Rolex 6538 Submariner to be shown at National Watch & Clock Museum

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JamesBondWatches.com is pleased to announce that the upcoming "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches" display will include a Rolex 6538 Submariner throughout the run of this exhibit, June 18, 2010, through April 30, 2011, at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

As part of our commitment to provide the most detailed and accurate information on James Bond watches, I personally approached the world renowned Rolex trader and author Franca E. Guido Mondani for a definitive identification. Most recently, Guido Mondani is known as editor on the limited edition book, Rolex Submariner Story, a must-have for any James Bond watch collector (an invaluable part of my own library, but of course).

Based on his own, independent review of Dr. No film footage (as well as some further impressive resources we're not at liberty to disclose), he's gone on record with us in calling this one a 6538 reference.

With that, we went on to approach Bob Ridley of Watchmakers International, who is also working with the National Watch & Clock Museum and me as an invalable partner on the Bond Watches exhibit. Watchmakers International has hand's-on experience in taking a Rolex 6538 Submariner from present-day condition to something as close as practical to the way it would have looked when Sean Connery wore it as James Bond in 1962....

Read more on "Rolex 6538 Submariner to be shown at National Watch & Clock Museum 'Bond Watches, James Bond Watches' exhibit, June 18, 2010 - April 30, 2011."

James Bond Watches welcomes media inquiries for further information, background, and resources; images; and interviews. [link]
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Revolution magazine previews National Watch & Clock Museum James Bond Watches exhibit

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Just over two months from now, "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches" will open to the public at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

But the current issue of Revolution magazine brings its readers the inside scoop on what's to come. Revolution is hitting the streets now, and subscribers are already receiving their copies.

Look for the 2-page spread titled, "A View to a Thrill: The Watches of Mr Bond, James Bond," by Editor-in-Chief Jack Forster.

Earlier this year, Noel Poirier, Museum Director; Bob Ridley of Watchmakers International, and sponsor of the Ian Fleming Rolex 1016 Explorer for the Bond Watches exhibit; and I gave exclusive interviews to Mr. Forster for Revolution. First among the topics discussed was the incredible support and enthusiasm we've received from the Fleming family itself.

Additionally, as Mr. Poirier observes, we are doing more than just providing unique access to history here. This National Watch & Clock Museum exhibit will make history, by bringing together for the first time since the passing of Ian Fleming the only Rolex he is known to have owned and wore, and the original manuscript for On Her Majesty's Secret Service -- in which he described his own watch as also being the choice of his literary James Bond character.

Screen-accurate examples of James Bond watches from all-known brands featured in Eon Productions films will be on display when "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches" opens to the public on June 18, 2010. A special opening ceremony and exclusive tour will be provided the night before in conjunction with the National Watch & Clock Collectors ("NAWCC") annual convention, which is being held in that area this year.

Check out the NAWCC website for conference information and details on Museum admissions.

And continue to watch Revolution magazine for continued exciting coverage of the Bond Watches exhibition, running through April 30, 2011!

James Bond Watches welcomes media inquiries for further information, background, and resources; images; and interviews. [link]
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National Watch & Clock Museum updates James Bond Watches exhibit page

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Just over two months from now, "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches" will open at the National Watch & Clock Museum.

With exhibit space reconfiguration scheduled to begin very shortly, more publicly evident changes are already coming as well.

For example, this project moves up to the top of the "Upcoming Exhibit Schedule" page on the NAWCC website with the familiar image of an Omega 2907.50.91 "Casino Royale" Planet Ocean Seamaster BIG SIZE, reflecting an Aston Martin DB5 model in its crystal, replaced by a piece from the complete other end of the Bond spectrum.

A Rolex 1016 Explorer similar to the original literary James Bond wristwatch now dominates.

Descriptive text also highlights one of the true history-making features of the "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches" exhibit. For the first time since Ian Fleming was alive, his personal Rolex and the On Her Majesty's Secret Service manuscript in which he described it as the personal choice of Agent 007 will be together again.

Remember: The ribbon cutting and access for NAWCC Annual Convention attendees takes place on Thursday, June 17, 2010. Open to the general public on Friday, June 18.

James Bond Watches welcomes media inquiries for further information, background, and resources; images; and interviews. [link]
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Announcing the James Bond TAG Heuer wristwatch

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Almost two years ago, James Bond Watches asked the question, "Was the first Dalton-Bond a Heuer?"

Today, the answer is yes.

The year was 1986 and The Living Daylights was filming with Timothy Dalton as the new James Bond. The product placement relationship between SEIKO Watch Corporation and Eon Productions had ended with the departure of Roger Moore.

And the TAG Heuer calibre 980.031 Professional Night-Diver PVD wristwatch had been chosen as the new James Bond wristwatch for a 007 determined to bring this character even closer to the literary intent of creator Ian Fleming.

Read more on "James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch," Part I.
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Era ends for James Bond Rolex Submariner Date wristwatch

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Basel, Switzerland— For the first time in the history of James Bond films, Rolex is no longer offering a current watch model that’s consistent with any on-screen choice of 007.

A new Rolex Submariner Date reference 116610LN has just been introduced at Baselworld 2010 (March 18-25), the premier trade show for the wristwatch industry, held annually in Basel, Switzerland. It replaces the Rolex 16610 Sub Date which was introduced in 1988, according to experts Franca E. Guido Mondani and Lele Ravagnani, who discussed this in their definitive book, Rolex Submariner Story.

