Portrayed by Sean Connery, James Bond made his screen debut in Dr No which premiered on Oct 5, 1962.
Omega recently hosted the 60 Years Of James Bond event in London. The Swiss watchmaker has an authentic connection to the UK's Ministry of Defence, having delivered more than 110,000 watches to pilots, navigators and soldiers during World War II.
The Seamaster 300, originally released in 1957, was issued to military divers around the world. In 1967, a batch of 2nd generation Seamaster 300s was also delivered to the ministry, and so it is entirely plausible that Commander Bond would have been issued with an Omega watch.
Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming proposed that the fictional character should wear an Omega Seamaster, which became an essential of 007's attire since GoldenEye (1995) starring Pierce Brosnan.
"I was convinced that Commander Bond, a naval man, a diver and a discreet gentleman of the world would wear this watch," said Hemming, who worked on four other instalments after GoldenEye.
Based on Ian Fleming's novels, 25 action-packed films from EON Productions have laid the foundation for a cinematic legacy.
Omega ambassador Daniel Craig portrayed 007 over five films, from Casino Royale (2006) to No Time to Die (2021) while wearing various Seamaster watches in this iconic role.
Two timepieces tie in with the story of Bond becoming a 00 in Casino Royale. First, the secret agent sports a black Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M model, and having earned his double-0 status, he switches to the Seamaster Diver 300M.
Likewise two models appeared in Skyfall (2012), a Planet Ocean 600M with a black dial and bezel and an Aqua Terra 150M with a blue dial.
In the following film, the Seamaster 300 Spectre Limited Edition features an an explosive device. Cuffed to a chair, Bond slips it to Madeleine, who throws the watch towards the villain just as it explodes, allowing the heroes to escape.
In Craig's fifth and final film, No Time To Die (2021), the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition is modified on the flight to Safin's lair, fitting a limited-range electromagnetic pulse device designed to disable electronics. Bond employs the pulse first to gain entry to Safin's base and then to dispatch Primo by targeting the henchman's bionic eye.
"It's been a joy for me to work with Omega in all the films since Casino Royale," Craig said. "James Bond is a character who likes the very best of everything, so it's always made sense that he would wear something as beautiful and trustworthy as an Omega."
