Does Rolex ever pay for product placement in movies?

[the dark knight]

I know Rolex has a hefty marketing budget/ presence, but not sure if they ever actually go for product placement in movies.

A fairly old movie that I watched recently again that made me wonder about this is National Treasure. Nicolas Cage even takes his watch off at one point and calls it a "Submariner", although I think Rolex was never mentioned by name.

But then again, considering the character was a former Navy diver, what other watch would he wear, right?

[T. Ferguson]

I'm not sure about this, but I don't think they do not. IIRC, that was part of the reason James Bond went to Omega. Rolex was approached about paying a fee to have a Rolex on 007 but they declined and Omega stepped up with the money.

[eightbore]

They got very lucky back in the day when Sean Connery wore his...before the phrase "product placement" even existed. These days, I don't think they would pay for it...nor do they need it.

[nycjosh]

The main cast of NCIS used to wear Rolex, now they all wear Omega. I would guess that they don't offer much money (like Apple) to networks/studios/producers if they do in fact offer anything.

As far as athletes, singers, and actors are concerned... I would guess Rolex approaches these people with sick offers. (like Nike)

[5253Reynolds]

I wouldn't put it past them, but I don't know for sure.

[cop414]

I remember that part with Cage in National Treasure!

[Chewbacca]

nowadays, yes. in the past not so much.

producers send script and storyline basics to companies asking them if their products are mentioned or visually seen and for how long they'd be willing to pay. if the product is seen in a negative light in the film, most companies would never be asked. if it is positive, they might pay.

IE: when vespa asked if bond wears a rolex and bond said, omeeega (omega), that was paid for by swatch as rolex would clearly not pay for their watch being a no choice for bond and so on...

it also varies by how many seconds or minutes a product is seen or discussed. all watch companies do it (except clive cussler with doxa in his print novels as this was known to be a goodwill partnership. not sure about the movies but it was key to dirk pitts character).

IE: in taken the DSSD had a longer (in film terms) visual and mention. this was paid for to coincide with the dssd launch.

producers never disclose these deals but they pay for films and media development.

money talks.

[viper9669]

Rolex have quite a number of 'ambassadors' to persuade you and I to buy already. :)

[mike]

Originally Posted by eightbore

They got very lucky back in the day when Sean Connery wore his...before the phrase "product placement" even existed. These days, I don't think they would pay for it...nor do they need it.

Actually the watch belonged to the director.

[kultschar]

Maybe Cage is a big Rolex fan? Remember him flogging his Daytona for peanuts in Leaving Las Vegas to buy more booze!!!!

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by eightbore

They got very lucky back in the day when Sean Connery wore his...before the phrase "product placement" even existed. These days, I don't think they would pay for it...nor do they need it.

Oh, I don't know that it was luck as much as it was the case that the author of James Bond in literature, Ian Fleming, wrote in the original novels that Bond wore a Rolex - probably in large part because Fleming himself wore one.

[Old Expat Beast]

It's quite annoying how often you see CraigBond's Omega in the new movies.

[Im Lauf der Zeit]

Here is Jake of Rolex World Magazine on the subject of the Sub seen in Dr. No, the first Sean Connery Bond film:

"There is also a myth that has circulated around for many years that says that Cubby Broccoli, the producer of (Eon Productions) many of the early James Bond movies noticed Sean Connery did not have a watch on his wrist in Dr. No and pulled his Rolex off his wrist and gave it to Sean Connery. The logic is that Dr. No was a relatively low budget movie with a budget of only $1Million. I don't believe this to be true.

First of all, a Rolex Submariner back then cost something like $150 and I think they could have afforded it in their million dollar budget. Secondly, I have an extremely solid source that tells me that Rolex provided the Submariner's to the James Bond movies for free because Ian Fleming specifically spelled out that James Bond ONLY wore a Rolex. It is so hard to say. I think Sean Connery is the only person who knows and I intend to ask him."

