“The name is Bond, James Bond. Oh, this wire connected to my watch? It’s nothing Blofeld. No, no, don’t look under my jacket.” This watch, marked Protana, is basically a microphone that connected to a “pocket sized” reel-to-reel recorder hidden under the wearers’s jacket. A company called Minifon sold the device to detectives, spies, and police back in 1958, and it was called the Pocket Wire P-55. The wire, just for the record, is wildly noticeable unless you’re wearing a hand cast.
A full kit, complete with recorder, is up for auction right now and has just topped out at $750. If you want to feel like Roger Moore in The Saint you’ll probably want to place a bid ASAP.
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