
"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…