The Rolex Submariner - The Watch of James Bond

1953 saw the birth of two cultural icons that have endured into the 21st century - Ian Fleming's James Bond and the Rolex Submariner watch. Both of which represent suave, debonair, daring and machismo to the American male.

Although Rolex officially launched their famed Submariner watch during the 1954 Basel Spring Watch fair, many believe that the watch made its first appearance in the TV adaptation of Ian Fleming's book, Casino Royale, which starred Barry Nelson.

Of course both the Submariner watch as well as James Bond are much different today. The early versions were slightly unpolished and rough, but both were eventually honed into iconic symbols of sex, adventure and affluence.

Like Bond, the Rolex Submariner underwent many changes over the years. Fleming's super-spy took 9 years before he hit the big screen with the release of 1962's Dr. No, which starred a young Sean Connery sporting a Rolex Submariner on his wrist.

Both the film and the watch were a hit, and Connery, along with his trusted Submariner, returned the next year in Bond's latest adventure, From Russia With Love. The movie going public took such a shine to 007 that the films came out faster than bullets from Bond's PPK. Goldfinger in 1954, Thunderball in 1965 and You Only Live Twice in 1967 after which Connery decided that his days of playing 007 were over. For the next film, George Lazenby picked up the mantle and starred in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which came out in 1969. Contrary to popular belief, the movie did well at the box office, but Lazenby didn't want to become typecast and made OHMSS his last Bond film.

Sean Connery was lured back into 007's shoes one last time for the 1971 release of Diamonds Are Forever after which the helm was given to Roger Moore who made his first appearance as Bond in Live and Let Die in 1973. That film was followed up by The Man With The Golden Gun in 1974.

These nine films not only made huge stars of at least two men, they all prominently featured the Rolex (usually tricked out by Q Branch). And while the Bond producers experimented with different watches like Seiko and Omega, Rolex is almost always associated with the British secret agent.

However, in the beginning, Rolex seemed to be unsure as to what to call their star timepiece. Most early models weren't labeled Submariner on the dial and the company patented a number of names including Deepsea, Frogman, Diver, Dee-Sea Diver, Skin Diver, Dive-O-Graph and Swimproof. Fortunately, though, the Submariner name took hold and the watch has been called that ever since. Below are some great deals on genuine used Submariner Rolexes under $5000! from our trusted sellers on Ebay.com:

The Submariner evolved many times since its introduction. In 1955, the 6205 model was re-numbered the 6538 and the 6205 changed into the 6535 and was fitted with the new 1030 movement and Mercedes hands. The 6538 wouldn't see these improvements until much later in the decade when the model 6538A came out.

Model 6536 came out in 1956 with the addition of a chronometer and included the 1030 movement. This model eventually became the 6536/1. In 1958 the 6200 was re-numbered as the 5510 and the 6536/1 became the 5508 when both models received the upgraded 1530 movement.

While debate rages as to which model Connery wore in Dr. No, most believe that it was the 6538, which makes it highly sought after as the "true James Bond Watch". However, when it comes to Bond watches, one of the most memorable Submariner models was the 5513, which Roger Moore wore in Live And Let Die. This watch was fully modified by Q Branch to include a high-powered magnet that could deflect the path of a bullet as well as a spinning bezel that acted as a buzz saw. And if you're interested in owning THE watch as seen in the movie, it was auctioned off at Christie's in 2001 for $41,992.

Rolex celebrated the 50th anniversary for the Submariner in 2003 and rolled out a new model at the Basel Spring Watch Fair. The new Maxi Dial model is similar to the 16610, but has larger hour indexes, a thicker minute hand and a green bezel.

While both the creators of Bond and the Rolex have long since passed on, their contributions to our culture will undoubtedly live on for a long time to come. Super spies will always need super watches and Rolex Submariner is undoubtedly the king of the crop.