Not counting NSNA (well you can if you want but I'm talking mainline). I'd go:-
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Dr No
Thunderball
From Russia With Love
Diamonds Are Forever
1. From Russia with Love
2. Thunderball
3. Goldfinger
4. Diamonds are Forever
5. Dr. No
6. You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice
Thunderball
Dr No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Diamonds are Forever
Goldfinger
Diamonds Are Forever
You Only Live Twice
From Russia With Love
Dr. No
Thunderball
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
From Russia With Love
Dr No
Diamonds Are Forever
From Russia with Love - not only a great Bond movie, but just a great spy-thriller movie. For me, this movie has the perfect balance between the outlandish Bond elements and the realism of an older spy movie. I love Cold War spy thrillers, I love Bond, and this movie does both. The train fight is one of the best fights in the whole series, Connery's doing a brilliant performance, and I kinda buy in to the "love story," deceptions and all.
Dr. No - really close to Goldfinger and Thunderball, but I'll squeak this one ahead. It's not as polished, it hasn't found the formula, but it's still delivering classic spy thrills. It's hard to think of Bond as "subtle" these days, but this film is often subtle.
Goldfinger - the one that cemented the Bond formula deserves some respect. It's iconic and filled with Bond goodness. With that said, it's got a flaw holding it back: Bond is very passive for large chunks of the movie. Even with this flaw, though, the film holds up.
Thunderball - I almost put this one over Goldfinger, but it's just not quite as iconic. Thunderball is solid, and maintains the pure "Bond" attitude of its predecessor - plus Bond is more active - but it doesn't have assassinations by gold paint or razor hat henchmen.
You Only Live Twice - this is super fun, but I feel like Connery isn't as energized here. This is the point where he starts to check out just little enough that he can still cheque in. Still, it's a lot of fun, and there's a volcano lair that gets raided by ninjas. This might be low on the list, but it's still pretty primo Bond.
Never Say Never Again - you said I could count it, so if it counts, it goes here. It doesn't have the classic vibe, but it starts strong. It investigates Bond's aging and denial (literally decades before Skyfall), and shows us a new side to the character. Connery had had long enough between this one and DAF that I think he was missing it a bit and gave the role a bit of the old oomph.
Diamonds Are Forever - this is the only Connery Bond I don't really like. Bond is always fun to some extent, but this is lesser Bond, and whenever I contemplate my "best of Bond" lists, it's always in the bottom half (or lower). Connery feels much more tired here, and the franchise is thrashing around looking for closure. DAF might still feature the best Bond, but it falls short of its potential.
... just a great spy-thriller movie.
I'm a big sucker for those John le Carre style tales, so that's one reason why FRWL appeals to me. That it blends that style with the Bond style just makes me so happy. I appreciate that our tastes differ here and you're looking for something more distinctly "Bond," but for my buck, FRWL is a high mark for the series. I love plenty of following films, too, of course, and I have a love for most of the series. In fact, the only Bond film I really dislike is Quantum of Solace, which felt like a Jason Bourne knockoff. I also can't speak for No Time to Die, which I have not yet seen.
Setting it within the continuity its style sits between Dr. No and Goldfinger, which makes sense because it's also sitting there chronologically. But what I'm getting at is that Dr. No is just trying to adapt Bond for the screen and give us a spy thriller. It's unique "Bond" elements come from Flemming's writing, not the films' own, unique vibe. That vibe comes sliding in with From Russia with Love. We get more of Bond's swagger, including his taste (the white wine with fish thing!) and the films' quirks. There are some small gadgets and oddities like the periscope, as well as the more sensationally sensual aspects like the gypsy cat fight. Goldfinger winds up opening up on these elements: more gadgets - including the spy car - and so forth.
For me, then, I can't really view it as a step back for Bond, because it's the films journeying toward their own style - cemented in Goldfinger and Thunderball. Thunderball is also a "cementing" moment because it doesn't really accelerate Goldfinger's panache, it just continues it, establishing the Bond movies' tropes and expectations - expectations we're still using as metrics for new films in the franchise.
But, even though FRWL hasn't fully embraced the unique Bond-on-screen aspects, I still think it's my favourite because it blends the essential Bond with a tight spy film.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a brilliant movie.
From Russian with Love
Thunderball
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Dr. No
Diamonds are Forever