How hard it is to find a James Bond SUBMARINER?

[naptown airking]

Being that I am a big fan of GOLDFINGER, I was wondering how many of the James Bond SUBMARINER were every made? Was this model only made for the movie or certain country? What is the average book value for this watch and serial number?

Thanks listening,
Darrick

[mike]

Hi Darrick,

Many feel Sean Connery wore either a 6200,6538,or 5510 in the Bond movies.
There's always going to be a bit of a debate. None the less from the photo shots it appears to be an early thick case sub with a Brevet crown.

These were watches of the mid 50's ser. no. less than 1 mil. Finding one that is orginal is HARD! These are some pretty deep waters both in price and authenticity.
As far as price---think new car--nice new car!



If you'll notice in the pics, the NATO strap is to small for the spring bars.

[naptown airking]

Nice pictures mike. Very interesting how you can see what kind of strap it was. I have always wanted to know what the word NATO means (dont laugh at me). Because this word is used alot here at TRF.
I thought that it was for auction at one time at CHRISTIES.

Thanks Mike for the quick reply,
I dont know all the ROLEX terms or words, but I am learning. Thanks to the TRF members.

[mike]

Originally Posted by naptown airking

Nice pictures mike. Very interesting how you can see what kind of strap it was. I have always wanted to know what the word NATO means (dont laugh at me). Because this word is used alot here at TRF.
I thought that it was for auction at one time at CHRISTIES.

Thanks Mike for the quick reply,
I dont know all the ROLEX terms or words, but I am learning. Thanks to the TRF members.

Glad I could help, we are all students!

NATO--North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

[JJ Irani]

NATO = Not Attractive....Take Off!!

[padi56]

Well like Mike has stated there is great debate still in what is the first Bond Rolex.I have been a Bond movie fan,and done quite a lot of research on subject.Although the cinematic different James Bonds have worn Rolex, Omega,and Seiko watches,to many the choice of which watch Bond wears can only come form his origins. Undoubtedly, the origins of James Bond lie with Ian Fleming and Bond's earliest incarnation in the cinema today.



No one knows exactly why Ian Fleming chose a Rolex for the wrist of James Bond. Perhaps Fleming was impressed by the fact that during World War II, British prisoners of war could write to Rolex and receive a watch free of charge delivered directly to their prison camp. Perhaps it was for Rolex's legendary toughness and dependability, or perhaps it was because Fleming wore a Rolex himself. Whatever the reason, Ian Fleming chose a Rolex for his most famous gentleman spy with a license to kill and as such should be considered the main brand of the James Bond watch.

But just what model of Rolex Fleming chose for his spy, he never makes quite clear. Like his clothing choices for Bond, Fleming is vague about the model of Rolex that Bond wears. One of the few references Fleming gives can be found in Chapter 16 of On Her Majesty's Secret Service when Bond prepares to use his Rolex as a knuckle duster: When Bond was brought to the large screen however, the producers clearly had to pick their own model.

According to the book James Bond the Legacy Bond would not just drink champagne, it would be Dom Perignon, and "he could not just wear a watch, it needed to be a Rolex".Now when Rolex declined to provide one of their watches for the production of the film. And the budget did not allow for the purchase of one, Cubby Broccoli took his off his wrist and gave it to a member of the art department for use in the film. That Rolex was a Submariner with a very large crown, no crown guards, a coin edge bezel and on a black leather strap.

Many vintage Rolex collectors call all early Submariners without crown guards the James Bond Submariner, while others in the watch collecting field believe, that the watch Connery wore in Dr. No was the Rolex Submariner model 6538. Still other collectors believe that the Submariner Connery wore was more than likely one of four models they are the 6200, 6538A, thick cased 6538 and the 5510. Now IMHO I believe that it is impossible to nail it down to one of the four models, and I'll get into the specifics later.

