Ana-Digi Watches for the W.O.E. Community

From the Chronosport UDT to the Citizen Aqualand to the Breitling Aerospace, timepieces combining analog and digital functionality have earned their place as Watches of Espionage. 

By Benjamin Lowry 

At W.O.E., our community sometimes feels divided into two distinct camps: practitioners preferring analog mechanical timekeeping and the likely larger group opting for Digital Tool Watches (D.T.W.s) from brands like Casio, Suunto, and Garmin. Both can be excellent tools depending on the job, but there is a segment with a foot in both worlds, so-called “ana-digi” or analog-digital watches. W.O.E. and I are both big fans, and it is no surprise that ana-digi watches have surprising overlap with our community, from early icons like the Chronosport UDT and Citizen Aqualand to modern tools like the Breitling Aerospace and Omega X-33. 

A vintage ad for the titanium version of the Citizen Aqualand.

In this Dispatch, we’ll share a brief history of ana-digi tool watches, some of the historical stand-outs of the niche analog-digital world, as well as our top picks for some of the best analog-digital watches available today, all tailored to the needs of the W.O.E. community. 

The Advent of Ana-Digi 

In 1969, Seiko released the Astron, the first commercially available watch using quartz timekeeping, a technological revolution that changed the watch world forever. What followed became known as the Quartz Crisis, with countless traditional Swiss mechanical watchmakers closing shop and others experiencing extreme financial difficulties as the entire industry struggled to adapt to quartz technology that was more accurate, more durable, and a whole hell of a lot cheaper. 

While they functioned differently, quartz watches were still analog and looked more or less the same as their mechanical counterparts, at least until the advent of digital watches like the Hamilton Pulsar in the early 1970s. From its introduction, some preferred the easy-to-read digital format that would also become incredibly affordable, but others pined for the traditional analog display that had been in place almost since the dawn of time (keeping). 

The Omega Albatross of 1975 or so was an intriguing opening attempt at an ana-digi luxury watch. (Photo Credit: Nordic Watches)

By the mid-70s, brands like Zenith, Omega, and Casio answered, attempting to combine digital and analog for a best-of-both-worlds approach. A new wave of “analog-digital” timepieces emerged with legible analog hands and a traditional dial format paired with a secondary digital display, typically enabling stopwatch, countdown, GMT, or other features beyond what analog could offer. 

For some, these watches may have felt like a gimmick, but for practitioners in the military and national security, the combined approach presented an intriguing solution to several common problems, and a few “ana-digi” watches quickly earned their place as tools and talismans for members of the W.O.E. community. 

Important Analog-Digital Watches 

The ties between ana-digi watches and our community come by way of a few specific watches that found their place among the military and the intelligence community. Most of these are around in one form or another today, but it’s important to pay tribute to the OGs in this space. There are obviously a lot of other ana-digi watches out there, but these are the examples that matter to us. 

Chronosport UDT 

A 3rd Force Reconnaissance Marine conducts combat dive training in 1994 wearing Chronosport UDT. (Photo Credit: Patina Nationale/US National Archives)

In the 1980s, one of the undisputed cool-guy watches was an all-black analog-digital watch from Chronosport, the brand behind the Sea Quartz 30 famously worn by Thomas Magnum, played by Tom Selleck, in Magnum, PI (read more HERE). Pairing a familiar dive watch case format with a secondary digital display complete with an alarm and backlight, the UDT, or Universal Dive Timer, was produced for Chronosport by none other than Breitling. 

Sold primarily through dive shops and through mail order in the back of magazines like Soldier of Fortune, the Chronosport UDT became a favorite among special operators, with anecdotal evidence indicating they were issued to several specialized units. Earning its place on the silver screen, the watch featured prominently on the wrist of John Rambo in First Blood in 1982. 

A Chronosport UDT was used as a tool by a Marine Raider and CIA Ground Branch Officer who is highlighted in the upcoming W.O.E. book. (Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley)

The watch was also worn by several of the individuals highlighted in our upcoming book, Watches of Espionage: Tools of the Trade, including Dave Hall, who wore a UDT while serving in the SEAL Teams, and an anonymous Marine Raider who later served with CIA’s Ground Branch. Today, while Chronosport is no longer in business, the same family runs Momentum Watches, which has revived a similar design we will get to shortly. 

Breitling Aerospace 

A modern Air Force pilot wearing an Aerospace EVO and W.O.E.’s Aerospace, a gift from the King of Jordan. (Photo Credit: US Air Force/James Rupley)

If you ask W.O.E. for a list of his favorite watches, I guarantee the Aerospace will be at the top, and for good reason. If there was ever a watch tailor-made for our community, it very well could be the Breitling Aerospace, an analog-digital legend born in 1985. Designed as a tool for pilots, the Aerospace combined analog hands with not one but two digital displays and a host of functions (including multiple alarms, a countdown timer, and UTC) that were genuinely useful in the air. Far ahead of its time, the Aerospace was also available in titanium, and the watch literally took off with both commercial and military pilots, eventually becoming the basis of countless unit watch projects, long before the term was coined. 

