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Bond wears 34mm Rolex in Carte Blanche


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#1 Dell Deaton

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 05:31 PM

Unfortunately, those of us here in the United States are still waiting to read Carte Blanche. However, when I saw the following passage of text by Jeffery Deaver excerpted, it seemed worth starting to discuss now.

Onto his wrist he slipped his steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual, the 34mm model, the date window its only complication; Bond did not need to know the phases of the moon or the exact moment of high tide at Southampton. And he suspected very few people did.


Rather reminds me of the first page of From Russia with Love, by Ian Fleming.

There was also a bulky gold wristwatch on a well-used brown crocodile strap. It was a Girard-Perregaux model designed for people who like gadgets, and it had a sweep second-hand and two little windows in the face to tell the day of the month, and the month, and the phase of the moon.


Obviously the Donovan "Red" Grant who wore that watch very much had "need to know the phases of the moon" then.

With Jeffery Deaver obviously alive and well, there's little doubt that he'll provide someone, sometime with an even greater degree of precision in James Bond watch identification than that which (is all that I've seen) above. So far, it looks like the Rolex reference 115200 Oyster Perpetual Date may be a contender.

Posted Image
Image courtesy Rolex


I've already written about this on my James Bond Watches Blog. Look for more there next week and following.

Meantime, I've seen a bit of a buzz on watch forum discussions regarding the 34mm case size. It's very small by the standards of today. The Omega 2201.50 Seamaster Planet Ocean worn by Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace, for example, has a 42mm case. The personal Rolex 1016 Explorer of Ian Fleming and described as the literary James Bond watch in the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service measures 36mm across.

But I see nothing but good to expanding the field here. We've got plenty of diver's from which to choose, across brands and years of production. Fewer more subtle, lighter, more formal watches.

The more central question in my mind is, "How and why was the Carte Blanche James Bond watch chosen?"

#2 Jump James

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Posted 27 May 2011 - 05:44 PM

Good question Dell. Drop him an email via his website and I am sure he would reply.

#3 George88

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Posted 28 May 2011 - 08:47 AM

The more central question in my mind is, "How and why was the Carte Blanche James Bond watch chosen?"


Presumably because it's a watch, James Bond has a watch and this is a contemporaneous version of a brand the character's often had. In much the same way as one could replace the word "watch" with "Bentley" or "gun". It might be no more than that, really.

#4 Dell Deaton

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Posted 28 May 2011 - 01:59 PM

Interesting to see how highly Jeffery Deaver thinks of James Bond's watch in his list of the "top 007 Bond essentials," per a recent article he contributed to GQ magazine.

003. Watch

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer. This classic, understated timepiece is expensive but hardly in the stratosphere of, say, upper-end Tourneaus or Breguets. The most important aspect of the watch, aside from the fact that it tells time quite accurately, is the expanding metal band and solid construction, which allow it to be slipped quickly over the fingers and used as a knuckle duster.


His complete list of 7 items (brands) key to the James Bond lifestyle are:

001. Razor
002. Restaurant
003. Watch
004. Alcohol
005. Golf
006. Clothing
007. Car


I also recall having read somewhere that he has not received a single product or been otherwise compensated for making trade name references.

#5 clublos

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Posted 28 May 2011 - 02:16 PM

I also recall having read somewhere that he has not received a single product or been otherwise compensated for making trade name references.


It's on page 4 of that article.

I agree that 34mm is rather small, but it's nice to see variety, especially for smaller guys like me!

That said, I think (Dell, correct me if I'm wrong) this is the most information we've ever had within one novel of Bond's particular watch. A welcome addition!

#6 volante

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Posted 28 May 2011 - 02:20 PM

Interesting to see how highly Jeffery Deaver thinks of James Bond's watch in his list of the "top 007 Bond essentials," per a recent article he contributed to GQ magazine.

003. Watch

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer. This classic, understated timepiece is expensive but hardly in the stratosphere of, say, upper-end Tourneaus or Breguets. The most important aspect of the watch, aside from the fact that it tells time quite accurately, is the expanding metal band and solid construction, which allow it to be slipped quickly over the fingers and used as a knuckle duster.


His complete list of 7 items (brands) key to the James Bond lifestyle are:

001. Razor
002. Restaurant
003. Watch
004. Alcohol
005. Golf
006. Clothing
007. Car


I also recall having read somewhere that he has not received a single product or been otherwise compensated for making trade name references.


Absolutely correct; Jeffery made the same comment last night. Then smiled at the guy who brought the Bentley
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#7 Dell Deaton

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Posted 28 May 2011 - 05:17 PM

More for aficionados of the original Ian Fleming James Bond stories (and, by the way, noting fondly that today would, in fact, have been Ian Fleming's birthday).

In this article titled, "There's a Bond in all of us, says new 007 novelist Jeffery Deaver," in a recent Mail Online, the Carte Blanche writer of course caught my eye with his reference to James Bond's Rolex watch.

But it was even more interesting to me that his introduction to the character came through Ian Fleming's own On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Depending on the interview (I've heard a couple of versions now), he was either 8 or 9 at the time. Same age, maybe a little older, than I was when I first discovered those fantastic books.

To your question, @clublos, I'm thinking that getting to "the" answer is gonna have to end up somewhat afield from book references. Even with Fleming, we have not only the things he wrote in the novels and short stories, but also his June 1958 correspondence with B.W. Gooden and December 1962 letter to the Art Director at Playboy magazine.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how far we end up going with references to the "Deaver-Bond" watch. :tup:

#8 Jump James

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Posted 30 May 2011 - 05:02 AM


Interesting to see how highly Jeffery Deaver thinks of James Bond's watch in his list of the "top 007 Bond essentials," per a recent article he contributed to GQ magazine.

003. Watch

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer. This classic, understated timepiece is expensive but hardly in the stratosphere of, say, upper-end Tourneaus or Breguets. The most important aspect of the watch, aside from the fact that it tells time quite accurately, is the expanding metal band and solid construction, which allow it to be slipped quickly over the fingers and used as a knuckle duster.


His complete list of 7 items (brands) key to the James Bond lifestyle are:

001. Razor
002. Restaurant
003. Watch
004. Alcohol
005. Golf
006. Clothing
007. Car


I also recall having read somewhere that he has not received a single product or been otherwise compensated for making trade name references.


Absolutely correct; Jeffery made the same comment last night. Then smiled at the guy who brought the Bentley
Posted Image

And parked it on double yellows......

Edited by Jump James, 30 May 2011 - 05:03 AM.


#9 George88

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Posted 30 May 2011 - 08:34 AM

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how far we end up going with references to the "Deaver-Bond" watch. :tup:


Well, as far as this book goes

Spoiler


#10 Dell Deaton

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Posted 10 June 2011 - 09:36 PM

Earlier today, Jeffery Deaver shared the specific model identification for James Bond's Rolex in Carte Blanche.

As reported on my James Bond Watches Blog, it is the reference 115200 Oyster Perpetual Date, with black dial, domed bezel. The MSRP on this watch is $6,000+ (although I've seen them sold previously-owned for $3,500 to $4,500 with reasonable availability.