All four models share the same thick case, a large crown marked Brevet (from the French word Brevette meaning patented), a coin edge non ratcheted bezel, an acrylic crystal, a depth rating of 200m/660ft and Mercedes hands. I should add that only the "thick cased" shoulder-less Submariners had the large winding crown. now, it should also be noted that the 6538 existed first as a thin cased model with a small crown. It became a thick cased model as the 6538A and was available alongside the 6200.

Once the thin cased versions were gone, the 6538A became the 6538 remaining the same until it and the 6200 were replaced by the 5510,well thats Rolex for you confusing as ever.. Since Sean Connery as James Bond only wore the thick cased Submariner (evident by the large crown), none of the thin cased, small crown so called James Bond Submariners without crown guards will be discussed.

IMO the only proper Sean Connery James Bond Submariner

Is one of the thick cased Submariners with the large crown first appeared on Connery's wrist in Dr. No, From Russia With love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball. It is assumed that Connery also wore this watch in You Only Live Twice, but I don't recall seeing it in that movie and to my knowledge it is not in the movie. If someone can direct me to a scene that shows otherwise, I'll happily revise this. By analysing close ups of the Connery Submariner, it is clear that the watch has the big crown with no crown guard,and has a gilt dial , and has Mercedes hands. The bezel insert is the non-graduated version, meaning there are no extra minute markings between 0 and 15 and the bezel pearl is in the centre of a silver triangle. Later versions of the Submariner had the extra minute markings between the 0 and 15 including the ones without crown guards. These observations are important because the watch has characteristics of a 6200, a 6538A, a thick cased 6538 or even a 5510 (depending on whether you discern the depth rating of Connery's watch as white or gilt) despite what so called experts say about it being only a 6538.

To me the proper Bond Submariner, has always had contradictory characteristics with respect to the exact model. In fact I have never seen another untouched version exactly like it. Firstly, the non-graduated bezel insert is that of the earliest thick cased, large crown Submariners, the 6200. However, on the mid 50's version of 6200, there is only one line of printing on the lower part of the dial, the word "SUBMARINER" in gilt, because although it was rated to a depth of 200m/660ft it did not yet appear on the dial.

The late 50's 6200, 6538A and 6538 did have the two lines of printing on the lower part of the dial (chronometer versions of the 6538A and thick cased 6538 had 4 lines) and the depth rating was printed in white while the word "SUBMARINER" was in gilt. As Now On the 5510, late 50's models had both the depth rating and the word "SUBMARINER" in the same colour, gilt. To further make things even harder, the late 50's 6200, 6538A, 6538 and 5510 had graduated bezel inserts, and the triangle containing the luminous pearl was red. As I said before, the Connery Submariner has a non-graduated bezel insert and the triangle containing the pearl was silver.

So what does all that mean, probably not much. The fact of the matter is that at this time Rolex often used up older parts even when they went to a new model. So it would be entirely possible to have 6538A with a 6200 bezel insert. Also, it's quite possible that a 6538 or 5510 could have been serviced during its ownership by a service centre having older parts which means that a 6538 or a 5510 might end up having a 6200 bezel insert.

So unless the Broccoli family, who are rumoured to have the original watch, furnishes the exact model number, we may never know the exact model number of the Connery Bond Submariner. However with the wealth of parts available, it is possible to achieve the same look using the 6200, 6538A, thick cased 6538 or the 5510 Submariner because they all share the same case and big Brevet crown. But, be warned, some collectors and myself hate to restore or change watches. And IMHO its better to have an original beat up watch, than a pristine restored one. Luckily, there is a building trend now toward a gentle restoration.

Movements in the Different Models

The 6200, 6538A, 6538 and the 5510 all had different movements. The 6200 had the A296, while the 6538A and thick cased 6538 had the 1030. The movement in the 5510 was the 1530 (although some military versions had the 1520 movement).Rolex at this time done
a lot of strange things,and used any part movement to make a complete watch.

The 1530 and 1520 movement are the same movements used in the later 5513 Submariners of Lazenby and Moore fame. The 15XX series of movements are considered among the best Rolex ever made, so the 5510 with the old style case coupled with the newer movement make it the most wearable of the Connery Bond Submariners, however it was made in very low numbers and is considered quite rare,and now very collectible.