[RollieVerde]

"Product placement" is just the latest term for something that's been going on practically since commercial films began. It's actually become quite complex and a tad nuts (I worked in the film business for years and my wife still does). Every brand name seen on screen has to be OKed by the brand itself, and it's a pain for the filmmakers. The process of making arrangements has been especially common when it came to vehicles, as you would often see nearly every car on screen coming from a specific manufacturer. Check out GM products in Live and Let Die, or AMC cars in the Man with the Golden Gun. The vehicles are supplied by the manufacturer, and often modified by the stunt folks as needed. Over time, the supplying of vehicles also meant the company in question would have to pay a fee as well for the screen time, especially on big-budget movies with big stars. There are now companies that represent a number of concerns and specialize in product placement. Years ago I interviewed a rep for one of the companies, who worked with Triumph on the Mission Impossible films. I own a Triumph that was on the silver screen in another film, but that's enough about that.

When it comes to watches, I don't think Rolex has ever paid for product placement but they have furnished watches to actors in some cases. The people that know for sure are the prop folks, as they handle the watches the actors wear and work with the wardrobe people as well. I've seen actors show up on the set, take off their personal watch and hand it to the prop master, who hands them their prop watch (usually set to the time it's supposed to be in the scenes) and carefully store and look after the actor's timepiece during filming. At the end of the day, off comes the prop watch on on goes the personal watch.

In the case of the Omega/Bond connection, it started with Brosnan and has continued to this day. I personally think the story about the wardrobe designer picking Omega for Bond is BS, but that's just my 2 cents. People in the business typically keep mum about such arrangements as it's considered unprofessional to disclose such stuff. That, and just about everybody these days signs nondisclosure agreements about just about everything that happens on set. Rolex may well do product placement now or in the near future, but they've had a pretty good arrangement in the past. They have carefully controlled their advertising and image, and they now have an amazing reputation for quality that more than anything else is based on word of mouth and personal experience. They build a product that is sought after the world over, and they are very careful about it. I wonder how the whole Omega/Bond thing has really worked out, given the amount of money they no doubt had to spend. I think having specialty watches and a fictional character, no matter how appealing or famous that character is, cheapens the brand. But, I've never been a fan of the company anyway. The aesthetics of Omegas have always looked off to me, but that's just personal taste. Just remember they used to sell far more watches than Rolex, and that's not the case any more. And they don't hold their value nearly as well. Quality aside (and Omegas may be as well made as Rolexes but I hostly don't know) I wonder if Rolex's approach to keeping a more low-key, classier profile may be part of that.

[Presa canary]

Only rolex knows, and they're not telling

[Solo118]

Weird--- I haven't really seen a close up on a Rolex dial in recent shows/movies, and I would usually notice something like that.

The last I can remember was the show "Lost" had a TT Daytona up close in season 1. You could see the dial here

[Brucie D]

Originally Posted by RollieVerde

"Product placement" is just the latest term for something that's been going on practically since commercial films began. It's actually become quite complex and a tad nuts (I worked in the film business for years and my wife still does). Every brand name seen on screen has to be OKed by the brand itself, and it's a pain for the filmmakers. The process of making arrangements has been especially common when it came to vehicles, as you would often see nearly every car on screen coming from a specific manufacturer. Check out GM products in Live and Let Die, or AMC cars in the Man with the Golden Gun. The vehicles are supplied by the manufacturer, and often modified by the stunt folks as needed. Over time, the supplying of vehicles also meant the company in question would have to pay a fee as well for the screen time, especially on big-budget movies with big stars. There are now companies that represent a number of concerns and specialize in product placement. Years ago I interviewed a rep for one of the companies, who worked with Triumph on the Mission Impossible films. I own a Triumph that was on the silver screen in another film, but that's enough about that.

