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The context in which the James Bond Rolex
is discussed in the book comes off a tangent accusing the character of
snobbery, and considerations for depicting that trait in Dr. No.
It "came in the form of Bond's elite tastes," Cork and Scivally write.
"In short, Bond had to know more about the finer things in life than the
audience, than anyone." They then go on to quote at length production
buyer Ron Quelch, who "recalled the day in 1961" when decisions were
made regarding 007 accessorizing.
"They were looking for everything
that Bond might or might not have been wearing. Whether he would
have cuff links or whether he wouldn't. Whether he would have a tie
pin, whether he'd have an identity chain, what watch he was wearing,
what sort of wallet he would carry, whether it would be an inside
pocket job or a hip wallet. Everything that went to create the
character of Bond was discussed at that meeting, and it took a long
time, believe you me."
Curiously, James Bond: The Legacy
goes on to state that the "tone was taken from Ian Fleming himself." Is
this a further recollection from Mr. Quelch, or from some other source?
Does this mean that Mr. Fleming provided that tone, or that it was
interpreted based on knowing or meeting the creator of James Bond? They
don't say here.
John Cork and Bruce Scivally continue,
without further quoting any source in particular.
Terence Young provided the essentials
for Bond's wardrobe. He took Sean Connery to famed shirt-maker
Turnbull & Asser for custom-designed shirts with turnback cuffs
(ones with buttons so that Bond could undress more quickly). Young
had his tailor Anthony Sinclair cut Connery's suits. Sinclair's
suits, which look traditional by today's standards, were considered
somewhat rakish and fancy at the time. Bond needed to be "well
turned-out," a fashion plate for the modern British man.
Style was key to quickly
communicating the character of Bond. If he was to represent the best
the Western powers had to offer, he had to be surrounded by the
best. 007 could not just drink vodka, it needed to be Smirnoff's; he
could not just wear a watch, it needed to be a Rolex. The champagne
would be Dom Perignon.
When Rolex declined to provided a
timepiece for the filmmakers and the budget precluded the producers
from purchasing one, Cubby Broccoli pulled the one off his wrist and
tossed it to a member of the art department.
So— on the one hand we have here
"custom-designed shirts," and on the other hand (or wrist, if you
prefer), a budget that precludes the purchase of "a watch" (note that
the reference is singular), for the price at which a Rolex would have
sold in the early 1960s. The cover of James Bond: The Legacy,
is included here for reference as the second image above and left; that
book is open to pages 36 and 37 in the third of the three images
included here on this screen of the James Bond Watches website.
What we have here, then, is a situation
where the same authors who say four things that come as a piece.
(1) They reference the filmmakers'
view that James Bond "could not just wear a watch, it needed to be a
Rolex."
(2) They relay an anecdote about Mr.
Broccoli having "pulled the one off his wrist and tossed it to a
member of the art department."
(3) They suggest only one watch, eg,
"a timepiece," for the Dr. No film production.
(4) They label
only one photograph as a Rolex in
corresponding to this article,
and that watch has a light-colored dial, a smooth, perhaps
somewhat domed crystal, and a thin, gold-colored case (ie, the
Sylvia Trench watch, which, again, you'll have to see in the actual
movie to view it in color).
As an open-minded researcher, this
doesn't close the book with a loud, "A-ha! The first watch we see
on James Bond in Dr. No is the Sylvia Trench piece, and
it's a Rolex in a gold case provided by Albert R. Broccoli." If nothing
else, the fact that what John Cork and Bruce
Scivally have written does not clearly note the presence of two
different watches in Dr. No suggests to me that they may
not be as focused on horology as some of us might have liked them to
been when writing. James Bond: The Legacy is also a bit
further than I'd like to be in terms of source attribution on the whole
Broccoli Rolex story to begin with. For example, is it a
Ron Quelch recitation? From someone else? If
so, who would that someone be — and how did they come to know the story?
On the other hand, in taking next steps
to identify "EON James Bond watch Number 1," it makes more sense to me
that we start with Rolex than anywhere else.
Clearly, in 1961 and 1962 there was
a great deal of attention given to the details of characterizing James
Bond through what Sean Connery would wear in Dr. No. And
Rolex was at the center of wristwatch brand discussions. |
