“Hodinkee Explains: A Double Swiss, Underlined, Tropical Dial Rolex Cosmograph”

The National Watch & Clock Museum is celebrating the History of the James Bond Timepieces with an exhibit opening next summer. This will be the first comprehensive showing all the timepieces found in the legendary spy film series including the original Rolex Explorer worn by the Bond creator himself,  Ian Fleming.

“This is the first time that Ian Fleming’s watch has been exhibited in the United States. The watch was recently on display at the Imperial War Museum in London, featured in an exhibit on the life and work of Ian Fleming. Fionn Morgan, Ian Fleming’s stepdaughter, states “Ian would have enjoyed the idea of displaying his own Oyster Perpetual as part of an exhibition of James Bond watches…It is wonderful to see the James Bond legacy presented through the watches that this character has worn… Collectors and the public will learn a lot through this exhibition.” (timezone)

Think Silly has published a profile on two of the most well known sea dwelling time instruments on the market today – Officine Panerai Luminor Submersible Chrono 1000M and ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller Deepsea. “The category of deep dea time pieces for professional divers has evolved from functional mechanic into a fine craft for men over the past forty years.” View the features at Think Silly in Chinese and English.

More views of the feature after the jump.

Online product customizers have eaten endless hours of productivity from business since they came to prominence with the help of Nike ID and its endless array of silhouettes and products. Now Bamford & Sons through the Bamford Watch Company changes the playing field for the Rolex customization market – a market once only accesible by those with relations and funds to work with the short list of specialty shops working on GMT, Daytonas, and Submariners.

The Bamford Watch Company Online Rolex Customizer allows for the individual to modify the Rolex Submariner (Daytona, GMT, and others by request) by color options (face, wheel, date, and more) and bracelet (black PVD – essential). But like the small specialty custom houses, the price is not cheap. Expect to drop as much as 12000$US for the full treatment. (aquire)

How about this for a rare gem in the chrono world? Back in the day, Rolex used to make the very in the now, thanks to Stallone, Panerai Radiomir, for the Italian Navy. We’re talking like in the 1940’s. It is clearly not as refined as what we see today from Panerai, but these were the days of, well, we’ll let Hodinkee tell it. "The brand Panerai, known now as the archetypal New Yorker watch, was once a lowly producer of boring technical equipment (compasses, depth gauges, and the like) until 1935 when they somehow landed a contract with the Italian navy to develop watches that could be read underwater. Being that Officine Panerai had never produced a time-telling device at all, you can imagine who they turned to….Rolex.  Released in 1938 only to the Italian Navy, Officine Panerai produced diving watches called the "Radiomir" with movements, cases, and crowns all made by Rolex."

More images of this fine timepiece after the jump.

We all know about the world of automobile customization; those small shops that take already high end vehicles and fashion them with both design and performance enhancements. McLaren comes to mind. Incredibly, in the world of chronographs and wristwatches, the same after-market world exists.

Pro Hunter in the UK is one of those after-market companies specializing in turning already legendary Rolex’s into one of a kind gems of metal. Take a look through their site and check out the custom Rolex Daytonas in Black and Red bezel (bonkers), Submariners, Seadwellers and more. But let us now focus on what we consider the best of the Pro Hunter series – The Ceramic GMT 2008. This thing is so ridiculously good it makes me want to curse. They start with a Rolex Anniversary GMT ref 116700, and add a Black dial, black bezel, AR coating the full body and glass,  a minimal black military NATO wrist strap. Its about the best looking GMT on the market. Each Pro Hunter Rolex is limited to 100 units. 

View more of the Pro Hunter Rolex offering for 2008 after the jump.

Sourcing goods for special releases is nothing new for London’s Bamford and Sons. They have done in the past with everything from iPods, to mobiles, Sanyo Xacti C6 video camera, and even Rolex Subs. Now hot on the heels of Rolex’s anniversary celebration, Bamford and Sons have sourced 25 vintage Daytonas and given then the black on black treatment with a PVD coating and an aqua blue face. Really good stuff that comes rocking in at just around 30,000$US. Available now at Bamford and Sons. (via Luxist)

And you thought 1500 meters was deep? Well Rolex just notched it up to a new extreme for Fall 2008 with their Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller Deepsea. Clocking in at 3900 meters (that’s 2.42 miles!) of superior waterproof-ness, the new Deepsea introduces Rolex’s new Lockring System. We’ll let them tell you what that means:

“The high-performance ring Set inside the middle case of the watch between the crystal and the case back, the high-performance nitrogen-alloyed stainless steel ring withstands the pressure exerted by water on the crystal and the case back. The middle case is made from 904L steel.  The sapphire crystal To resist pressure, the synthetic sapphire crystal is slightly domed and substantially thicker than the crystals of other Oyster models. The case back The case back is made of a titanium alloy, an extremely resistant stainless material. It is held in place against the high-performance ring by means of a 904L-steel ring.”

Many more detailed views of the Rolex Deepsea after the jump.