Sir Roger Moore’s Speedmaster Mk40 Fetches £61,360 At Auction
Fifty years after Sir Roger Moore’s first appearance as secret agent 007, Bonhams auctioned off some of his belongings in the “Sir Roger Moore — The Personal Collection” auction. Among them was a mohair dinner suit jacket he wore in Octopussy, a personal Gucci notebook, his Olympia SM3 Deluxe typewriter, his passport (from 1991 to 2001), shoes, lots of (sun)glasses, and his Omega Speedmaster Mk40.
A reproduction black and white photographic print from the original taken by Peter Ruck, signed in black ink by Sir Roger Moore — Image: Bonhams
Sir Roger Moore debuted as James Bond in the 1973 movie Live and Let Die. Starring in Bond movies until 1985 (A View To A Kill) also resulted in Moore using exclusive fountain pens, wearing a lot of different pairs of glasses, shoes, and ties (many ties!), and also receiving lots of gifts. One of the items auctioned was an Omega Speedmaster Mk40 reference 3820.53. We covered this watch a while ago in this article.
Sir Roger Moore’s Speedmaster 3820.53 — Image: Bonhams
Omega Speedmaster 3820.53
It’s a 39mm Omega Speedmaster with a triple calendar (day, date, month), a 24-hour indicator, and bold colors. This 1990s watch also used tritium that turned yellow, adding a bit more funkiness to it. The watch came on a double-ridged strap with an Omega-signed buckle.
The Speedmaster Day-Date (as it was officially called) reference 3820.53 is powered by Omega’s caliber 1151. Based on the ETA/Valjoux caliber 7751, it’s a full-calendar chronograph movement that ticks at 28,800vph and has a 42-hour power reserve. It was from a time when Omega solely relied on ETA calibers for its watches and the Co-Axial escapement wasn’t in sight yet (that would come in 1999).
Sir Roger Moore’s Speedmaster 3820.5 — Image: Bonhams
A colorful Speedmaster dial
In the 1990s, it was briefly marketed as Michael Schumacher’s watch. Collectors, however, refer to this Speedmaster as the Mk40, a nod to the Mark series that Omega created in 1969. It’s a watch that wears extremely well, and the colors make it a real conversation starter among watch enthusiasts. Due to the colors and the 24-hour sub-dial at 9 o’clock, this watch reminds you perhaps of the Flightmaster with caliber 910. An interesting detail is the little airplane tip on the large central hand, which indicates the date. The two apertures in the 12 o’clock sub-dial indicate the day and month.
Sir Roger Moore’s Speedmaster 3820.53 — Image: Bonhams
Sir Roger Moore’s Speedmaster Mk40
It’s not clear if Sir Roger Moore actively wore this watch (but I am happy to learn otherwise). However, according to our sources at Omega, it wasn’t a present from them to this legendary 007. The lot description also doesn’t state what the origin of this watch is. Nevertheless, Bonhams auctioned this Speedmaster for a whopping £61,360 (approximately €70,935 / US$74,820) including premium. Typically, depending on their condition, these watches fetch between €3,000 and €4,000. As we can see, Sir Roger Moore’s ownership certainly had an effect! The Roger Moore Speedmaster Mk40 was offered with a red leather rectangular 1990s Omega box and its warranty cards.
For more information on the Sir Roger Moore auction and this specific Speedmaster lot, visit the Bonhams site here. Thanks to our friends at JamesBondLifeStyle for pointing it out to us.
Featured image: Bonhams
