While it may seem like a minor detail, analyzing a foreign leader’s timepiece provides a window into their character, how they perceive themselves, and how they want to be perceived by others. In the Middle East, a region so often defined by conflict, even small insights from a watch, the cut of a suit, a tie, or a lapel pin can fill intelligence gaps and inform analysis.

On the morning of Saturday, 3 January 2026, the United States Military conducted an interagency mission to capture and arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While the long term implications are still unknown and “analysis” has fallen along partisan lines, Operation Absolute Resolve appears to be a masterclass on modern warfare and frankly an operation that only the United States Military and Intelligence Community could carry out.

How Venezuela’s National Oil Industry Quietly Issued Tudor Submariners to Working Divers - Over the weekend, as headlines filled with images of helicopters, explosions, and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela once again reminded the world that power often flows through oil. At Watches of Espionage, we often use watches as a lens to view history and current events. With that in mind, we want to take a look at a little-known story of horology history: the watches that supported the divers of Lagoven Sociedad Anónima, a state-owned Venezuelan oil company that operated from 1976 until the late 1990s.

Closing down 2025, we have a lot to unpack, from the VP’s impromptu attempt at Navy SEAL training to a new MI6 chief and her Rolex to vulnerable Apple Watches showing up where they shouldn’t to timepieces appearing in court documents related to some of recent history’s most notorious individuals. 

With 2025 drawing to a close, let’s take a moment to recap some of the top Dispatch articles and YouTube videos from this past year. At W.O.E., our main focus is content, and to put it mildly, we are extremely proud of what we accomplished this year.  From sharing a near definitive guide to Navy SEAL watches, continuing our discussion of Apple watch counterintelligence risks, and our exploration of unit watches, we have documented some great stories for the community. 

Whether you’re in the military, a veteran, work in national security, or a civilian looking for your first serious watch, the decision can be overwhelming, and marketing only clouds the picture.

We came across two remarkable advertisements from 1942 and 1943 in Rolex Magazine that transcend the watch industry. Whether they are altruistic or motivated by self-interest is open to interpretation, but they are inarguably profound given the historical context.  

In this special holiday Dispatch, we’ll have some fun and unseriously recommend a few timepieces providing legitimate utility to the big man from the North Pole. If any of you disagree with our picks or have suggestions of your own, let the holiday spirit flow through you right into the comments section.

In honor of Captain America’s safe return from the ISS, we recap the former US Navy SEAL, medical doctor, and astronaut’s collection of space-flown watches, including an impressive new unit watch. 

Despite the risks for intel officers, senior government officials & special operations forces, the Apple Watch is a powerful tool that has already saved numerous lives in peril. 

Our Favorite Tools & Accessories From The Community - In what has become one of our favorite holiday traditions, we are back with another list of some of our favorite tools and accessories from a diverse array of brands with real ties to the W.O.E. Community.

“Sketchy dudes wear Breitling” has taken on a life of its own. What started as an inside joke between me and our 250k Instagram followers has been parroted throughout the internet and mainstream watch publications. If I’m being honest, I am kind of sick of hearing it myself. But is the Breitling of today still sketchy?

Dubai is a contradiction. A booming metropolis in a lifeless and arid desert, which didn’t exist in its current form just decades ago. From Michelin-starred restaurants to vast malls and 6-star hotels, the overwhelming display of wealth and largesse is intoxicating. Emiratis maintain a conservative Arab culture, but Western practices (including alcohol consumption) are tolerated. Visitors from around the globe flock to Dubai to spend, make, and in many cases, store their wealth.

In this video, we’ll offer unique insights into an intelligence officer's EDC. From pocket knives and notebooks to flashlights and watches, analyzing a CIA Case Officer's tools provides key lessons in utility, minimalism, and tradecraft.

This month has been a big one, with Swiss and US officials finally reaching a much-needed tariff agreement that sucks less than the former 39% figure, a totally new Omega Planet Ocean that could end up on 007’s wrist, some intriguing watches in space, Oval Office clock drama that broke the internet, Keanu’s kindhearted letter to the FBI, a rare interview with the Rolex CEO, and more.

