All 12 Iconic James Bond Watches, Ranked
James Bond is a master of many things, horology among the most iconic.
Throughout the last century, perhaps no other wrist has wielded as much cultural influence as 007's. He is a man of style, and a man of physicality, something which has more-or-less been consistently echoed in his choice of watch (the 1980s were the obvious hiccup). For the real aficionados, you can count dozens of slight variations of watches, but we're grouping some stuff together, like the past suite of Omega Seamaster references. Looking back through the movie clips and looking at the awesome archive on jamesbondwatches.com, we've ranked all the Q-branch standard issue watches from best to worst.
Heads up: this list is correct.
12. Hamilton Pulsar - Live and Let Die
Ladies and gentlemen, the worst moment in Bond watch history. Or the best? Maybe he shot the moon. Or, uh, raked it.
11. Rolex Submariner 5513 - Live and Let Die
Where is the big crown, Live-And-Let-Die-Roger-Moore?!?! Did you lose Sean Connery's? We don't care if this one is magnetic. There is only one true bond Sub.
10. The Digital Seikos - Most Roger Moore Movies
All of these Roger Moore-era Seikos were a low point in watch horology. More Get Smart than Bond, they were gimmicky and are best forgotten.
9. Heuer 980.031 Professional Night Diver - The Living Daylights
The watch in the middle, this Submariner-esque Heuer—or Tag Heuer, no one seems sure—is pretty meh. Let's just forget the cream dial.
8. Tag Heuer 980.013 Professional - The Living Daylights
Why bother with this quartz Heuer when you could have a sub? Did Q-Branch lose all the subs? Whaaat's the deal?
7. Seiko 7549-7009 - For Your Eyes Only
This beefy Seiko diver is awesome, but not particularly Bond; it's more of a brute force machine.
6. The "Sylvia Trench" Rolex - Dr. No
No one seems to know what this is, and there really isn't a good photo of it. All we know is it's gold-colored, has a light-colored dial, and is Rolex. That's enough to stay on our good side.
5. Seiko Quartz Chrono - A View To a Kill
This sexy Speedmaster-inspired watch gets us ticking. Of all the Bond Seikos, this is the best non-TV watch.
4. Seiko TV Watch - Octopussy
It has a TV. 'Nuff said.
3. Omega Seamaster - Brosnan and Craig
Seen recently in a variety of references, this is the current standard issue for 007. It might not be the original, but it's a worthy successor. Also, it has a laser.
2. Breitling Top-Time - Thunderball
Even without Q-Branch's Geiger counter addition, this Thunderball classic is still awesome.
1. Rolex Submariner 6538 - The Sean Connery Movies
This is the alpha and omega (sorry, Omega) of James Bond watches. Big crown with no guards. The original Bond diver watch—it's still the best.
Ethan Wolff-Mann is an editor at Supercompressor. He has zero of these watches, sadly. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann.