Breitling questions – James Bond, Thunderball

Interested if any forum members have an opinion on this / more information or links.

As most of you know the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball featured two Breitlings and a Rolex. One Breitling was worn by the Vulcan V bomber pilot although Bond does hold it later in the film.

Times must have still been hard as they could not afford a full width strap for the Rolex (I read it might have been his personal watch?). I have not read the book/screenplay but I think that was all Rolex – including for the Vulcan pilot, so why did Breitling feature so heavily?

Was it luck / availability/cost, technical research / suitability, aesthetic – or just good old product placement? I have not found evidence to support any particular view.

Product placement for watches did not seem to be a major ‘thing’ in 1965 and also I have not seen any advertising from Breitling regarding the use in Thunderball.

Oscar winning Set Director Peter Lamont was given detailed high security access (I think he used a concealed camera as well) to nuclear bases like RAF Waddington (which is still a critical ISTAR base) in preparation for the film – but would that have impacted a watch choice?

WW2 veteran /Decorated Thunderball technical and liaison advisor United States Airforce Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Russhon may also have advised on the correct equipment?

Looking at the film costs and locations budget did not seem a significant issue.

On the Flip side fast forward to 1967 and in Fathom – a 1967 Spy comedy with a skydiving Raquel Welch. She wearing a Breitling and there was some press from the company (advert below)

Lastly looking at 1960’s V Force pilots watches I have not seen any Breitling examples – but I have read in WW2 Breitling supplied watches to the RAF as well as clocks for aircraft. Again I have not seen many examples of those (More smiths, Omega, Longines, Rolex etc).

Across the pond I have also read Breitling had a tie up with the USAF and the Navitimer was also recommended by the Aircraft owners and pilots’ association – so a strong choice for a pilots watch in the sixties maybe?

Thinking about it the pilot in the Film is French / from NATO and the Breitling logo is not a million miles away from the French pilots badge … another bloody rabbit hole which does not explain the Bond Top time watch :0(
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Small bump in case anyone has thoughts on this - Breitling is front and centre in the film (just this one)

Thanks for the info - I will read up on Jack Heuer's autobiography. The Avenger shot is a good picture - which episode was that / who wore the Navitimer?

Wow. Raquel Welch and Emma Peel references in the same thread - be still my heart! 🙄

Many thanks for all the info / Avengers clarification. Jack Heuer biography has been very helpful. Also who would of thought it was almost an Omega on Steve McQueens wrist for Le Mans - also I did not think (having mentioned some unique, talented and powerful ladies from the sixties already in this quest) I would be led down this rabbit hole again from that bio (she get s a mention) - imagine having a working F1 car in your bedroom / that is arty in extreme.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/so-...interest-in-firearms.491/page-97#post-1323045

@MRC - in terms of my main question (why was Breitling selected for Thunderball) Heuers bio has crystallised the following for me (after some additional research) - so thanks again for the link.
Aside from Rolex a lot of brands were very slow to the product placement opportunity in the early sixties.
Prop Masters at pinewood were all full time direct employed staff in the early days and accurate set design was very important and would not be compromised.
Breitling was a well established pilots watch and very popular in France / Italy (which matches a NATO pilot)
The watch was central to the plot and needed to be recognisable.
Peter Lamont and Charles Russhon (from first post above) both may have been exposed to Breitling in the field / in context as a military pilots watch choice.
Only Bell Aircraft is listed as an official product in Thunderball (jet pack and helicopter) as a aside the chopper crashed in 1978 - pilot error, so lasted a few more years.
The Bond franchise spawned a ton of copycat films and Spy TV series in the sixties .. and grew to be the mother of product placement vehicles - but not in 1964/65. Through the sixties it became a commercial thing (as we saw with space watches). By 1967 Fathom with miss Welch was probably product placement.
Breitling did not make any publicity from the Thunderball film. Maybe Bond had the top time to balance out a ‘baddies’ watch or perhaps they saw it when purchasing the Navitimer and just cut a deal as it was going to be modified.

I am looking into another couple of leads but by current evidence Breitling seems to have been chosen as right selection and not a sponsored product placement......
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Those all look very solid for the 1952 -1967 eras and AOPA. That add more weight to a genuine selection for Thunderball. I have seen an RAF pilot example from 1946 (Chronomat) and have read that a lot of watches were supplied in the war from Breitling (wrist watches and clocks) I have not seen many examples of adverts compared to say Longines, Omega, Smiths etc for the forties.

@SpeedyPhill highlighted a Thunderball continuity error which led me down another rabbit hole... how many extra bloody watches are there in Thunderball and what are they ....Actor Paul Stassino has a Navitimer but stuntmen would have filmed the key underwater scenes / probably over a couple of days or more. In the key shot it looks the like the right watch ,,, but in the struggle at one point it is a steel bracelet watch and in another it appears to be a gold case / light face. In the Beach scenes (as shown in earlier posts) the Navitimer is back... but studying Domino (Claudine Auger) closely at times the gold case / light face seems to put in an appearance. With so much going on I can see how a few errors slipped in - the scale of the project makes it clear why this is one of the biggest (adjusted) grossing Bond films. The stuntmen don’t get a credit but having tracked one down you could write a book on them - not many people would have Rolex design dive watch features just for them / very professional and well connected.
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I have seen an RAF pilot example from 1946 (Chronomat) and have read that a lot of watches were supplied in the war from Breitling (wrist watches and clocks) I have not seen many examples of adverts compared to say Longines, Omega, Smiths etc for the forties. Anybody have examples / information?

Also I just saw this article which mentions that the The Chronomat needed some adjustments / recalibration specifically for aviation - does anyone have further details on that which would help me on some research.

How the Navitimer almost didn’t happen

Feature: How the Navitimer almost didn’t happen | Watchfinder & Co.

Thanks for that. If it is a bezel and a dial change I wonder if anyone has pictures / part numbers - also is the dial on this watch standard or ‘pilot’ version....
I am getting a lot more info on the pilot who owned this Chronomat and his history in the meantime.
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Small bump in case anyone can shed a bit of light on Chronomat ‘pilot’ conversions - thanks

So on the back of my research I just had this article published on Fratello
All as a hobby/ not for profit.
It has been a real privilege to find out more about wing commander Roland Falk, the test pilot who flew the Vulcan on its maiden flight.

One bit of secret information I recently discovered and did not include in the article is that Roly was approached by the James Bond production team to assist with the Vulcan flight scenes in Thunderball but he declined. I suspect that was because of the high levels of secrecy he was used to while working on so many clandestine high tech projects. In April 1956 for example he was the first pilot to test drop a dummy 10,000 Ibs blue Danube atom bomb from a Vulcan. I can see why being front in centre of such projects and the official secrets act made him wary of being involved with Hollywood films. I also still wonder if the producers paid close attention to his watch and dress sense during any meetings ;0)

https://www.fratellowatches.com/breitling-chronomat-roland-roly-falk/