The name’s Bond and the Watch is Omega
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Daniel Walpole
Strategic Planner at RE-UP
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Whether he’s dressed to impress in a tailored-suit, or dressed to kill in a polo neck top, there’s one thing this British spy is never without (okay, that is unless he’s walking out of the ocean in his suggestive swim trunks)…His watch. His name’s Bond, James Bond. And he wears a Seamaster, an Omega Seamaster.
Last October a certain British spy returned to the big screen, looking sharp and suave as ever.
Ever since the release of the first James Bond film in 1962 (Dr. No in case you were unaware), Bond has been synonymous with high-end men’s fashion. Every actor who has stepped into the shoes of James Bond has made a fashion statement, from Sean Connery’s iconic white tux to George Lazenby’s ruffled-dinner shirts.
But the reason why we get excited for Bond isn’t due to the range of clothing he has, but because of what he has on his wrist.
That’s right, no man of Bond’s statute could get away with wearing a tailored-suit of that standard without having the right luxury watch to match it.
In the first James Bond film his choice of watch may have been a Rolex Submariner, but for the last twenty years he has chosen to sport an Omega – with the first one being a Seamaster Diver 300M (with a rich blue dial and bezel) in Pierce Brosnan’s initial outing as the spy (the film being GoldenEye).
Since then, Bond has gone on to wear an Omega watch in 7 other films, with the Seamaster often being the model of choice (a way to celebrate Bond’s naval heritage, stated in the original Ian Fleming novels).
In the latest flick (the much anticipated Spectre), Mr. Bond (no longer Brosnan, but the tougher and rougher Daniel Craig) can be seen wearing a unique Seamaster 300, which although very similar to the classic diver launched in 1957, has been updated to comprise new innovations (including being powered by the Omega’s Master Co-Axial Calibre 8400).
What makes this watch even more special is that for the first time Omega have made the very same watch that Bond wears in the film commercially available (although it does lack the function of exploding as Bond’s does). While this model will be limited to 7,007 commercial models, Omega have also chosen to release an additional watch simultaneously – a Bond-themed Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M.
While many may still associate Bond with Rolex (possibly due to Fleming referencing that Bond chose to wear this brand in the final original Bond novels), Omega have effectively integrated themselves into the cultural framework of the film franchise.
I mean where would Bond be now without his tailored suit from Tom Ford, an Aston Martin in his driveway, and an Omega watch on his wrist?
You know the answer to that.
