Bond props go under hammer

Pierce Brosnan: His Bond diving watch is in the sale

LONDON, England -- Around 250 lots of memorabilia from 21 James Bond movies are about to go under the hammer at an auction in London.

The most valuable item up for bidding is the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Pierce Brosnan in Golden Eye which is expected to reach up to $225,000 (£150,000).

The car was one of two Aston Martin DB5s used in a nail-biting chase sequence, during which Bond manages to win over his alarmed female passenger by producing a bottle of champagne from the drinks compartment.

The sale at Christie's in London on Wednesday is the largest ever auction of props and costumes used in 007 movies and is expected to raise in excess of $600,000 (£400,000).

GALLERY 007 props at Christie's

Also for sale is the white bikini that left James Bond shaken and stirred in one of the most memorable scenes from the British spy film series.

The bikini which launched Swiss actress Ursula Andress on the road to stardom is expected to fetch more than $60,000 (£40,000).

The famous scene from the 1962 film Dr No, in which Andress emerges dripping wet from the sea wearing the white cotton bikini, helped secure the actress screen immortality.

Andress set the standard for all subsequent Bond girls

The lasting vision of the Andress walking up the beach in Dr. No has come to epitomise the image of the ultimate Bond girl. Her performance as Honey Ryder set the standard by which all future Bond girls would be judged.

Andress, now 64, said: "This bikini made me a success. As a result of starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl, I was given the freedom to pick future roles.

"My entrance in the film wearing the bikini on that beautiful beach seems to now be regarded as a classical moment in cinema, and made me world famous as 'the Bond girl'."

The bikini, the only one made for and worn by Andress in the film, was created in Jamaica by a West-Indian dressmaker. It was specially designed to be a practical working garment able to withstand the rigours of the Honey Ryder role.

Dr. No was the first Bond film and also made into an international star the young Scottish actor who played the suave British secret service agent -- Sean Connery.

Also for auction is the pale blue robe into which Andress slips after she and Bond have been through decontamination, estimated to fetch between $10,500 (£7,000) and the ivory silk robe worn by the double agent Miss Taro is expected to sell for at least $3,000 (£2,000).

A pair of "JB" monogrammed pyjamas, a matching yellow dressing gown and burgundy velvet slippers worn by Moore in Live and Let Die are expected to net between $4,500 and $7,500 (£3,000 and £5,000).

And the elegant two-piece dinner suit worn by Moore in the 1977 classic The Spy Who Loved Me, which was given to director John Glen by Moore during the making of Moonraker in 1979, could fetch up to $9,000 (£6,000).

A Walther PPK air pistol held by Sean Connery in the poster advertising From Russia With Love, estimated to go for between $4,500 and $7,500 (£3,000 and £5,000), only ended up being used because no one had brought the gun needed for the shoot.

For any aspiring Bond girls there is a diamond and turquoise bee brooch worn by Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny in the 1983 hit Octopussy which is expected to fetch about $2,250 to $3,000 (£1,500 to £2,000).

Also going under the hammer is the Walther P99 stunt gun used by Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies and an Omega Seamaster diving watch from the most recent Bond film, The World Is Not Enough, also starring Brosnan.

Two "show" licence plates, BMT 216A and JB 007 from Aston Martin DB5s and used for the promotion of Goldfinger and Thunderball are expected to make $2,250 to $3,750 (£1,500 to £2,500) and $3,750 to $6,750 (£2,500-£4,500).

Among Bond gadgets devised by the lovable Q to enable 007 to extricate himself from any precarious predicaments is his specially adapted Rolex wristwatch, estimated at between $22,500 and $30,000 (£15,000 and £20,000).

The Rolex, complete with its exceptionally strong magnet, was used to full effect in Live and Let Die (1973) by Roger Moore, in his first escapade as 007 -- he used it ingeniously to unzip the dress of his companion, Miss Caruso, in an instant.

In response to her comment on the lightness of his touch, Bond gave the sardonic reply "Sheer magnetism, darling."

James Bond - official site
James Bond - movie posters
Christie's International

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.