Rolex, Paul Newman, and James Bond

The association between Rolex and movies began with a thunderous roar in 1969 when Paul Newman wore a Rolex Cosmograph "Daytona" in his car racing film Winning. Given to him by his wife Joanne Woodward, Newman wore the watch with pride in the limelight.

In fact, he made the Daytona models with exotic dials (contrasting registers) so popular, these watches are now known as "Paul Newmans." Although the association of Rolex with movies began with Paul Newman, it truly took on a life of its own when connected to the legendary Ian Fleming character, James Bond.

"Rolex" has become synonymous with "James Bond" movies and the suave class of the main character; Dr. No, Live and Let Die, License to Kill, and many more James Bond films prominently featured Rolex watches. “The Submariner,” one of Rolex’s flagship models, entered the limelight in these films. When James Bond chose to wore this superb diver's watch for its reliability and precision, it made a huge impact on the audience.

Sean Connery was the first James Bond to wear the Submariner in Dr. No (1962). Later, he wore the same same model in other James Bond movies as well, including From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Roger Moore's James Bond also wore a Rolex Submariner in the movie “Live and Let Die,” where it could also divert the path of a bullet and it’s spinning bezel worked as a rotating saw.

Later, both Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan wore Rolexes when they played the title character. The lasting popularity of the Rolex Submariner practically has become synonymous with the character of James Bond. After all, if the Submariner is cool and reliable enough for 007, it is definitely good enough for everyone else.