James Bond Q-style watch for Aston Martin DBS

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James Bond Q-style watch for Aston Martin DBS
Jez Spinks, drive.com.au, August 21, 2008






Aston Martin DBS owners can now pretend they are 007 super-spy James Bond, with a special watch that will unlock the doors to their 380kW supercar. JEZ SPINKS reports.


New Jaeger LeCoultre AMVOX2 DBS Transponder watch has a licence to unlock the doors of an Aston Martin DBS supercar. It does tell the time, too, though.


James Bond’s famous 'Q' branch gadgets have taken a step into the real world with a new watch that controls access to an Aston Martin DBS.

The British car maker long associated with the fictional super-spy has teamed up with watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre to create the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder, a timepiece specially engineered to lock and unlock the doors of Aston’s flagship $466,000 supercar.

The 18-carat pink-gold watch will be unveiled publicly on the eve of October’s Paris motor show, becoming an exclusive, circa-$50,000 option for the DBS.

DBS owners can simply unlock the doors to their 380kW 5.9-litre V12 supercar by approaching the car and pressing ‘Open’ (there are no buttons) located between 8 and 9 o’clock on the sapphire-crystal watchface. The DBS can be locked by pressing ‘Close’ between 3 and 4 o’clock.

Each watch is programmed by an Aston Martin dealership to communicate with an owner’s specific DBS to maintain security.

Jaeger-LeCoultre collaborated with Aston over 18 months to develop the watch, where engineers worked on shrinking the transponder to a size and weight that could fit inside a watchcase. The result is a transponder that weighs just a few grams and is half the size of the same system inside the DSB keyfob.

“This is one of the most exciting projects our team has developed in the area of functional innovation in watchmaking,” says Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO, Jerome Lambert. “The collaboration with all levels of the Aston Martin organization has been deep and exhilarating, and no doubt this transpires in the breakthrough nature and design of the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder itself.”

Aston Martin says the watch’s design – featuring a satin finish and black dial – is inspired by the DBS’s instrument panel. A suspended, metallic-grey DBS symbol is prominent behind the watch hands.


Watches have been a popular Q-branch gadget throughout the James Bond franchise, designed for various uses including a garotte, magnet, buzz-saw, radio transmitter, TV monitor, and remote bomb detonator.

Aston Martins have been synonymous with James Bond since the British secret service agent – then played by Sean Connery – drove a DB5 in 1965’s Goldfinger.

New Bond actor Daniel Craig drove a DBS in the last 007 film, Casino Royale, and the Aston Martin supercar will make a return later this year in the next instalment, Quantum of Solace.

[InfernoSR]

Cool! gives me idea's

[DeansXR8]

they've got nothing...Michael Knight could talk into his watch and KITT would come to him.

[XR6_190]

That is sooo cool, Now if I just afford an Aston Martin DBS

[Ghiadude]

hell id love to be able to afford the watch!!!

[TadKa]

it sounds awesome but it doesnt really seem like something that would be that hard to do. I'm sure you could make a really small transponder and put it whatever. 50k for a watch???? thats just ridiculous.

[ThePistonHead]

Sheesh! 50k?? I wonder what the cost would be for a replacement, probably even more.

[uranium_death]

For those with so much money, they don't know what to do with it, although I find the idea quite exciting.

I'll just stick to my crappy Aussie cars thank you very much. :

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by tx3dude

hell id love to be able to afford the watch!!!

LOL

[HLC]

A bloke in our club can open his e-series with his watch : and it certainly didnt cost 50k!

[MITCHAY]

I'd be happy if my remote would work first go every time. $460k is ridiculous for a car in the first place but I'm sure it's pocket change to them :