A one-of-a-kind, solid 18k yellow gold Omega watch produced in honor of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond 007 Goldfinger film from 1964 recently sold for 106,000 Swiss Francs (about $113,000) via an online Christie’s James Bond auction earlier today, on September 17th, 2014. That is interesting because the amount is about eight times the retail value of the watch (even though there never will be a retail version of this watch), and it is said to have been the highest yielding item of the auction (see Christie’s Goldfinger The 50th Anniversary auction here). The auction estimate for the watch was 8,000 – 12,000 GBP and it went for 70,000 GBP.
Based on the standard Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Co-Axial watch (hands-on here), the piece unique Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Gold for Goldfinger has a unique 18k yellow gold dial, with matching case and bracelet. Given that it is part of the Omega James Bond collection, you can see the “007” logo as the counterweight of the seconds hand on the dial. The dial is also a unique design for Omega, given the natural gold surface motif. On the rear of the watch, there is additional “Goldfinger” branding on the caseback, as well as the automatic rotor.
This isn’t the first time Omega watches have done well in James Bond-themed auctions. Omega has been the official watch of James Bond since Omega’s partnership with the franchise that began in 1995, with the release of 007 Goldeneye. Since then, various James Bond actors have worn a series of Omega timepieces in the films. The relationship has been extremely successful for Omega. Fans know that, traditionally, James Bond wore a Rolex, which I believe was actually creator Ian Fleming’s intent, as he wrote about 007 wearing a Rolex in at least one of his books.
When I think of Goldfinger, I will probably always think of the Mike Meyers parody movie, Austin Powers Goldmember (which was great). Goldfinger introduced a lot of memorable elements such as the lady in gold, Pussy Galore, and the man throwing the deadly hat. If you are going to paint yourself in gold, you better have a solid gold watch to match right? By the way, Omega did opt for the 38.5mm wide version of the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra for the Goldfinger watch – so it is “unisex.”
Inside the 50th Anniversary Goldfinger watch is Omega’s new Master Coaxial movement, which uses their highly anti-magnetic components. The movement is the Omega produced calibre 8501, which is a bit unique in this instance because it uses 18k yellow gold, versus red gold, for a movement bridge and the automatic rotor.
To compliment the watch, and further the “gold theme,” Omega produced a special box for the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 50th Anniversary of Goldfinger watch meant to look like the gold Bullion Depository building at Fort Knox, here in the USA. According to Christie’s, the 50th Anniversary of Goldfinger auction raised money to support the NSPCC.org charity. omegawatches.com
