A BROKEN wristwatch made famous by James Bond sold for more than £4,000 at auction in Darlington recently.

The rare 1950s Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner sports watch was valued at between £1,000 and £2,000 but fetched £4,600 at the Thomas Watson Autumn Fine Art Sale.

The condition of the watch, which is missing several components, did nothing to dissuade its new owner for paying more than twice the valuation price.

Known as the James Bond model, the watch is of the same line as the one sported by the secret agent in eight movies.

Auctioneer David Elstob said: “Watching the bids rise on this item was as exciting as watching one of the Bond movies as the tension just kept mounting.Due to its popularity – fuelled by its illustrious cinematic career – the model has become the subject of massive counterfeiting so originals can fetch very high prices, even this model with had the bezel, straps and other components missing.”

Four 007s – Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton – wore similar watches on screen, with the model now considered a classic. The first Rolex Submariner was introduced to the public in 1954 and has featured in spy films including Dr No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Live and Let Die and Thunderball. Omega watches are currently favoured by modern incarnations of James Bond.