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James Bond Sunglasses
It seems strange that until relatively recently there were few examples of James Bondsunglassesfor collectors to add to their portfolios, then suddenly in the space of a few filmsthere were a whole handful of models from at least three different manufacturers.In the books sunglasses rarely appear, so while we know the brand of watch, lighter, andeven shampoo 007 favours we will never know his preferred brand of sunglasses - in factprobably the only time James Bond wears sunglasses is in the short story The Property of ALady.With the increased amount of placement in the movie industry it is perhaps surprising thatthis didn’t happen sooner, but in Casino Royale Daniel Craig wore the Persol 2244-S andPersol 2720-S models and in Quantum of Solace he wears Tom Ford 108 sunglasses.Of course Daniel Craig wasn’t the first James Bond actor to wear sunglasses - Sean Connerywears some wayfarer style sunglasses in both From Russian With Love and Thunderball, butit was Pierce Brosnan who started the current trend.Brosnan wears blue lensed X-ray specs in The World Is Not Enough - the glasses were off theshelf and the original lenses replaced with blue tinted ones instead - as well as a clear lensedCalvin Klein 718F in the banker’s office and CK 2007’s in the ski chase; he returned in DieAnother Day, with Persol 2672-S.So where does that leave us?Unfortunately the sunglasses worn by Sean Connery haven’t been firmly identified, but RayBan or Persol of the right design should do; and Pierce Brosnan’s sunglasses are discontinued,although you can always try eBay.Luckily the Persol and Tom Ford models are still available, so if you want to add James Bondsunglasses to your collection you still have a chance before they become unavailable and theprices rise to match.
 
The Dr No sunglasses
The first sunglasses to appear in a James Bond film weren’t actually worn by 007, but worn byone of his allies instead. Jack Lord, who played Felix Leiter in that first Bond film, lookedsuper cool with his sharp sixties suit and eyes barely hidden by pale lenses.In fact he looked so cool in Dr No that he landed the leading role in Hawaii Five-O, leaving agap in the casting of future Bond films that was never quite filled. James Bond himself doesn’twear sunglasses, although it’s difficult to understand why in the glare of the Jamaican sun.
Sean Connery's sunglasses
The first occasion we find James Bond wearing sunglasses is in From Russia With Love; after007 finds Tania in his bed back at the hotel, he arranges to meet her the following day andtails her into a mosque to ensure she isn’t being followed. As he peels himself away from the back of a guided tour, Bond approaches the camera wearing what look like tortoiseshellsunglasses with brown lenses - on the Ultimate Edition DVD these scenes can be found at53m 56s and 57m 31s. The shape is similar to Ray Ban Wayfarers, but there is no close-up toaid further identification.The next James Bond sunglasses to appear are in Thunderball, perhaps unsurprising considering the tropical location. When confronting Domino with the news of her brother’sdeath, Bond hands her his wristwatch and dog tags; but more to the point, he is wearing black famed Wayfarer style sunglasses, although this time we can be certain they are not RayBans.There are a couple of good shots on the Ultimate Edition DVD - at 1h 35m 32s and 1h 35m 50s- where you can see the hinge details.Rather than being horizontally orientated bars on the front of the frame - as per Ray Bans -the hinge seems to be attached to the frame with two single points on each side, which arevertically orientated - if you’ve got the Blu-Ray edition of Thunderball then you should beable to see this more clearly and if you have an opinion as to what make of sunglasses theseare please get in contact or leave a comment below.
 
Calvin Klein CK 2007 - The World IsNot Enough
After the release of Thunderball, James Bond stopped wearing sunglasses altogether foryears. In fact - correct me if I’m wrong - George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Daltonall went without eyewear completely and it wasn’t until halfway through Pierce Brosnan’stenure as 007 that  James Bond sunglasseswere re-introduced to the series. Suddenly in The World Is Not Enough - in my mind easily the best of the Brosnan movies - James Bond wears glasses again, although only one pair of three are actually sunglasses. Thefirst is in the pre-titles sequence in Bilbao, where he is meeting the Swiss bankers; these areCalvin Klein model cK 718F with clear lenses that are tricked out with a remote controldetonator - if only they’d left it there with the PTS as the following Thames boat chase is fartoo long.Later on in Q’s lab in tries on a pair of blue-lensed glasses, although their secret isn’t actuallyrevealed until later in the casino, when 007 is able to check out the weaponry packed byZukovsky’s heavies thanks to x-ray vision - or according to The James Bond Encyclopedia(John Cork & Collin Stutz) they contain a transparent polymer video screen which displaysfiltered infrared video to reveal objects hidden under the top layer of clothing.Despite Calvin Klein’s official association with the film it turned out the glasses were boughtat a high street optician’s shop and the lenses replaced. According toa post on ajb007 The Ian Fleming Fleming Foundation confirmed this with Eon, who said that the model was 9048 AntBlue 50X19 from manufacturer Blue. The Ian Fleming Fleming Foundation also contactedCalvin Klein, who supplied the information regarding the use of CK 718F.It’s little wonder that the x-ray specs are remembered rather than the sunglasses worn in theski sequence as the shots in which Brosnan wears them are brief - much of the sequence isseen in long shot and these sunglasses are nowhere near as memorable. These are CalvinKlein model CK 2007, which - like the other frames appearing in The World Is Not Enough -are no longer available.
Persol 2672-S - Die Another Day
We first meet Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day while on a mission in North Korea, whereassuming the identity of a South African arms dealer he captures, he also assumes possessionof his metal-rimmed sunglasses.On one of the features on the Die Another Day DVD Brosnan mentions that they were in facthis own sunglasses, believed to be Oliver Peoples - if you have any further info please leave acomment or get in contact, as they don’t appear to be a currently available model based on thelens shape.
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