When it comes to watches, I don't think Rolex has ever paid for product placement but they have furnished watches to actors in some cases. The people that know for sure are the prop folks, as they handle the watches the actors wear and work with the wardrobe people as well. I've seen actors show up on the set, take off their personal watch and hand it to the prop master, who hands them their prop watch (usually set to the time it's supposed to be in the scenes) and carefully store and look after the actor's timepiece during filming. At the end of the day, off comes the prop watch on on goes the personal watch.

In the case of the Omega/Bond connection, it started with Brosnan and has continued to this day. I personally think the story about the wardrobe designer picking Omega for Bond is BS, but that's just my 2 cents. People in the business typically keep mum about such arrangements as it's considered unprofessional to disclose such stuff. That, and just about everybody these days signs nondisclosure agreements about just about everything that happens on set. Rolex may well do product placement now or in the near future, but they've had a pretty good arrangement in the past. They have carefully controlled their advertising and image, and they now have an amazing reputation for quality that more than anything else is based on word of mouth and personal experience. They build a product that is sought after the world over, and they are very careful about it. I wonder how the whole Omega/Bond thing has really worked out, given the amount of money they no doubt had to spend. I think having specialty watches and a fictional character, no matter how appealing or famous that character is, cheapens the brand. But, I've never been a fan of the company anyway. The aesthetics of Omegas have always looked off to me, but that's just personal taste. Just remember they used to sell far more watches than Rolex, and that's not the case any more. And they don't hold their value nearly as well. Quality aside (and Omegas may be as well made as Rolexes but I hostly don't know) I wonder if Rolex's approach to keeping a more low-key, classier profile may be part of that.

Wow thank you! Very informative. I agree that Rolex should keep it low key. In fact the part in the Bond movie where the girl asks Rolex? And he answers Omega... Is actually quite advantageous in my opinion to Rolex. Cheers.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[superdog]

Originally Posted by cop414

I remember that part with Cage in National Treasure!

Love that part.

He doesn't then reference that it's a rolex.

Very cool.

[Brezo]

I know that every show I've worked on where the characters are wearing nice watches, the watches are all fakes. As props, it would be too expensive and risky to have the real deal sitting on a prop cart. Same goes for jewlery and rings being worn.

[Laszlo]

The greatest product placement success story IMHO was ET...

History was made when audiences experienced ET following a clever breadcrumb trail made from Resse's Pieces.

M&Ms (Mars) passed on the original offer... Hershey reported sales tripling just a few weeks after the the film released.

Hershey did not pay for placement but agreed to a tie-in post release with a fee.

Incredible.

[SUBversive]

They pay me to wear mine.

[Pete26]

Originally Posted by Im Lauf der Zeit

Here is Jake of Rolex World Magazine on the subject of the Sub seen in Dr. No, the first Sean Connery Bond film:

"There is also a myth that has circulated around for many years that says that Cubby Broccoli, the producer of (Eon Productions) many of the early James Bond movies noticed Sean Connery did not have a watch on his wrist in Dr. No and pulled his Rolex off his wrist and gave it to Sean Connery. The logic is that Dr. No was a relatively low budget movie with a budget of only $1Million. I don't believe this to be true.

First of all, a Rolex Submariner back then cost something like $150 and I think they could have afforded it in their million dollar budget. Secondly, I have an extremely solid source that tells me that Rolex provided the Submariner's to the James Bond movies for free because Ian Fleming specifically spelled out that James Bond ONLY wore a Rolex. It is so hard to say. I think Sean Connery is the only person who knows and I intend to ask him."

I don't think Jake knows enough to call that a myth. That story was circulating years ago and I believe it's true. At the start of Dr. No Sean Connery is wearing a white dialed dress watch. I believe that when he arrived in Jamaica for further filming (Pinelands is always the first stage of filming a Bond film) it was noticed (I suspect by Ian Fleming who was on set at the time as a consultant) that Bond did not have a Rolex so Cubby Broccoli gave him his watch. I suspect that Cubby who was quite a large framed man had the watch removed from the bracelet and put on a dodgy leather strap they sourced from wardrobe or from Connery's white faced watch, so it would fit Connery's wrist. On a leather strap it does look odd to me.