Despite its prominence, the dive watch is surprisingly misunderstood, especially as it relates to actual diving. Backed by my experiences in commercial and recreational scuba diving, in this Dispatch, I’ll unpack how to use a dive watch for actual diving, touching on historical use cases, the modern role played by dive watches juxtaposed against diving computers, a few special scenarios, and even some myths. 

If cost and scarcity didn’t matter, which watches would former intelligence officers, watch industry pros, firefighters, and Navy SEALs want for their personal collection?

From Tudor Submariners worn in the jungles of Vietnam to Casio G-Shocks and Seikos used as tools in the Global War on Terror and beyond, certain watch brands have stronger connections to the military than others. So much of what you see out there is for marketing’s sake that it’s hard to know which brands you can trust for watches well suited to the Use Your Tools ethos. Luckily, we are here to help.

One of our earliest partners, Leather Works Minnesota, has been making leather goods by hand in the United States since 1999.

On this Veterans Day, we highlight independent watchmaking brands founded by current and former service members from the United States & the United Kingdom. 

The Rolex gift that landed on President Trump’s desk and what it signals in broader trade diplomacy and US-Swiss bilateral relations. This weekend, photos surfaced of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, with a new accessory on the 145-year-old Resolute Desk, a gold-plated desk clock with a green “malachite” dial and fluted bezel. 

When perception becomes reality, a watch can be used to manipulate belief, manufacture outrage, and reshape political narratives. At Watches of Espionage, we often analyze a domestic or foreign leader's watch to gain insight into that individual or current events. In the modern and politically charged media landscape, a watch can be a small piece of the puzzle as we strive to understand the world as it is. 

Revealing the Timepieces Worn by Key US National Security Figures - From an obscure Patek Philippe worn by President Trump to the National Security Advisor’s Rolex GMT and the FBI director's Breitling unit watch, the second Trump administration rolled into the White House with serious watch game.

From a high-profile heist targeting literal crown jewels in Paris to Vice President JD Vance returning to his Apple Watch-wearing ways to a French politician accused of hiding his luxury watch, to a major slowdown in Swiss watch exports to the US, it’s been a big few weeks for the broader Watches of Espionage community. 

A US Navy Diver and EDC enthusiast customizes a niche French military dive watch to suit his underwater workplace. Brock Stevens is a US Navy Diver and part of the photography team at W.O.E. He’s also an EDC nerd who has helped in the development of several of our custom tools, including the Birdwatcher and the Submersible Wrist Compass. When we heard Brock was leaning into his diving experience and design ethos to develop a dive watch, we asked him to tell the story of the design process and how the watch was informed by his experience in the Navy as well as his deep appreciation for the utility of mechanical watches.

The Use Your Tools Ethos Is About Utility, Heritage, & Shared Experience, Not MSRP - The watch media landscape is replete with lists of “affordable” watches, many of which are constructed based on brand input or marketing dollars, SEO optimization, or integrating affiliate links. The adage that you should not believe everything you read rings true, but for many, these lists are helpful, providing a useful starting point for further research for anyone who does not live among the weeds. With that in mind, we created a list of relatively affordable watches specifically tailored to the needs of our community.

Amazon removes firearms and covers Rolex from Bond posters? In a move that sparked outrage from both Bond nerds and culture warriors alike, Amazon Prime Video quietly edited promotional artwork for classic James Bond films, digitally removing or cropping out the spy’s iconic Walther PPK pistol.

What Can A Dive Watch Teach Us About Espionage In The Hermit Kingdom - Thirty minutes south of Tokyo, Japan, a mangled Seiko dive watch sits in an innocuous glass case in a museum dedicated to the Japanese Coast Guard.

Tudor partners with the new Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego, creating realistic displays of issued watches - This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the newly minted Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego, a short drive from the west coast Teams and Coronado, where generations of frogmen were forged in the crucible of BUD/S.

For Astronauts, Watches Are Tools & A Key Aspect Of Culture - In 2024, more than 8,000 individuals representing a diverse array of backgrounds and fields of expertise applied to be part of NASA’s 2025 astronaut class.