Over 25 films, Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond has not only cemented himself as the most valuable asset for MI6, he has also become an undeniable style icon for gentlemen with impeccable taste in suits, martinis and love for watches.
With rumour mills betting on either Callum Turner, Jack Barton, and Jacob Elordi to be the next James Bond, for horophiles 007's wristwear has always been a definitive cultural touchstone, transforming military-issued tools like the Rolex Submariner and various Omega Seamaster models into legendary horological icons which are also highly collectible watches.
Over 60 years and 25 films starring Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore as the leading British secret agents, James Bond's watch collection evokes masculinity, ruggedness, and charm every man is curious to emulate. And that's why we've the full list of everything 007 pops out of his watch roll across 25 films:
From Dr. No, From Russia with Love to Goldfinger, Sean Connery played James Bond that alludes to much of the fictional character's personal style in the books referring to his love for Rolex watches. Though the novels describe the Rolex's Oyster Perpetual, the luxury watch that became the “official” watch of James Bond in the films was the Rolex Submariner (Ref. 6538). It famously featured an oversized crown with no guard and was paired with a leather strap or a distinctively narrow NATO-style fabric strap
Over the next set of films that starred Sean Connery, Bond's watch collection expanded to include a Breitling Top Time ref. 2002 in Thunderball, a Gruen Precision in Diamonds Are Forever.
Roger Moore's James Bond a gamut of watches from a Rolex Chronograph “pre-Daytona” ref. 6238 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900 in Live and Let Die, and 5 Seiko watches. This includes Seiko Quartz LC Chronograph ref. 0674-5009 in The Spy Who Loved Me and Seiko Memory Bank Calendar ref. M354-5019 in Moonraker as well as Seiko Professional Diver ref. 7549-7009 “Golden Tuna” in For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Seiko G757-5020 in A View to a Kill and Seiko TV Watch (Ref. A029-5000 / T001) featuring a tiny functional live-video screen in Octopussy.
Interestingly, the Seiko TV Watch made its way to Guinness World Records Book in 1984 as the “smallest TV in the world.” Though the original version is not available of this watch, the SEIKO TV watch consisted of a 1.2-inch liquid crystal display screen set in a standard digital watch that could receive all UHF and VHF channels via an external receiver, connecting to the watch via a cable and connector. In its original function, the watch was used as a timer and alarm, while the special features also include UKW radio in stereo quality.
Between Moore and Brosnan's interpretation of the iconic British Secret service agent, Timothy Dalton played him for two years. With Brosnan, the Bond franchise modernised the character by blending classic suave charm with post-Cold War relevance and introducing a female boss (Dame Judie Dench as M) who checked his behaviour.
Debuting in Golden Eye, Omega became synonymous with James Bond. The Seamaster Professional 300M Quartz (Ref. 2541.80) in Golden Eye featured a distinct blue wave dial and a laser gadget used to cut through a train floor. However, in the latter three films Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002), the automatic mechanical version of the watch was introduced.
While Daniel Craig has played James Bond in five films over a 15-year tenure from 2006 to 2021, holding the record for the longest continuous run in the franchise so has his Omega Seamaster with its variants. First introduced by Bond in Casino Royale, the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, established itself as the modern Bond era watch. The watch reinforced Bond’s transition into a physically demanding operative rather than a purely refined spy. Designed as a professional dive instrument, the Planet Ocean features a 600-meter water resistance, Helium escape valve, robust stainless-steel construction and a co-Axial chronometer movement.