Watches at J2 Trading

In 1995 Goldeneye was released with Pierce Brosnan taking over as James Bond. There were of course several subtle changes, not least of which was 007’s choice of wrist watch.

Up until this time it had been a Rolex Submariner, but Brosnan débuted wearing an Omega Seamaster, and continued to do so in later films. The reason given was that the producers wanted to upgrade Bonds image to a ‘more distinctly sophisticated “Euro” look’.

They point out that in the early ‘60’s, Rolex was about the only choice for a reliable, rugged, waterproof watch, and it was a practical fit for Bond. But since then there are other watches doing more for less and Rolex has become something of a luxury status symbol, which is not what Bond is about.

However, according to the following excerpt from Wikipedia, the real motives sound much more monetary in nature:

“Another possible reason for the change from the Rolex Submariner that Bond had previously worn was a change in the business environment surrounding modern high-profile films and product placement. Omega was eager to participate in high profile co-promotions/product placement opportunities, especially the James Bond franchise, to further its brand image/awareness. It accomplished this by supplying products and finance, something that the conservative Rolex company avoids, presumably because it sees no benefit for itself.”  

The first Bond commemorative edition made by Omega was in 2002 for the 40th anniversary of James Bond. It’s a Seamaster 300M with the 007-gun logo on the face and etched on the clasp. The silver logo at the six o’clock position is easy enough to see, but you need to look closer to notice that the entire face is covered as well.

Daniel Craig, in his role as the new James Bond, continues to wear an Omega Seamaster, and in 2006 for Casino Royale, he actually wore two different models.

During the second half, he wore the Seamaster Professional 300M which is now the official Bond watch. But at the beginning he showed off a black, super sharp-looking Seamaster Planet Ocean.

In connection with the launch of the film, Omega released a special edition Seamaster that features the 007-gun logo on the second hand and the rifle pattern on the watch face. This latter is a stylized representation of the gun-barrel sequence shown at the start of every Bond movie.

They later released a limited edition (only around 5000 units) “James Bond Seamaster”, which is an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean model similar to what Daniel Craig wears at the beginning of Casino Royale . It has a small orange colored 007 logo on the second hand, an engraved case-back, and 007 engraved 007 on the clasp.

It’s interesting that in all the years Bond wore a Rolex, the company doesn’t seem to have been motivated to create any special edition Submariner watches to commemorate the fabled British spy. Too bad.

Check out the Omega Seamaster, James Bond Seamaster, and Omega Planet Ocean styles, all at great prices.