211 replies to this topic

[f1realtor]

f1, I am still enjoying wearing the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean. It's expensive (although not quite as pricey as the Rolex Submariner) but it's a comparable watch in every way. Having said that, if you don't want to spend megabucks, then consider some of TAG Heuer's new models in their AquaRacer range. They make a nice and sturdy watch for reasonable money. The only major thing to consider is whether you buy an automatic or a quartz watch. Automatics are more expensive to buy and service and they are less accurate than quartz (ie. battery-operated) watches. However, the upside is that hey will last a helluva lot longer than quartz watches. I get a lot of watch collectors coming into the store where I work and they don't mind buying a new watch every six to twelve months. They are forever buying and selling. But for me, there's a certain romance and 'old school-ness' to purchasing a watch when you're in your twenties or thirties and keeping it till the day you meet your maker. An automatic watch, properly maintained, should easily last you fifty years at least.
Other than that, f1, there are no new major dive watches on the horizon. Some brands to consider are Breitling (a tad pricey), Doxa (Dirk Pitt's choice), Sinn (German engineering at its best, I don't know how they lost the war!), Seiko (constant new models out, Japan's finest) and, as always, Rolex (but try to buy one second-hand, even a 3 or 4 year old model will save you some dollars).
And that's my 2c. My views may upset some people, but they are just that...my views.
Take care, f1. Now let's all go back to waiting for the announcement of the next James Bond.

Vodka Martino

I kinda miss the 14060M. I thought I was going to find something to replace it right away, but I don't see anything I really like other than the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 50th Anniversary and those are way too expensive and hard to find. I like the Planet Ocean, but since Schumacher is an ambassador for Omega there's no way I'll ever buy one. Death to Scuderia Ferrari!

[Byron]

to buy one second-hand, even a 3 or 4 year old model will save you some dollars).



I saw an older Rolex Submariner in a window display the other day. What a beautiful watch!

However i didn't even dare ask for the price.

[f1realtor]

The weird thing is I loved my 14060m rolex except for the fact that it was a rolex. I like having great brands that most normal people never heard of. I saw some Oris divers watches that I'm considering. I live in vegas and everyone has a rolex or folex so I'd like to be different.

[Vodka Martino]

[quote name='f1realtor' date='21 August 2005 - 17:28']

I kinda miss the 14060M. I thought I was going to find something to replace it right away, but I don't see anything I really like other than the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 50th Anniversary and those are way too expensive and hard to find. I like the Planet Ocean, but since Schumacher is an ambassador for Omega there's no way I'll ever buy one. Death to Scuderia Ferrari!

The 14060M is a nice watch. And I know what you mean about Schumacher and the other ambassadors that Omega uses. But that doesn't stop me from getting the watch. The only reason Schumacher et al wear the watches is because they scored them for nothing. Nice work if you can get it.

[quote name='Byron' date='22 August 2005 - 14:34']

I saw an older Rolex Submariner in a window display the other day. What a beautiful watch!

However i didn't even dare ask for the price.

Down here in Australia, you can pick one up for between $3500 to $4500 depending on age and condition. That's a reasonable price for a second-hand model, but I can't justify the $6500 retail price for a new one. And because they are constantly in demand, getting a discount is damn near impossible...unless you've purchased a few watches from the same retailer already.

Vodka Martino

[Kronsteen]

A good old Rolex of course. Omega has many beautiful models and looked great on Pierce, but Rolex is a classic which Bond wore in the past. Like the Aston Martin: come back Rolex.

[f1realtor]

Like I said earlier I really like the JLC/Aston Martin watch, but dressy watches don't suit me. I like something that will look good with some scratches on it.

[Vodka Martino]

If that's the case, f1, then stick to Rolex (if you have the bucks)or
Omega (if you have a few bucks less, but the quality's as good as Rolex) or
Tag Heuer ( they make a nice dive watch in a lower price bracket).
Then there are brands like Oris, which are great quality for the price and of course Seiko who are renowned for making dive watches that are virtually bullet-proof and not too pricey.

Vodka Martino

[a_crook]

Rolex Submariner... no question.

[Glor (009)]

Wow. This topic Rolex vs. Omega was going on when I joined CBn over 2 years ago. I guess it's "timeless" (forgive me)

[BlackFelix]

I tend to agree with the general public here with Bond (and MI6) returning to the Rolex Submariner line. Something about a Rolex is worldly and is a true classic of class and syle, of course is also the watch Fleming marked as 007's choice because of its use as a knuckle duster.

However with keeping with the "spirit" of Bond I don't think now he or MI6 would choose a Rolex. Simply because a watch is popular or is expensive does not fall in line with the charcters taste. Everything Bond ownes has a function and purpose, more or less a tool and it's place has never been dictated by style or popularity. And if bond were to own a Rolex it would probably be second hand or a gift as he would recoginze the bloat of its price is not equal to its respective funtions.

