The (James) Bond Index

Story by Bloomberg

No one man is James Bond. In the official film series, which has now spanned 53 years and grossed about $6 billion globally, without adjusting for inflation, six actors have played the gentleman spy: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and, mostly recently, Daniel Craig. The latest film, released in the U.S. on Friday, could very well be Craig's last time out in the tux.

Who wore it best? It depends how you measure each Bond. Bloomberg Business identified eight traits that typify the immortal British spy and tracked them across all 3,053 minutes and 33 seconds of the 24 James Bond films. Here, the definitive James Bond by the numbers.

Bond, the well-dressed man

Of the 51 hours of Bond films, nearly 18 feature the main character in a suit or tuxedo. (For high-end clothiers like Brioni and Tom Ford, which provided suits for Brosnan and Craig, the films are an opportunity to showcase their brands.) No Bond spent more time dressed up than Connery, who originated the role in the series. He leads all Bonds in total time (5 hours, 16 minutes) and on a per-film basis (45 percent). Connery’s most dapper film is From Russia With Love, in which he spends 72 percent of the movie in a suit.

Bond, the difficult employee

Managing James Bond is not easy. He’s frequently rude, occasionally disobedient, and regularly caught with his pants down. His boss, M, is not shy about reprimanding him. No Bond is scolded more times by M than Craig.

Every Bond frustrates his quartermaster. Over the course of the series, Q has barked at Bond to pay attention nine times and asked him eight times not to damage equipment in the field. In The Living Daylights, Q pleads with Dalton’s Bond to be careful with his Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It explodes 13 1/2 minutes later.

Bond, the gadget enthusiast

Gadgets are a staple of the Bond films. A ski pole contains a hidden gun. A watch holds a laser, magnet, or Geiger counter. Cars carry small arsenals. Pierce Brosnan’s Bond uses more gadgets per film than any of his peers. In Die Another Day, he uses 16 unique gadgets in the field. Eight are related to his car, an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, including tire cleats, missiles, and an invisibility setting that can be activated remotely.



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