James Bond Watches Blog

As I said on Facebook just after posting this to YouTube, I’ve been looking for a reason to make a video featuring my Carrera 1:32-scale Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger slot-car.

And that time has come.

The James Bond watch connection here, of course, can be seen by way of the Omega 2531.80 Seamaster. continue reading…

Omega (officially) mis-identified its own James Bond watch as a "Speedmaster" in GoldenEye earlier this week: Have they lost interest in their 007 movie product placement relationship?

This is a column I truly wish I didn’t have to write.

Official work-product from corporate marketing for Omega watches continues to raise questions regarding its investment as a James Bond watch brand.

Just two days ago, Omega finally got ’round to formally announcing what several of its evidently undisciplined Authorized Dealers leaked to the Internet weeks before (complete with Order from me now! divisiveness within the ranks).

Omega has created one of its least-limited limited edition James Bond watches to date — along with thousands more limited numbers on top of that. For wannabe Bond girls, I guess.

Worse yet, in support of an inexplicable emphasis on that fact that Omega has only been a James Bond watch for 13 of the 50-year James Bond movie franchise, it couldn’t even get the identification of its own inaugural James Bond wristwatch correct.

According to the press release it first put out on February 22, 2012, the GoldenEye James Bond Omega watch was a Speedmaster. You know: “The moon watch.” Following is the excerpt, which also appears in the image above left here (click on image for additional context).

Lindy Hemming, the Oscar-winning costume designer who chose the OMEGA Speedmaster as 007’s watch in GoldenEye in 1995.

Pricelessly, the PR wordsmiths at Omega, via copy that should’a been proof-read by marketing and continue reading…

"James Bond's Choice" magazine ad by watchmaker Omega, product placement partner with Seamaster 2531.80 worn by Pierce Brosnan in "Tomorrow Never Dies"

This layout without a doubt tops my list of favorite James Bond advertisements. Period.

Print shown at left from the December 1997 issue of Gourmet magazine — which suggests something about audience targeting, as much as anything else.

Actor Pierce Brosnan is featured as James Bond, with Omega reference 2531.80 Seamaster wristwatch and BMW motorcycle. Promotional tie-in is for the movie then-in-release, Tomorrow Never Dies. It uses a standard layout that was made available for Authorized Omega Dealer use, with an option for them to drop-in their logo and contact information lower-left.

Minimal copy describes the James Bond watch being promoted here, in deference to an image of the timekeeper itself, which dominates.

From a historical perspective, it’s worth noting that the quartz reference 2541.80 Seamaster featured in GoldenEye (1995) was actually the only established James Bond Omega prior to Tomorrow Never Dies.

And whereas the magazine ad with GoldenEye tie-in utilized an existing movie image, this Tomorrow Never Dies raises the bar with creative that is both custom-photographed and strongly invested in leveraging the watchmaker’s product placement partnership with Eon Productions.

The effective continue reading…