The novels always had a lot of wealth signaling from Bond. E.g. in 1953, he ate an avocado, which to British consumers at the time was virtually unknown.
Originally Bond wore a Submariner, which wasn't a wealth signal at a time- it wasn't a _cheap_ watch, but also not the choice of a wealthy person. The Submariner was originally a tool watch, used by naval infantry. The modern equivalent would be wearing a G-Shock DW5600 with a tuxedo. It hints that Bond is a military vet.