With that said the features a Rolex contains can be found easily and for less money on many other watches. And if Bond were to were another watch it would probably fall in-line with something like the Seiko line because of its trusted reliablity, weight and function. Like the Seiko Submariner SNA225 model(photo below) or possible an atomic time watch like the Seiko World Time
Chronograph Watch SNJ009P1 (picture below) or the Seiko Submariner Kinetic(pictured below)

With that said I don't belive the producers would suit Bond in any of my suggested models because honestly the Seiko brand for all its advancements and improvemnts still can't compete with the recognition and name value associated with either a Rolex or Omega.

Here are pics of my suggestions:

Edited by BlackFelix, 30 August 2005 - 07:11 PM.

[f1realtor]

If Bond was to ever wear a seiko again it would have to be the marine master or the new gmt spring drive version.

[Vodka Martino]

True, the MarineMaster is a very serious watch. But I always felt that the reason Bond wore a Seiko in the late '70s/early '80s was because digital watches were the new technological craze of the era. I always thought it had more to do with the gadgety aspect of the watch rather than the durability of the watch. From memory, I think that Seiko Digital watches back then were only 30 metres water resistant. Hardly the sort of watch Bond would need if he were zipping himself into a wetsuit.

Vodka Martino

[f1realtor]

True, the MarineMaster is a very serious watch. But I always felt that the reason Bond wore a Seiko in the late '70s/early '80s was because digital watches were the new technological craze of the era. I always thought it had more to do with the gadgety aspect of the watch rather than the durability of the watch. From memory, I think that Seiko Digital watches back then were only 30 metres water resistant. Hardly the sort of watch Bond would need if he were zipping himself into a wetsuit.

Vodka Martino

Very good points. My guess for the next bond watch will be whoever ponies up the most cash for product placement. With that said, my money is on omega or tag heuer.

[BlackFelix]

I think it's very sad to think that the production team would bow down to the almighty product insert above what Fleming would have. I would ecpect that from XXX or Austin Powers, they are screen created replicas with as much substance as store-brand wine. Bond films and books seems a little more authentic. Even with Goldeneye though there were products well placed in the film, they seemed to fit the revision of the Bond Franchise. I really pray they would avoid they highest bidder and go with something a bit more practical.

[Agent 76]

I like this one. SEIKO ARCTURA

[BlackFelix]

Yes! Excellent choice Agent 76 I was thinking that watch would work too, however I aimed for a submariner style. Also, check this one out it's something Bond would wear but more so in the style of Sir Hillary Bray.

[ESBlofeld]

Alright -- let me see if I can sum up this topic:

1. In the Fleming novels, Bond's watch is identified as a Rolex (LALD) -- more specifically, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual with an expanding metal bracelet (OHMSS). This watch is destroyed in the latter novel when used as a knuckle-duster and subsequently replaced.

2. Although the Fleming archive reveals some publicity materials for the Rolex, there has been no evidence to suggest that Fleming himself owned one; hence he may have identified Bond's watch as a Rolex more for public recognition than from product familiarity.

3. In the first Bond film, Sean Connery is wearing a Rolex Submariner lent to him by director Terence Young. (Harry Saltzman has also been identified as a possible lender, but I regard Young as more probable since he was more likely to be onsite while shooting.) The Submariner has a leather strap instead of a metal one, probably because leather is more comfortable in warm temperatures than metal.

4. In the movie Goldfinger, the strap changes to an ill-fitting NATO-pattern nylon strap, probably because a) nylon is less light-reflective and nylon is less susceptible to damage from salt water. In any case, the use of a nylon strap with a dinner jacket ensemble is not considered a fashion faux-pas.

5. Rolexes continue to be associated with the Bonds until the Roger Moore era, when digital watches from Seiko start to come into play. Because digital watches are more technology-reliant, the model styles tend to date faster than the analog Rolex models. However, this can be forgiven because (in the movies at least) they're assumed to contain Q-Branch modifications and are therefore acceptable as gadgetry.

6. In the Brosnan era, the decision is made to use the Omega Seamaster as Bond's watch of choice, to reflect a more Euro-centric sense of style. The Seamaster contains many of the same features as the Rolex, but costs half as much.

As for what Bond should wear in the future movies, I think the producers should be guided by what Fleming wrote to a fan (Chancellor, page 68):

I have discussed this with [Bond] and he points out that the Rolex Oyster Perpetual weighs about six ounces and would appreciably slow up the use of his left hand [which wears the watch] in combat. His practice, in fact, is to use fairly cheap, expendable wrist watches on expanding metal bracelets which can be slipped forward over the thumb and used in the form of a knuckle-duster, either on the outside or the inside of the hand.