Cubby would not have accepted Ian Fleming's Explorer for Connery to wear as he was not a Producer and they probably wanted to keep his involvement and contribution to a limit, given Fleming's problem at the time of being sued by Kevin McClory for writing Thunderball, using McClory's script ideas.

Bond wore a Rolex from then until Seiko in the Spy who loved me in 1977. Rolex is mentioned as a product placement in several of the films, including Live and let die, The Man with the Golden Gun and Licence to kill. I would need to go back to the earlier Bond films, but I think Rolex may have been credited in Thunderball as well. So yes Rolex do product placement. The decision to go with Seiko and later Omega were deals struck between the producers and the manufacturer. Omega became heavily invested in product placement right through the 1990's. Lindy Hemming who was in charge of Wardrobe for Goldeneye stated that they chose Omega for Brosnan's Bond because it was a Euorocentric and a modern brand that audiences could identify with.

My theory is as sound as any others anyway

[Lew Archer]

Originally Posted by eightbore

They got very lucky back in the day when Sean Connery wore his...before the phrase "product placement" even existed. These days, I don't think they would pay for it...nor do they need it.

I've read that producer Albert Broccoli loaned Connery his own Submariner for use in the first film, "Dr. No", in which Connery wears the Rolex on a leather strap.

[capote]

In Live and Let Die, Rolex even gets end credit.

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by Pete26

I believe that when he arrived in Jamaica for further filming (Pinelands is always the first stage of filming a Bond film) it was noticed (I suspect by Ian Fleming who was on set at the time as a consultant) that Bond did not have a Rolex so Cubby Broccoli gave him his watch.

The place is called PineWOOD

[Pete26]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

The place is called PineWOOD

Sorry man I was thinking of my future retirement village

[padi56]

Originally Posted by the dark knight

I know Rolex has a hefty marketing budget/ presence, but not sure if they ever actually go for product placement in movies.

A fairly old movie that I watched recently again that made me wonder about this is National Treasure. Nicolas Cage even takes his watch off at one point and calls it a "Submariner", although I think Rolex was never mentioned by name.

But then again, considering the character was a former Navy diver, what other watch would he wear, right?

I would doubt it and why would they, Rolex is already a household name no need to advertise the product in movies.Where only a WIS type would even notice whatever watch a actor/actress was wearing, and the WIS type market is a small proportion of Rolex total sales.

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by RollieVerde

"Product placement" is just the latest term for something that's been going on practically since commercial films began.

Back in the golden years of Hollywood the cigarette companies were very active and seeing to it that the stars smoked on screen as often as they could. Probably not so much product placement as payola in those days.

I seem to recall reading once that DeBeers actually had an office in Hollywood back in the day to market the wearing of diamonds in film, and issued or gave away many pieces to see they got used in a movie.

------------------

As far as Rolex being motivated to pay to have Bond wear a Rolex because Ian Fleming had the character wearing one, well maybe, but I'm not so sure. Seems to me that would be motivation more for the producer to see to it that Bond had the correct watch on his wrist.

Originally Posted by Lew Archer

I've read that producer Albert Broccoli loaned Connery his own Submariner for use in the first film, "Dr. No", in which Connery wears the Rolex on a leather strap.

Lew, there's a screen capture supposedly of the Dr. No Sub in a thread somewhere around here, and some say the watch is actually on an ill-fitting NATO. I think this is it:



There seems to be some disagreement on this, but in any event this is one theory.

[brettpaul]

If Rolex did pay Bond would still be wearing Sub!

[nickb732]

Originally Posted by Solo118

Weird--- I haven't really seen a close up on a Rolex dial in recent shows/movies, and I would usually notice something like that.

The last I can remember was the show "Lost" had a TT Daytona up close in season 1. You could see the dial here

Seriously? It's clearly fake