There are ‘James Bond watches’. And then there’s ‘James Bond’s watch’.
Swiss watchmaker Omega has partnered with the 007 franchise since 1995, when costume designer Lindy Hemming chose a Seamaster 300M Quartz for Pierce Brosnan’s debut in Goldeneye, a move she said was born out of wanting to make the character feel “more modern and European”. (Superfans still grumble that Bond is a Rolex man, as per Ian Fleming’s books.)
The character has worn different Omegas ever since, culminating in the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, made of lightweight titanium with what the company calls “tropical brown” details, as seen on Daniel Craig’s wrist in No Time To Die. It officially marked 25 years of the partnership – and Omega dutifully launched its corresponding tie-in model into shops in 2019. Then covid pushed the release of the film back three times, so it wasn’t until September 2021 that we got to see Craig’s fifth and final outing as 007.
Now comes the chance to own that Seamaster Diver 300m. Not the one still doing brisk business in Omega boutiques. But the actual one Craig wore.
It’s up for auction at Christie’s London on September 28 as Lot 3 in Sixty Years of James Bond: Live Auction. The watch is one of 25 pieces of merchandise donated by Eon, the company behind the Bond movies, with all proceeds going to charity. Other Lots pertaining to No Time To Die include a set of five bow ties worn by Craig (estimate £5,000-£7,000), a two-piece Tom Ford dinner suit plus Crockett & Jones shoes (£25,000-£30,000) and Spectre Agent Primo’s Bionic Eyeball (£4,000-£6,000). There are also various vehicles, the top trump being one of eight Aston Martin Replica DB5 stunt cars, and the only example ever offered for sale (£1.5m-£2m).
The Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition comes with an estimate of £15,000-£20,000. That may be conservative. In 2018 a 1957 Rolex “James Bond” Submariner Ref. 6538, worn by Sean Connery in three movies, sold at Phillips in New York for $567,000 (£463,000 today).Fair enough, those movies were the stone-cold classics Dr No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964) and – yes, yes, Bond nutters – it was a Rolex.
But this Omega comes with some provenance of its own, too. Not only is it the very final Daniel Craig model but the actor himself is said to have had a hand in designing it. Which arguably makes it the most authentically James Bond “James Bond” watch in existence.
All proceeds generated by the sale of the watch, including the buyers’ premium, will go to Time’s Up UK, a nonprofit dedicate to supporting women in the workplace. A pre-sale exhibition will be on view and open to the public at Christie’s London, 8 King Street, St James’s, SW1Y 6QT from 15 to 28 September. All Lots are online now at christies.com
