Living Like James Bond

Living Like James Bond

Check it out: Living Like James Bond

In one of the best scenes of Casino Royale, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) meets James Bond (Daniel Craig) for the first time and immediately sizes him up, from his orphan issues to his misanthropic attitudes to his… watch.

“Rolex?” she asks.

“Omega,” he replies.

For some it was a transparently crass bit of product placement, and, on one level, sure it was. But one could argue that James Bond’s expensive tastes are just as crucial a part of his character as his ruthlessness and his wounded psyche. Moreover, the association between 007 and high-end commercial product is rooted not only in literary legacy, but in logic and human nature.

As written by Ian Fleming, James Bond lives—and spends—like a man convinced he will not live to see old age. Prone to morbid dwelling on the shortened life expectancy of a secret agent, 007 does what any of us would: He buys really expensive things to take his mind off the oblivion that awaits us all. Though the movies have taken 007 from brooding killer to quippy bon vivant and back again, his affinity for the finer things in life has remained a constant across 53 years of adventures.

From his threads to his travel plans, here’s a look at 007 of Bond’s bests.