James Bond’s Thunderball watch fetches £100k

A WATCH bought for £25, which turned out to be the original worn by Sean Connery in the James Bond film Thunderball, has fetched £103,875 at auction.

Sean Connery as James Bond in Thunderball. Picture: Contributed

The Breitling Top Time, worn in the 1965 Bond film, was bought at a car boot sale.

The buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, took the watch to an expert who valued it at up to £60,000.

At an auction at Christie’s yesterday the timepiece smashed the estimate and sold to a telephone bidder for £103,875.

The watch featured during 007’s mission to find two stolen Nato atomic bombs in Thunderball.

It was the first watch to be modified by the famous Q Branch and is equipped with a geiger counter, which detects the emission of nuclear radiation in the film.

Nicolette Tomkinson, head of the popular culture department at Christie’s in London, said: “It was the only ‘Q’ gadget watch to be worn by Sean Connery.

“This is a rare and unique trophy for the Bond collector.”