Our top picks for a more realistic 007, taking into account Bond’s fictional background in special operations and salary as a civil servant
When it comes to Watches of Espionage, James Bond is the elephant in the room. There is a significant gap between the realities of intelligence collection and Hollywood's depiction, but 007 has had an indelible impact on watch culture within the Intelligence Community, and we know several real-world practitioners whose watch choices were influenced by the Omega and Rolex watches worn by Bond, James Bond.
However, we would argue that there’s a good chance a real “secret agent" using their license to kill on MI6’s behalf wouldn’t wear a luxury watch at all. In this video on the W.O.E. YouTube Channel, we’ll provide some of our top timepiece selections for a slightly more realistic 007.
Enjoy episode forty-three of W.O.E. TV.
Happy Hunting,
-W.O.E.
18 comments
From Hodinkee: “The Omega SM300 was only issued to Royal Navy divers for a few years before it was phased out in favor of the Rolex again, the latter of which was forced to copy the former’s hands and bezel for readability. Where the Rolex was superior was in water resistance and this was thanks to its bulletproof Twinlock screw-down crown. The crown was Omega’s Achilles heel.”
Omega was never better then Rolex as we have been told by the modern Bond wardrobe department.
Go Rolex or go better…..
Bond, like the author that created him is to me a simple man with tastes above his means but only slightly. I feel that they would subscribe to not only the “Use Your Tools” ethos, but also the “Buy Once, Cry Once” ethos. Bond is a Rolex man, no matter what the studios want us to believe.
A little devil’s advocate: yes, a Rolex or Omega is expensive, but James Bond is a “live in the moment” guy.
Often in Fleming’s books he ruminates how likely it is that he will be killed in action, so he throws himself completely into the world’s pleasures. For Bond, that equates to fine food and drink, smoking, sex, and probably blowing money on expensive watches.
What else is he going to do with his money? Put it in a 401K??
Any watch, but not Omega.
This is what got me going on Rolex all those years ago.
18 comments
From Hodinkee: “The Omega SM300 was only issued to Royal Navy divers for a few years before it was phased out in favor of the Rolex again, the latter of which was forced to copy the former’s hands and bezel for readability. Where the Rolex was superior was in water resistance and this was thanks to its bulletproof Twinlock screw-down crown. The crown was Omega’s Achilles heel.”
Omega was never better then Rolex as we have been told by the modern Bond wardrobe department.
Go Rolex or go better…..
Bond, like the author that created him is to me a simple man with tastes above his means but only slightly. I feel that they would subscribe to not only the “Use Your Tools” ethos, but also the “Buy Once, Cry Once” ethos. Bond is a Rolex man, no matter what the studios want us to believe.
A little devil’s advocate: yes, a Rolex or Omega is expensive, but James Bond is a “live in the moment” guy.
Often in Fleming’s books he ruminates how likely it is that he will be killed in action, so he throws himself completely into the world’s pleasures. For Bond, that equates to fine food and drink, smoking, sex, and probably blowing money on expensive watches.
What else is he going to do with his money? Put it in a 401K??
Any watch, but not Omega.
This is what got me going on Rolex all those years ago.