The Bond Strap

In Dr. No and From Russia With Love, Connery wears his Submariner on a crocodile or perhaps alligator strap; if you look at close-ups of the strap, you'll see striations consistent with a crocodile or alligator skin. However, by Goldfinger and later Thunderball, Connery sports his Submariner on an 18mm black cloth NATO/MOD type strap with twin grey service stripes. So, why the change? Although this is conjecture on my part, it is possible that the producers became aware of the early military Submariner that was available to the Royal and Canadian Navies. By extension, I believe the nylon strap was chosen to give the on-screen Bond a military bearing, especially to those in the know.

The early military Submariner was differently optioned than civilian Submariners and was, among other things, fitted with fixed bars between the lugs instead of spring bars to accommodate a cloth NATO/MOD type grey strap. The reasons for such straps were that they were anti-reflective, and easily cut off, if necessary. For this reason some have speculated that the Submariner that Connery wears in Goldfinger and Thunderball was an early military Submariner, however I don't believe that is true. When you look at close-ups of Connery's Submariner, you can clearly see that the strap is attached with spring bars between 20mm lugs as evidenced by holes in the lugs. A military Submariner would have filled lug holes.

Check with Mikes picture.

George Lazenby, Roger Moore and the Rolex 5513 Submariner

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby dons a Rolex Submariner 5513. It has been written that Lazenby wanted the part of Bond so bad that he went out and bought his own Rolex and got one of Connery's suits from Anthony Sinclair. It's quite possible that the watch Lazenby wore in his first outing as Bond was his own purchase. The Lazeby Submariner had crown guards, and a metal riveted bracelet.

In Roger Moore's first and second outings as Bond, he wears a 5513 Rolex Submariner. Unlike Lazenby's Submariner, Moore's Rolex is seen in more detail, at least in Live and Let Die. In this instance the dial has white printing and inducer's. It should be noted however that the depth rating on Moore's Submariner is shown above the word Submariner on the lower part of the dial rather than below it. The depth also appears as 660ft=200m rather than 200m=660ft. This is important because 5513's are available with the alternate dial printing as described. The reason for these differences had to do with the regions for which the Submariners were made and the years in which they were produced.

Moore's Submariner also had a bezel with a saw tooth edge. The original bezel was re-cut to accommodate the watch, with a little movie magic, functioning as a saw. The hyper-intensified magnet function of the watch was shown to be activated when the watch induces turned red. Separate 5513 Submariners were re-worked by the prop department to accommodate these functions. When Moore returned in The Man With The Golden Gun he was again seen wearing a 5513, however the watch had no special function used in the movie and is easily missed. Moore began sporting Seiko's in all subsequent outings as Bond probably because of a better endorsement deal on the part of Seiko.

Movements of the Rolex 5513

The movement in the 5513 Submariner is either the 1530 or 1520. Again, the type of movement is dependant on where and when they were made. The 1520 was the less expensive version having fewer jewels. As I said before, the 15XX series of movements are considered some of the best movements that Rolex ever used. For this reason, the 5513 is probably one of the best vintage Submariners for everyday wear.

Timothy Dalton and the Rolex 16800/168000 Submariner

When Timothy Dalton assumed the role of James Bond he was wearing a Rolex Submariner with a date function, the first Bond ever to do so and also the last Bond to date to wear a Rolex. Because of the time frame when Dalton made his Bond movies, it is likely that Dalton wore the 16800 and later perhaps the 168000 Submariner.

[JJ Irani]

Excellent info, Padi....you're the man....err, froggie....err, Peter!!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Excellent info, Padi....you're the man....err, froggie....err, Peter!!

Thanks JJ.

[C.J.]

Does needle in a hay stack mean anything to you?

How could a fictional character wear a real watch?

[astcell]

Originally Posted by Atomic

How could a fictional character wear a real watch?

Close your eyes and picture a unicorn. Easy, wasn't it?

Now picture a chiligon. Got it? Let me help. A chiligon is a thousand-sided figure. There, now can you picture it in detail?

