Rolex | TIMEWERKE

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.

Anemone with hermit crab – on display at The Deep exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The exhibition opened in early June 2015 and will be on till 27 October 2015. According to the explanation that came with this exhibit, these anemones are always with hermit crabs and it is still not known how their relationship begins. What is know though, is that the anemone Epizoanthus, a colony of several organisms, gains from the movement of its host – the hermit crab, from being a sedentary animal to one that is mobile which then increases its chances of finding food. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2015 ArtScience Museum. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

While you may know that the oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, are you aware that it contains around 97% of our planet’s water?

Do you also know that 95% of our oceans remain unexplored?

Or, that more men have landed on the Moon than those that have dived into the deepest areas of our oceans?

The point is, we have not fully understood the undersea life in our oceans. For example, scientists do not have the answer as to how anemones establish its relationships with hermit crabs, even though they have clues as to why the two are found together (as seen in the image above).

The huge 6.3-metre long or 20-feet basking shark caught by a trawler off southwestern Australia recently in June 2015 that made international news is yet another fine example of how little we understand about what is in our seas.

The basking shark, with the scientific name Cetorhinus maximus, is the world’s second largest fish. Second only to the whale shark, the last basking shark caught off Australia was in the 1930s or more than 80 years ago. Australia’s Museum Victoria notes that this was just the third sighting in the region in 160 years.

This “accidental” catch, donated to Museum Victoria, will aid scientists in their research into the shark such as its genetics and diet.

According to a June 2015 report by National Geographic, basking sharks will occasionally be spotted at the surface, filtering out small prey like copepods and shrimps. However, as such surface prey is scarce, the basking sharks will dive deep down to 1,000 metres or 3,280 feet where they stay for long periods.

Speaking of going in deep, for those curious about what our oceans hold and wish to find out more, The Deep exhibition, curated by Claire Nouvian and currently held at ArtScience Museum in Marina Bay Sands Singapore till 27 October 2015, is therefore a place to spend some time in and to literally soak up what it offers.

Radiolarians or Tuscaridium cygneum are members of the zooplankton. These unicellular organisms of around 1.2 cm are found between 400 metres and 2,200 metres deep. They cannot swim but float in the deep water column and sometimes form spherical colonies armed with spines as seen above. When disturbed, Tuscaridium cygneum produce a bioluminescent glow. They feed on phytoplankton and animal prey such as copepods, jellies and gelatinous creatures. [Source: The Deep by Claire Nouvian.] Photo: © TANG Portfolio. The Deep 2015 ArtScience Museum. Image taken with a Leica D-Lux 5

Now when we say deep, we mean really deep, like life right down till 4,000 metres or 13,123 feet under the sea. It is obviously an extreme environment where temperatures at 4,000 metres down in the Pacific Ocean are said to be around one to two degrees Celsius (34 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit) and where the high pressure exerted by the seawater is equivalent to a cow standing on your thumbnail, so we were told.

You can easily see how tall mountains are, such as the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland that is 4,478 metres or 14,692 feet above sea-level. The first successful ascent on this famous Swiss mountain, by the way, was on 14 July 1865 or 150 years to the day. (The day this article was written, 14 July 2015, therefore marks the 150th anniversary of the first ascent on the Matterhorn).

However, it would be difficult to visualise how deep 4,000 metres under the sea can be, let alone have a perception of what life forms can be found in such a harsh and dark environment.

If you are below 300 metres, you may not even be able to see your hand in front of your face. It is also quite impossible to detect even a photon of sunlight at the depth of 1,000 metres.

That is why exhibitions like The Deep are needed. Firstly, the more than 40 exhibits were once real deep-sea creatures. Though now lifeless, they have been painstakingly put up on display in as realistic a form as possible.

