Feature: How Omega Helped Kickstart A New Bond Era
When actor Timothy Dalton walked away from the James Bond role in the early 90s after just two films, the franchise had become untethered from its horological moorings.
Bond may have been cinema’s most decisive and ruthlessly efficient secret agent, but these attributes seem to have deserted him when it came to picking a watch. As he veered from one brand to another, we just wanted him to choose a timepiece with the same unwavering conviction he displays at the bar when ordering a vodka martini.
It’s one thing having 007 seduce a succession of glamorous women—all in the name of national security, of course—but we expect him to be a tad less promiscuous when it comes to what’s on his wrist. Something had to be done…
The Last Bond To Wear A Rolex
Bond author Ian Fleming famously had his protagonist wear a Rolex in the original novels, and Sean Connery’s incarnation of the character faithfully adhered to this, sporting a handsome Submariner reference 6538 in most of his films.
As with Bond’s womanising ways, there was a moment of infidelity when he had a casual fling with a Breitling Top Time in Thunderball . But Connery’s Bond always returned to the Crown, with George Lazenby’s one-off Bond also wearing a couple of Rolex models in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (another Submariner and a pre-Daytona chronograph).
And then Roger Moore came along and swapped some of Connery’s grit for a lighter, groovy 70s vibe, complete with dodgy flared safari suits and even dodgier sexual innuendos that deserved a slap across the face.
A limited edition Omega Seamaster from 2002 when Pierce Brosnan played Bond. Image:Bonhams
In his unsurpassed seven outings as Bond, Moore wore several Rolexes, including a Submariner, a Datejust and even a GMT Master. But he also went hi-tech, wearing a handful of quartz Seikos and a Hamilton Pulsar LED watch—which was understandable considering the quartz era was well underway by this time.
When the aforementioned Timothy Dalton slipped on Bond’s tuxedo in 1987 he was given a sporty quartz TAG Heuer for his first film—though this was never an official Bond watch—before a Rolex Submariner reprised its role as 007’s trusty timekeeper in 1989’s Licence To Kill.
Dalton may not be everyone’s favourite Bond, despite doing a fine job, but he’ll always have a special place in the heart of watch aficionados as the last James Bond to wear a Rolex.
## The Brosnan Era
Six years later, after a load of studio legal issues had finally been resolved, Pierce Brosnan stepped into the role and the franchise was given a vigorous spring cleaning, with no previous members of the cast recalled for GoldenEye except for the ageing Q, played by Desmond Llewellyn.
This was the perfect opportunity for Bond to sport a new watch from a distinguished brand that had never previously been part of the 007 universe: Omega.
In the 90s, Omega was being expertly navigated through the apocalyptic post-quartz landscape by industry legend Jean-Claude Biver. After Pierce Brosnan signed up for Bond duty, Biver was urged by a younger female associate to push for Omega to be featured in the new film.
Biver’s Reluctance
Initially Biver, then in his mid-40s, was adamant that the Bond franchise held zero appeal for the younger generation, which was the audience Omega was aiming for at the time. Believing that the films had reached their peak with the Connery era, he dismissed the idea.
A model released in 2012-13 to celebrate 50 years of Bond films. Image: Bonhams
But Biver isn’t known as the industry’s most savvy marketeer for nothing. Finally acknowledging that he might no longer have his finger on the pulse of popular culture, he asked his associate to convince him that a Bond-Omega collaboration would benefit the brand.
Whatever she said, it was enough to persuade Biver to attend a meeting in Los Angeles with representatives of Eon Productions, the film company behind the Bond films.
Biver, a maverick in all areas of life, not least in negotiating skills, surprised Eon by offering substantially more money than they asked for. And for this, Omega received ample screen time and promotional support.
These days, when a new Bond film is announced, people are as keen to find out what watch Bond will be wearing as what car he’ll drive.
The Seamaster’s Reign
GoldenEye, then, was the first film featuring an Omega-wearing 007. Pierce Brosnan opened the account with a Seamaster Professional 300m, a quartz model, and since then it’s been mechanical all the way.
When Daniel Craig took over as Bond in Casino Royale 2006, the Seamaster provided some extra continuity, a valuable asset when a new actor takes over. Craig wore a Seamaster Diver 300M (Ref. 2220.80) and a Seamaster Planet Ocean (Ref. 2900.50.91), switching to another Planet Ocean 600M (Reference 2201.50) in A Quantum of Solace.
The newest 007 Omega Seamaster model appears in No Time To Die
After Skyfall and Spectre, where he wore other limited edition Seamasters and even, briefly, an Aqua Terra, Craig bowed out in sensational style in his final film, No Time To Die.
The Seamaster 300m 2020 edition (named the year before the film’s release which got delayed due to the corona virus) is perhaps the best-looking Seamaster—maybe even the best-looking Omega—to date.
Combining a robust, scalloped titanium case with orange-brown ‘tropical’ hour markers, sword-shaped hands and a military broad arrow above 6 o’ clock, it’s a nod to Bond’s special forces background. And it probably made a perfect farewell gift to the departing Daniel Craig, who has said that he usually gets to keep the watches he wears as Bond.
A nice little perk on top of the reported $25 million dollars he got paid for his 007 swansong then! As the guardians of the franchise ponder over its future direction—and Craig’s replacement—Omega will have its own headache in creating a Bond watch that surpasses the last one.
Like Daniel Craig, it’s an incredibly hard act to follow.
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