How come you can easily picture a mythical unicorn but not the real chiligon?

(From "The Book of Five Rings.")

[mike]

Fantastic info padi!!

Why is it the "other" watch in Goldfinger never gets much play?
My grail

[padi56]

Originally Posted by mike

Fantastic info padi!!:thumbsup

Why is it the "other" watch in Goldfinger never gets much play?
My grail:

Agree Mike Pussy Galore wears a Rolex GMT when piloting Goldfinger's jet most probably a 1675,but if it was her own watch could have been the 6542 .

[mike]

Yep, I've seen better shots. It's a 6542. Would love to have one in decent shape.

[astcell]

Why does James Bond have an Omega now? Is it a cost cutting measure by MI-6?

[padi56]

Originally Posted by mike

Yep, I've seen better shots. It's a 6542. Would love to have one in decent shape.

Wonder if it was her own watch Mike, did not the production end for the 6542 around 1960, Goldfinger came out 1964.And yes like you would love that watch, and Miss pussy galore, as she was then.Rolex would not supply the Sub,for film so I would have thought likewise with the GMT.

[mike]

Originally Posted by padi56

Wonder if it was her own watch Mike, did not the production end for the 6542 around 1960, Goldfinger came out 1964.And yes like you would love that watch, and Miss pussy galore, as she was then.Rolex would not supply the Sub,for film so I would have thought likewise with the GMT.

Quite true padi. I believe the watch was privately owned. I've never found anything to give any indication that Rolex supported any of the movies.
While the watch Connery wore is said to be with the Broccoli family, nothing is ever mentioned about the Pussy Galore 6542.

[padi56]

As you know I have done quite a bit of research on the bond watches,But have never come across,any mention of Honor Blackmans watch,in any sort of detail.

[fquiroga]

beautifull post !!! I hace readen somewhere that rolex is very close to windsor's house because hans wilsdorf got a contract with the crown of england for make the first submariner

was in times of victoria, and I remember to have readen that davis, the brother of wilsdorf's wife, was the "bridge" between rolex and the royal family

Originally Posted by padi56

Well like Mike has stated there is great debate still in what is the first Bond Rolex.I have been a Bond movie fan,and done quite a lot of research on subject.Although the cinematic different James Bonds have worn Rolex, Omega,and Seiko watches,to many the choice of which watch Bond wears can only come form his origins. Undoubtedly, the origins of James Bond lie with Ian Fleming and Bond's earliest incarnation in the cinema today.



No one knows exactly why Ian Fleming chose a Rolex for the wrist of James Bond. Perhaps Fleming was impressed by the fact that during World War II, British prisoners of war could write to Rolex and receive a watch free of charge delivered directly to their prison camp. Perhaps it was for Rolex's legendary toughness and dependability, or perhaps it was because Fleming wore a Rolex himself. Whatever the reason, Ian Fleming chose a Rolex for his most famous gentleman spy with a license to kill and as such should be considered the main brand of the James Bond watch.

But just what model of Rolex Fleming chose for his spy, he never makes quite clear. Like his clothing choices for Bond, Fleming is vague about the model of Rolex that Bond wears. One of the few references Fleming gives can be found in Chapter 16 of On Her Majesty's Secret Service when Bond prepares to use his Rolex as a knuckle duster: When Bond was brought to the large screen however, the producers clearly had to pick their own model.

According to the book James Bond the Legacy Bond would not just drink champagne, it would be Dom Perignon, and "he could not just wear a watch, it needed to be a Rolex".Now when Rolex declined to provide one of their watches for the production of the film. And the budget did not allow for the purchase of one, Cubby Broccoli took his off his wrist and gave it to a member of the art department for use in the film. That Rolex was a Submariner with a very large crown, no crown guards, a coin edge bezel and on a black leather strap.

Many vintage Rolex collectors call all early Submariners without crown guards the James Bond Submariner, while others in the watch collecting field believe, that the watch Connery wore in Dr. No was the Rolex Submariner model 6538. Still other collectors believe that the Submariner Connery wore was more than likely one of four models they are the 6200, 6538A, thick cased 6538 and the 5510. Now IMHO I believe that it is impossible to nail it down to one of the four models, and I'll get into the specifics later.

