James Bond is the world's most famous secret agent, and the watches he wears are as varied as the Bond girls who surround him, and each one reflects the era. From robust mechanical watches to digital timepieces and technologically advanced chronometers, here we take a chronological look at 007's watches.
Text by WatchTime
1962
James Bond has been around for a long time, having first appeared on the silver screen in 1962. However, the character's origins date back a decade before his first film. Ian Fleming wrote his first novel, Casino Royale, about the charming MI6 agent while on his honeymoon in 1952. Bond soon displays his impressive taste in cars and fashion, though we'll have to wait until Fleming's second film, Live and Let Die (1954), to identify his watch. In this film, Bond wears a Rolex, which isn't surprising, as Fleming himself wore a Rolex Explorer, Reference 1016.
Fleming's love for Rolex is also evident in the James Bond films, where Sean Connery casually wears a no-date Rolex Submariner while hunting down the film's titular villain, Dr. No. The reference 6538 is shown here on a leather strap, leading movie buffs to speculate that this model may have been Connery's personal watch.
1963/1964
James Bond also wears a Rolex in his second film, From Russia with Love. In the film, Sean Connery wears a Rolex Submariner, Reference 6538, but at this stage it is still used to tell the time, and no special functions have been added to 007's watch by Q, who is famous for developing weapons.
Sean Connery also wears a 6538 in Goldfinger, but on a much thinner textile strap, while the now-inappropriately named female pilot, Psey, wears a classic pilot's watch, the Rolex GMT-Master 6542.
1965
In Thunderball, James Bond wears two watches: a Rolex Submariner for telling the time, and a modified Breitling Top Time for when he needs a Geiger counter. The watch was found for just £25 at a British flea market in 2013, but soon after sold for tens of thousands of pounds at auction.
1967
Nothing says James Bond like "You Only Live Twice." In the film, the dapper secret agent battles his arch enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. While it's unclear what watch 007 wears, avid fans speculate it could be Sean Connery's personal gold Gruen Precision.
1969
On Her Majesty's Secret Service marked a new casting opportunity for Australian actor George Lazenby, who would play James Bond for the only time. To make up for his short stint as Bond, he was paired with Diana Rigg, best known for her role in The Avengers. In the film, Bond wears a Rolex Submariner, Reference 5513, and a "pre-Daytona" chronograph, Reference 6238.
1971
A familiar face returned to the silver screen in Diamonds Are Forever. Sean Connery reprised his role as Bond, charming not only the ladies but also the men. Bond fought through most of his most challenging situations without a watch, except for one memorable scene where he was exposed. Those in the know believe it was the same gold Gruen watch worn in You Only Live Twice.
1973/1974
Roger Moore's debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die and its follow-up, The Man with the Golden Gun, marked a new era not only for its wit but also for the introduction of gimmicks to the Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513. For the first time, 007's watch featured special functions developed by Q, such as a portable circular saw for cutting handcuffs, a built-in magnet to deflect incoming bullets, and, if necessary, a way to help attractive women undress. Bond also wears another watch at the beginning of Live and Let Die: a Hamilton Pulsar LED digital watch, which, despite its power consumption, heralded the quartz revolution.
1977
In the dramatic East-meets-West story, "The Spy Who Loved Me," Bond and Major Anya Amasova spark a romantic relationship. While the Rolex GMT-Master keeps time, the Seiko 0674 LC serves as a pager, its built-in label printer printing out important messages onto tape from M, the boss's office.
1979
In Moonraker, Bond ventures into space, where the Seiko M354 Memory Bank Calendar clears the way with explosions and assists Bond in his missions as a passenger on board.
