In 2018, United Kingdom auction house Fellows listed a rather interesting watch with James Bond movie provenance [1,2].
Auctions of screen-worn James Bond watches are hardly uncommon, of course [3]. In the case of this Rolex 5513 Submariner associated with Licence to Kill, however, it made no claim to have been worn by actor Timothy Dalton as Agent 007. Rather, it was on the wrist of stunt double Rodney Pincott — and included documentation to that effect, signed by Meg Simmonds, EON Productions Archive Director [4].
Fellows acknowledged in its Lot information that Mr Dalton wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Submariner throughout filming, adding yet another validation of that make and model as the James Bond watch for Licence to Kill. And with that, James Stacey, in covering this story contemporaneously for Hodinkee, appropriately noted that, “The fact that this wasn’t the watch worn by Dalton himself might make the watch less appealing to some …” [5].
I’ll go a step further: I’m regularly asked if I believe that wristwatches worn by stunt doubles are “legitimately” James Bond watches. For that matter, What about timepieces that make their way onto the big screen due to continuity errors? et cetera?
The answer is yes. Without equivocation. And, by extension, that is the official position of JamesBondWatches.com as well.
How to classify such watches is necessarily another matter.
At the same time, it would be inappropriate to include it in the main as part of Movie watch listings that include Licence to Kill. Those watches are necessarily part of “the willing suspension of disbelief” [6] upon which motion pictures depend and audiences tacitly agree in order to follow and enjoy storylines. That is to say, there was one James Bond going through these adventures, and he wore one wristwatch at a time while doing so.
Fellows noted that the Rodney Pincott 5513 was “featured in a memorable scene – a car chase where 007 is driving a tanker truck in Mexico.” In terms of the plot, there was only one James Bond, in the appearance of Timothy Dalton, wearing his 16610 throughout: He commandeered the rig, drove it, and ultimately ended up on the ground, facing off against Franz Sanchez (gifted-cigarette-lighter in-hand).
Audiences had already suspended all sorts of reality touchstones when they entered that world.
With that, then: Look for this Rodney Pincott Rolex 5513 Submariner from Licence to Kill on the new “Orphan Bond Watches” page, which is related to Movies here.
OFF-SITE REFERENCES
- “Licence to Kill”
September 20, 2018 / Fellows (accessed December 31, 2023). - “James Bond’s Rolex Submariner Surfaces at Auction”
September 26, 2018 / Paige Reddinger / Robb Report (accessed December 31, 2023). - “Live Auction 8120 James Bond 007: Live and Let Die, 1973 (Lot 130)”
September 17, 1998 / Christie’s (accessed December 31, 2023). - “Meet James Bond Archivist, Meg Simmonds”
October 5, 2023 / King & McGaw (accessed December 31, 2023). - “Found: James Bond’s Rolex Submariner From ‘A Licence to Kill’ Is Up For Auction”
September 25, 2018 / Hodinkee (accessed December 31, 2023). - “suspension of disbelief”
Oxford Dictionary (accessed December 31, 2023).
