Last week, the US Army’s 4th Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Group released Ghosts In The Machine 2, the second installment in a series of highly stylized recruiting videos supporting one of the Army’s more unusual units. Produced and edited like an avant-garde short film, the video is powerful and accomplishes the objective of getting the word out about the 4th PSYOP Group, which conducts “...influence activities to target psychological vulnerabilities and create or intensify fissures, confusion, and doubt in adversary organizations.”
The Active Duty Psychological Operations Regiment is SOCOM’s unit of action to conduct influence through military information support operations, military deception, and civil authority information support across the entire spectrum of operations.
Of particular interest to our community, one of the group’s “unit watches”, a Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Automatic “PSYWARD 1”, is prominently featured.
There is a significant overlap between the military, intelligence community, and watches and we were happy to see this piece integrated into the film. Christopher Ward has recently leaned heavily into the unit watch space, producing unit-specific versions of its core models not only for the 4th PSYOP Group but also for various units from the US and British militaries. Founded in 2004, Christopher Ward is known for its more attainable approach to Swiss watchmaking, making the brand an excellent candidate for military applications where not everyone can afford a Tudor of Espionage or an Omega.
Based on the standard C63 Sealander Automatic, the 4th PSYOP unit variant has a special textured green dial, a Trojan Horse — the branch insignia — at twelve, as well as PSYWAR text at six, short for psychological warfare.
(Photo Credit: Christopher Ward)
According to “Larry,” the admin for @PSYWARwristcheck, the PSYWARD 1 was designed in 2021 by an unnamed Major within the Regiment inspired to look in the direction of Christopher Ward after seeing a photo of General Austin Miller wearing a Christopher Ward C60 Trident 600 GMT on W.O.E.. A legend in the SpecOps community, GEN Miller is a former Delta Force officer who famously fought in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 before becoming the commander of JSOC in 2016.
General Austin Miller, formerly the top US General in Afghanistan, wearing his Christopher Ward C60 Trident 600 GMT.
Another unit member who provided information for this Dispatch has served in the creation of three additional unit watches for the PSYOP community including a PSYWARD Dive and PSYWARD GMT produced by Christopher Ward as well as the PSYWAR A-11 made by the Praesidus Watch Company. As is typically the case with unit watches, these special models can only be ordered by serving members of the US Army PSYOP community and its joint partners in sister services.
The PSYWARD 1 alongside the PSYWARD GMT. (Photo Credit: PSYWAR Wristcheck)
Bespoke unit-specific watches have a rich history in our community, taking off in the '90s and early 2000s in large part thanks to brands like Breitling. Today, where Breitling has shifted its approach in favor of mass-market appeal, Tudor, Bremont, and Omega have in many cases stepped up to fulfill the needs of military and intelligence professionals seeking to celebrate their organizations with watches, a trend that is on the rise in recent years. There is no shortage of overlap between these communities and watch enthusiasm, and it’s great to see a smaller, more affordable watchmaker like Christopher Ward entering the fold.
Thanks so much to @PSYWARwristcheck for providing some additional context on these pieces. Check out his page for more info on the unit and its collaborations with Christopher Ward.
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4 comments
I am a former (career) Army psyop guy currently serving in the US Foreign Service.
I’m also a recipient of the Praesidus PSYWAR watch (based on the original and legendary A-11) with a number and unit designator in the back. This is my first and only bespoke unit watch (I own handguns with unit insignia and deployment tours etched on them).
I might add here that the ubiquity of the Casio G-Shock in the psyop community is total and absolute. (I will argue that Benjamin Lowry’s observations about the G-shock’s dominance in the Diving community apply equally well to the psyop community).
Insofar as Foreign Service goes, Garmin, Suunto, and the Casio (G-shocks, mostly) are what’s on the wrists of our Foreign Service trainees. To fit in, I ditched my Citizen ProMaster Diver and got myself a Casio GW9400-1.
The insignia looks more like a chess knight to me — the trickiest piece on the board to master, which would make sense. I get the Trojan horse notion, too, though I’d have expected a different representation, perhaps.
Yep, Gen. Miller was my first introduction to the CW brand. Now I own a Trident 600. Though I prefrer to wear my Planet Ocean most days. I am very pleased with the quality of CW, I hope they become more well known.
That video slaps! I remember when you posted Miller wearing the Chris Ward and this was the first I had heard of the brand.