Actor Roger Moore spotted wearing a Rolex

When Roger Moore stepped into the role of James Bond for the first time in Live and Let Die (1973), he did so with a Rolex Submariner reference 5513 on his wrist — a detail that would help cement the model's enduring association with cinema's most famous secret agent. The film's prop department famously modified at least one 5513 with a motorized rotating bezel rigged to function as a buzz-saw and a magnetic disc capable of deflecting bullets and attracting metal objects, giving the watch more screen time and narrative purpose than almost any timepiece before or since.

The Rolex Submariner 5513 was introduced in 1962 as a non-COSC-certified alternative to the 5512, sharing the same iconic 40mm Oyster case and 200-meter water resistance but housing Caliber 1520, and later the Caliber 1530, rather than a chronometer-rated movement. This commercial distinction kept the reference accessible to a broader market while maintaining Rolex's exacting standards of build quality. The matte black dial, Mercedes hands, and pencil-thin hour markers of period-correct examples remain among the most legible and aesthetically cohesive dive watch designs ever produced. Production ran an extraordinary 27 years, from 1962 to 1989, making it one of the most varied and collectible reference runs in Rolex history.

For collectors, the 5513 occupies hallowed ground. Early examples with gilt dials and glossy lacquered finishes command serious premiums, while mid-production matte-dial versions — precisely the era represented in Live and Let Die — are prized for their cinematic provenance and wearability. The reference predates Rolex's shift to sapphire crystals and quick-set date mechanisms, preserving a purity of form that resonates strongly with vintage purists.

Roger Moore's Bond was suave where Connery had been brutal, and the 5513 suited his iteration of the character well — functional, unpretentious, and quietly authoritative. Moore wore variants of the Submariner across several Bond films before the franchise transitioned to Seiko partnerships later in his run.

On the grey market, honest examples of the 5513 in wearable condition trade between $8,000 and $20,000 depending on dial variant and provenance, with exceptional gilt or tropical-dial specimens pushing well beyond that. No official retail price exists; the reference was discontinued in 1989.