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James Bond's 'Thunderball' watch to go under the hammer
A watch worn by Sean Connery in the James Bond movie Thunderball is set to sell for £60,000 at Christie's - after being picked up at a car boot sale for just £25.
The Breitling Top Time, worn in the 1965 film, was snapped up at the sale by a bargain hunter a couple of years ago. Knowing they had purchased something quite special, the buyer, who wants to remain anonymous, took the watch to an expert to be valued. But they were said to be shocked to hear how much it was actually worth and of its film heritage.
The timepiece featured during 007's mission to find two NATO atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE in Thunderball. The watch was the first to be modified by the famous Q Branch and is equipped with a Geiger counter, which detects the emission of nuclear radiation in the film. It was used by Bond to help him locate the stolen atomic weapons during underwater scenes.
Made by Breitling in 1962, it was adapted by the James Bond art department and was the only example produced for the movie. Its whereabouts was a mystery for many years until it was discovered at the car boot sale. It is thought to have been passed on by someone who worked at Pinewood studios where the film was shot.
The piece of film history will go under the hammer at Christie's auction house in London next month. It has an estimate sale price of between £40,000 and £60,000. A spokesman for the auction house said: "This is a great opportunity for collectors to acquire a unique piece of James Bond memorabilia."
In October 2012, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond on film, Christie's and EON Productions presented 50 Years of James Bond - The Auction. The auction raised £1,641,350, which was donated to twelve charities including UNICEF, Barnardo's, Women for Women, Parkinson's UK and ChildLine.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10068894/James-Bonds-watch-to-go-under-the-hammer.html
The Breitling Top Time, worn in the 1965 film, was snapped up at the sale by a bargain hunter a couple of years ago. Knowing they had purchased something quite special, the buyer, who wants to remain anonymous, took the watch to an expert to be valued. But they were said to be shocked to hear how much it was actually worth and of its film heritage.
The timepiece featured during 007's mission to find two NATO atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE in Thunderball. The watch was the first to be modified by the famous Q Branch and is equipped with a Geiger counter, which detects the emission of nuclear radiation in the film. It was used by Bond to help him locate the stolen atomic weapons during underwater scenes.
Made by Breitling in 1962, it was adapted by the James Bond art department and was the only example produced for the movie. Its whereabouts was a mystery for many years until it was discovered at the car boot sale. It is thought to have been passed on by someone who worked at Pinewood studios where the film was shot.
The piece of film history will go under the hammer at Christie's auction house in London next month. It has an estimate sale price of between £40,000 and £60,000. A spokesman for the auction house said: "This is a great opportunity for collectors to acquire a unique piece of James Bond memorabilia."
In October 2012, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond on film, Christie's and EON Productions presented 50 Years of James Bond - The Auction. The auction raised £1,641,350, which was donated to twelve charities including UNICEF, Barnardo's, Women for Women, Parkinson's UK and ChildLine.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10068894/James-Bonds-watch-to-go-under-the-hammer.html
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Comments
I'm surprised the seller sold it for so little as Breitling watches aren't cheap no matter how old they are. You only have to look at the price of a 60's one to see the new owner got a bargain.
Yes, I know, but somebody had to say it.
"The Breitling Top Time, worn by Sean Connery in the 1965 James Bond adventure "Thunderball," is going up for sale at Christie's auction house.
It's expected to go for about $90,000.
More amazing than the expected price is the manner in which the watch was discovered. The U.K.'s Independent reports that several years ago, a bargain hunter spotted the timepiece at a yard sale. It was purchase for less than $40.
The buyer, who asked Christie's to remain anonymous, knew the watch was worth something but had no idea just how much, according to the U.K.'s Telegraph.
An expert examined the find and confirmed that it was the same wristwatch agent 007 wore in his battle against the evil organization SPECTRE in "Thunderball." It had been missing for many years."
Edit: actually this thread could be merged with this thread
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/6916/james-bonds-watch-to-go-under-the-hammer
Its the same topic.
"An expert examined the find and confirmed that it was the same wristwatch agent 007 wore in his battle against the evil organization SPECTRE in "Thunderball." It had been missing for many years.
The Telegraph reports the watch "is thought to have been passed on by someone who worked at Pinewood Studios where the film was shot."
Looks like the watch found its way off the studio lot, back in the day, but yes, how would one recognize the watch at a yard sale. Maybe a keen Bond fan spotted it as familiar, and then later was able to confirm that it was indeed the real deal.
Keen, indeed! I daresay my Bond fanmanship is about as fanatical as anybody's, but there's no way in Hell I would have recognized that watch sitting on a table in a yard sale.
Nor would I. It's not exactly distinctive unless you're a watch fanatic.
But then to actually suspect that it might be the real deal? Who knows. It could happen, especially if one knew that the watch had been missing for years.
More details on the back-story would be interesting.
Yup I also feel bad for the previous owner ;)
Indeed. Not bad at all for an old timepiece.
I agree; I've never liked this. I think I even prefer the Seiko in OP to this. Just looks ugly.
Whilst I think that Breitling make some nice watches I find them a little bit flashy for my tastes (and Bonds - nothing wrong with Rolex: 'a bit on the heavy side but they worked').
Sorry I dont. What sort of mug sells a genuine Breitling for £25? Idiot.
A quick look on Ebay shows how the guy who bought this must have been laughing all the way home to stumble across such a moron:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xbreitling+top+time+&_nkw=breitling+top+time+&_sacat=0&_from=R40
The fact that its actually worth way more due to its Bond heritage makes it even funnier.
Due to a skin rash caused by the nickel, I've stopped wearing watches. I may do again but I'm almost puritanical in my aversion to "bling" of any kind. I'm a good Presbyterian at heart, y'see. Having said all that a Rolex would be very nice indeed. Even the Brietling is a thing of beauty.
It's Lazenby's Bond watch for sale!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-BONDS-ROLEX-CHRONOGRAPH-WATCH-/261814178052?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf5575104