All four models share the same thick case, a large crown marked Brevet (from the French word Brevette meaning patented), a coin edge non ratcheted bezel, an acrylic crystal, a depth rating of 200m/660ft and Mercedes hands. I should add that only the "thick cased" shoulder-less Submariners had the large winding crown. now, it should also be noted that the 6538 existed first as a thin cased model with a small crown. It became a thick cased model as the 6538A and was available alongside the 6200.

Once the thin cased versions were gone, the 6538A became the 6538 remaining the same until it and the 6200 were replaced by the 5510,well thats Rolex for you confusing as ever.. Since Sean Connery as James Bond only wore the thick cased Submariner (evident by the large crown), none of the thin cased, small crown so called James Bond Submariners without crown guards will be discussed.

IMO the only proper Sean Connery James Bond Submariner

Is one of the thick cased Submariners with the large crown first appeared on Connery's wrist in Dr. No, From Russia With love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball. It is assumed that Connery also wore this watch in You Only Live Twice, but I don't recall seeing it in that movie and to my knowledge it is not in the movie. If someone can direct me to a scene that shows otherwise, I'll happily revise this. By analysing close ups of the Connery Submariner, it is clear that the watch has the big crown with no crown guard,and has a gilt dial , and has Mercedes hands. The bezel insert is the non-graduated version, meaning there are no extra minute markings between 0 and 15 and the bezel pearl is in the centre of a silver triangle. Later versions of the Submariner had the extra minute markings between the 0 and 15 including the ones without crown guards. These observations are important because the watch has characteristics of a 6200, a 6538A, a thick cased 6538 or even a 5510 (depending on whether you discern the depth rating of Connery's watch as white or gilt) despite what so called experts say about it being only a 6538.

To me the proper Bond Submariner, has always had contradictory characteristics with respect to the exact model. In fact I have never seen another untouched version exactly like it. Firstly, the non-graduated bezel insert is that of the earliest thick cased, large crown Submariners, the 6200. However, on the mid 50's version of 6200, there is only one line of printing on the lower part of the dial, the word "SUBMARINER" in gilt, because although it was rated to a depth of 200m/660ft it did not yet appear on the dial.

The late 50's 6200, 6538A and 6538 did have the two lines of printing on the lower part of the dial (chronometer versions of the 6538A and thick cased 6538 had 4 lines) and the depth rating was printed in white while the word "SUBMARINER" was in gilt. As Now On the 5510, late 50's models had both the depth rating and the word "SUBMARINER" in the same colour, gilt. To further make things even harder, the late 50's 6200, 6538A, 6538 and 5510 had graduated bezel inserts, and the triangle containing the luminous pearl was red. As I said before, the Connery Submariner has a non-graduated bezel insert and the triangle containing the pearl was silver.

So what does all that mean, probably not much. The fact of the matter is that at this time Rolex often used up older parts even when they went to a new model. So it would be entirely possible to have 6538A with a 6200 bezel insert. Also, it's quite possible that a 6538 or 5510 could have been serviced during its ownership by a service centre having older parts which means that a 6538 or a 5510 might end up having a 6200 bezel insert.

So unless the Broccoli family, who are rumoured to have the original watch, furnishes the exact model number, we may never know the exact model number of the Connery Bond Submariner. However with the wealth of parts available, it is possible to achieve the same look using the 6200, 6538A, thick cased 6538 or the 5510 Submariner because they all share the same case and big Brevet crown. But, be warned, some collectors and myself hate to restore or change watches. And IMHO its better to have an original beat up watch, than a pristine restored one. Luckily, there is a building trend now toward a gentle restoration.

Movements in the Different Models

The 6200, 6538A, 6538 and the 5510 all had different movements. The 6200 had the A296, while the 6538A and thick cased 6538 had the 1030. The movement in the 5510 was the 1530 (although some military versions had the 1520 movement).Rolex at this time done
a lot of strange things,and used any part movement to make a complete watch.

