PPK/S

ACM PPK/S, with Maruzen magazine and original magazine, just arrived today from Momocampo in France:

The little one...

BTW, Rolex is also a modelwatch? ;-)

Let's just say that both the PPK/S and the watch were made in China

Very nice! Great photos.
I have both the Chinese version AND the Maurzen version. The Maruzen has some plastic receiver parts but the ACM version is all-metal - so the weight difference is noticeable!
Both shoot well, but I prefer the all-metal version!

Kiwigunner
PS My current watch is made in China too!

For such a small pistol, it's amazing how well it fits the hand, how ergonomic it is. It feels no different to hold (except the weight) to a .45 M1911A1, which is almost 50% larger in length and height. I'm seriously impressed with it, and what the chinese can do in general with copies of things. How interchangeable are the parts between the ACM and the Maruzen? I know the magazines swap over with ease, but what about internal parts?

It is very ergonomic, Walther did a great job there. They were at the time the leading manufacturer of small pistols. It wasn't until much later that Mauser was able to catch-up with their HSc (designed early, but not produced due to various factors), which is also very nice ergonomically.

With airsoft there is no recoil, so it's even easier to control these :-)

I heard the reason Bond had the nylon strap was; the watch was loaned to production by a producer whose wrist was smaller than Connery's - so they slipped on the Nylon diving band.
If you watch the movie closely, it is really poor fitting, lol.

Nice set up, and points for authenticity!

Pit.

It's a bit of a myth about the producer providing the watch. It was a multi million dollar budget film and a Rolex Submariner was about $150 at the time. Hardly a watch that Cubby Brocolli would wear. The strap that Connery used was only 16mm and the Submariner needs a 20mm width. It's more likely that they bought a nylon strap to replace the bracelet simply so it could be worn on the wrist or over the wetsuit, which the bracelet would not allow. Fleming specified a Rolex for Bond in the books, but never mentioned the model. It is likely that he meant for it to be a Rolex Explorer, as that was what he wore himself. The watch I have is actually a copy of a Submariner 5513, which was actually the model that Roger Moore used. It has crown protectors and extra markings between 12 and 3, which Connerys earlier model did not have.

Nice watch - and I am surprised there aren't Chinese copies of the vintage Rolex's with that great looking thick crystal.

Something to bare in mind; Dr. No was a $900, 000 movie - it was not a blockbuster franchise yet.

You know in the early Bond books, he chose cheap wristwatches, so that he could slip it around for use as a knuckleduster - only after Fleming was converted to Rolex - he wore an explorer - did Bond convert in the books. That is more my style, lol.


Pit.
PS - Lead characters have worn Rolex Submariners in four of my films, my small tribute to classic Bond:
Steve "Stone Cold" has one on in this still from "The Package."

Fleming had no compunction about him using the Rolex as a knuckle duster either:

On Her Majestys Secret Service

“He softly retrieved his gloves from the bathroom, put on the goggles so that they rested in his hair above the forehead, tied the dark-red handkerchief tightly across his nose, schnapps into hip pocket and, finally, Gillette through the fingers of the left hand and the Rolex transferred to his right, the bracelet clasped in the palm of his hand and round the fingers so that the face of the watch lay across his middle knuckles.”

I find it quite unbelievable that having spent a quite tidy sum on Bonds wardrobe, they couldn't stretch to a $150 watch. They were not expensive watches at the time, and I would have thought that Broccoli himself would have worn something a bit posher than a Submariner. The Broccoli family will not confirm or deny the story, which makes me believe they want the myth to continue, like a bit of an in-joke.

The Submariner in Dr. No has a black crocodile strap on it, so the theory for the nylon strap because Connery had a larger wrist is very unlikely. Far more likely that it had to go on his bare wrist and over a wetsuit in Goldfinger, where it first appeared. It often gets mistakenly called a NATO G10 strap too, but is in fact a non-descript nylon band with nylon keeper. Some say it is supposed to look more military, but then why not get a proper G10? I have a G10 in the same stripe pattern as on the Rolex copy on my Seiko chronometer. It's by far a better strap than the plain one, and a bit longer, but I wanted a touch of authenticity (with artistic licence and a better width) for the Submariner. For years, people thought Bonds strap was grey stripes on black or dark navy, but newer HD versions of the films have shown it was actually olive green stripes with red edges on a dark navy back ground. Ain't technology marvellous?

Anyway, it is my homage to Connery and Moore, as it is. I wear it every day, and it keeps time superbly.

I'd love a copy of the Rolex worn in the early films, but alas the chinese haven't got round to it yet. One day, fingers crossed, or I need to win the lottery The crystal on this 5513 copy is domed, not flat, which is something I like very much about it. It gives it that "vintage" feel. I think my next watch purchase will be a copy of the 16800 Submariner with the date feature worn by Timothy Dalton. Then maybe the Omegas worn by Brosnan and Craig, but I'll need a P99 first

Nice - clearly you have a wonderful Rolex collection, Baggypants!

On the subject of movie budget and watches; "The package" was $5 million dollars (not huge for movies, but a fair enough sum), and guess whose Rolex Steve is wearing?

I only have one softair gun, but there seem to be some really nice replicas available, the PPK looks great - I have been hunting for a K suffix marked one for a while.

Pit.

For those who will be in London during summer:

"Designing 007 - 50 years of Bond style"
http://www.barbican.org.uk/bond/

6 Jul – 5 Sep 2012
11am – 8pm (Thu until 10pm)
Standard Ticket: £12

Martini Bar:
Mon–Fri: 5pm–8pm (Thu until 10pm)
Sat–Sun: 12pm–8pm