Produced by EON Productions and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, No Time To Die, when finally released after several covid-related delays, will be Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as the famous British spy, James Bond.
In this latest film of one of the world’s most successful movie franchises, No Time To Die sees Bond having left active service and enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His relaxation is short lived – his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA appears on the Caribbean island seeking help from Bond. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Over the years, the Bond films have become as famous for the debonair character that they portray, as they have for their brand endorsements and product placement. Here are five of Bond’s most famous and long standing brands which exemplify the MI6 agent’s discerning taste and desire for the finer things in life.
Bollinger
Bollinger has been producing admired champagnes since 1829. The elegance and complexity of Bollinger’s outstanding wines has led to many admirers over its storied history. Indeed, in 1884, Queen Victoria awarded Bollinger a Royal Warrant and it has maintained a Warrant from the reigning British Monarch ever since, continuing to this day as a Purveyor of Champagne to HM The Queen, Queen Elizabeth II.
Bollinger’s champagne has a long history with Bond traced back to the original novels, in which Bollinger is referenced in the book Diamonds Are Forever. Within Ian Fleming’s original novels, Bond was always a champagne lover, but consumed a variety of champagnes including Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Pommery and Krug.
Bollinger champagne appears in film for the first time in Live and Let Die in 1973 when Bond, played by Roger Moore, orders the brand in his hotel room. This was, however, prior to any official relationship between Bollinger and the Bond franchise as Dom Perignon also features in the film.
It was in 1979 and with Moonraker that Bollinger became more officially connected to the film franchise and the champagne of choice for Bond, following the development of the friendship between Bollinger’s Chairman, Christian Bizot, and Albert R. Broccoli, producer of the Bond films.
It was felt that Bollinger was a natural fit for Bond, with 007 and Bollinger sharing, as described by Bollinger, “a certain number of values: a passion for excellence, a sense of refinement, and consummate elegance”.
In the latest film, Bond pulls a dust cover off his Aston Martin and cases of Bollinger champagne can be seen stacked against the garage wall.
The association with Bond has resulted in Bollinger releasing a number of Limited Edition bottlings over the years. To celebrate the launch of No Time To Die, Bollinger released the Bollinger Special Cuvée 007 Limited Edition, which has a bottle with the 007 logo on the neck collar and a gift box which features a silhouette of James Bond beside his Aston Martin DB5. Bollinger worked with celebrated photographer Greg Williams on the release.
The Bollinger and Bond association in film now stretches over 40 years.
If you want to quaff champagne like Bond, Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut NV Champagne is around £47 per bottle.
Omega
With a rich heritage and origins in timekeeping dating back as far as 1848, the Omega brand as we know it today, with its globally recognised name and symbol, first appeared in 1895. The accuracy and precision delivered by Omega saw it develop quickly as a trusted official timekeeping device at sporting events, which led to its long association with the Olympics. In 1932 in Los Angeles, Omega was entrusted to time all disciplines. Omega has gone on to become the Official Timekeeper at almost all Olympic Games since. In 1940, the brand was commissioned to supply watches to the British Army and its allies and the now iconic Seamaster was launched in 1948, built to withstand challenge at altitude and under the ocean.
The 1960s saw NASA qualify the Omega Seamaster for manned space flights which would result in the Apollo 11 astronauts carrying Omega watches to the moon. 1981 would see an Omega reach a depth of 101 metres on the wrist of freediver Jacques Mayol, as he made his record breaking dive on a single breath of air. Withstanding -40 degree temperatures and winds exceeding 45 km/hr, Italian mountaineer, Reinhold Messner trusted an Omega Speedmaster as his wristwatch during his 2,800 km journey crossing Antarctica by foot.
All of this made Omega the natural brand to replace Rolex as the luxury watch of choice for James Bond (the brand Seiko having also made some appearances on Bond’s wrists in films).
Indeed, James Bond has worn an Omega Seamaster in every film since 1995. It was in Goldeneye, the seventeenth film and Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as the famous MI6 agent, that saw Bond adorn his wrist with an Omega for the very first time, the watch selected by Oscar winning costume designer Lindy Hemming. She said at the time: “I was convinced that Commander Bond, a naval man, a diver and a discreet gentleman of the world would wear the Seamaster with the blue dial. It seemed a natural choice, the perfect fit for the adventurous secret agent and a trusted companion for his dangerous exploits.”
