Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 1016

James Bond creator Ian Fleming wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 1016 and he mentions James Bond wearing Rolex in some of the Bond novels.
 

Ian Fleming's Rolex Explorer 1016

Let's first take a look at Ian Fleming's personal Rolex. It was a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer, reference 1016, with a steel case and bracelet, black dial and Mercedes hands. The black dial has a triangle at the 12 o'clock position above the Rolex logo and the Arabic numerals 3, 6 and 9. The watch has a 36mm case, which is noticeably smaller than what's fashionable today.

Fleming's Rolex is now in the possession of the son-in-law of Ian Fleming's stepdaughter and was on display at the British Imperial War Museum in 2008/2009 and at the "Bond Watches, James Bond Watches" exhibition in the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania from June 18, 2010, through April 30, 2011.
 

Rolex in James Bond novels

Fleming mentions Rolex in three Bond stories: Live and Let Die, Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Service.

Rolex in Live and Let Die

The first mention of a Rolex is on Bond's own wrist in the book Live and Let Die: "[Bond] looked at the Rolex watch on his wrist. It was three minutes past
eleven o’clock." No other details of the watch are mentioned. Ian Fleming himself didn't own a Rolex yet at the time that he wrote Live And Let Die (1954), at least not that we know of.

Rolex in Thunderball

In the book Thunderball, the Italian pilot Giuseppe Petacchi wears a "solid gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer on a flexible gold bracelet".

Rolex in On Her Majesty's Service

And then in On Her Majesty's Service (written in 1962, published in 1963) Fleming gives us a bit more details on James Bond's Rolex, at a time that he now owns his Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer, which according to Dell Deaton's research, is from 1960.

"Bond surveyed his weapons. They were only his hands and feet, his Gillette razor and his wrist-watch, a heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual on an expanding metal bracelet. Used properly, these could be turned into most effective knuckledusters."

Bond indeed uses the watch as a Knuckleduster:

"...the Rolex transferred to his right, the bracelet clasped in the palm of his hand and round the fingers so that the face of the watch lay across his middle knuckles.
[...]
Bond’s right flashed out and the face of the Rolex disintegrated against the man’s jaw. 

During the fight, the Rolex breaks:

"...slipped the shattered Rolex back over the knuckles of his right hand"

Later Bond thinks about getting a new watch:

"Bond lifted his left wrist. Remembered that he no longer had a watch. That he would certainly be allowed on expenses. He would get another one as soon as the shops opened after Boxing Day. Another Rolex? Probably. They were on the heavy side, but they worked. And at least you could see the time in the dark with those big phosphorus numerals."

And he does indeed get another Rolex, although Fleming doesn't mention any specifics other than the brand name:

"He glanced at the new Rolex"

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So the best description we have of Bond's Rolex is a heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual with big phosphorus numerals on an expanding metal bracelet. Given the fact that Fleming often uses items that he knows from his own experience, we can assume that Fleming has Bond wear the same watch as his own, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer 1016.

Price and where to buy

Like all Rolexes, an Explorer doesn't come cheap. Vintage models are especially pricey, but even more recent models start at $10,000, or perhaps at $7500 on the grey market.

Visit Rolex.com, or find large selection of Explorers at Chrono24, JomaShop or eBay (only buy from trusted sellers).

Affordable alternative

A great affordable similar watch inspired by the vintage Explorer is the Vague Watch Co.'s Every-One, as pictured here.

The Vague Every-One has a black dial with the 3-6-9 Arabic numerals and Mercedes hands. It has a small, but period-correct, 34mm stainless steel case.

This watch is available at UNCRATE for $495.