Heuer 980-series Night Dive watch ad, placed just a few years before it would become a James Bond watch in "The Living Daylights"
This advertisement is from the August 1983 issue of Skin Diver magazine.
Among watch models featured, we see the reference 980.031 PVD Night Diver from what was then the Heuer Time & Electronics Corporation.
Actor Timothy Dalton wore that model as James Bond in the Eon Productions 007 movie, The Living Daylights, 1987.
Technical specifications include details on the phosphorescent glow-dial (after just 10 seconds of exposure to light, the entire dial was said to glow for an average of 10 minutes).
Beyond that, tritium markers on the hands markers at 12, 6, and 9 o’clock positions glowed “even without previous activation.”
A total of 6 color and size variations are shown here, beyond which, alternatives were “available with non-phosphorescent dials.”
In addition to providing historical information on reference numbers and certain specifications, advertisements such as this make great collector pieces in their own rights. I know some people who focus on individual watches, but go deep with them — building out what they own to include original packaging, instructions, ads such as this, and collateral material.
Often at nicely accessible prices.
