James Bond Watches: Every Watch Worn by 007, From Ian Fleming's Rolex to No Time to Die

By Zach Charles  ·  Published October 3, 2026  ·  Updated October 5, 2026  ·  Buying Guides

James Bond is the most influential watch-wearer in fiction. Over six decades, 007 has made the Rolex Submariner a legend, turned Seiko's digital watches into gadgets, and given Omega's Seamaster a 30-year starring role. This guide traces every documented Bond watch — from Ian Fleming's own Rolex Explorer, through the novels and all 25 EON films from Dr. No to No Time to Die , to the villains' watches, the commemorative editions and the new Bond pieces being announced now.

Ian Fleming's Watch: The Rolex Explorer 1016

Bond's creator, Ian Fleming (1908–1964), owned a steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer ref. 1016 — a 36mm watch with a black 3-6-9 dial, Mercedes hands and a steel bracelet. Research by Bond-watch historian Dell Deaton dates its serial number to the fourth quarter of 1960, and Fleming appears to have bought it around 1961–62. He wore it in Jamaica in early 1962 while writing On Her Majesty's Secret Service , the novel with the most Rolex references of any Fleming book. His stepdaughter believed it was the only Rolex he ever owned.

The timing matters. Fleming did not own the Explorer when he first put a Rolex on Bond's wrist in 1954, so the link between his watch and Bond's is credible only for the later books. After Fleming's death in August 1964 the watch was kept in a bank vault until 1981; it has since been exhibited at the Imperial War Museum in London (2008–09) and the National Watch & Clock Museum in Pennsylvania (2010–11), and it remains with the Fleming family. The Explorer 1016 itself, introduced around 1959–60 as the successor to refs. 6610 and 5500, became one of Rolex's longest-running references.

James Bond's Watches in the Novels

Fleming named a watch brand for Bond surprisingly rarely. In Casino Royale (1953) Bond's watch is unbranded. The first named watch comes in Live and Let Die (1954), when Bond checks a Rolex during the underwater limpet-mine swim — a piece of mission diving equipment rather than his personal watch. In Dr. No (1958) his unbranded watch stops after a soaking, prompting a reader to suggest a Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Fleming's 1958 reply explained that a Rolex was too heavy and that Bond preferred “fairly cheap, expendable” watches on expanding bracelets that could double as a knuckle-duster.

By On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963), written while Fleming wore his own Explorer, Bond's watch is “a heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual on an expanding metal bracelet” with large luminous numerals. In a fight he wraps the bracelet around his fingers and punches with the watch face, shattering it — and simply assumes he will get another Rolex. In You Only Live Twice (1964), Tiger Tanaka gives Bond a cheap Japanese watch.

The novels' other named watches belong to other characters: Hugo Drax's plain gold Patek Philippe in Moonraker (1955), Tiffany Case's small square Cartier in Diamonds Are Forever (1956), Red Grant's gold Girard-Perregaux calendar watch in From Russia, with Love (1957), and the pilot Petacchi's solid-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer in Thunderball (1961). Continuation authors have kept the tradition going: John Gardner returned Bond to a Rolex in Licence Renewed (1981), and in Charlie Higson's 2026 novel King Zero Bond wears an inherited wartime Vertex “W.W.W.” military watch.

The Films, 1962–1971: Sean Connery and George Lazenby

The Connery era established the Rolex Submariner as Bond's watch — a tool watch for a naval commander, worn with a dinner jacket long before luxury sports watches were fashionable. See our full Rolex Submariner history for the references involved.

Dr. No (1962)

Sean Connery

Bond's first screen watch is a Rolex Submariner “Big Crown” without crown guards, worn on a leather strap. It is usually identified as ref. 6538 , though a ref. 5510 has not been ruled out. Whose watch it was is disputed: the popular story says producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli lent his own, but director Terence Young and a Royal Navy diver on the crew are also cited, and the screen-used watch has never been traced. Bond historian Dell Deaton has also identified a gold Gruen Precision 510 dress watch in early films disputed.

