James Bond gifts: ideas and shopping guide for Spring 2023

Films

Let’s start with the obvious. For anyone who doesn’t yet own all the James Bond movies or wants to upgrade their collection a box set is ideal.

You can get all the films together (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) or collections containing a number of films, such as the Daniel Craig Bond films on 4K HD (Amazon UK | Amazon.com). At the time of updating this article the box sets doesn’t yet include No Time to Die (Amazon UK | Amazon.com), which is available separately in numerous formats.

Don’t forget that Amazon now owns MGM – and half the James Bond franchise. At the time of writing all the 007 movies from Eon Productions  are available for free for Amazon Prime (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) subscribers. As well as films and TV shows you get free, fast delivery. If you make frequent purchases from Amazon it quickly pays and you can try Amazon Prime free for 30 days.

The 007 Store has a great selection of film posters and prints. The early movie posters in particular are real works of art in their own right and any fan of the series should be delighted to receive them.

Books

As well as Ian Fleming’s 14 James Bond books there have been numerous continuation novels written by a variety of authors. They are also plenty of books about 007 and the James Bond phenomenon.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that the origins of James Bond lie on the printed page. Starting in 1953 Ian Fleming wrote 12 novels and two collections of short stories featuring 007 (Amazon UK | Amazon.com).

I first wrote The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond (Buy direct | Amazon UK | Amazon.com) in 2010. This second edition was updated to include the drinks from Skyfall. An illustrated French edition (Dunod | Amazon FR) is also now available. With 007’s drinks already covered, Double-O Dining: A James Bond Cookbook (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) delves into what he eats, with great background on 007’s meals and a load of recipes.

No Time to Die took a long time to actually reach us, but if you want a deep dive behind the scenes and learn how the latest Bond film was made then No Time to Die: The Making of the Film (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) is for your coffee table. And The James Bond Film Guide (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) features over 1,000 photographs, posters, and movie images. Within its pages you’ll discover facts on the stories, characters, vehicles, gadgets and locations of each film.

A big part of the Bond movies has always been the cars. Packed with high quality photos, James Bond’s DB5 (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) is for anyone who has dreamed of sitting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DB5. And, let’s face it, who hasn’t? Bond Cars: The Definitive History (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) covers every car driven by 007 on film. Within the covers of this book you’ll find call sheets, technical drawings and story-boards, as well as previously unpublished photography and exclusive interviews. And 50 Greatest Bond Cars (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) provides details and photos of 50 vehicles from all the Eon Bond movies from Dr No to No Time to Die.

Some Kind of Hero (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) is a must have for any fan of James Bond. This huge book covers the genesis of the James Bond films and goes into detail on the background to each movie from archived material and interviews by the authors, Mathew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, with the people involved.

Clothing

One thing that really sets James Bond apart is his sense of style. A great way to bring out our inner 007 style-wise is to add an item or two of clothing. It’s a great way to upgrade the wardrobe of all fans.

Whether he is dressed in a tuxedo or more casually, 007 always dresses well. Here you’ll find clothing brands associated with James Bond from the books and films, including Daniel Craig’s films up to and including No Time to Die.

At the budget end of the clothing spectrum is this unofficial range of 007 inspired t-shirts and other products exclusively available online. Check out the full range of designs, including the popular MI6 logo t-shirt. They make practical gifts for all fans. And The London Sock Exchange has created a range of socks with designs inspired by the James Bond films. These are a total of six designs and they can be purchased in single pairs or in packs of three designs from the official 007 Store.

N Peal’s link to James Bond began in Skyfall, which continued with a dark charcoal turtleneck in SPECTRE.  N Peal also has a 007 Cashmere Collection, with items based on knitwear from a number of the older films, and most recently provided the army-style sweater and combat pants worn by Daniel Craig in No Time to Die.

Turnbull & Asser have been associated with 007 since 1962 when they provided shirts for Sean Connery. Since then the shirt maker has frequently returned to the series. In time for winter 2020 the company released a 007 collection of shirts and ties, including a pale blue shirt similar to the one in Dr No. Also available are a Casino Royale style white shirt and bow tie.

Sunspel’s Riviera Polo shirt was tailored for Daniel Craig in Casino Royale and instantly became a classic. Bond wears the navy shirt after returning to the Bahamas from Miami. For winter 2020 Sunspel introduced a new collection Inspired by Ian Fleming. The cold weather collection comprises of luxury fabrics favoured by James Bond’s creator such as Sea Island Cotton. Daniel Craig wears 1950s inspired sky blue Setter swim shorts from Orlebar Brown in a brief scene from Skyfall, when Bond swims lengths of his hotel pool after arriving in China. The company also launched a 007 collection with reimagined items from selected Bond films.

Mason & Sons revived the Anthony Sinclair brand and brought back the distinctive “Conduit Cut” seen in Connery’s early films. You can order the entire Bond look, or choose individual items.

Accessories

Sometimes it’s enough just to add a Bond accessory or two to make you really feel the part. Here we’ve got some great choices that are more affordable than many of the clothes but are equally associated with 007.

At the end of Skyfall Daniel Craig wears black leather Daniel gloves provided by Dents. In SPECTRE Daniel Craig wears Dents Fleming unlined hairsheep leather driving gloves at the funeral in Rome. Later he wears them while driving his Aston Martin DB10 at high speed through the Italian capital. And in No Time to Die Lashana Lynch wears a pair of Dents gloves named after her.

