance.

The more common extreme is largely uncritical, effectively wishful thinking. “I wanna believe this is a James Bond watch — voilà, it is!”

It’s the guy on the fan forum who’s already overextended in some path through Omega or Rolex. He owns it; to be wrong in having made that choice risks painting him a fool, so he just keeps insisting it is, hoping repetition will trump reality.

Bought in through impulsiveness, or a sale pitched to him as too good to be true. Add to that a dollop of ego, and he’s determined to shut out any data that conflicts with his point of view, regardless of how credentialed, substantiated, or otherwise indisputable.

Or the fella caught up in the limelight after posting “his” definitive list of James Bond watches on the Internet.

With each response of praise, he grows less able to admit that no one knows less about his own list than he does, since he actually only cut-and-pasted it from elsewhere (can’t believe no one else hasn’t seen this gem before!). Challenged to account for labeling the obvious Heuer PVD Night Dive watch featured The Living Daylights as a stainless steel Submariner, for example, he’s quick with an indignant, “Why so serious? James Bond is only a fictional character, don’cha know?”

A retort that could only be uttered by someone who knows little or nothing about watches. The sort who drones on at a fine restaurant — attempting to cover the fact that she’s grossly outclassed — grasping at straws to fit in by saying, “I could make this same dish a lot cheaper at home.”

Yeah, and the Seiko G757 “Silverwave” and “Sports 100” originally cost the same to manufacture.

Silly goose! That’s hardly the sole determining factor for valuation of wristwatches. Nor, for that matter, many other things. And it’s specious to argue that objective measures of enhanced brand value by association with “a fictional character” somehow negate that value. Just ask Tony the Tiger. Or are you gonna let a cartoon make a fool of your pontifications as well?

At the other end of the spectrum is continue reading…

COSC testing dates this Rolex 1016 Explorer to May of 1963: That's within less than 2 months of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" first publication, where James Bond gets a new watch very much matching this description.

Here’s a James Bond watch package you’re not likely to see again in years.

A Rolex 1016 Explorer wristwatch, with original radium dial and configuration almost identical to the James Bond watch worn by author Ian Fleming as he wrote his novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in 1962.

Moreover, this one includes all paperwork, packaging, and the hangtags that came with it when purchased new in 1963.

Its serial number 901819 is corresponds to a caseback with I.63 caseback markings. Lovejoy Antiques, Jewelry, Watches currently has it listed for sale on both eBay and its own website. In addition to numerous, incredible reference still photos, you can see a video of the watch and extras that’ll go along with a purchase.

Interest in the 1016 Explorer has decidedly increased since WatchTime magazine published my findings in February of 2009, which identified it as first, literary James Bond watch (see “Discovered: James Bond’s Rolex“). That real world wristwatch dated to the fourth quarter of 1960. Thus, it was among the last few watch models to use radium paint on its dial markers to enhance readability in darkness.

Rarer still are continue reading…