After over three decades of wearing Rolex watches in some of history’s favorite spy films, James Bond made an unexpected leap to Omega starting in 1995’s GoldenEye. What might have appeared like a genius marketing coup for Omega was actually the work of a single savvy designer helping to guide Bond’s character into a new era of 007 films.
In our new episode on the W.O.E. YouTube Channel, we share the complete story of how James Bond became an Omega man before providing a play-by-play of every Omega watch worn by Bond over the past thirty years.
Enjoy episode seventeen of W.O.E. TV.
Happy Hunting,
-W.O.E.
3 comments
While your video on the evolution of Omega as a Bond watch is mostly correct I would add that as an Omega sales executive in NY from 2017 to 2019 I heard from Omega top brass a slight variation of the story.
Lindey Hemming did as you claim, bring Omega to Bond but I was told that this happened after she researched MOD or ministry of defense watches issued and found that in WWII there were a dozen watch manufacturers supplying watches to the allied war effort, they were later known as the “Dirty Dozen” and Omega was the main supplier to the British MOD who issued Seamasters to officers in the Navy and Air force. Hemmings concluded that James Bond was a naval Commander and would have been issued a Seamaster so she made the decision to put an Omega Seamaster on Bonds wrist. I was also told that Omega had no idea this was happening and only found out about the switch at the premier of Goldeneye at which point Omega quickly negotiated a co-branding deal. Additionally Flemming did not plan on Bond wearing a Rolex in the first film Dr.No despite having mentioned the brand in his writings. The story goes that on the beach at Jamaica on the first day of filming Connery showed up wearing a cheap worn out watch(there was no prop watch at the time). Flemming seeing this low class watch then marched up to Connery and stripped the watch off his wrist. Flemming then took his own Rolex Submariner that he was wearing on a NATO strap and put it on Connery’s wrist and told him to wear it through out the filming.
I like Omega, but lots of Bond fans will never consider it “the” Bond watch. Just “a” Bond watch.
Flemming wrote Rolex, not a retarded Omega. Sea Dweller, anyone?