Claire Nouvian, curator of The Deep exhibition which is currently held at the ArtScience Museum in Marina Bay Sands Singapore. She is also behind the book of the same name, The Deep, which we highly recommend as it is a rich resource for those who wish to learn more about sea life in the deep oceans. Nouvian is also the president and founder of the non-profit organization, Bloom Association. Based in Paris and Hong Kong, Bloom Association is an institution that advocates the protection of the ocean’s fragile ecosystem and is against destructive fishing practices. Nouvian lectures on topics such as sustainable development and deep-sea fisheries at universities around the world. We could not help but notice the Rolex which appears to be a Submariner. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. The Deep 2015 ArtScience Museum

“The deep sea is pretty empty if you compare it with a jungle,” concedes curator Claire Nouvian. “The animals [down there] are quite small. There is actually a huge biodiversity but not a huge biomass. After encountering them, you will realise that there are things that can live under any conditions on Earth.”

Secondly, the majority of us will not have the opportunity to descend below 1,000 metres in specially-built submersibles. There are currently less than ten scientific submersibles with the capability to descend to depths of more than 1,000 metres.

James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger submersible is one such fine example and it took this filmmaker down for a solo dive to 10,908 metres or 35,787 feet.

Moreover, the idea of deep-sea tourism hasn’t quite caught on unlike space tourism. Perhaps it is time to start deep-sea tourism with part of the revenues generated being used for more conservation-related efforts.

The giant isopod or Bathynomus kensleyi grows to around 40 cm (such as the one seen above and an exhibit at The Deep) and can be found at depths between 310 and 2,140 metres. There are thousands of isopods and the largest known ones live deep down in the sea. As predators of isopods in the deep are rare, they can grow much larger than their surface peers. This phenomenon is known as abyssal gigantism. [Source: The Deep by Claire Nouvian.] Photo: © TANG Portfolio. The Deep 2015 ArtScience Museum

On the deep-sea, ever wondered why the Rolex Deepsea Reference 116660 is rated water-resistant to the magical number of 3,900 metres? In our earlier article, Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea: works well under pressure, we said that such high water-resistance is “overkill”.

At this point, we apologise for not bringing up the exceptions. The Rolex Deepsea Reference 116660 is practical for those who embark on regular deep-sea dives around the world. They can be assured that this Rolex will survive even when strapped on the outside of the submersible that descends to great depths.

Why? The average depth of the oceans is 3,729 metres. The water-resistance of the Rolex Deepsea is equivalent to pressure at the depth of 3,900 metres.

Even if you do not make such underwater descents, it is understandable if you make a dive for the Rolex Deepsea as it does have pleasing sporty looks. Better yet, make it a statement piece – a mark of respect for our deep-seas and the need for the preservation of our natural resources.

If the Rolex Deepsea is not for you, the Rolex Submariner Reference 114060 introduced in 2012 without the date display and water-resistant to 300 metres will do just fine. Rolex, by the way, was also associated with The Deep travelling exhibitions. The Deep exhibition had premiered in Paris at the Natural History Museum in 2007.

When James Cameron descended deep down in March 2012, the images and samples collected resulted in the identification of at least 68 new deep-sea species.

These specimens included shrimp-like creatures known as amphipods, sea cucumbers, microbes and stringy rock coatings known as microbial mats which house organisms that are able to survive in darkness.

To have a better appreciation of what lifeforms exist at such depths and perhaps what Cameron saw, The Deep exhibition is what we would recommend. “Come see some real animals as though you’ve almost dived deep down,” says Nouvian.

The Rolex Submariner Reference 114060 (introduced in 2012) is one watch you cannot go wrong with whether for daily use or for travelling and water-related sporting activities. This 40mm Submariner in steel features the Calibre 3130 automatic movement and has a unidirectional bezel with the black Cerachrom insert with engraved numerals coated with platinum through magnetron sputtering. It is water-resistant to 300 metres or 1,000 feet, more than sufficient for you to enjoy your recreational dives without any problems. Photo: © Rolex

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

The Deep Sea: What we do not know