From Russia with Love (1963)

Sean Connery

Connery wears the same Submariner 6538 , still on leather. The film's gadget watch belongs to the villain: SPECTRE assassin Red Grant hides a garrotte wire in his wristwatch.

Goldfinger (1964)

Sean Connery

The Submariner 6538 returns on a narrow striped nylon strap in navy with green and red stripes — the look that launched a thousand “Bond NATO” straps. It was not a NATO strap: the British G10 specification dates from 1973. Its origin (an RAF-issue strap or a cheap commercial one) is still debated. Goldfinger also gave the world Pussy Galore's GMT-Master — see villains' watches.

Thunderball (1965)

Sean Connery

Bond's everyday watch is again the striped-strap Submariner, but the star is a gadget: a Breitling Top Time ref. 2002 , modified by Q as a Geiger counter to locate the stolen nuclear warheads. The screen-used watch, made in 1962 and housed in a 47mm water-resistant case, sold at Christie's South Kensington in June 2013 for £103,875 . Breitling has since revived the model (see our coverage of the Breitling Top Time Aston Martin DB5, a nod to Bond's car).

You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery

Bond's watch is never clearly visible. Dell Deaton identifies a gold Gruen Precision 510 ; other researchers say it cannot be identified and may be an Omega disputed.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby

Lazenby's Bond wears the best-documented watch of the era: a Rolex Oyster Chronograph ref. 6238 — the “pre-Daytona” that preceded the Rolex Daytona — bought by EON at Bucherer in Interlaken in October 1968. It sold at Christie's London in 2003 for £23,400. Lazenby also wears a Rolex Submariner , probably a ref. 5513, in the safe-cracking scene.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery

Connery's final EON outing has no clearly identified watch: sources variously suggest the Gruen 510, a Submariner 5513, or no Rolex at all disputed.

The Films, 1973–1985: Roger Moore

Moore's era tracks the quartz revolution: it begins with a Rolex and an LED watch and becomes, from 1977, a showcase for Seiko's digital and analogue-digital technology (see Seiko and the quartz revolution).

Live and Let Die (1973)

Moore's first scene shows a Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900 LED watch, which Bond lights at the press of a button. The gadget watch is a Rolex Submariner ref. 5513 modified by art director Syd Cain with a serrated “buzz-saw” bezel and a powerful “magnet” that deflects bullets and unzips a dress. Engraved “Roger Moore 007”, it sold at Phillips in Geneva in November 2015 for CHF 365,000 . A Tissot Visodate PR-516 is also identified in the speedboat chase medium confidence.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Bond wears a Rolex Submariner , most often identified as an unmodified ref. 5513 on a bracelet; one source lists a date-model ref. 1680 disputed.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Seiko's era begins with the Seiko 0674-5009 Quartz LC , whose display prints a ticker-tape message ordering 007 to report to M — the prop tape was label-maker tape.

Moonraker (1979)

The Seiko M354-5019 Memory-Bank Calendar hides explosives and a remote detonator in its caseback, which Bond uses to escape from beneath a rocket launch platform.

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Bond wears the analogue-digital Seiko H357-5040 Duo Display , which receives a “come in 007” message and carries Q's voice in the film's final scene — before Bond hands it to a parrot. For the wreck dive he switches to a Seiko 7549-7009 “Golden Tuna” 600m quartz diver, an ancestor of Seiko's Prospex professional divers.

Octopussy (1983)

The Seiko G757-5020 “Sports 100” doubles as a direction finder for the homing bug hidden in the Fabergé egg. Bond also uses a Seiko TV watch — apparently a prototype — to see the feed from Q's balloon camera. (The G757's design later inspired the nickname of Casio's AE-1200 “Casio Royale”; see our Casio AE-1200 history.)

A View to a Kill (1985)

Moore's last film features three Seikos: the white-dial 7A28-7020 quartz chronograph, the analogue-digital H558-5000 diver worn under a dinner jacket in Paris, and the two-tone 6923-8080 dress watch at Chantilly. In some Chantilly shots Moore's own Rolex Datejust appears by mistake — a continuity slip.

