Before the cars got silly and the villains got volcano lairs, Bond’s watch was simply a tool. Somewhere along the way it turned into a gadget, then a product placement deal worth millions, and finally the most reliable sales pitch in watchmaking.
What’s fascinating is how neatly the collection tracks the times. Sixties Bond wore what a real naval officer would wear, seventies and eighties Bond wore whatever Seiko’s quartz department had just invented, and modern Bond has been on Omega’s books since 1995, which explains why the franchise’s sponsors get so excited every time a new film is mentioned.
With the next Bond still stuck in development, now feels like the right time to take stock. Here’s the full list, film by film, as catalogued across the official 007 canon.
Dr. No (1962), Gruen Precision 510
Before the Rolex became the default, Connery appears early in Dr. No wearing this modest Gruen dress watch on a leather strap, making it the most forgotten watch in the entire franchise. It’s small, gold-accented and completely unremarkable, which is exactly why collectors love the trivia.
Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball (1962 to 1965), Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538 “Big Crown”
This is the one that started it all. The story goes that producer Cubby Broccoli lent Connery his own Submariner because the budget didn’t stretch to buying one. The oversized 8mm crown gave it the nickname, and a decent 6538 now trades comfortably into six figures.
Thunderball (1965), Breitling Top Time Ref. 2002
Q hands Bond this chronograph rigged as a Geiger counter, making it the first watch in the franchise to double as a gadget. The actual prop surfaced decades later at a car boot sale before going under the hammer at Christie’s, and Breitling has milked the connection ever since, fairly enough.
You Only Live Twice (1967), Gruen Precision 510
Bond’s Submariner goes missing for the Japan adventure. All we get is a glimpse of a small gold dress watch under Connery’s shirt cuff, and most experts reckon it’s the same Gruen from Dr. No, probably from his own collection. Nobody has ever confirmed it, which only makes the trivia better.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513
George Lazenby only got one shot at the role and he wore the no-date Submariner for it. The 5513 was a workhorse reference that stayed in production for roughly 27 years, so it’s one of the more attainable ways to own a genuine piece of Bond history today.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Rolex Chronograph Ref. 6238 “Pre-Daytona”
Lazenby also wore this panda-dialled chronograph, the immediate predecessor to the Daytona as we know it. It barely gets any screen time, but it’s now a serious collector’s piece. Paul Newman gets all the credit for Daytona mania, yet Bond technically got there first.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Gruen Precision 510 (Probably)
Connery’s comeback is the murkiest entry in the whole Bond watch canon. Some connoisseurs believe he wore the same gold Gruen again, while others insist Bond goes bare-wristed for the only time in the franchise. Either way, it’s fitting that a film obsessed with diamonds left its watch a mystery.
Live and Let Die (1973), Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900
Roger Moore’s debut came with the world’s first electronic digital watch, all red LED and pure seventies futurism. Pressing a button to see the time felt like science fiction in 1973. Hamilton reissued it in 2020 and it sold out almost immediately, proving nostalgia never really goes out of stock.
Live and Let Die (1973), Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 “Buzzsaw”
This is Q at his finest. The Submariner gets a spinning saw-blade bezel and a magnet strong enough to deflect a bullet, which Bond mostly uses to unzip a woman’s dress. The modified prop sold at Phillips in 2015 for 365,000 Swiss francs, a figure most of us would happily retire on.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513
Moore kept the Submariner 5513 for his second outing, only this time Q left it alone. It’s a plain steel, black-dialled Oyster Perpetual on a bracelet, and unlike the other films on this list, nobody really argues about it. Seiko’s quartz watches took over from here.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Seiko Quartz LC 0674-5009
Seiko’s quartz era kicks off here, and the gadget is gloriously daft. MI6 sends Bond a message via a ticker tape that prints straight out of the watch case. It’s a digital chronograph on a steel bracelet, and it marked the start of a nine-year Seiko run through the Moore years.
Moonraker (1979), Seiko M354-5019 Memory Bank Calendar
Only the late seventies could have produced this watch. The Memory Bank Calendar stored dates and appointments, which felt deeply impressive at the time. In the film it hides a detonator and a remote fuse, because naturally your calendar should also be able to blow things up.
For Your Eyes Only (1981), Seiko 7549-7009 Professional Diver “Golden Tuna”
The big shrouded case earned it the “tuna can” nickname, and the gold accents are about as seventies glam as Seiko ever got. It’s a proper 600m dive watch, which suits a film with plenty of underwater action, and vintage examples are now seriously collectable.
For Your Eyes Only (1981), Seiko H357-5040 Duo Display
This one squeezes analogue hands and an LCD screen onto a single dial. Bond uses it to receive messages, and the film’s closing gag sees a Margaret Thatcher impersonator talking into it while a parrot answers back. It’s peak gadget Moore and an underrated piece of design.
Octopussy (1983), Seiko G757-5020 Sports 100
Moore’s chunky digital came with alarm and chronograph functions, upgraded in the film with a homing device to track a Fabergé egg. It’s one of the more obscure Bond watches, but its round-cased digital look has aged surprisingly well, and Seiko collectors hunt these down quietly.