The 1530 and 1520 movement are the same movements used in the later 5513 Submariners of Lazenby and Moore fame. The 15XX series of movements are considered among the best Rolex ever made, so the 5510 with the old style case coupled with the newer movement make it the most wearable of the Connery Bond Submariners, however it was made in very low numbers and is considered quite rare,and now very collectible.

The Bond Strap

In Dr. No and From Russia With Love, Connery wears his Submariner on a crocodile or perhaps alligator strap; if you look at close-ups of the strap, you'll see striations consistent with a crocodile or alligator skin. However, by Goldfinger and later Thunderball, Connery sports his Submariner on an 18mm black cloth NATO/MOD type strap with twin grey service stripes. So, why the change? Although this is conjecture on my part, it is possible that the producers became aware of the early military Submariner that was available to the Royal and Canadian Navies. By extension, I believe the nylon strap was chosen to give the on-screen Bond a military bearing, especially to those in the know.

The early military Submariner was differently optioned than civilian Submariners and was, among other things, fitted with fixed bars between the lugs instead of spring bars to accommodate a cloth NATO/MOD type grey strap. The reasons for such straps were that they were anti-reflective, and easily cut off, if necessary. For this reason some have speculated that the Submariner that Connery wears in Goldfinger and Thunderball was an early military Submariner, however I don't believe that is true. When you look at close-ups of Connery's Submariner, you can clearly see that the strap is attached with spring bars between 20mm lugs as evidenced by holes in the lugs. A military Submariner would have filled lug holes.

Check with Mikes picture.

George Lazenby, Roger Moore and the Rolex 5513 Submariner

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby dons a Rolex Submariner 5513. It has been written that Lazenby wanted the part of Bond so bad that he went out and bought his own Rolex and got one of Connery's suits from Anthony Sinclair. It's quite possible that the watch Lazenby wore in his first outing as Bond was his own purchase. The Lazeby Submariner had crown guards, and a metal riveted bracelet.

In Roger Moore's first and second outings as Bond, he wears a 5513 Rolex Submariner. Unlike Lazenby's Submariner, Moore's Rolex is seen in more detail, at least in Live and Let Die. In this instance the dial has white printing and inducer's. It should be noted however that the depth rating on Moore's Submariner is shown above the word Submariner on the lower part of the dial rather than below it. The depth also appears as 660ft=200m rather than 200m=660ft. This is important because 5513's are available with the alternate dial printing as described. The reason for these differences had to do with the regions for which the Submariners were made and the years in which they were produced.

Moore's Submariner also had a bezel with a saw tooth edge. The original bezel was re-cut to accommodate the watch, with a little movie magic, functioning as a saw. The hyper-intensified magnet function of the watch was shown to be activated when the watch induces turned red. Separate 5513 Submariners were re-worked by the prop department to accommodate these functions. When Moore returned in The Man With The Golden Gun he was again seen wearing a 5513, however the watch had no special function used in the movie and is easily missed. Moore began sporting Seiko's in all subsequent outings as Bond probably because of a better endorsement deal on the part of Seiko.

Movements of the Rolex 5513

The movement in the 5513 Submariner is either the 1530 or 1520. Again, the type of movement is dependant on where and when they were made. The 1520 was the less expensive version having fewer jewels. As I said before, the 15XX series of movements are considered some of the best movements that Rolex ever used. For this reason, the 5513 is probably one of the best vintage Submariners for everyday wear.

Timothy Dalton and the Rolex 16800/168000 Submariner

When Timothy Dalton assumed the role of James Bond he was wearing a Rolex Submariner with a date function, the first Bond ever to do so and also the last Bond to date to wear a Rolex. Because of the time frame when Dalton made his Bond movies, it is likely that Dalton wore the 16800 and later perhaps the 168000 Submariner.

[davinci]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

NATO = Not Attractive....Take Off!!

you are so funny

[astcell]

So does Cubby Broccoli still own his Rolex? Did he buy it new and maybe Rolex would have a record of it and the model number?

