Monday, May 22, 2017

Chapter 7: Roger Moore–A Saint To Play James Bond



...The James Bond Rolex Story...

The Complete History Of James Bond Watches
Including ALL Watches Worn In All James Bond Movies
The Definitive Guide

Chapter 7: Roger Moore–A Saint To Play James Bond

Sean Connery had grown weary of playing James Bond, so he was replaced by Roger Moore who had been playing a spy on the very successful TV show named The Saint. Roger Moore brought a completely different vibe to the role of James Bond in his first James Bond Movie in 1973 named Live & Let Die. It turns out, that in real life, through his philanthropy with UNICEF, he would become a true life Saint.



Roger Moore was tall dark and handsome, but this new James Bond also had piercing blue eyes and a fascinating style all his own. The Saint aired in the United Kingdom on ITV from 1962 to 1969 and was based upon Leslie Charteris' literary character, Simon Templar. The Simon Templar character who was an undercover detective who specialized in elaborate disguises was played flawlessly by Roger Moore who completed 118 episodes that ended-up playing on TV in over 60 countries internationally. It should be noted that Ian Fleming once said, that when he envisioned James Bond, he envisioned Roger Moore being the perfect actor to portray him!

The first time Roger Moore played James Bond was actually in 1964 as seen in the video below.





Movie #9. Live and Let Die [Roger Moore, 1st] 1973
• Rolex Submariner [Reference 5513]
• Hamilton Pulsar [P2 Digital LED]



In the photos above and below you see Roger Moore as James Bond wearing his Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 with his costar, Jane Seymour who played Solitaire.














Rogers Moore is pictured above and below with the gorgeous Jane Seymour, who co-stared with him in Live and Let Die. This watch that sold at auction is NO ordinary Rolex Submariner, even though it appears to be in these photos. The watch was highly customized for the movie, as you can see lower in this story.







As previously mentioned, Rogers Moore's Rolex Submariner was highly customized, and it included a spinning bezel with sharp teeth that could cut through rope, as seen in the screen shots from Live and Let die—pictured above and below.





Sys Cain's artists rendering below is from the prop/art department and shows the original conceptual art for James Bond's Rolex Submariner Reference 5513, which featured a Buzz Saw Bezel that could cut through rope, as well as a Hyper Intensified Magnetic Field Generator that could stop bullets. 







In the movie Bond used the Magnetic Field Generator to unzip Madeline Smith's dress. Roger Moore said, "Sheer magnetism, darling." The prop watch had special hole in it that held the very fine wire that was used to "invisibly" unzip Miss Smith's dress as seen below:




The photo below shows the inside of the watch. The fan blades inside the case were added so that when compressed air was blown inside the watch, as a special effect, it caused the Submariner bezel to rotate and simulate the spinning saw blade.





James Bond Rolex Sold for $198,000
from Live & Let Die
Reference 5513

In November of 2011, The Rolex "Sawtooth Submariner" [Modified Reference 5513] that Roger Moore wore in Live and Let die sold for $198,00 at Christies Auction House. Notice the saw teeth on the bezel edge in the photo below...




James Bond
LIVE & LET DIE 

Iconic Rolex Submariner 

Sells For $363,000!!!!

Specialized Unique Reference 5513


On October 29, 2015, the James Bond "Sawtooth Submariner" was auctioned again, this time by Phillips Auction House, and this time it sold for $363,000.










Official Trailer
Live And Let Die


It's kind of funny watching old James Bond trailers today, because they almost seem like you are watching an Austin Powers trailer ;-) But back in the 1970s, there was not a whole lot going on in the world. No Internet, or even MTV, and at the time this movie came out, most American households still had black and white TVs...




A Beatle Sings For Bond
Paul McCartney & Wings
Reference 5513

The first James Bond Movie that Roger Moore starred in had its them song composed and performed by non other than former Beatle, Paul McCartney, which he recored with his band Wings in 1973.


The song Live And Let Die was presented during the opening credits in the movie, as seen below in the intro.






Hamilton Pulsar [P2 Digital LED Watch]

When Roger Moore became James Bond in 1973, the times were changing, literally and figuratively (pun intended). In Live & Let die Roger Moore–beside his Rolex Submariner which is pictured above–also wore a Pulsar digital LED watch.

In 1973 the Digital LED watches were all the rage, and very expensive. They were considered a status symbol at the time because they were so expensive and rare. They ran on battery power and required you to push a button to see the time. I remember when I was a kid back in the early to mid 1970s, digital watches were the coolest. Now they seem passé like a AMC Gremlin.

