The Bond Submariner

[Tools]

James Bond, Rolex, and the Submariner

By Larry D
The Rolex Forums, December 2008

The name is Bond…… James Bond.


(Dr. No)

These are some of the most famous and recognizable words ever uttered by a fictional character. It is not just the character though, or the words he speaks that have become famous. James Bond is intertwined with his Aston Martin, the Walther PPK, and the Rolex Submariner. Any of these subjects is worthy of its own discussion, but here, we want to explore one of the most famous watches in the world – the Rolex Submariner.

For this discussion we need to separate the original James Bond of Ian Fleming’s timeless book character, from the Bond of the big screen. These both may be, in the minds of many, two different characters indeed. Like the iconic Submariner which first saw the light of day in 1953, the Bond within the covers of Flemings books, also was born in 1953. The Sub then made its formal debut a few months later at the Basel Spring Watch Fair of 1954. Both appeared together in movie theaters in 1962, each a mere 9 years old.

Ian Flemings Rolex.

We cannot go too much further without discussing what the author thought should be on the wrist of his famous spy. The consensus is that Fleming developed the 007 persona after himself, or at least after who he may have envisioned himself to be, or perhaps, as he said in a Playboy interview just before his untimely death in 1964, "...could be anybody...". Here we should note that Fleming himself wore a Rolex Explorer. From this we can see that it is possible, perhaps even likely, that the book Bond may have been envisioned by the creator with an Explorer on his wrist. Never-the-less, the cinema Bond clearly wore the fledgling Submariner, a visible fact.

There is plenty of evidence that the cinema event took great care to ensure their star spy would have the right look, or, indeed, the right stuff. He would need to wear the right clothes, and wear them well, drink a proper drink, drive with reckless abandon and, of course, wear the right watch. Most of us have heard the story about budget restraints and tight time dead-lines to meet when Cubby Broccoli is said to have taken his personal Rolex Submariner from his wrist, and provided it for use in the first Bond film, Dr. No. With this, 007’s look was complete and the legend was born.

But, Which Sub is the original or correct Sub ?

Most everyone who is a fan of Bond knows he originally wore a Rolex Submariner, but the real question might be – which Sub? When Dr. No first came out in 1962 there were a number of different Subs that had already been released over the previous 8 or 9 years.

The original Submariner, appearing in 1953, was the 6200 with the 6204 being showcased at the 1954 Basel Watch Fair. The Sub was originally born from the Turn-O-Graph model 6202, released a year earlier along with the Explorer model 6150. The Sub shared the stage with the new Milgauss 6541, and the GMT-Master 6542. A busy time for Rolex as, in just two short years, they managed to define their entire line of “Professional” watches that would catch the eye of enthusiasts then, and right up to the present – more than 50 years later.


(Goldfinger)

"James Bond Sub" accepted models and their movements

Model ........ Mvt. ............. Years ....................Depth rtg
6205 ..........A296 .......... 1954-1955................... 600
6204 ..........A260 ...........1953-1954....................600
6200 ..........A296...............1953................. ........660
6536 ..........1030 ...........1955-1959....................330
6538 ..........1030 ...........1954-1959.....................660
5508 ..........1530 ...........1957-1961.....................330
5510 ..........1530 ...............1958.........................660
5513 ........1520/1530.......1962-1989.....................660

While most novice followers just see a Submariner, collectors and aficionados alike look deeper. Stills from the screen 007 show clearly he wears a Sub. Further research will show it to be a Sub without crown guards and with a large winding crown, and the Goldfinger snap-shot shows the Mercedes style hour hand. This means it is not the late 60’s crown guard version, but must be an earlier model. Our search has been now narrowed to a 6 year span and certain characteristics. So, it could be a model 6200, which became the 5510 in 1958. It could be the 6204 seen at Basel, which was renumbered as the 6538 in 1955. Or even a 6536/1, which became the 5508 in 1958 (both the 6200 and the 6536 received a 1530 movement then). Well, you can see just how difficult identifying a simple watch can be !

OK...Let's enlarge and sharpen that Goldfinger screen shot...It can be easily seen that he wears it on a NATO style or nylon Regimental that is a bit small. We'll use some spy technique to see if we can get a better look:




And how about that Dr. No Sub...........Here he wears the Sub on Leather or Croc.