It’s most likely that actor Timothy Dalton wore a Rolex 16610 for his second outing as James Bond in Licence to Kill, a film that opened during the summer of 1989.

The history of Rolex and the movie-Bond character dates back to 1961 and pre-production planning for the first Eon Productions contribution to this series, Dr. No. From the very beginning, filmmakers recognized the importance of wristwatch selection in fleshing out their lead man. As John Cork and Bruce Scivally emphasized in James Bond: The Legacy, “he could not just wear a watch, it needed to be a Rolex.”

Continue reading "Era ends for James Bond Rolex Submariner Date wristwatch" (with additional images) on James Bond Watches.
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Another James Bond Watch brand to be announced after Basel Watch Fair

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The annual Basel watch fair, "BaselWorld," is where all the biggest industry news of the year is generated.

Expect big news in James Bond watches this time around as well.

We have meetings set up to take place during this trade show that are expected to confirm another James Bond watch brand associated with the Eon Productions films.

JamesBondWatches.com will make its first announcement on this in the next few weeks or so.

Stay tuned!
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Moonraker James Bond watch: One SEIKO model, two different bracelets

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Even the seemingly most straightforward of James Bond watch studies can often yeild some really fascinating detail for the keen researcher.

For example, we know that the SEIKO caliber M354-5019 in Moonraker is not worn on the bracelet originally associated with this SFX003 model. Clasp and link configuration are obviously different.

But take a closer look at the terminal link where bracelet attaches to springbars. (Click on either image to see it at higher resolution.)

In the first example from a movie screen-capture shown here, the springbar-link has two protrusions onto which the remainder of the bracelet attaches.

In the second image at right, there are three.

Both of these are provided for research purposes from the 2006 Ultimate Edition DVD, at the 1:22:38 and 1:23:43 running times. JamesBondWatches.com has already provided two labels in order to differentiate the standard from the gadget-watch here: The "Corinne Dufour SEIKO" and "Explosives-Gadget SEIKO," respectively.

Clearly the latter is the one with the three-link configuration.

It would also appear that the Explosives-Gadget SEIKO was non-operational (despite the apparent mechanism, including battery, which shows when the caseback is open at one point in Moonraker).

Referring to the image from the instructions shown on this James Bond Watches Blog for January 30, 2010, notice that dial reads exactly the same as on the Explosives-Gadget SEIKO.

As we've said before: Only the M354-5019 (SFX003) was worn by actor Roger Moore as James Bond in Moonraker. However, he clearly wore it on two different bracelets.
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National Watch & Clock Museum announces Fleming-Bond watch exhibit sponsor

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Ian Fleming wore the original James Bond watch in 1962.

Watchmakers International is sponsoring its exhibit at the National Watch & Clock Museum's "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches," for the entire run of this display, June 18, 2010, through April 30, 2011.

As Guest Curator on the exhibition project, I felt it was important to have as a part of our offering key resources and expertise specific to vintage Rolex watches of the literary- and early-007-film eras. Bob Ridley of Watchmakers International is an ideal match. His Watchmakers International is exclusively committed to the restoration of Rolex watches; and, for our purposes, that means Explorer, Submariner, and pre-Daytona models from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

That's the full complement of James Bond Rolex watches.

See James Bond Watches website for official announcement: "Ian Fleming's original Rolex to be sponsored by Watchmakers International for James Bond exhibit."
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SEIKO G757 Sports 100 instructions available through James Bond Watches

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Another set of vintage SEIKO wristwatch instructions are now being hosted on the James Bond Watches website.

Actor Roger Moore wore a SEIKO Quartz LC (liquid crystal display) "Digital Type Calibre G757 Graphic Alarm Chronograph Sports 100" model as James Bond, Agent 007, through most of the action in the movie Octopussy (1983). Most fans will recall the important role it played in building tension to the circus sequence where a nuclear bomb was set to detonate if he didn't arrive in time to disarm it.

The exact watch that collectors are looking for is the calibre G757-5020, model WLK005.

Rare it is for these actual wristwatches to come available, new owners are often faced with a subsequent frustration as they try to figure out operation of acquired pieces sans original manufacturer instructions.

JamesBondWatches.com is pleased to offer a solution. We are now hosting the complete 20-page English-language section of the SEIKO G757 instruction booklet on our main website. See "SEIKO wristwatch calibre number G757 operating instructions" on James Bond Watches for *.jpg page scans and a *.pdf version.

Enjoy your SEIKO James Bond watches!
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The Girard-Perregaux wristwatch that James Bond did not wear

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Over a year now since WatchTime published my article on having discovered the original, literary James Bond Rolex (Explorer 1016), I continue to get questions related to a sidebar photo and caption that the magazine ran under “Bad Guys, Good Watches.”
Didn’t James Bond wear a Girard-Perregaux, too?

That’s legitimate to ask when you fast forward to Chapter 27 of From Russia with Love. Here, bad guy shoots Bond’s watch on his wrist. Bond kills bad guy, takes bad guy’s watch and starts wearing it as replacement. Bad guy’s watch thus becomes a James Bond watch. Identify brand of bad guy watch and you have brand name for Bond watch. Right?

Not exactly.

Continue reading on jamesbondwatches.com at "The Girard-Perregaux watch that James Bond did not wear" (also featured on CommanderBond.net).
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