Watch Icons traces the watches that became part of a public image.
Sean Connery’s James Bond wore a Rolex Submariner reference 6538 on screen in Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. Phillips and Christie’s both document the connection, which helped give the early “Big Crown” Submariner its enduring Bond nickname.
The watch before the gadgets
The ref. 6538 was an uncompromising tool watch: a stainless-steel dive watch with a black rotating bezel, no crown guards and an oversized 8 mm winding crown. Its visual clarity suited Connery’s Bond—formal enough beside a dinner jacket, yet built for action.
That contrast became the lasting image. Before Bond watches were designed around elaborate screen gadgets, the Submariner expressed character through function, proportion and restraint.
From prop to cultural shorthand
The films did not simply place a watch on a wrist. They helped transform the ref. 6538 into a shorthand for the earliest cinematic Bond: composed, capable and sharply dressed. Decades later, auction specialists and collectors still refer to it as the “James Bond Submariner.”
Sources: Phillips: Rolex Submariner ref. 6538; Christie’s: Rolex Submariner ref. 6538.
Editorial note: The accompanying image is an AI-generated illustration. SEKUND.STORE has no affiliation with or endorsement from Sean Connery’s estate, EON Productions or Rolex. This Journal feature does not state or imply that the featured watch is stocked by SEKUND.STORE.