This is a pretty good instruction because it opens up the field to all manufacturers, such as Timex, Casio, Cardinal, Invicta, etc. All that's required is that Bond can use the watch like a set of brass knuckles.

I would also add the proviso that Bond would wear a watch with a quartz mechanism as opposed to a self-winding one. Quartz tends to be far more accurate in time-keeping and requires less maintenance.

[Vodka Martino]

Good points, ESBlofeld, very well summed up, but I have to disagree with the last one. Quartz watches are what the rest of us wear here in the real world. However, Bond, being a larger-than-life fantasy figure would need a watch that is a few rungs higher up the ladder. Hence the use of brands such as Omega in recent years. Sure, Fleming gave the literary Bond a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, but he never specified exactly which model it was. Although, if you get onto eBay and search for "1950s Rolex", you would probably get something like the watch pictured in the link below. These models from the early fifties featured metal bracelets with expanding links. I have seen pictures of Ian Fleming wearing what looked like a Rolex DateJust, but something tells me that he would have upgraded to that watch once the Bond novels brought him a little fortune along with the fame.
Personally (and I've said this on this thread many times before) I have no problem with Bond wearing a Rolex Submariner. It's a great watch, but it's not the be-all-and-end-all. Over the last 20 or 30 years, it has priced itself above the reach of many people while its quality hasn't kept up with the price hike. Omega's Seamaster is a comparable watch at a more affordable price (although still a tad high). But I am forever telling my customers (I sell watches) that if they want a watch that will last them the rest of their lives (provided they get them serviced at regular intervals) then they have to consider spending a few dollars. It's not everybody's cup of tea, I realize. Some people can't justify spending big dollars on a watch, but will happily fork out a lot of money for the latest Motorola phone or Armani boxer shorts. To each their own.
Just my 2c.

Vodka Martino


http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem

[sidspappy]

Boy, I've been gone a while! Awesome to see the thread I started take off like that.

Anyway, I don't believe I've seen the news posted on here, so I have to say this thread is pretty much dead. I have pics of the actual timepiece that Daniel Craig will indeed be wearing in Casino Royale, and it will be...

(Drumroll and cymbal crash)

An Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (ref.# 2901.50.91), on rubber strap. This model is the evolution of Pierce Brosnan's signature Seamaster. It has an Omega 2500 Co-Axial movement and is water-resistant to 600m/2000ft. The black dial and arrow hands are retro-styled after the original 300m Seamasters, some of which were issued to the Royal Navy.

This piece ties into the new "rebooted" characterization of Bond. The piece, especially on rubber strap, is the diametric opposite of the refined, all-steel Seamaster of Brosnan, and indeed, is a subtle homage to the Connery days of a no-nonsense Rolex on an ill-fitting nylon NATO strap.

The piece shows up clearly in the attached publicity photos, and behind-the-scenes action shots. There's one where Craig is actually fussing with the piece between takes.

 watch.jpg   107.61KB   127 downloads
 bondwatch1.JPG   26.5KB   107 downloads
So, sorry I wasn't around to partake in the lively discussion, but as of now, speculation is at an end: Bond is back with Omega. And I am immensely happy with the decision!

[MarcAngeDraco]

I wouldn't mind at all if they go back to Rolex...

[Bootfit]

It's a good looking watch - the thing is I wouldn't want to have to shell out over

[sidspappy]

[quote name='Bootfit' post='547776' date='26 April 2006 - 12:35']...anyone think that Omega may have made a marketing error by promoting

[ESBlofeld]

Had a look at the other Planet Ocean models, and the thing is the rubber strap one is probably the only one that the buyers could get, in bulk, with the black bezel (frankly I find the orange bezel hideous for fashion, although it's probably more practical for diving).

Of course what I'd like to seem them use is the Invicta 9917 automatic model customized with the Goldfinger 18mm NATO nylon strap. That would strike me as being more cost-effective.

[DAN LIGHTER]

Jim?

[Messervy]

Re-launching this topic on wtaches ... interesting, but highly dangerous!

Before our in-house specıalıst Dell Deaton shows up, my choice would be:
Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving Alarm.

[Aris007]

Guys this thread was about Craig's choice before CR was released! Why don't you start a new thread in Bond 24 & Beyond section?

[Messervy]

out of laziness, probably!

[Aris007]

out of laziness, probably!

[marktmurphy]

I quite like a Panerai myself.

[Messervy]

Very good brand indeed. That would also be a nice touch.
In a similar vein, I tend to prefer Anonimo (notably the Militare collection), which is a bit less well-known.