In No Time to Die, Daniel Craig wears two pairs of sunglasses provided by Vuarnet. In Jamaica he sports the Vuarnet Legend 06 model, while later in the film he is wearing the Vuarnet Edge 1613.

While Bond’s Omega watch may be out of your price range, why not upgrade your existing watch with a new strap to give it a little 007-style? In Goldfinger 007 wears his Rolex Submariner on a three colour nylon strap. You can get similar straps (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) online for a very affordable price and make stylish James Bond gifts that don’t break the bank! And the Omega 007 wears throughout most of SPECTRE has a black and grey striped nylon strap. While the official Omega strap is exorbitantly priced you can get affordable straps too (Amazon UK | Amazon.com).

Any budding gadget-meister might want to emulate Q with a similar Swatch to the one he wears in No Time to Die. This limited edition Swatch features a Q at the 6 o’clock position and is available from the 007 Store.

In Casino Royale Bond is briefly seen with a sterling silver money clip designed by Douglas Pell. The silversmith continues to offer the same design used by 007 (Amazon UK | Amazon.com), now available in a presentation box.

Bulldog Jack first made an appearance on M’s desk in Skyfall and became an instant success among Bond fans. Damaged in the attack on MI6’s headquarters, M bequeathed the figurine to 007 and it can be seen in Bond’s apartment in SPECTRE. To commemorate that Jack is back in No Time to Die Royal Dalton has released a new edition new edition Bulldog Jack in a No Time to Die gift box

Drinks

While James Bond is best known for his vodka martinis, there is far more to 007’s drinks that “shaken, not stirred”. In both the books and films he drinks Champagne, whisky and and plenty more beside.  The brands listed below are all found in Daniel Craig’s films and really just a start.

Although James Bond isn’t often associated with rum, he does sometimes drink it in the films. In Casino Royale, at the One and Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas, Bond orders Mount Gay (Amazon UK | The Whiskey Exchange) with soda water.

To celebrate the release of No Time to Die, which was partly filmed in Jamaica, Blackwell Rum partnered with Eon Productions with a limited edition 007 rum (Amazon UK | Blackwell Rum). The company is owned by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records and current owner of Goldeneye, Ian Fleming’s Jamaican retreat. Bond drinks Blackwell Rum while at his home in Jamaica. You can also buy the standard rum (Amazon UK | Blackwell Rum), which is what Bond is seen drinking.

Also consumed by James Bond in No Time to Die is Johnny Walker Black Label (Amazon UK), again at his home in Jamaica. In Skyfall Bond drinks The Macallan (Amazon UK) 10 Year Old Fine Oak, 12 Year Old Sherry Oak and Macallan 1962. Then in SPECTRE he has a bottle of the same company’s 18 year old scotch whisky.

While the original Kina Lillet was an essential ingredient in the Vesper cocktail, it is no longer available. Instead you can use the reformulated Lillet Blanc (Amazon UK) and optionally add a dash or two of bitters for that authentic taste.

In No Time to Die James Bond and Paloma drink vodka martinis at a bar in Santiago de Cuba. The martinis are made with Smirnoff Red (Amazon UK), a brand with a long association with 007, seen on the bar. Smirnoff is owned by Diagio, an official partner on the film. If you’re mixing martinis at home you might like to serve them in antique-style glasses (Amazon UK ) similar to those in the film. In SPECTRE 007’s vodka of choice was the premium Polish brand, Belvedere (Amazon UK). Drink it chilled or, like Bond and Madeleine aboard the train in Morocco, in a dirty vodka martini.

Bollinger frequently appears in the Bond films, most recently in No Time to Die while he and Madeleine spend some down time in Matera, Italy. Although the bottle can’t be seen clearly, Bollinger (Amazon UK) is once again an official partner.

Finally, Casino Royale poker chip drink coasters (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) are a great way to add some 007 style into the life of any Bond fan.

Toys & games

Both younger fans and collectors love to own James Bond toys. Owning the Corgi Aston Martin DB5 is almost a rite of passage. And there are a number of 007 related games that are ideal for the entire family, Bond fan or not. Depending on the age of you’re buying for James Bond toys can either be played with or collected and put in display cases.

Whether it’s your first Corgi Bond car or a replacement for a battered old DB5, Corgi’s detailed scale models (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) are classics. But if you want some racing action and can’t afford the real thing then make do with one of the various James Bond Scalextric slot racing sets (Amazon UK) available.

Monopoly is available in various branded versions these days, including a special edition 007 Monopoly set (Amazon UK) for all the family to play on a rainy afternoon. Remember playing top trumps as a kid? Well a special 007 edition (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) is available.

Other 007 items

While some products are definitely on the pricey side, here you’ll find some very affordable James Bond gift ideas. Any Bond fan will love these assorted items – they are good for most budgets and make ideal stocking fillers. There are an amazing selection to choose from, both official and not.

With an official 007 doormat (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) declaring “I’ve been expecting you Mr Bond” you’re declaring your Bond fandom to anyone appearing on your doorstep. There are a range of 007 fragrances (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) for men and women and Zippo lighters (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) with the 007 logo. You can drink from a range of official 007 mugs and drink containers (Amazon UK) featuring the gunbarrel and SPECTRE octopus logo.

But I think my favourite is the “Trespassers will be eaten” sign (Amazon UK | Amazon.com) based on the one outside Kananga’s Crocodile Farm in Live and Let Die.

Still stuck for ideas for James Bond gifts? Get in contact and we’ll try and help out.

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