A View to a Kill (1985), Seiko 7A28/7A38 Quartz Chronograph
Seiko’s quartz chronograph movement was a technical leap in the eighties and Moore wore this panda-dialled version. It looks a lot like a Rolex Paul Newman at a glance, which is no accident. Clean, legible and handsome, it’s the most wearable of the Moore Seikos today.
A View to a Kill (1985), Seiko H558-5000 “Arnie” Diver
The nickname comes from Schwarzenegger, who wore the same model in Commando and Predator shortly afterwards, although Moore got there first. It’s an ana-digi diver with a hulking shrouded case, and Seiko reissued it in 2019 to considerable fanfare among people who own too many watches.
A View to a Kill (1985), Seiko 6923-8080
Moore’s final outing also included this simple automatic dress watch with a black dial and leather strap. There’s nothing gadget-y about it, which makes a nice change. It’s a reminder that in the eighties even Bond occasionally just needed to know what time it was.
A View to a Kill (1985), Rolex Datejust
Moore signs off with a classic steel and white gold Datejust on a Jubilee bracelet. It’s the most conventional watch in his run, and frankly it suits a 57-year-old Bond better than any of the digitals did. Every dad in 1985 wanted one of these.
The Living Daylights (1987), TAG Heuer Professional Night Diver Ref. 980.031
Timothy Dalton arrived with a grittier Bond and a grittier watch to match. The quartz Night Diver is a no-nonsense black dive watch on rubber, perfectly suited to Dalton’s harder edge. It’s also the only TAG Heuer Bond has ever worn on screen, which makes it a strange footnote.
Licence to Kill (1989), Rolex Submariner Ref. 16610 / 168000
Dalton’s second and final film brought the Submariner back, now with a date window and sapphire crystal. It was the last time Bond wore a Rolex on screen. After this the producers signed with Omega, and the Crown, with everything its logo says about you, has watched from the sidelines ever since.
GoldenEye (1995), Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Quartz Ref. 2541.80
This is the watch that changed everything. Costume designer Lindy Hemming picked Omega because she reckoned a naval commander would wear one, and Pierce Brosnan got the wave-dial blue Seamaster with a laser and detonator built in. The partnership has run unbroken ever since.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Automatic Ref. 2531.80
Brosnan upgraded from quartz to automatic and the blue Seamaster became the Bond watch for a generation. It returns in The World Is Not Enough with a grappling hook and in Die Another Day with a laser. If you grew up in the nineties, this is probably your Bond watch.
Casino Royale (2006), Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ref. 2900.50.91
Daniel Craig’s reboot came with a bigger, bolder Planet Ocean and one of the best product placement lines ever written. Vesper asks if it’s a Rolex, Bond replies Omega, and she calls it beautiful. It’s shameless and brilliant, and Omega sold a mountain of watches off the back of it.
Casino Royale (2006), Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Ref. 2220.80
The blue wave dial survived the reboot. Craig wears the updated co-axial Seamaster in the dinner suit scenes, including the famous poker game in Montenegro. It’s a neat bridge between Brosnan and Craig, and the more elegant of his two watches in that film by a fair way.
Quantum of Solace (2008), Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Ref. 2201.50
The direct sequel kept the Planet Ocean, this time swapped onto a black rubber strap for a more tactical look. It’s a darker, angrier Bond in a darker, angrier film, and the strap fits the mood. The movie was forgettable but the watch was excellent, which is the right way round.
Skyfall (2012), Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Ref. 232.30.42.21.01.001
The 50th anniversary film brought an updated Planet Ocean with orange accents on the dial and a steel bracelet, a colourway Omega has kept leaning into ever since. It gets plenty of wrist time in the action sequences, and with Skyfall clearing a billion dollars, plenty of people saw it up close.
Skyfall (2012), Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Ref. 231.10.39.21.03.001
For the suited scenes, Craig switches to the teak-dialled Aqua Terra. It’s a smart move showing that Bond doesn’t need a dive bezel with a tuxedo. Of all the modern Bond watches, this is the one that would slot most easily into a real-world wardrobe.
Spectre (2015), Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Ref. 231.10.42.21.03.003
The Aqua Terra returns for Spectre in a slightly larger 41.5mm case with the same vertical teak dial. It stays understated in a film that is anything but, appearing in the formal scenes where a dive watch would look out of place. It’s a thoroughly grown-up pick from Omega.
Spectre (2015), Omega Seamaster 300 “Spectre” Ref. 233.32.41.21.01.001
This limited edition came with a 12-hour bezel, lollipop seconds hand and a striped NATO strap that every Bond fan immediately bought online. In the film it doubles as a bomb. Vintage styling, a modern movement and that strap made it one of the most successful Bond tie-ins ever.
No Time to Die (2021), Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition Ref. 210.90.42.20.01.001
Craig’s farewell watch is the best of the lot, with a titanium case, tropical brown dial, mesh bracelet and a broad arrow on the dial, the old marking for British military issue. Craig reportedly had input on the design, and in the film it fires an EMP. It’s a fitting send-off.
