If agent 007 shines through with his elegance, it is also through his watches that the acting becomes more relevant. He’s been sporting Omega watches since 1995.
James Bond And Omega, A Role Up
In 1995, costume designer Lindy Hemming turned to the Omega house to choose Agent 007’s watches, it was primarily for the veracity of the role.
James Bond, A Seamaster For British Naval Officer
When James Bond was first adapted to the cinema, it was with the film James Bond 007 against Dr No. that the British agent entered popular culture. Played by Sean Connery, in 1962.
The production then wishes to follow precisely the original text of Ian Fleming. In fact, he describes Agent 007 there with such precision that he willingly lends him a watch that matches his exploits. This watch is first and foremost a Rolex Submariner.
But now, in the 90s, a new Bond is embodied on the screen with Pierce Brosnan. And costume designer Lindy Hemming had a flair for a new watch.
Awarded numerous times at the Oscars, she tells: “I was convinced that Commander Bond, a hushed gentleman from the ranks of the British Navy, was made to wear the Seamaster with the blue dial. “
It is true that the Seamaster is itself a legend. Created in 1948, the Seamaster is a watch cut for the feat. Commander Cousceau … Freediver Jacques Mayol … Many explorers have made their reputation. Omega’s Diver 300M is known to everyone – and in particular to British spies who have adopted it for a long time.
Sporty design, scratch-resistant and anti-reflective glass, steel bracelet, guaranteed water resistance up to 500 feet. Everything predestines to face the unknown. No wonder from a house that has made myth a daily occurrence.
When, in 1995, James Bond returned to the screens in ‘GoldenEye’, it was the Omega Seamaster 300M that dressed his wrist. For the first time!
A watch that lives up to Bond’s role – a spirit of adventure and iconic elegance. A watch that adapts wonderfully to the very advanced universe of 007.
Thus in ‘GoldenEye’, the Omega Seamaster 300M is capable of projecting a laser beam to cut metals. In another film, it is equipped with a trigger system, allowing the Omega to orchestrate the explosion of explosive charges! Something to accompany Bond with each film…
For Each Bond, there’s an Omega
In 1997, therefore, we found Pierce Brosnan and his favorite watch in ‘Tomorrow never dies’.
In 1999, the Seamaster saved his life, in ‘The world is not enough’. Capable of supporting the weight of Bond, thanks to its micro-steel wire. Able, too, to project a lighting system, very useful in the abyss! A system invented and integrated by the ingenious Q.
In the 2000s, James Bond changed and returned in force! With Casino Royale, Daniel Craig becomes the new James Bond. And, for the occasion, two Omega watches accompany agent 007. The iconic Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial, and the new Planet Ocean 600M Co-Axial.
Two years later, in 2008, James Bond took off for a mission in troubled waters in Quantum of Solace. In an episode centered on the water war, James Bond certainly needed the icon of marine watches – the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M. With each James Bond, his Omega therefore.
Skyfall, in 2012, saw Agent Bond wearing two watches, one of which was specially designed for the film. The Planet Ocean 600M, which has become a regular, was here specially designed for this episode of James Bond. With its titanium case, it differs from the Planet Ocean 600 M produced in stainless steel.
A very special version which soared, in the same year, to almost 200,000 euros at Christie’s.
In Skyfall, the Planet Ocean 600M is this time alongside an Omega watch also cut for the city. The Aqua Terra.
Finally, in 2015, it was in Specter that Daniel Craig added the insane capabilities of an Omega Seamaster 300. Again, in its limited edition Specter, it also marks the return of the NATO bracelet . An object of desire completed with black and gray and a lollipop second hand… An exceptional version!
And precisely, James Bond and Omega have been able to design, over the course of their collaboration, watches that are more and more exceptional.
James Bond And Omega, Over The Collaborations
When Daniel Craig recalls his participation in the casting of James Bond, he says: “The year when someone told me ‘you might be racing to play James Bond’, I said to myself, it’s a great idea, but I will never play James Bond. I don’t believe it for a moment. […] I went to a second-hand watch store, where I bought an Omega. I thought to myself, ‘If I don’t become James Bond, it will help me remember that it didn’t go far.’ […] It’s a thing of the past now. But I still continue to wear this watch today. “
James Bond And Omega Limited Editions
If we had to retain only two of the Omega watches specially made to honor the most chic of secret agents, we would first talk about the Seamaster Diver 300M Commander’s Watch.
Produced in 2017 for the 50th anniversary of the film In Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the Seamaster Diver 300M Commander’s Watch is inspired by the military career of 007.
An Omega in the color of the Royal British Navy, which, with its touches of white, blue and red, does not forget all the passion of the regal aesthetic! The exceptional touches also complement each other around a solid 42mm case where. The hands, indexes and coat of arms of the Bond family are cut in 18K yellow gold.
James Bond and the Omega limited editions, then the Seamaster 300 Specter. And this is the first time that the model worn by James Bond has been launched in a limited edition.
The 24th installment in the saga thus presents the captivating personality of Bond in this unique Seamaster 300. An elegant watch, powered by the iconic OMEGA Master Co-Axial 8400 caliber. A watch that distils all of Bond’s panache around a very refined black and yellow duo!
A watch as a summary of the Omega and James Bond relationship. A relationship which, in 2020, reaches a new point of expertise!
James Bond Dying Can Wait
The occasion of the 25th installment of the Bond saga thus inspired a very close collaboration between Daniel Craig and Omega. A collaboration that resulted in the Seamaster Diver 300M Edition 007.
Daniel Craig then clarifies the idea behind this new icon. “We thought that the lightness of the watch would be an essential criterion for a soldier like 007. I also suggested adding some retro-inspired details and colors to give the watch a unique style. I find the result incredible.”
Indeed, the result captivates around a 42 mm diameter case, water-resistant to 30 meters, is fashioned from grade 2 titanium. Better, the domed sapphire crystal case extends around a new shape, making it possible to refine the special Bond watch.
The brown patina, baptized ‘tropical’, thus embraces a watch where a series of numbers is engraved, echoing military watches. “0552” a code used by the Navy. “923 7697” for a diving watch. The “62” is a sign of the year of production of the first James Bond. And finally, the legendary 007.
A legendary watch. In fact, rare are the pieces on Bond’s hands, don’t become icons. Like the James Bond cars, the legendary Aston Martin.