Inside Omega’s Timeless Adversaries James Bond and Spectre Exhibition

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What’s a hero without a villain? Omega, the Swiss watch brand that’s outfitted James Bond since 1995, has opened a new exhibition—and debuted a collection of wristwatches—at its boutique in Glendale, Calif., that pays homage to the 007 franchise’s central tension: Bond versus his nemeses at Spectre, the global criminal and terrorist organization.

Open through Nov. 8, the Timeless Adversaries James Bond and Spectre exhibition features more than 20 original props from seven James Bond films including the poker table chips used in Casino Royale (2006), Bond’s MI6 ID badge from Skyfall (2012), and the mini car bombs from Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 used in No Time to Die (2021).

The exhibition, which is open to the public, marks the first time Omega has brought Bond and Spectre together. Housed in a second-floor salon above the boutique, the showcase features one room lined with shelves displaying props from the two archives—Bond’s and Spectre’s—and a second room where six timepieces from the Omega Museum in Switzerland are shown alongside the new James Bond and Spectre editions.

“It was always in our mind—at least in my mind—to do something with Spectre,” Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of Omega, said at the exhibition. “Because it’s like your best enemy—you love this enemy.”

Indeed, early sales reports indicate that Team Spectre appears to be pulling ahead, Aeschlimann said during a one-on-one interview with Robb Report before the exhibition.

“Are you more a James Bond or a Spectre? Because we all have a bit good and sometimes a bit bad,” he said. “And from what I’ve heard, the interest for the Spectre watch is a bit bigger from new customers. I’ve read that some of the people giving interviews, even some actors, they said, ‘We are so Spectre much more than Bond.’”

Though Amazon, which now has creative control over the Bond franchise, has yet to name a successor to Daniel Craig, who played Bond in the last five films, or say when the next film will be released, Aeschlimann said it’s the right moment to introduce the new Bond/Spectre Seamaster editions—and to stage an exhibition.

“It’s the perfect timing to launch these watches,” he said. “The whole shopping experience has changed now. A lot of our consumers, they come to experience the brand first and then they buy. So to be able to have a boutique that is offering us the possibility to attract a lot of people is incredible.”

Aeschlimann also said that any storytelling the brand could do to bolster its strength in the U.S. market was worthwhile.

“I’m very proud to come back to this country, where we are enjoying an incredible business, have gained market share—35 stores and really doing good,” he said. “Over the last 10 years, we very much grew and created a big community.

“Once you have boutiques—and we have them everywhere in this country—then you start to be much closer to the consumers,” he added. “Everybody is experiencing our brand. So it’s about time to create such an event. It’s also something that I want to communicate to the headquarters in Europe, so they don’t forget: This is market number one.”