Man, imagine what it would sell for, being T*H*E watch!

[gaopa]

As a James Bond fan myself, I have really enjoyed this thread! Thanks, Bill P.

[fear]

Awesome thread!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Rolex/Bond connection!

[SPACE-DWELLER]

I seem to remember having read somewhere that Sean Connery in "Dr. No" was not prepared for the scene where he were to look at his watch and in fact quickly borrowed the Rolex Submariner from one of the film crew members to complete the shot. For that reason, the "issue" with the badly fitting NATO strap was not corrected.

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by padi56

In Roger Moore's first and second outings as Bond, he wears a 5513 Rolex Submariner. Unlike Lazenby's Submariner, Moore's Rolex is seen in more detail, at least in Live and Let Die. In this instance the dial has white printing and inducer's. It should be noted however that the depth rating on Moore's Submariner is shown above the word Submariner on the lower part of the dial rather than below it. The depth also appears as 660ft=200m rather than 200m=660ft. This is important because 5513's are available with the alternate dial printing as described. The reason for these differences had to do with the regions for which the Submariners were made and the years in which they were produced.

Moore's Submariner also had a bezel with a saw tooth edge. The original bezel was re-cut to accommodate the watch, with a little movie magic, functioning as a saw. The hyper-intensified magnet function of the watch was shown to be activated when the watch induces turned red. Separate 5513 Submariners were re-worked by the prop department to accommodate these functions.

Dear Peter,

I would like to add that on 17 September 1998, Christie's conducted an auction of James Bond memorabilia. Lot No. 130 was the actual Rolex Submariner used in "Live And Let Die". Rolex Reference 5513 and case No. 2912634. Its movement had been removed for customisation and the indices on the black dial had been pierced. Estimated price was between £4000 and £6000. It eventually sold for £26,523

Here is a picture of the watch:


(Source: "The Rolex Report" by John E. Brozek, 4th. edition, p. 59)

And here is a nice drawing of the "idea" behind the prop Submariner. Drawn by Mr. Syd Cain:


(Source: "The Rolex Report" by John E. Brozek, 4th. edition, p. 59)

It is noteworthy that the MOVEMENT WAS TAKEN COMPLETELY OUT of the watch (so in other words: It did NOT work, it was a mere movie prop! So that taken in mind, it is quite extraordinary that the watch fetched such a high price at the Christie's auction!).

You can read more about "Bond watches" in the underneath link (I am sure you have that link, Peter, but others migth not have it)

http://members.optushome.com.au/heliosz/jamesbond.html

[SPACE-DWELLER]

I wonder if any RSC would service that watch!

[S2000 Driver]

Originally Posted by mike

My grail

Ahhh, Pussy -- she is my favorite, too!

[S2000 Driver]

Originally Posted by Spacedweller

I seem to remember having read somewhere that Sean Connery in "Dr. No" was not prepared for the scene where he were to look at his watch and in fact quickly borrowed the Rolex Submariner from one of the film crew members to complete the shot. For that reason, the "issue" with the badly fitting NATO strap was not corrected.

Fascinating!

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by S2000 Driver

Fascinating!

I have to correct this since I remembered wrong. Padi56 already wrote about it on page 1:

"According to the book James Bond the Legacy Bond would not just drink champagne, it would be Dom Perignon, and "he could not just wear a watch, it needed to be a Rolex".Now when Rolex declined to provide one of their watches for the production of the film. And the budget did not allow for the purchase of one, Cubby Broccoli took his off his wrist and gave it to a member of the art department for use in the film."

So the "crew member" was in fact Mr. Broccoli himself!

[mikey]

What a coincdence I am acutally watch the Bond Gadget special on the history channel as I type. Couldn't Cubby simply have had his particular watch customized by Rolex to his liking? He was wealthy. I really like your post Padi but couldn't all those model numbers and combinations also mean that certain aspects of the Submariner were based on what Cubby wanted/ liked? My 2 cents