From Rolex with Love: Extremely rare 1954 stainless steel watch made famous by Sean Connery in Dr No is set to fetch £250,000 at auction
- The Rolex Submariner 6538 model has cult status after featuring in 1962 film – it is known as ‘the James Bond’
- Peterborough auction house William George & Co have had six-figure bids for the sought-after timepiece
An extremely rare Rolex watch made famous by the first James Bond film has emerged for sale for £250,000.
The 1954 Rolex Submariner 6538 acquired cult status after one was worn by Sean Connery in the 1962 classic film Dr No.
Bond subsequently wore the same model in several follow-up films, leading it to become one of the most sought-after Rolexes.
The 55-year-old Rolex, valued at a quarter of a million pounds, has a black dial and a crystal reverse so the owner can see the finely-engineered Swiss movement
Unlike modern Rolexes this watch does not feature the day or date in the three o’clock position; that was a later development by the manufacturer. Some wear and discoloration is visible on elements of the watch but it remains in very good condition
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The timepiece is generating furious interest under the hammer at auctioneers William George & Co, of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
The auction house has estimated the watch will go for around £200,000 to £250,000.
With a week to go before the end of the online timed auction, bids have already reached £120,000.
The stainless steel Submariner 6538 edition, known for its extra-large crown (which winds the watch) was manufactured between 1958 and 1961.
Unlike many Submariners, of which countless variations were made, the depth limit of 200m and 660 feet (in red on the black dial) on this watch do not include units of measurement
Unlike the version worn by Connery in the film, which had a leather strap, this watch has a stainless steel bracelet
The Submariner 6538 is easily identified by aficionados by its over-sized crown – the mechanism which winds the movement
Despite having been worn for more than 50 years the Rolex insignia is still clearly visible on the buckle of the 1954 watch
The one now up for auction has its original dial and hands and there are no replacement parts, although there are some signs of ageing.
A William George & Co spokesperson said: ‘This particular model features two lines of text, a red depth rating and no unit measurement which makes it an unusual find.
‘The dial and hands are original without restoration or replacement parts.
Starting with Dr No, Sean Connery wore a 6538 in several Bond films.
In the first-ever Bond film, 1962’s Dr. No, Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner 6538 making it a valuable collector’s item. The film poster showed Ursula Andress in her iconic bikini
Yours for £250,000: a watch the same as James Bond’s
The watch currently under auction in Peterborough is the same model (although not the actual watch) as the one worn by Sean Connery in four Bond films starting with Dr No in 1962.
BRAND Rolex
MODEL Submariner
MODEL 6538
DIAL DIAMETER 37mm
MOVEMENT Automatic
AGE 1954
CASE Stainless Steel
DIAL Black
BRACELET Stainless Steel Oyster
BUCKLE Stainless Steel Deployant
GLASS Plexiglass
‘This catapulted the watch to stardom and all guard-less, big crown Submariners are often nicknamed ‘The James Bond’.
‘It all started with the 6538, which makes this one of the most sought-after Submariners in collecting history.’
Rolex became synonymous with 007 as soon as creator Ian Fleming described the British spy as being in possession of a ‘heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual on a metal watch bracelet’ in his novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The Rolex Submariner 6538 can be seen on Bond’s wrist in Dr No as well as in From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965).
The last Bond film to feature a Rolex was the 1989 film Licence To Kill starring Timothy Dalton.
By the time Goldeneye, the next Bond in the franchise, was released in 1995, product placement was becoming commonplace and Omega won the contract for the choice of watch for 007. Its Seamaster timepiece has been used in every Bond film since.
The timed auction ends on November 21.
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