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skipcress
·I recently posed a couple of threads on the watch straps worn in the first four Eon Production James Bond movies on the Rolex ref. 6538 Submariner:
THE DR NO AND FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE WATCH STRAP WAS 19MM
THE CONNERY JAMES BOND NYLON STRAP WAS NOT A MILITARY STRAP
Here’s my best guess at why these straps were chosen, and when:
The strap worn in “Dr. No” and “From Russia With Love” was likely Cubby Broccoli’s personal strap
While there’s no known photographs of Cubby Broccoli wearing this Submariner, it’s generally believed that at least the watch was Broccoli’s, and it seems unlikely that the production would have put a different strap on the watch, and it seems quite unlikely they would have put this particular strap on the watch if they did; although it’s hard to tell, there are pictures of the strap that suggest it was a brown crocodile strap. In 1962, crocodile straps were quite expensive, and usually reserved for gold watches. In fact, it appears that the buckle on the strap was gold in color. While it seems reasonable that a well-to-do film producer like Broccoli may have opted to put a crocodile strap on a Submariner tool watch, it seems less likely that the prop department would both replace the strap on a watch not even issued by said department, but also replace that strap with one of the more expensive straps that money could buy. The fact that the strap was 19mm is quite readily explainable: I challenge you to find a single gold dress watch from 1962 with 20mm lugs other than the Datejust and the Day-Date, both famous for debuting with their own bracelet designs. In other words, if you wanted a 20mm crocodile strap in 1962 you had your work cut out for you.
The nylon strap likely replaced the leather strap when it failed, around the time production began on “Goldfinger”
The leather strap had braved the horrible climate of Jamaica, had been submerged multiple times, and didn’t exactly have an easy life in “From Russia With Love,” either. After two years of extreme wear and tear for a dress strap, it had likely just had it. Perhaps the nylon strap was pulled from a bin at the studio, purchased commercially, or even pulled right off the wrist of a member of the crew while filming. It’s worth noting that it’s just possible the strap was selected to fit over the wet suit in “Goldfinger”; I think this unlikely. For one thing, there’s no evidence the nylon strap was longer than the leather strap, you can clearly see Connery wears it on the very last hole in the movie “Thunderball.” For another, there was absolutely no reason cinematically that it would be important for the strap to have been worn over the wet suit, it could have just as readily been worn under it. I don’t think the production would have bothered permanently replacing the existing strap just for this reason
THE DR NO AND FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE WATCH STRAP WAS 19MM
THE CONNERY JAMES BOND NYLON STRAP WAS NOT A MILITARY STRAP
Here’s my best guess at why these straps were chosen, and when:
The strap worn in “Dr. No” and “From Russia With Love” was likely Cubby Broccoli’s personal strap
While there’s no known photographs of Cubby Broccoli wearing this Submariner, it’s generally believed that at least the watch was Broccoli’s, and it seems unlikely that the production would have put a different strap on the watch, and it seems quite unlikely they would have put this particular strap on the watch if they did; although it’s hard to tell, there are pictures of the strap that suggest it was a brown crocodile strap. In 1962, crocodile straps were quite expensive, and usually reserved for gold watches. In fact, it appears that the buckle on the strap was gold in color. While it seems reasonable that a well-to-do film producer like Broccoli may have opted to put a crocodile strap on a Submariner tool watch, it seems less likely that the prop department would both replace the strap on a watch not even issued by said department, but also replace that strap with one of the more expensive straps that money could buy. The fact that the strap was 19mm is quite readily explainable: I challenge you to find a single gold dress watch from 1962 with 20mm lugs other than the Datejust and the Day-Date, both famous for debuting with their own bracelet designs. In other words, if you wanted a 20mm crocodile strap in 1962 you had your work cut out for you.
The nylon strap likely replaced the leather strap when it failed, around the time production began on “Goldfinger”
The leather strap had braved the horrible climate of Jamaica, had been submerged multiple times, and didn’t exactly have an easy life in “From Russia With Love,” either. After two years of extreme wear and tear for a dress strap, it had likely just had it. Perhaps the nylon strap was pulled from a bin at the studio, purchased commercially, or even pulled right off the wrist of a member of the crew while filming. It’s worth noting that it’s just possible the strap was selected to fit over the wet suit in “Goldfinger”; I think this unlikely. For one thing, there’s no evidence the nylon strap was longer than the leather strap, you can clearly see Connery wears it on the very last hole in the movie “Thunderball.” For another, there was absolutely no reason cinematically that it would be important for the strap to have been worn over the wet suit, it could have just as readily been worn under it. I don’t think the production would have bothered permanently replacing the existing strap just for this reason