When Daniel Craig first appeared as Bond in Casino Royale in 2006, the famous spy continued the relationship with the brand. The character Vesper Lynd, send by ‘M’ to accompany Bond to a high stakes poker match, assesses Bond on their train journey to Montenegro, observing his wristwatch and asking ‘Rolex?’. ‘No, Omega’, Bond simply replies. ‘Beautiful’ is the summation from Lynd.
In No Time To Die, 007, on his mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist, will wear a Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, built from titanium. The ‘James Bond’ Limited Edition watch released in honour of the film currently has a waiting list and a £5,560 price tag.
Aston Martin
Whilst British luxury marque Bentley was the original favoured car of choice for James Bond, featuring in Ian Fleming’s original novels as one of Bond’s great passions, it is Aston Martin which has become synonymous with James Bond, a consequence of the brand’s association with the Bond films for over fifty years.
It is in the 1964 film Goldfinger that Bentley moves aside for Aston Martin, Sean Connery as 007 challenging ‘Q’ as to ‘where’s my Bentley’, only to receive the reply ‘oh, it’s had its day, I’m afraid’. An Aston Martin DB5, created bespoke for Bond with an array of gadgets to support his mission, is revealed instead, an appearance which helped to establish Aston Martin globally as one of the most desirable sportscars of the time. It wasn’t such a significant departure from the thoughts of Fleming, as Bond did drive an Aston Martin in the original novel Goldfinger from which the film took its title.
The stunning DB5 has gone on to feature in seven films – Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall and Spectre – and will re-appear in No Time to Die, the vehicle already a lead part in the film’s official trailer. Daniel Craig’s Bond, in his first outing in 2006’s Casino Royale, wins the magnificent vehicle in a high stakes poker game in the Bahamas. Later, in Skyfall, Bond drives ‘M’, played by Judi Dench, to his former family home in the Scottish Highlands in the DB5. In the dramatic fire fight which destroys the house, the DB5’s front lights fold down to reveal machine guns which are used by Bond against his attackers. No Time to Die’s trailer shows Bond using the same gadget once again.
The DB5 isn’t the only Aston Martin to feature in the latest film. No Time to Die will also feature an Aston Martin V8 Saloon, similar to the one seen in 1987’s The Living Daylights, where Bond was played by Timothy Dalton. Launched a decade before Dalton’s debut as Bond, the V8 Saloon was the fastest four-seat production car of its day. An Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, the current flagship of the Aston Martin range, appears in the film too, driven by Bond’s new 00 agent colleague, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch. The Aston Martin Valhalla, the company’s revolutionary mid-engined hypercar, is also due to make a brief appearance.
In celebration and inspired by the film, Aston Martin has produced two new limited edition 007 sports cars. The Vantage 007 Edition pays homage to The Living Daylights Aston Martin V8, and the DBS Superleggera 007 Edition showcases sumptuous No Time To Die specification. The two special editions have been released in strictly limited numbers to buyers around the world and have been designed and crafted by the experts in Aston Martin’s bespoke division: Q by Aston Martin.
The first of the two models is the Vantage 007 Edition, inspired by the original Aston Martin V8 which made its 007 debut in The Living Daylights in 1987 and also features in No Time to Die. The movie sees James Bond uncover the car from his personal lock-up in London.
Building on the formidable sporting style and aggressive performance of the regular Vantage, the new car features unique exterior styling treatments led by a bespoke mesh grille with chrome bezel that references the look of the brand’s classic V8. Further styling details include a dashed yellow diffuser inspired by the hazard stripes on the film car’s rockets. The Vantage 007 Edition can even be delivered with a set of The Living Daylights inspired limited edition skis and ski rack – referencing the ‘winterised’ V8 saloon from the film.
The driver can indulge themselves further with a laser-etched gadget plaque that references the various weapons and devices seen on the original film car. These included a rocket motor, missiles, lasers, a targeting display and ski outriggers. Cross hairs etched onto the car’s paddle shift gear levers allude to the missile guidance system seen in the film, too.
To celebrate the James Bond debut of the range-topping Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, a second unique 007 Edition has been created. The 715bhp provided by the DBS Superleggera’s 5.2-litre V12 twin-turbocharged engine is befitting of the car’s range-topping status while its torque peak (900Nm) is the greatest torque figure for any roadgoing Aston Martin yet produced.
This special edition also features a 007 fender badge, finished in chrome with a black enamel infill and stainless steel silver 007 foil applied to the rear spoiler blade.