The Films, 1987–1989: Timothy Dalton

The Living Daylights (1987)

Dalton wears a TAG Heuer Night-Diver ref. 980.031 , a 36mm black-PVD quartz diver, seen briefly in the Gibraltar opening medium confidence. Despite a persistent myth, it has no garrotte or other gadget; the film's gadget watch is General Pushkin's (see villains).

Licence to Kill (1989)

Bond's final on-screen Rolex is a Submariner Date , most likely ref. 16610, though neither Rolex nor EON has confirmed it. A no-date ref. 5513 worn by Dalton's stunt double in the tanker chase was consigned to auction in 2018 with EON paperwork but withdrawn.

The Films, 1995–2002: Pierce Brosnan — Enter Omega

When Bond returned after a six-year gap, costume designer Lindy Hemming chose an Omega Seamaster for a Royal Navy commander and diver. That decision began the longest product partnership in Bond history. See our Omega Seamaster history for the full collection.

GoldenEye (1995)

Brosnan wears the blue Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Quartz ref. 2541.80.00 — 41mm steel, blue wave dial and bezel. Q fits it with a laser fired from the 12 o'clock marker (used to cut through the floor of the armoured train) and a remote detonator. Renegade agent 006, Alec Trevelyan, wears the same model on leather.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Bond moves to the automatic Seamaster Professional 300M Chronometer ref. 2531.80.00 (calibre 1120), which detonates a small charge to set off a grenade.

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

The same 2531.80 fires a grappling hook from the crown and carries a powerful light.

Die Another Day (2002)

In the North Korea opening, Bond pulls out the 2531.80's helium escape valve to arm a detonator, setting the timer with the bezel. Omega marked Bond's 40th film anniversary that year with its first Bond limited edition (see commemoratives).

The Films, 2006–2021: Daniel Craig

Casino Royale (2006)

Craig wears two Omegas: the 45.5mm Seamaster Planet Ocean ref. 2900.50.91 for the action scenes, including the Madagascar chase, and the blue Seamaster 300M Co-Axial ref. 2220.80.00 from the train to Montenegro and in the casino. On the train, Vesper Lynd guesses “Rolex?” — “Omega,” Bond replies — in the series' most-quoted watch line. No gadgets: Craig's reboot stripped them away.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Bond wears a 42mm Planet Ocean 600M ref. 2201.50.00 on a bracelet, without gadgets. The 5,007-piece Quantum of Solace limited edition was a retail tie-in, not the screen watch.

Skyfall (2012)

Bond wears a black 42mm Planet Ocean 600M , listed as ref. 232.30.42.21.01.001, with a unique titanium version made for action scenes later sold at Christie's. The retail “Skyfall” limited edition, ref. 232.30.42.21.01.004 (5,007 pieces), is a different watch. For dressier scenes he wears a 38.5mm Seamaster Aqua Terra ref. 231.10.39.21.03.001 .

Spectre (2015)

Bond wears the Seamaster 300 “SPECTRE” ref. 233.32.41.21.01.001 on a grey-and-black striped strap, with a lollipop seconds hand and a bezel numbered for 60 minutes — and Omega sold the same reference as a 7,007-piece limited edition. Its bezel arms a timed explosive in the torture scene. He also wears a 41.5mm Aqua Terra ref. 231.10.42.21.03.003 in Mexico City and on the Thames.

Spectre itself finally got its own Omega in 2026: the Seamaster Diver 300M Spectre edition (ref. 210.30.42.20.01.023), with an octopus-shaped rotor, launched alongside a new James Bond edition on James Bond Day (see our launch story).

No Time to Die (2021)

Craig's farewell watch is the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition ref. 210.90.42.20.01.001 : 42mm grade 2 titanium, a brown “tropical” aluminium dial and bezel, a broad arrow in place of a date, Master Chronometer calibre 8806, and a caseback engraved in military-issue style (including “62” for Dr. No ). Q fits it with an EMP emitter, triggered through the helium escape valve, which Bond uses to destroy Primo's bionic eye. He also wears an Aqua Terra ref. 231.10.42.21.03.003 in Matera.

