The Watches Of Jonny Kim

The Navy SEAL, Medical Doctor, & Astronaut’s G-Shock, Omega, & Rolex Watches

Last month, SEAL turned NASA astronaut Jonny Kim blasted off into space aboard a Russian-made Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft. Soon after, Kim floated through a hatch into the International Space Station. These crew changeouts are relatively straightforward, taking place two to three times a year. But Jonny Kim is not a normal astronaut, and the watch on his wrist for his first space flight wasn’t just any old Casio; it was a steel Rolex Daytona, only one of the serious timepieces worn by the former Navy SEAL, Harvard-trained medical doctor, and astronaut.

Kim wearing a steel Rolex Daytona onboard the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA)

In this Dispatch, we’ll discuss Jonny Kim’s impressive background as well as his watch collection, because even for a real-life Captain America, a watch is never just a watch. From G-Shock to Omega to Rolex and even an obscure Russian-made watch, Kim’s watch history parallels his incredible resume, with each new watch representing a different chapter in the astronaut’s history. What is even more impressive is that, despite his success, Kim’s upbringing was anything but easy.

Hard Times Make For Hard Men

Jonny Kim was born in Los Angeles in 1984 to South Korean immigrant parents who opened a liquor store in South Central. Kim’s father worked six days a week while his mother served as a part-time substitute teacher. In an interview with Jocko Willink, with whom Kim served in the SEAL Teams, the astronaut describes his father as an abusive alcoholic. Saying Jonny had a difficult upbringing is an understatement. Things came to a head when his father was killed by police after threatening his family with a gun. Jonny, who was 16 years old at the time, set his sights on the US Navy and becoming a SEAL, kicking off an incredible career trajectory that is mirrored by his evolution of watches.

The SEAL Teams & G-Shock

Jonny Kim wearing a G-Shock DW6600-1V while serving with SEAL Team 3 in Iraq.

Arguably, the most iconic modern-day SEAL watch isn’t a fancy Rolex or Tudor Submariner, but the humble Casio G-Shock. When Kim graduated with BUD/S Class 247 in 2004, he would have been issued a DW6600-1V, one of the most commonly issued Naval Special Warfare (NSW) watches at the time, and one of only four G-Shock references to have received an NSN or Nato Stock Number. Two decades prior, NSW had transitioned from Seiko dive watches to the newly introduced G-Shock that offered a host of digital timekeeping functions in addition to being more durable and affordable than the analog divers of the time.  

Quickly qualifying as a special operations medic and sniper, Kim conducted over 100 combat missions over two deployments to the Middle East. In addition to the Bronze Star with V device and numerous other awards, Kim received the Silver Star, the United States’ third-highest decoration for valor, for repeatedly exposing himself to enemy gunfire while rescuing injured members of an Iraqi partner force.

As a young SEAL, Kim used the G-Shock DW6600, a watch made famous by the 2014 film American Sniper. In the film, SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, with whom Kim served in Iraq, is portrayed by Bradley Cooper, and the humble but effective G-Shock makes several prominent onscreen appearances. Like most SEALs, Kim likely viewed the watch as nothing more than a tool, no different from his weapon or NVGs, but the future astronaut’s use of a G-Shock as a tool of warfare appears to have launched a lifelong appreciation for the utility of watches that would follow him throughout his incredible career.

Becoming A Medical Doctor & Applying To NASA

Being a decorated SEAL wasn’t enough, so Kim became an MD after studying at Harvard.

Stepping away from his time in the Teams, Kim was accepted into the Seaman to Admiral program in 2009, completing his undergraduate studies at the University of San Diego in only three years before returning to the Navy as a commissioned officer. Inspired by his time working as a combat medic, Kim then entered Harvard Medical School, where he qualified as a medical doctor. Inspired by Scott Parazynski, another M-D who later became an astronaut (and wore an Omega X-33 in space), Jonny Kim applied to NASA and was selected from a pool of over 18,000 applicants in 2017, electing to delay his emergency medicine residency to become an astronaut.

Kim training at NASA while wearing a Rolex GMT-Master II. (Photo Credit: NASA)

He kept busy, adding Naval Aviator and Flight Surgeon to his already-stacked resume while working on his qualifications as an astronaut. Kim came into the limelight when he was announced as a member of the Expedition 72/73 crew to the International Space Station.

It is during this period that Kim seems to have become more invested in watches, wearing several Rolex models as well as the Omega unit watch produced for the SEAL Teams.

An Omega Seamaster Unit Watch For Navy SEALs

Kim wearing the SEAL Seamaster on the ISS. (Photo Credit: NASA)

As we have discussed in a previous Dispatch (HERE), in 2024, Omega produced a unique version of its Seamaster Unit Watch for current and former SEALs, complete with the Trident on the caseback. Of course, Kim couldn’t resist, and he wore the watch throughout much of the pre-space travel training pipeline, opting for the metal bracelet.

The SEAL Trident on the Omega Seamaster caseback. (Photo Credit: Wolf Forty Designs)

Kim’s SEAL Seamaster is also among the first we’ve seen in the wild, meaning the former sniper must have had his finger on the trigger when the announcement went out within the community, the kind of forethought that shows he’s a real watch guy. True to the Use Your Tools ethos, Jonny’s Seamaster isn’t relegated to formal occasions or his Navy dress uniform, instead seeing action during NASA’s nonstop training operations in the leadup to Kim’s first space flight in 2025. Update: After spending his first couple of weeks onboard the ISS wearing Rolex models, Kim also debuted the SEAL Seamaster in space on 20 May 2025, likely marking the first time one of these unit Seamasters has left the Earth’s atmosphere.

