Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 worn by Sir Roger Moore in “Live and Let Die” (1973): The Reel Value of Money

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This is the Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 made in 1972 and worn by Sir Roger Moore in the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die. Even though it does not house any movement, it sold for CHF365,000 (£335,000 / US$365,000) at the November 2015 auction held by Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo. This was way above its estimated value of between CHF150,000 and CHF250,000. Photo: © Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo.

This is the Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 made in 1972 and worn by Sir Roger Moore in the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die. Even though it does not house any movement, it sold for CHF365,000 (£335,000 / US$365,000) at the November 2015 auction held by Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo. This was way above its estimated value of between CHF150,000 and CHF250,000. Photo: © Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo.

Even though this watch does not work because its movement was removed, this Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 made in 1972 (case no. 2,683,776) and worn by Sir Roger Moore (born in 1927) when he played the famed British master spy, James Bond, in Live and Let Die has proven that it simply gains in value over time.

We are pretty sure there was some hot excitement in the bidding room when Lot 290, referring to this Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 sans movement, came up for offer.

That is because the final hammer price was CHF365,000 (£335,000 / US$365,000) at the November 2015 auction conducted by Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo.

Its earlier estimated value was between CHF150,000 and CHF250,000. Not bad for the “shell” of a Rolex Submariner. At least it was signed “Roger Moore 007” inside the case back.

This is indeed one Rolex Submariner that has gone through some truly exciting moments. In the movie Live and Let Die, this Rolex Submariner has a hyper-intensified magnetic field feature that is powerful enough to attract a teaspoon.

It can even deflect the path of an incoming bullet at long range and its bezel edges were used to cut through rope. Yes, take a closer look at the bezel again and you’d notice the serrated edges.

Of course, what was probably most exciting was Bond’s cheeky use [or should we say (ab)use] of his Rolex Submariner’s hyper-intensified magnetic field to unzip the dress of Italian agent Ms Caruso (played by Madeline Smith) in a brief scene shown sometime during the first fifteen minutes of the movie.

In terms of value, the positive gains realised from this Rolex Submariner once worn by Sir Roger Moore and sold at the November 2015 auction conducted by Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, was almost CHF150,000 from its last public auction sale four years ago in 2011.

At the November 2011 auction held by Christie’s in Geneva, this same watch fetched CHF219,000. In other words, this particular Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 had appreciated by CHF146,000 over four years.

Such gains are highly remarkable, considering that at a much earlier Christie’s auction, held more than a decade ago – in February 2001, the estimated value of this very same Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 was between £15,000 and £20,000 (US$23,000 and US$30,000 based on the exchange rates then).

Now this is just one example of the real, or perhaps it is better to say “reel”, value of movie props used by famous actors and in highly popular long-running movie franchises.

Both sellers in the 2011 and 2015 auctions, assuming they were also the original buyers in 2001 and 2011 respectively, sure made a good “killing” each time.

After all, this is a James Bond watch and the double O (“00”) designation, as we all know, is the licence to kill.

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015”: Well-priced

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The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015” was sold for CHF25,000 at the “Only Watch” charity auction co-hosted by Association Monégasque contreles Myopathies, Monaco Yacht Show and Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo. The final auction price was double that of its lowest estimated value of CHF12,000. Photo: © Maurice Lacroix

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015” was sold for CHF25,000 at the “Only Watch” charity auction co-hosted by Association Monégasque contreles Myopathies, Monaco Yacht Show and Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo. Estimated value at between CHF12,000 and CHF14,000. The final auction price was double that of its lowest estimated value of CHF12,000. Photo: © Maurice Lacroix

Retailed at around CHF10,000, the limited editions of the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity do seem reasonably priced what with its technical features like the silicium assortment combined with excellent design aesthetics. This is good for end-consumers.

Now will it be even better if the Maurice Lacroix Gravity is highly-priced?

Yes, it will, even it sounds like a paradox. However, this is on the condition that the Maurice Lacroix Gravity watch is for the “Only Watch” charity auction. To be more precise – the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015”.

The “Only Watch” charity auction, held once every two years and during the Monaco Yacht Show, organised its sixth charity auction in November 2015.

Co-hosted by Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, Monaco Yacht Show and Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo, profits from the charity auction are donated to fund research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle degeneration disease with no known cure and one that disables the afflicted.

That is why we support the call for a highly-priced pièce unique Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015”.

Thankfully, the pièce unique Gravity “Only Watch 2015” defied gravity literally and went under the hammer for CHF25,000, double that of its lowest estimated value of CHF12,000.

With its earlier estimated value of between CHF12,000 and CHF14,000, the auctioneers were probably expecting a minimum premium of between CHF2,000 and CHF4,000 for this one-of-a-kind Gravity.

The Gravity is Maurice Lacroix’s very first model to house a full silicium assortment in their in-house Calibre ML430 self-winding movement.

In an earlier article on Timewerke.com, Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity: The Groundbreaking “Maverick”, we highlighted the rare Gravity “Sincere Limited Edition” that was limited to 12 pieces, which by the way, is not highly-priced but attractively-priced.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015” is the rarest of them all as it is a one-of-a-kind piece.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity “Only Watch 2015” is unique because the brand’s “Vague du Jura” (“Wave of the Jura”) made its world premiere on the main bridge of this piece and it is in blue-polished Powerlite, an alloy patented by Maurice Lacroix comprising titanium, aluminium, zirconium, magnesium and ceramic.

Other related articles on timewerke.com that may be of interest:
i. Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity: Gravitated towards Gravity
ii. Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity: The Groundbreaking “Maverick”