New Omega timepiece celebrates association with James Bond franchise

Daniel Craig may be contemplating playing Bond again, but one thing is fairly certain: regardless of who plays 007, he (or perhaps, she?) will be wearing an Omega.

Since GoldenEye was released in 1995, the world's favourite fictitious secret agent has worn an Omega Seamaster watch, partly for style, but partly to reflect reality.

When Omega released the Seamaster 300 in 1957, it was issued to military divers around the world. A decade later, the second generation of the timepieces was delivered to the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom, and dispersed among the ranks, meaning that as a Naval Commander (Bond’s rank), had agent 007 been real, he may well have been issued a Seamaster.

This year marks three important milestones for the Bond franchise: it's been 50 years since You Only Live Twice was released; 40 years since The Spy Who Loved Me and 20 years since Tomorrow Never Dies. To commemorate these movies, Omega has unveiled a limited-edition Seamaster Diver 300M Commander's Watch.

Echoing the colours of the British Royal Navy – red, white and blue - this 41mm stainless steel case carries a blue bezel, a white dial, and a red 007 gun logo, as the counterpoint for the second hand.

The stainless steel watch is limited to 7,007 pieces, and each caseback is inscribed with its edition number, below three stripes that denote the rank of commander. The watch is also available in an 18k yellow gold version, which is strictly limited to seven pieces.

Later this year, three Seamaster Diver 300M Commander’s watches will be auctioned for charity, which will see the stainless steel version inscribed with the number #007 being offered up, as will one of the seven 18k yellow gold pieces. In addition, a unique 18k white gold version will also be sold: a must for a true-blue Bond fan.