Fortunately for us, many collectors and avid Bond enthusiasts have examined fonts, dials, hands, bezels and cases. The consensus from researchers seems to be that Connery wore the 6538 in Dr. No, and some, therefore, only accept that model as the true “Bond Submariner”. Other possibilities also include the 6200 as it too had the large “Brevet” crown and no crown guards, and the two models are almost indistinguishable. The 6538, however, gets further support from news that the latest Bond, Daniel Craig, may have been given the same model from the Broccoli family. Additional reinforcement is found in “The Best of Time”; Dowling-Hess; where they state that the 6538 (6204) and its identical model 6536 are “…the ones generally known among collectors as the ‘James Bond’ models…”


(ref 6538 circa 1958)

Of course for that original “James Bond Look”, other no crown models besides the 6538 and 6200 were the 5508, 5510, 6204, 6205, and the 6536.


(Rolex Sub ad, circa 1957)

Let’s muddy things up!

Up until now we have spent some time searching for the “Bond” Submariner. Did we really find it………..or did we only find the “Connery” or "Broccoli" Sub?

There have been other Bonds besides Connery, and other Subs too. George Lazenby wore a Sub in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Here, the 007 Sub was the model 5513 with crown guards. It has even been reported that he bought his own Sub and purchased a Connery suit to help secure the part for the role; so could this be his personal Sub on screen?



(Roger Moore, "Live and Let Die")

Roger Moore also wore a 5513 in his first two appearances as 007; “Live and Let Die’, and “The Man with the Golden Gun”. The Sub worn by Moore in “Live and Let Die” could be argued to be the actual Sub that started, or at least cemented, the image of the Sub as the true spy watch. Moore’s 5513 was fitted by “Q” of the MI6 gadget room, with a powerful electro-magnet that would be able to deflect bullets, and the bezel doubled as a high-speed buzz saw; features that came in useful in saving Bonds life on occasion. This “prop watch” which was modified by the “Live and Let Die” art director Syd Cain, was auctioned at Christies in 1998 and brought in $41,992. Also, the prop design drawings by Cain sold for $11,453. Both of those were auctioned off for a mere fraction of what a period correct “Bond Watch” might bring in today.


(Magnetic 5513, "Live and Let Die"))


(Buzz-Saw Bezel 5513 drawings)


(ref 5513, Photo by Mike)

And, Just to add more interest !

To further complicate things, Timothy Dalton brought a Submariner to “The Living Daylights” and “Licence to Kill” in 1987 and 1989 respectively. Daltons Subs, unlike the others, were Sub Date models. This would likely mean that 007 was now sporting a more modern 16800 Sub.


(ref 16800 circa 1985)

What does it all mean?

For many Bond fans, the Sub represents the ruggedness of the action adventure and adventurer the James Bond books and movies are meant to portray, and it fits the character of "Bond ..... James Bond" very well indeed. The Sub also shows its own durability and timelessness as, even though other watches had cameos, it was the watch that exuded Bonds essence from 1962 through 1989; a pretty good run for any watch.

What it should mean for both Bond fans and Sub fans alike is that every and any Sub is representative of the iconic Secret Agent.

The same way that Bond changed through the years, so too did his tools and that extends to his tool watch.


(ref. 6536/1 circa 1959)


(ref. 5510 circa 1960)


(ref. 5508 circa 1962)

Bond Rolex Watches In Film

Dr. No ....................................Rolex Submariner
From Russia With Love ..............Rolex Submariner
Goldfinger ...............................Rolex Submariner
Thunderball .............................Rolex Submariner
You Only Live Twice ..................undetermined
On Her Majesty's Secret Service...Rolex Submariner / Rolex Chronogaph 6238
Diamonds Are Forever ................undetermined
Live And Let Die .......................Rolex Submariner
The Man With The Golden Gun .....Rolex Submariner
The Spy Who Loved Me ..............Seiko
Moonraker ................................Seiko
For Your Eyes Only ....................Seiko
Octopussy ...............................Seiko
A View To A Kill .........................Seiko
The Living Daylights ...................Rolex Submariner
Licence To Kill ...........................Rolex Submariner Date
GoldenEye ................................Omega Seamaster
Tomorrow Never Dies ..................Omega Seamaster
The World Is Not Enough .............Omega Seamaster
Die Another Day .........................Omega Seamaster
Casino Royale ............................Omega Seamaser
Quantum of Solace......................Omega Seamaster



Copyright Dec. 2008, Larry Draper. All rights reserved.
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