Roger More is pictured above and below with the gorgeous Madeline Smith from Live and Let die.












So Paul McCartney leaves the Beatles and starts a new band called "Wings", and writes a little song which is equally iconic to any Beatles song. 

You know the super-iconic words by McCartney:

When you were young and your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live!
(you know you did, you know you did you know you did!)
But if this ever changing world in which we're living
Makes you give in and cry

Say live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die

What does it matter to ya
When you got a job to do
You gotta do it well
You gotta give the other fellow hell

When you were young and your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live
(you know you did, you know you did you know you did)
But if this ever changing world in which we're living
Makes you give in and cry

Say live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die




On August 15, 2016, the Rolex Instagram page featured this very special Rolex Submariner on the Official Rolex Instagram page, which it titled:

"This is a pretty sharp watch. A Submariner with a special spin. Customized in 1973, it features a unique rope-cutting, villain-escape function."




Movie #10. The Man with the Golden Gun [Roger Moore, 2nd] 1974
• Rolex Submariner [Reference 5512]


Roger Moore is pictured below with Britt Ekland, who is also pictured above as well.



Here is a wrist shot of Roger Moore's Rolex Submariner 5513 from The Man With The Golden Gun.




Christopher Lee
The Man With The Golden Gun
Yellow Gold CELLINI KING MIDAS?

Christopher Lee played the villain named Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun. For years I heard many people say he wore a yellow gold King Midas Rolex Cellini, as seen in the photos below. On Jake's Rolex World I have always specialized in separating fact from fiction, and busting false myths. So the obvious question, is Christopher Lee wearing a Rolex King Midas?






The video scene below shows Christopher Lee's character with his Golden Gun, which he is able to build on-deman from his cigaret lighter, cigarette case and his pen. 




To date I have never been able to make a positive ID match by finding an exact Rolex model that matches Christopher Lee's watch. The reality is that Rolex made a zillion variations of the yellow gold Rolex Cellini King Midas, with brown wood dials, which look similar to the watch Christopher Lee is wearing.





My best guess is that Christopher Lee is NOT wearing a Rolex, but a Piaget model similar to the one pictured below. In the future, I will continue to explore this issue until I can make a positive ID.












Movie #11. The Spy Who Loved Me [Roger Moore, 3rd] 1977
• Seiko [Model 0674 LC]
• Rolex GMT Master




One of the really cool features in the movie was James Bond's Lotus Esprit, which was also a submarine, as seen below. By the way, Elon Musk owns this actual car today ;-)






Roger Moore As James Bond
From The Spy Who Loved Me
Coke Rolex GMT Master

The first image one of the publicity stills associated with the James Bond film, "The Spy Who Loved Me." If I understand it correctly, it was used in as a publicity still but not shown completely in the film. 



Ironically, Roger Moore is wearing a Rolex GMT-Master, as opposed to a Rolex Submariner, which we usually see him wear when he played James Bond.



Roger Moore is pictured below receiving the portrait of himself as Commander Bond from The Spy Who Love Me.




On a side note, in the image below Roger Moore is wearing a GMT Coke from a movie he shot in 1976 named Street People. From all the research I have done on Roger Moore, I think it would be fair to say he is a dedicated Rolex fan!!!





Movie #12. Moonraker [Roger Moore, 4th] 1979
• Seiko [M354 Memory Bank Calendar]



Movie #13. For Your Eyes Only [Roger Moore, 5th] 1981
• Seiko [H357 Duo Display]
• Seiko [7549-7009]



Movie #14. Octopussy [Roger Moore, 6th] 1983
• Seiko TV Watch / G757 Sports 100



James Brolin tested for replacing Roger Moore as James Bond as we see in the videos below that show Brolin testing for Octopussy.



In the second video screentest for Octopussy notice James Brolin is wearing his Rolex GMT-Master on a Jubilee Bracelet.



Everybody always talks about how Sean Connery was the best Bond, but as time goes by, the more I appreciate Roger Moore. By the way, Sean Connery began playing the James Bond character when he was 32 (Debuted in Dr. No in 1962), and Roger Moore began playing Bond at age 46 in Live & Let Die in 1973. In many ways Roger Moore was the exact opposite of Sean Connery, in the sense Sean would just take the ladies, and with Roger, the ladies wanted to take him. It is also interesting to note that Roger Moore wears Rolex watches in his private life, as see below in this photo of him pouring coffee.



Sir Roger Moore is pictured below with his wife and son, and notice he is wearing his Rolex Submariner.







Sir Roger Moore and Sir Sean Connery have remained friends for many decades, and we see them together in the photo below.



Table Contents