A List of Watches in James Bond

If you’re into watches, you’ve probably noticed the Omega or Rolex watches on James Bond’s wrist. James Bond has worn different watches in each of the movies from the series of the same name, and each watch was chosen to fit the period that the movie was shot in. These watches remain most famously associated with 007---The Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster.

The Rolex Submariner

Rolex Submariner (John Pacheco)

One of the iconic watches on James Bond’s wrists is the the Rolex Submariner first worn by Sean Connery in the 1962 film Casino Royale. The author of the books that inspired the movies, Ian Fleming, had a strong affinity for Rolex. Thus, he often wore an Explorer. The Rolex Submariner became associated with Bond very quick. Watch enthusiasts to this day still call it “the James Bond Submariner”. Bond would continue to wear Rolexes until the 1996 movie, GoldenEye. In this film, he switched to the Omega Seamaster as part of a costume choice by the directors.

The Omega Seamaster

Omega Seamaster (Monochrome Watches)

This Omega watch James Bond wore has appeared in the movies since Pierce Brosnan took over the role of Bond in the 1996 installment GoldenEye. Bond has worn it since, with some other Omega watches also appearing in the later films. The Omega Seamaster made sense due to its association with the British Royal Navy in the 1960s. Bond himself had also served in this branch of the military. Thus. the watch gave viewers a glimpse into the character’s past. But some fans of the Bond movies weren’t happy with the switch. This was because Rolex chose not to draw much attention to its association with the Bond films. Yet Omega did the opposite.

The Other Watches

One of the Seikos worn in the 1970s-1980s Bond movies (Watch Doctor)

The Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster may be the most well-known watches in the Bond movies, but other watches were worn by Bond throughout the films. These watches include a Hamilton Pulsar LED digital watch (Live and Let Die, 1973), various Seikos, and a TAG Heuer Professional Night-Dive watch (The Living Daylights, 1987). They were mostly worn by the Bond actors in the 1970s-1980s as a means of ushering in the digital age, but none of them are as closely associated with Bond as the Submariner or Seamaster.

Conclusion

The character James Bond wears multiple different watches in the movie series of the same name, yet the Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster still remain the ones most closely associated with the fictional character. These watches have rose in popularity as a result of appearing in the Bond movies, and many companies mimic the look and feel of these two watches, the Submariner especially, in their own watches in hopes of making a higher profit.