Inside, the cockpit of this DBS Superleggera is a dark, brooding, leather-clad environment with flashes of red detailing the outline of the seats. Subtle 007 branding can be found on the door cards, armrest buckle badge and on the rear sub-woofer cover.
The DBS Superleggera 007 Edition is priced at £279,025 and the Vantage 007 Edition at £161,000.
With only 100 of the Vantage 007 Edition being produced and only 25 of the 007 Edition DBS Superleggera, these exquisite vehicles are set to become prized collectible Aston Martins of the future. A promotional Aston Martin DB5 used for the Goldfinger Bond film sold in 2019 at auction for over $6 million.
Crockett & Jones
Since 1879, Crockett & Jones have been manufacturing shoes in Northampton in England and the business is still owned and managed by the founding family. The area has a long history associated with shoe manufacture and by the year 1841, Northampton had 1,821 shoe makers in the town, many called upon to manufacture boots for the army to support the wars of the time.
James Crockett and Charles Jones were brother-in-laws, Crockett’s grandfather had been a boot and shoe maker in Northampton and Crockett would follow in these footsteps spending time learning the trade in Worcester, London and Birmingham. Jones was also descended from a long line of Northamptonshire shoemakers and having married Crockett’s younger sister in 1873, Crockett and Jones would combine to found their business together.
In the 1880s, they would adopt a technique for stitching the upper and inner sole to a welt (a strip of leather than runs around the perimeter of the shoe) using machinery invented by Charles Goodyear. Known as Goodyear-welting, this made the manufacturing process quicker, whilst also providing a superior construction for the shoe. Crockett & Jones shoes soon began to develop a reputation for their durability and quality and in 1911 the company was awarded the Diploma of Honour at the International Manufacturing Exhibition in Turin for their footwear designs. The reputation of the firm led to them providing boots for an Antarctic expedition, followed by the Shackleton Endurance Expedition in 1914.
The company manufactured boots to support the British Army during the First and Second World Wars and it continued to steadily build a reputation for high quality shoe wear. Fast forward several decades and 1997 would see the company open its first store in Jermyn Street in London.
Crockett & Jones became James Bond’s footwear of choice from 2012, providing the iconic spy’s shoes in Skyfall, Spectre and now No Time to Die.
In 2017, Crockett & Jones was awarded a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales as a Manufacturer and Supplier of Footwear.
As an official partnership with EON Productions, the makers of the James Bond films, to celebrate the latest installment, Crockett & Jones have produced a limited edition shoe, a wholecut Oxford, simply called ‘James’, which is made from the finest box calf and features the Crockett & Jones signature Hand Grade leather sole. Fully leather lined, James features an all black interior with a silver foiled 007 logo. The shoes are available from Crockett & Jones stores and are priced at £850.
Bond wears these and two other pairs of Crockett & Jones shoes (their Highbury and Molton styles) in the film.
No Time To Die’s costume designer, Suttirat Anne Larlarb, said: “The tuxedo is the most iconic of the James Bond wardrobe looks and the finishing touch to the tuxedo is, of course, the right pair of shoes. A shoe will finish off any look and make it perfect from a visual standpoint.”
No wonder Bond turned to Crockett & Jones in which case.
Tom Ford
In Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond, he continued to wear Brioni in Casino Royale, the brand which had dressed Pierce Brosnan during his stint as 007.
However, Bond switched to Tom Ford in Quantum of Solace and No Time to Die will now be the fourth consecutive time that Ford has dressed Daniel Craig as the iconic character of James Bond.
Tom Ford worked closely with costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb to provide made-to-measure tailored clothing and casual wear including eveningwear, suits, shirts, silk accessories and denim for the James Bond character.
Tom Ford menswear is all tailor-made in Italy, and is characterised by its elegant cut, exclusive fabrics and hand-finished details. For the first time Tom Ford has also dressed the new female character Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch, with select tailor-made jackets, tops and accessories including Tom Ford eyewear, all hand made in Italy.
Tom Ford, CEO and creative director of the eponymous brand, said: “I could not be happier to be dressing Daniel Craig as James Bond again in the upcoming film, No Time To Die. James Bond epitomizes the Tom Ford man in his elegance, style and love of luxury. It is an honor to move forward with this iconic character.”
To dress like Bond, Tom Ford suits start around £2,500.
The post A taste of the luxury life: James Bond’s top 5 iconic brands first appeared on Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.