Omega's James Bond 60th anniversary watches
Last year marked the 60th anniversary since the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, which was released in 1962. As James Bond fans would know, the famous spy’s watch of choice is an Omega Seamaster, however this wasn’t always the way. Bond actually sported a Rolex on his wrist to begin with (awkward, I know), but in the 1995 Goldeneye the Omega Seamaster we all know and love made its movie debut. Since then, Omega and the James Bond franchise have had a very close relationship which has resulted in many James Bond x Omega watches being produced over the years. To celebrate this landmark birthday of one of the most iconic movie franchises ever Omega released 2 new watches, so let’s take a look at them.
The first of the 2 watches is the 42-mm Seamaster Diver 300m 60 Years of James Bond. The design of this watch was inspired by the first Omega that Pierce Brosnan wore when he was James Bond in Goldeneye. The casing of the watch is made from stainless steel which looks stunning alongside the blue oxalic anodized aluminium dial and blue diving bezel.
The stand-out feature of this watch is the animated case-back. Yes you read that correctly, animated! The case-back displays a dynamic image of the opening James Bond sequence with Bond’s silhouette and the spinning gun barrel. This was achieved using a technique known as the moiré effect where still overlapping images are used to give the illusion of movement. The images are linked to the spinning of the lollipop seconds hand, powered by the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806, which is how they move.
It’s said that this animated case-back took 4 years to be developed. There are a few other nice details on this watch which pay homage to the anniversary, such as the “60” which replaces the usual inverted triangle on the diving scale to represent the 60th anniversary. The mesh bracelet which comes with this watch is a reference to the mesh titanium watch worn in the “no time to die” movie. And what good is a fancy watch if it doesn’t come in a fancy box?
The blue box is in the classic Seamaster Diver 300m style, however it also features 3 white dots inspired by the James Bond opening sequence and also has a secret push button on the right. This super cool watch retails at £7,700.
The second watch in this release really is something quite special. It’s the Seamaster Diver 300m 60 Years of James Bond Canopus Gold edition.
The casing of this watch is made from Omega’s special 18K white gold alloy, Canopus gold, specifically created to have high brilliance and longevity. The unique patterned dial is made from a natural grey silicon giving a nod to the white sands of 007’s Caribbean hideaway.
The real showstopper is the unidirectional bezel which has been paved with gorgeous green and yellow diamonds which really plays into that tropical Caribbean feel. There are also two white diamonds at the 12 o’clock position on the bezel. This watch too has the animated caseback but is instead powered by a luxury version of the Calibre 8806, the Co-axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8807. This watch comes with a mango tree box featuring mother of pearl marquetry, the 60 yrs of bond logo, and dots as mentioned previously. The mango tree box is a reference to the song “Underneath the mango tree” from the first Bond movie, Dr. no. Because this watch is way more luxurious than the previous watch, it's also a lot more expensive retailing at £142,100.
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It's no doubt that these watches are truly gorgeous and pay homage to the James Bond movies really well. Both watches capture all the necessary details to celebrate the anniversary, and need we even talk about how amazing the animated case-back is! We hope you've enjoyed having a deeper look into these fabulous watches, and if you havent already, why not check out our previous Bond watch blogs? Hope to see you again soon for the next blog. Have a great day :)
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