Actor and producer Pierce Brosnan first met watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin on the set of the film “Survivor,” where he served as a consultant for Brosnan’s role as a watchmaker. “My character had already evolved by the time I met Peter, but he did show me how to correctly hold the venerable watchmaker’s screwdriver and eyeglass,” Brosnan says. “We spent more time discussing our passions in life.”
Brosnan and Speake-Marin stayed in contact after the film, and after a few months Speake-Marin asked Brosnan if he’d like to work together. Earlier this year, Brosnan was announced as the watchmaker’s new brand ambassador. “I love his work; it was a great pleasure to be part of his adventure, helping him develop his name into a brand,” says Brosnan. “I love watches, ever since I was a child. He makes more than a watch…he places his soul into his work.”
Today, Brosnan carries a reminder of his days as James Bond with him everywhere he goes—a scar on his upper lip from when he was hit by a stuntman on the set of Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). He played Agent 007 four times, most notably in the critically acclaimed GoldenEye, and he remains grateful for the opportunities the role opened up for him.
“Creating my own company, Irish Dreamtime, with Beau Marie St. Clair has been one of the great gifts that came from my days as James Bond,” says Brosnan. “Without James Bond, I don’t think I would have this production company, and the work that Beau Marie and I have done over the years has been the most fulfilling, whether it be The Thomas Crown Affair, Evelyn, The Greatest, The Matador, November Man, and I.T.
“Outside of these, the Bond films were my favorites,” he adds. “Getting to save the world four times was such a kick in the pants and a deep honor and one that I will cherish forever and a day.”
Brosnan is involved in a number of charities. “The most significant one this past year has been Stand Up to Cancer; I went to Congress and spoke before many members of the committee there with regards to women’s health care, and I’m trying to seek more funding for this wretched disease which seems to be rampant within our society,” he details. “It is one that I have felt the tragedy of, with the loss of my late wife and our daughter to ovarian cancer, so that one is significant in my world.”
Brosnan’s watch of choice? “I am wearing the Speake-Marin Piccadilly Resilience, which was a gift from Peter. I wore it in Survivor, where it features prominently,” he says. “It has been on my wrist since the day I got it. It is elegant, strong and a true classic.”
—Keith W. Strandberg