Over the years, and long after the heyday briefly enjoyed by analog-digital watches ended, the Aerospace persevered, eventually becoming the Aerospace EVO in 2013 that remained in production until recent years. An Aerospace also played a key role in W.O.E.’s journey into watches when he was gifted a customized Aerospace by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan (read more HERE). Sadly, the Aerospace EVO seems all but discontinued, with very limited to no stock remaining, but the watch will always command a special place in our hearts, and we are aware of a few recent unit watch projects still leaning into the Aerospace. 

Breitling Emergency 

Along with the Aerospace, the other most important ana-digi watch from Breitling is the original Emergency, which was developed in 1995 in partnership with French aviation manufacturer Dassault Electronique. The original Emergency contained not only many of the digital features of the Aerospace but also a novel beacon that transmits a signal on the international distress frequency of 121.5 MHz. In an emergency, the wearer unscrews the cap at four o’clock and extends a thin wire antenna, which automatically activates the signal. The Breitling Emergency would go on to be favored by those who operated on the fringe of non-permissive environments, including several specialized aviation units and former SAS turned mercenary in Africa, Simon Mann. 

The Blackwater Breitling Emergency also features in our upcoming book, Watches of Espionage: Tools of the Trade. (Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley)

Marking one of the sketchiest watches ever produced, a customized unit watch version of the Emergency was also made for Blackwater, the notorious private military contractor run by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince. In 2013, Breitling unveiled the Emergency II, with a massive 51mm case diameter and complete with dual-frequency distress beacons at 121.5 MHz and 406 MHz, both of which are monitored through the international Cospas-Sarsat system and based on a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEOSAR). However, with smartwatches like the Apple Watch offering real-time locational tracking and even voice calling to emergency services, the Emergency’s tech is all but defunct, and it would appear the Emergency II may have been quietly discontinued in 2025. 

Citizen Aqualand 

A US Air Force Combat Controller wears a Citizen Aqualand before a parachute jump in 1994. (Photo Credit: US National Archives/Devin Pennypacker)

In most cases, the additional feature enabled by a secondary digital screen is for timekeeping, but in the case of the Citizen Aqualand, the digital display tracks a diver’s depth in real time, which was a huge deal when the watch was unveiled in 1985. Bridging the gap between analog tool watches and the digital diving computers that were soon to follow, the Aqualand became popular with the military, recreational and commercial divers, and special operators, becoming standard issue for Danish Frogmen and Royal Australian Navy Clearance Divers as well as other units around the world. We have covered the Aqualand in depth (read more HERE), but suffice it to say that it is among the most important military watches that doesn’t get the shine it deserves. 

Seiko “Arnie” H558-5000

A reported DEVGRU operator wears a Seiko Arnie in Somalia in 1993. (Photo Credit: Unknown/Fratello)

Another 80s cool-guy watch with strong ties to special operations is the Seiko “Arnie” H558-5000 that burst onto the scene in 1982. Having been purchased by select SEAL Teams (including SEAL Team Six), no doubt inspired by the watch’s on-screen cameo in 1987’s Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Arnie took the so-called “tuna” format established by Seiko and added a secondary digital readout, enabling useful timing features for the military and divers. 

Solid original examples are hard to come by these days, and the plastic shrouds are known for cracking, but anyone who served in the military in the 80s knows this ana-digi legend at a glance. Like a couple of the other watches in this list, the Arnie has been revived in a few different forms to date, but there will never be anything quite like the original Arnie on Schwarzenegger’s wrist as he battled an alien, an all-time image forever associated with an iconic tool watch from Seiko. 

Omega X-33  

Astronaut Terry Virts wearing an Omega X-33 onboard the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA/Analog:Shift)

Along with Breitling, one of the only other Swiss luxury brands to dabble in ana-digi in modern times is Omega, which continues to produce its X-33 for NASA and other space agencies. Introduced in 1998, the X-33 was designed in collaboration with Space Shuttle astronauts and military pilots, with features including Mission Elapsed Time, UTC, a perpetual calendar, and multiple alarms with a surprisingly loud 80-decibel tone. Rather than the typical rectangular digital display you’d find on many other ana-digi watches, the X-33’s digital display is circular, which makes it both larger and more legible. 

