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Daniel Craig as James Bond, disillusioned British secret agent

Venice, Summer 2006

Film: Casino Royale
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Director: Martin Campbell
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

Background

I will make no apology for the fact that I think Daniel Craig is the best thing to happen to James Bond since a badass Scotsman first caught the eye of Cubby Broccoli and the Bond producers in 1961. Craig exemplifies what a modern Bond would be: tough but considerate while being slightly arrogant and insecure. He’s got a few quips, but he’s not winking at the camera every five minutes nor is he more focused on staying in bed with his woman-of-the-week while there’s a job to get done.

That being said, I’m a huge fan of the Bond series and will watch any of the movies (maybe not A View to a Kill) any day. I’ve read all the books, blah blah blah… Besides giving Connery his just due, I would argue that Craig IS Bond, at least from the literary standpoint. He may not be what the public wants him to be/thinks he should be, but he delivers Ian Fleming’s original vision to the screen.

What’d He Wear?

Bond sails into Venice for the film’s finale looking on top of the world for someone who just quit his job and nearly had his testicles removed. Then again, he does have Eva Green on his arm. Guess the pros outweigh the cons here.

Unseen after their arrival in Venice, Bond wears a pair of rectangular turtle-framed Persol 2720 sunglasses with green lenses (color code 24/31).

His base outfit is a gray cotton Sunspel T-shirt and dark navy chino trousers, worn with comfortable Nike sneakers.

After some afternoon delight, Bond and Vesper go their separate ways to run the necessary errands for the day. For this, Bond layers a long-sleeve blue polo shirt over it all.

Okay, let’s break it all down. The Internet gods have graced us with plenty of details, but—so far as I can see—this is the first time it’s all been Huffington Post-ed into one place.

The main item of the latter portion of the sequence is Bond’s polo shirt layered atop the gray T-shirt, which Lindy Hemming confirmed in an August 2021 interview with David Zaritsky of The Bond Experience was made by Massimo Dutti. Constructed of rich blue interlocking cotton, the long-sleeved shirt has elastic cuffs, a self-collar, and a two-button fly placket that Bond keeps undone.

Underneath, Bond’s undershirt is one of the many Sunspel T-shirts provided for the production. It is gray melange with an overlocking crew-neck, making it just slightly more distinctive than your average T-shirt. However, the material makes it a lot more special, described as a “fine gauge two fold long staple Egyptian cotton”. A tip for the everyman, when the word “cotton” is preceded by seven words, that probably means we’re talking about something pretty damn comfortable. James Bond Lifestyle has a link to Sunspel shirts used in the film and additional descriptions.

The pants were a little harder to pin down, but Matt Spaiser described it well on his blog as a pair of dark navy-blue cotton twill chino flat front trousers with belt loops, side pockets, back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms.

On his feet, Bond wears a pair of dark gray Nike Air Articulate II sneakers, perhaps less refined footwear than many were used to seeing from 007 but indicative of both his relative youth and [temporary] retirement while also serving the practical purpose of helping him leap from one floor to the next without losing traction in a rapidly sinking building.

Bond also wears the Omega mentioned earlier in the film, particularly an Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 2220.80.00. It is stainless steel with a blue face, blue bezel, and stainless steel bracelet. Additional features are a self-winding chronometer, co-axial escapement movement with a rhodium-plated finish, a 48-hour power reserve, and a 41mm case diameter. You might be thinking, “Oh, a $2,800 watch is too fancy for all of his stunts! He’ll break it! For heck’s sake, he goes underwater!” Au contrare, as the name should imply, it is a “Professional Diver” and is water resistant down to 300 meters (1000 feet for normal people).

Go Big or Go Home

Bond really lives up his brief retirement here. He and Vesper sail from Montenegro to Venice on a 55-foot-long Spirit 54 sailing yacht. Although, Bond doesn’t take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (as sailing through the canals on a private yacht isn’t allowed) to take in the views as he is too focused on writing his resignation letter to M on his Sony VAIO TX notebook computer. Luckily, Vesper has her Sony digital camera on her to take pictures… oh, I’m sensing a theme.

Bond and Vesper also each sport Sony mobile phones. Bond’s particular version is a silver Sony Ericsson K800i Cybershot, equipped with “a 3.2 megapixel camera with Autofocus [and] Xenon flash for lowlight conditions”.

The Gun

Having updated his sidearm from the venerable but aging Walther PPK in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale saw the final return of Bond’s new Walther P99. The P99 was a solid choice for Bond’s updated hardware; it maintains the Walther tradition and is a practical, lightweight pistol with universal ammunition. In addition, it has a slick, unique look as compared to similar pistols like the Glock or the Beretta, which are more common in both real life and fiction.

The P99 was first introduced to the market in 1997, making it fresh for its appearance in Pierce Brosnan’s hands in Tomorrow Never Dies. It weighs 22 ounces, which is only one ounce heavier than Bond’s previous pistol, the all-metal PPK. Accounting for the weight loss is the P99’s polymer frame, perfected by Glock in the 1980s and now leading the way with semi-automatic pistols.

In Casino Royale only, Craig’s Bond carries the P99 in a suede Vega IWB holster on his right side (strong side) with accessories such as a long suppressor and extra magazines.

The P99 can carry 15 or 17 rounds of 9×19 mm Parabellum ammunition per magazine, both doubling the capacity and increasing the power from the 7 round magazines of the .32-caliber PPK. The P99 is slightly larger but is still slim and lightweight enough to be carried with ease. This would be Bond’s final action scene carrying the P99 as it would be replaced by his older PPK starting with Quantum of Solace.

How to Get the Look

It’s a good casual look, although may not be easy for everyone to pull off. It sets a good guideline to go off of, with variations including no undershirt or wearing a short-sleeve polo instead. At the end of the day, do what feels good.

• Blue cotton long-sleeve polo with a self collar, hidden fly placket with 2 white buttons, and elastic cuffs
• Gray melange cotton short-sleeve overlocked crew neck T-shirt
• Dark navy blue cotton twill chino trousers with plain-hemmed bottoms and open side pockets
• Dark gray Nike Air Articulate II sneakers
• Black socks
• Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 2220.80.00 stainless steel wristwatch with blue dial and bezel on steel bracelet
• Persol 2720 sunglasses with tortoise frames and green lenses (color code 24/31)

Some behind-the-scenes photos show Dan and Eva hanging out with the press as Dan wears a gray hooded windbreaker with blue trim, presumably to keep warm/dry. Should conditions require it, this looks like a great jacket to accompany the attire in a casual situation.

Iconic Alternatives has a great rundown of affordable options to channel this and many other 007 outfits.

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

After discovering Vesper’s treason, Bond is notably upset…

Gettler: (holding Vesper hostage) I’ll kill her!
Bond: (coolly) Allow me.

Footnotes

As usual with Bond posts, thanks to Matt Spaiser’s great blog for a few nods in the right direction. Also, being a newer Bond, James Bond Lifestyle has plenty of links to products and attire seen here to give you a nudge towards your own Bond lifestyle.