Every Bond Film Watch at a Glance

Villains' and Supporting Characters' Watches

Bond is not the only one with good taste. The most famous non-Bond watch is Pussy Galore's Rolex GMT-Master in Goldfinger (1964), generally identified as a ref. 6542 with the red-and-blue Bakelite “Pepsi” bezel — the reason collectors still call the 6542 the “Pussy Galore.” Other well-documented examples:

Two famous gadget watches belong to villains: Red Grant's garrotte-wire watch in From Russia with Love and General Pushkin's TAG Heuer alarm in The Living Daylights. Some popular claims don't hold up — Scaramanga's watch in The Man with the Golden Gun is often called a Rolex King Midas, but researchers note it lacks the Midas's features.

Bond Watches Made Off Screen — and the New 2026 Releases

Since 2002, Omega has released a steady run of Bond limited and special editions that never appeared on screen. Bond merchandise watches are older still.

The 2022 “60 Years of James Bond” Diver 300M added an animated gun-barrel caseback, and a Canopus Gold version followed. In 2026 Omega made its first watch for a video game, the 007 First Light chronograph — also the first Bond Seamaster chronograph (see our Omega Seamaster 007 First Light coverage). The 2020 titanium 007 Edition is often misdescribed as limited; it is not, and it is also the watch Bond wears in No Time to Die.

Beyond Omega, Swatch has produced several Bond collections: a 20-watch 40th-anniversary set in 2003, a 22-piece 007 Villain Collection in 2008, and the six-watch Swatch x 007 tribute of 2020 in VHS-style packaging. Hamilton's 2020 PSR revives the Pulsar LED from Live and Let Die , though it is not a licensed Bond product.

Bond Watch Myths, Corrected

• “Bond's Goldfinger strap was a NATO.” The G10 standard dates from 1973; the 1964 strap was a narrow one-piece nylon strap.
• “Connery wore his own Submariner.” Unproven. The Broccoli loan is the best-known story, but no documentary evidence exists and the screen watch is untraced.
• “Dalton's TAG Heuer hid a garrotte wire.” No source supports it. The garrotte watch was Red Grant's, in From Russia with Love.
• “Fleming based Bond's 1954 Rolex on his own Explorer.” Impossible: Fleming's Explorer dates from 1960.
• “The Skyfall limited edition is the screen watch.” No: ref. .004 was the retail edition. The same goes for the Quantum of Solace and 40th-anniversary pieces. Spectre 's Seamaster 300 is the notable exception.
• Sale prices. The Thunderball Top Time made £103,875 and the Live and Let Die Submariner CHF 365,000 — neither in US dollars, as is often reported.

How to Buy a James Bond Watch Today

The current Omega route (about US$7,000–10,000). The Seamaster Diver 300M is Bond's watch for the modern era: the 60 Years of James Bond edition (US$7,600 at launch), the titanium 007 Edition (US$9,200 at launch), or the new 2026 James Bond and Spectre editions at US$8,600 (see our launch coverage). A Seamaster Aqua Terra is the dressier Bond option. See our guide to the best watches under $10,000.

The vintage Rolex route. A Submariner ref. 6538 or 5513, a GMT-Master 6542 or an Explorer 1016 puts you in Connery's, Moore's, Pussy Galore's or Fleming's company — at serious vintage-Rolex prices, where originality and provenance are everything. Our Submariner and Explorer histories explain the references.

The affordable route. Vintage Seiko digitals from the Moore era, Swatch's 007 collections and Hamilton's PSR all capture a slice of Bond history for a fraction of the price. See the best watches under $500.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Reading

• Rolex Submariner history · Rolex Explorer history · Rolex GMT-Master history
• Omega Seamaster history · Planet Ocean · Aqua Terra
• Omega Seamaster James Bond & Spectre (2026) · Omega Seamaster 007 First Light · Breitling Top Time Aston Martin DB5
• Seiko and the quartz revolution · TAG Heuer history