With an analog-digital format and a titanium case, the X-33 looked to bridge the gap between the tried and tested, yet old-school Omega Speedmasters and modern Digital Tool Watches. Since its introduction, there have been several redesigns of the X-33 platform, but modern astronauts, including the astronauts on Artemis II (read more HERE), continue to utilize the “Gen. 2” model unveiled in 2001, which is now only available via military and government sales after being discontinued from Omega’s civilian catalog in 2006. Rumor has it that NASA also allows astronauts to “buy back” their space-flown watches with their names engraved on the back. A pretty cool heirloom. 

Modern Options 

The goal here was never to get you hot and bothered about ana-digi and then leave you hanging. There are, of course, great used and vintage examples of the above-listed watches out there, but we also wanted to share a few great analog-digital watches that are currently available brand-new and at a wide range of price points. 

Casio “Casi-Oak” GA2100 - $100 

The Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A1 is all the ana-digi most would ever need.

For around $100, your analog-digital journey should probably start (and could even end) with the Casio G-Shock GA2100. Lovingly known as the “Casi-Oak”, the GA2100 has an octagonal bezel reminiscent of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, after which it is nicknamed. The first analog-digital G-Shock was the AW-500 of 1989, so G-Shock has strong roots in this arena, and like all G-Shocks, the GA2100 is as durable as you could ever want if you’re the type of practitioner who is harder on a watch. There are also near-countless color variations, models with Bluetooth connectivity, and full steel variants to choose from, though the price climbs with each upgrade. 

Momentum UDT - $370 

The Momentum UDT provides a lot of the cool factor of the original at a fair price.

As mentioned, the same Canada-based family responsible for Chronosport today operates another watch brand called Momentum. Despite the family connection, it took Momentum a while to recreate the Sea Quartz 30, which was rereleased in 2023, and then the UDT, which was revived in 2024. The new UDT is not exactly like the old, with screw-down pushers, a solar-powered caliber, and no seconds hand. Enough of the original DNA is there to call it a spiritual successor, but there are some purists who would like to see something closer to the original watch. In any case, the price is right, with the modern UDT starting at around $370 while also being available in a number of different configurations. (Note, I am lukewarm on this watch, but W.O.E. swears it's his go-to for working out.)

Seiko “Arnie” SNJ025 - $495

Given the cult following enjoyed by the original Seiko “Arnie” H558-5000, it was only a matter of time before modern Seiko reached into the well for a reimagining of the enthusiast favorite analog-digital reference. Similar to the Momentum UDT, what we got in 2019 with the SNJ025 wasn’t a 1:1 reissue of the original Arnie, but rather a modernized Arnie for a world where Arnold was more recently a governor than the Terminator. With that, the modern Arnie is larger at 47.8mm in diameter as opposed to 45mm-ish for the vintage version.  

One welcome upgrade is a change from the battery-hungry original caliber to a new solar-charging H851 that will run for about six months when fully charged. The buttons are also now screw-down, and the whole thing feels more solid, though the shroud is still plastic, something you will either love or hate. If you like a big dive watch with additional digital tech and appreciate the history and/or the Arnold connection, the SNJ025 is a solid, relatively inexpensive watch to check out. 

Citizen Aqualand JP2000-08E - $550 

More than any other watch in our list of modern, readily available options, the JP2000-08E is almost indistinguishable from its vintage inspiration, the C022 of 1985. The improvements in this case are “under the hood”, with the modern watch using a screw-down caseback and a single battery, whereas the older model had a novel caseback secured with a bunch of tiny screws and a trio of batteries that seemed to always be dead or dying. Beyond those subtle changes, the JP2000-08E feels like the Aqualand of old and is still issued to the Danish Frogmen of the Frømandskorpset. In Denmark, the Aqualand is still lovingly known as the “Pingo,” a nickname shared between the watch and King Frederik X, a former member of the unit who also wore an Aqualand. 

Good enough for the Danish King, a former Frogman, the Aqualand is probably also good enough for you.

On one hand, it would be cool to see Citizen do more or less this exact model with a solar-powered movement or some other technical upgrades, but at the same time, part of what makes it great is that it’s almost the same thing as the original watch, which was and is a legend. For clarity’s sake, while the JP2000-08E is annoying to get in the United States, the watch is still in production and can be found at international authorized dealers and other shadier corners of the internet. 

Final Thoughts

Holistically speaking, the debate between the two camps is largely academic. Both have their place depending on the practitioner and use case, and for those of us who use our watches as tools, there is something to be said for having the best of both worlds. From combat swimmers using a Citizen Aqualand to manage their depth to military pilots tracking UTC with a Breitling Aerospace, ana-digi watches have quietly earned their place in the military and intelligence communities, often without getting the recognition they deserve. 

They may not garner as many Instagram likes as a vintage Submariner or boast the tech of the latest Garmin Tactix, but ana-digi watches will always occupy an interesting middle ground that prioritizes utility, and at the end of the day, that’s what the Use Your Tools ethos is all about. 

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