WatchTime, "Discovered: James Bond's Rolex" (complete article, part 7 of 9)



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		WatchTime feature article — "Discovered: James Bond's Rolex," February 2009 (part 7 of 9)

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Click here for complete *.pdf version of "Discovered: James Bond's Rolex," WatchTime (February 2009), by Dell Deaton

By 1962 when filming began on Dr. No, Ian Fleming was becoming an icon in his own right through his books, increasing public attention (good and bad), and sophisticated self-promotion. At the same time, “James Bond” was taking on a life of his own, beyond the control of his creator.

All of this affected Fleming. Lines were blurring as he sought to identify himself more closely with his character, to live as 007 would live, to play the part. Biographers have written about this. His wife, Ann, noted that no one had “grasped the extent of Ian’s desire to be his alter ego.”

Ian Fleming acquired his Rolex Explorer I sometime between the summer of 1961 and spring of 1962. It’s this chronometer that changed his writing about Rolex and James Bond from researched to experienced.

In contrast to the sunny beaches where movie work was underway in Jamaica, the main action of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service takes place on a snow-covered mountain. If you were going to pick a watch for such an adventure, what better choice than a Rolex Explorer, the watch that had famously conquered Mount Everest in 1953?

Bond’s watch is described as having “numerals,” as opposed to undefined markers. Fleming’s own Explorer I had luminous 3-, 6-, and 9-o’clock indicators.

“Bond surveyed his weapons. They were only his hands and feet, his Gillette razor and his wristwatch, a heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual on an expanding metal bracelet. Used properly, these could be turned into most effective knuckle-dusters.” But this doesn’t mean the “expanding-link” option offered by Rolex at that time. Fleming had established in Thunderball that “flexible” was a bracelet with springs in its links. Fleming’s personal Explorer is fitted with the original 7206 bracelet; it has fixed links and a deployant clasp. Laymen describe this as “expanding” to open.

Go to "Discovered: James Bond's Rolex," part 8

Image: A first edition of Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which contains seven references to James Bond's Rolex Oyster Perpetual.

Pull Quote: "[Bond] would get another watch as soon as the shops opened after Boxing Day. Another Rolex? Probably. They were on the heavy side, but they worked... You could see the time in the dark with those big phosphorus numerals." Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty's Secret Service

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Also see:
Part 1 of "How I Found the Original James Bond Watch," June 2009 NAWCC BULLETIN, on James Bond Watches
Part 2 of "How I Found the Original James Bond Watch," June 2009 NAWCC BULLETIN, on James Bond Watches
Part 3 of "How I Found the Original James Bond Watch," June 2009 NAWCC BULLETIN, on James Bond Watches

Posted by Dell Deaton, December 22, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Updated April 6, 2010 at 6:50 PM

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07/28/2010 08:22 AM