Licence To Sell: James Bond's 1960s Rolex Watch Up For Auction

Ian Fleming's iconic character James Bond wore a Rolex Submariner diver's watch during the 1960's Bond films, as did George Lazenby in his one-time portrayal of Bond in the earlier portions of 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. 

But when Lazenby/Bond went undercover as genealogist Sir Hilary Bray and infiltrated criminal madman Ernst Stavo Blofeld's Swiss clinic, he wore another Rolex (seen in the above photo).

Hannah Ellis-Peterson at the British newspaper the Guardian offers a piece on the sale of the special Rolex watch worn by George Lazenby as Bond.

James Bond might be best known for his suave attire and explosive gadgets, but for his creator Ian Fleming “a gentleman’s choice of timepiece says as much about him as does his Savile Row suit”.

And now, one of the watches that formed a pivotal part of 007’s look almost five decades ago is to be auctioned in Monte Carlo.

... Though Bond has sported an Omega in recent outings, in his original books, Fleming was very particular about the watch his spy should wear. Writing in his 1953 novel, Casino Royale, Fleming specified that 007 “could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex”. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/18/licence-to-sell-james-bonds-1960s-rolex-watch-up-for-auction

Below are photos of Sean Connery as James Bond wearing a Rolex Submariner in 1964's Goldfinger:

You can also read an earlier post on James Bond's Rolex Submariner via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2015/10/how-james-bond-made-submariner-rolexs.html

A Piece Of U.S. Navy History: For Sale, A Beautiful Rolex Submariner Watch Owned By The Commander of Sealab III

Stephen Pulvirent at Bloomberg.com offers a piece on the Rolex Submariner once owned by the Commander of Sealab III.

Military provenance is one of the easiest ways to add tons of value to a vintage Rolex. While this Submariner didn't belong to James Bond himself, it was on the wrist of the commander of the U.S. Navy's Sealab III mission, and now it's hitting the auction block. 

Commander Jackson Maxwell Tomsky hailed from San Francisco and enlisted in the Navy during World War II. After the war ended, he bounced around a few diving-related Navy jobs before he ended up running the Sealab III mission in 1969. The third installment of a Navy research program placed a habitable capsule 600 feet below the ocean (note the 660ft depth rating on this Submariner) that aquanauts could live in for two-month stints.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-23/vintage-rolex-submariner-from-the-commander-of-sealab-iii  

Note: My Rolex Submariner is my most prized possession.

How James Bond Made The Submariner Rolex's Coolest, Most Recognized Watch

My most prized possession is my Rolex Submariner watch.

I was a teenager when I first saw the Rolex Submariner on Sean Connery's wrist in Dr No, the first James Bond film based on Ian Fleming's classic thrillers. I dreamed of owning my own Rolex Submariner.

Later, in an iconic scene in the beginning of Goldfinger, Bond glances at the famous watch in a Mexican cafe as he waits for the charges he planted to explode (see above and below photos).  

While later serving in the U.S. Navy I saw several Navy SEALs, Navy pilots and other sailors wearing the Rolex Submariner and I saw Rolex ads featuring the great Air Force pilot General Chuck Yeager and thriller writer Frederick Forsyth proudly wearing their Rolex Submariner watches.

I finally received my own Rolex Submariner in 1982 when a beautiful young woman bought me one for my birthday. I married her a month later. I wear the Rolex proudly today.  

Robert Klara at Adweek.com offers a piece on the famous watch.

The Rolex Submariner has taken on an interesting life," said writer, author and luxury brand consultant Ariel Adams. "Because it's not just a steel dive watch, it's a Rolex steel dive watch, and everyone from politicians to actors to soldiers wear it." 

Here's how that happened. In 1953, French Navy diver Jacques Cousteau wrote The Silent World, a book that chronicled his undersea explorations. The book, and the Academy Award-winning documentary film that followed, captured the world's imagination and created a generation of recreational divers. Rolex responded with the Submariner.

The wristwatch might never have left the lockers of naval cadets were it not for the Bond franchise. The first four films all featured a Submariner on the wrist of our hero. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/how-james-bond-made-submariner-rolex-s-coolest-most-recognized-watch-167595