Posted 17 March 2007 - 11:06 AM
While I would perhaps be tempted to bid for the Planet Ocean from "Casino Royale" , there are three reasons why I wouldn't; First of all, I like the authenticity of the watch due to the caked-on dust/mud that is visible on the rubber strap, but I would be tempted to wash it off, thus lowering the collectability of the watch in a heartbeat. Secondly, I would probably want to wear it, but again, I would end up rubbing the dust off just through normal daily wear. And third, I have a six-and-a-half inch wrist which prohibits me from wearing the 45.5mm Planet Ocean...which is why I chose the 42mm model eighteen months ago.
From a psychological viewpoint, there was a time in my teens when I used to sneak around the house doing a poor Connery imitation ("what'sh for dinner, mum?") and day-dreaming about being cast as Bond in my thirties. Now of course, that skinny italian kid from the early '80s (me) has become that skinny italian man in his early 40s with two kids, a mortgage and an alarmingly thinning hairline (of all the similarities to Sean Connery one could have had, I had to get stuck with that one. Oh yeah, I also had stomach ulcers back in my twenties, but that's another story.)
But I digress.
My point is, I don't want the watch worn by James Bond. I want a watch like the one worn by James Bond. I remember reading a comment by some fashion designer once who said that 'fashion victims' were the kind of people who would see a model wearing a particular clothing ensemble and then go out and purchase the exact same mixture of clothes in order to copy the look right down to the last detail. My way of thinking is that it is better to be similar but not exactly like those that you admire. In my teens, I wanted to be Bond...but I realised that the rest of the world didn't want to play along. No cars with ejector seats on the market (although I do see a burgundy-colored Aston Martin DB5 from time to time in the city where I live), no mad villain hell-bent on world domination and certainly no endless stream of exotically-named women falling over themselves to get into bed with me. Honey Rider, indeed.
In recent years, I've often wondered if Bond ever gets sick and tired of putting his life on the line in order to save the world. Does he ever want to just come home to a nice house with a lovely wife, a couple of healthy kids who adore him, and just take off his shoes and put his feet up in front of an open fire?
But getting back to the watch side of things, I did buy myself the Bond Seamaster six years ago because I wanted to wear a watch like Bond's and the Rolex Submariner was (and still is) prohibitively expensive for me. The Omega has been a great watch. I got the Planet Ocean 42mm model towards the end of 2005 before any of us knew what watch Bond would wear in "Casino Royale". Somehow, I doubt that EON Productions were thinking; "Okay. New Bond needs a new watch. Hey, Michael G, I've got a brilliant idea! How about if Daniel wears the Omega like the one that Vodka Martino wears. That would be sooo cool!"
Perhaps I'm being a little high and mighty, but I ain't James Bond so maybe I shouldn't wear his watch. However, if my aspiration is to be a little more like Bond, then I think it's okay to get a watch that's like the one he wears.
Could be worse...we could all be trekkies or Star Wars fans.
Just my 2c.
Over & out.
Vodka Martino
P.S.- I hope I haven't offended any trekkies or Star Wars fans out there. It's just a little easier to dress like Bond and blend into society and daily life (you can wear a tux and be a Head Waiter and nobody would bat an eyelid). A little harder to do so if you dress like Captain Jean-Luc Picard or (worse) Darth Vader.
