JAMES BOND'S ROLEX SUBMARINER

Submariner | James Bond's Rolex Submariner | Military Submariner

Current Rolex Submariner Models:

Classic Rolex Submariner Models:

Vintage Rolex Submariner Models:

James Bond and Submariner Connection

Daniel Craig James Bond Rolex Submariner 6538

Many vintage Rolex collectors call all early Submariners without crown guards (shoulder less) the James Bond Submariner, while others in the watch-collecting field believe that the watch Connery wore in Dr. No and the others was the Rolex Submariner model 6538. Still other collectors believe that the Submariner Connery wore was more than likely one of four models or that perhaps each of the four models made an appearance in each of the early films, they are the 6200, 6538A, thick cased 6538 and the 5510.
All four models share the same thick case, a large crown marked Brevet (from the French word Brevette meaning patented), a coin edge non-ratcheted bezel, an acrylic crystal, a depth rating of 200m/660ft and Mercedes hands. It should be noted that only the “thick cased” shoulder-less Submariners had the large winding crown. Further, it should also be noted that the 6538 existed first as a thin cased model with a small crown. It became a thick cased model as the 6538A and was available alongside the 6200.

The Sean Connery Submariner

Sean Connery James Bond Rolex Submariner

One of the thick cased Submariners with the large crown appeared on Connery’s wrist in Dr. No, From Russia With love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball. It is assumed that Connery also wore this watch in You Only Live Twice, but I don’t recall seeing it in that movie and to my knowledge it is not in the movie.

By analyzing close ups of the Connery Submariner, it is clear that the watch has the big crown with no crown guard, has a gilt dial with two lines of printing on the upper part of the dial below the Rolex crown and two lines of printing on the lower portion of the dial that appear to be different colors (although it is hard to tell and you may see it differently), and has Mercedes hands. The bezel insert is the non-graduated version, meaning there are no extra minute markings between 0 and 15 and the bezel pearl is in the center of a silver triangle. Later versions of the Submariner had the extra minute markings between the 0 and 15 including the ones without crown guards. These observations are important because the watch has characteristics of a 6200, a 6538A, a thick cased 6538 or even a 5510 (depending on whether you discern the depth rating of Connery’s watch as white or gilt) despite what so called experts say about it being only a 6538.

To collectors the Connery James Bond Submariner, have always had contradictory characteristics with respect to the exact model. Firstly, the non-graduated bezel insert is that of the earliest thick cased, large crown Submariners, the 6200. However, on the mid 50’s version of 6200, there is only one line of printing on the lower part of the dial, the word “SUBMARINER” in gilt, because although it was rated to a depth of 200m/660ft it did not yet appear on the dial.

The late 50’s 6200, 6538A and 6538 did have the two lines of printing on the lower part of the dial (chronometer versions of the 6538A and thick cased 6538 had 4 lines) and the depth rating was printed in white while the word “SUBMARINER” was in gilt. On the 5510, late 50’s models had both the depth rating and the word “SUBMARINER” in the same color, gilt. To further make things murky, the late 50’s 6200, 6538A, 6538 and 5510 had graduated bezel inserts, and the triangle containing the luminous pearl was red. As experts have said before, the Connery Submariner has a non-graduated bezel insert and the triangle containing the pearl was silver.

So what does all that mean according to collectors? Probably not much. The fact of the matter is that Rolex often used up older parts even when they went to a new model. So it would be entirely possible to have 6538A with a 6200 bezel insert. Also, it’s quite possible that a 6538 or 5510 could have been serviced during its ownership by a service center having older parts which means that a 6538 or a 5510 might end up having a 6200 bezel insert.

So unless the Broccoli family, who are rumored to have the original watch, furnishes the exact model number, collectors may never know the exact model number of the Connery Bond Submariner. However with the wealth of parts available, it is possible to achieve the same look using the 6200, 6538A, thick cased 6538 or the 5510 Submariner because they all share the same case and big Brevet crown. But, collectors are warned, some collectors and aficionados hate to restore or change watches and rather have an original beat up watch rather than a pristine restored one. Luckily, there is a building trend toward restoration.

The Roger Moore Submariner

Roger Moore James Bond Rolex Submariner 5513

In Roger Moore’s first and second outings as Bond, he wears a 5513 Rolex Submariner. Unlike Lazenby’s Submariner, Moore’s Rolex is seen in more detail, at least in Live and Let Die. In this instance the dial has white printing and indices. It should be noted however that the depth rating on Moore’s Submariner is shown above the word Submariner on the lower part of the dial rather than below it. The depth also appears as 660ft=200m rather than 200m=660ft. This is important because 5513’s are available with the alternate dial printing as described. The reason for these differences had to do with the regions for which the Submariners were made and the years in which they were produced.

Moore’s Submariner also had a bezel with a saw tooth edge. The original bezel was re-cut to accommodate the watch, with a little movie magic, functioning as a saw. The hyper-intensified magnet function of the watch was shown to be activated when the watch indices turned red. Separate 5513 Submariners were re-worked by the prop department to accommodate these functions. When Moore returned in The Man With The Golden Gun he was again seen wearing a 5513, however the watch had no special function used in the movie and is easily missed. Moore began sporting Seikos in all subsequent outings as Bond probably because of a better endorsement deal on the part of Seiko.

The Timothy Dalton Rolex 16800/168000 Submariner

Timothy Dalton Rolex Submariner 16800

When Timothy Dalton assumed the role of James Bond he was wearing a Rolex Submariner with a date function, the first Bond ever to do so and also the last Bond to date to wear a Rolex. Because of the time frame when Dalton made his Bond movies, it is likely that Dalton wore the 16800 and later perhaps the 168000 Submariner.

From what experts have been able to ascertain, the only difference between these two models is the upgrade in stainless steel from 316L to 904. Otherwise the watch is the same. The 16800/168000 was produced from the late 70’s early 80’s to about 1988. This suggests that the Submariners that Dalton wore in The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989) were both the 16800/168000 rather than the 16610. Although the 16610 Submariner came out in 1989, the same year as License to Kill, the Bond movies, like other movies, are made in advance of the year they come out. That means that the 16800/168000 was probably used rather than the 16610 Submariner. It is possible that Rolex provided EON a copy of the newer 16610, but experts think it is unlikely given Rolex’s unwillingness to cross promote it’s products.

In or about 1984, the 16800 received the white gold surrounds to the luminous markers that are seen on all modern Submariners. The 16800/168000 used the 3085 movement, was fitted with a synthetic sapphire crystal with cyclops date window, had a depth rating to 1000 feet or 300 meters and had a quick set date function. The 16800 became the 168000 in about the last nine months of the production run. This change in the numbering system served to reflect, as stated before, the upgrade of stainless steel from 316L to 904.

Rolex Submariner 16800