The SEAL Seamaster is non-date and has a matte-finished case and bracelet.

Rolex & The International Space Station

At some point during the lead-up to Jonny’s first space flight in early April, we noticed a shift from the aforementioned Omega SEAL Seamaster to Rolex, with several different Rolex models eventually making their way onto Kim’s wrist. In the arena of space flight, Omega rightfully receives much of the attention and marketing benefit, but Rolex is another brand that has been historically favored by astronauts going back to the Apollo days. Whether Kim’s jump to Rolex was motivated by the Crown’s space travel history or not, his first Rolex was a good one, with the SEAL-turned astronaut first opting for a Pepsi GMT.

Rolex GMT-Master II 126710

Kim wearing a GMT-Master II on an Oyster bracelet. (Photo Credit: NASA)

The first Rolex on Kim’s wrist was a GMT-Master II “Pepsi” on an Oyster bracelet. As a model family, the GMT-Master, which dates back to 1959, is the Rolex most closely associated with astronauts, with at least one example having been worn on the Moon by Edgar Mitchell during Apollo 14 in 1971. The GMT’s complication also makes a lot of sense for an astronaut working in space.

The ISS subscribes to UTC/GMT for its timing needs, but it’s reasonable to assume an American astronaut like Jonny might like to know his family’s home timezone or the time of day at NASA’s Houston headquarters. The GMT-Master II is capable of tracking three time zones and would, for someone interested in using a mechanical watch in space, serve as a useful tool.

Kim’s Rolex GMT-Master II is likely the 126710.

The W.O.E. community was quick to catch on when NASA photos showed Kim wearing the GMT during training, and we wondered whether the SEAL-turned astronaut might be bringing the Rolex Pepsi with him to outer space.

Rolex Daytona 126500

Kim wearing his Daytona in the final days before he blasted off for the ISS. (Photo Credit: NASA)

Despite initially appearing dedicated to his GMT-Master II, in the final days leading up to Kim’s space flight in early April, he was photographed wearing yet another Rolex, this time the legendary and much sought-after Daytona chronograph. It’s not as prolific a watch in space travel history, previously worn in space on two documented occasions, but the appearance of a second Rolex in Kim’s arsenal was a surprise and a powerful indicator of the astronaut’s inclusion in the watch community.

Jonny Kim’s Rolex Daytona could be the reference 126500 that comes in at $16,000 retail.

Like the GMT, the Daytona provides a utilitarian argument because of its mechanical analog chronograph, theoretically offering a backup stopwatch that could prove useful for certain critical functions in space travel. Again referencing the Omega Speedmaster, which was used to famously time a critical 14-second engine burn during Apollo 13’s daring return to Earth, a capable chronograph can still be a useful tool even when it is housed within a $16k watch. When Kim arrived on the International Space Station on 08 April 2025, it was the Daytona on his left wrist, leaving us to wonder whether the GMT-Master II was tucked away in a W.O.E. Travel Pouch somewhere else onboard.

Rolex Submariner 126610

Kim wearing a remarkable second Rolex in space, this time the Submariner Date. (Photo Credit: NASA)

Days after arriving at the ISS, Kim did indeed debut another Rolex model beyond his Daytona, but rather than the expected GMT-Master II, it was a remarkable third Rolex, a Submariner Date. Astronauts working on the ISS are allotted a tiny amount of personal items, allegedly as little as 3.3 lbs. Using a significant portion of that allotment to carry not one but two Rolex models into space is further evidence that Kim isn’t just a guy wearing a Rolex to show off on the golf course but rather a dedicated student of the Use Your Tools ethos.

Kim’s Submariner is likely a reference 126610.

Perhaps even more than his GMT or Daytona, the Submariner makes a lot of sense for Jonny Kim, as the Submariner occupies a position of cultural importance for current and former SEALs, with many frogmen over the years saving up for a Rolex Submariner to commemorate a reenlistment, significant deployment, or promotion.

Shturm (Штурм) 75967452

Kim and his Russian crewmates wearing an obscure Shturm unit watch.

As Kim began final preparations for his launch to the International Space Station in Kazakhstan, he wore another, more obscure watch on the outside of his spacesuit. We suspected it was Russian-made, given that Kim was riding to the ISS on a Soyuz spacecraft and wearing a cosmonaut's suit, but we couldn’t initially identify the watch as being from any of the more prominent Russian watchmakers. The watch itself was also intriguing, with a vaguely Submariner-style case with a ceramic bezel and what appeared to be the Soyuz MS-27 mission insignia at twelve o’clock.

A special version of the Shturm (Штурм) 75967452 was worn by Kim on his way to the ISS.

After posting the watch, an eagle-eyed member of the community on the W.O.E. LinkedIn page correctly identified it as a Shturm, apparently a unit-specific version of reference number 75967452. According to a hasty Google translation of the product page, the watch is 43mm, housed within a titanium case, and powered by a mechanical Seiko caliber. We’re guessing wearing this particular watch wasn’t up to Kim, but it’s still interesting to see Roscosmos investing in a custom watch and even supplying it to American astronauts.

Jonny Kim For President

Is Jonny wearing a Rolex Datejust in this image, a staggering fourth Rolex?

Given that Kim has already worn two of his Rolex models and his Omega Seamaster in space, will we see the GMT-Master II appear on the ISS on Kim’s wrist at some point, marking a likely unprecedented four mechanical watches taken into space by a single astronaut in a single space flight? In addition, we’ve seen Kim wearing what appears to be a Rolex Datejust with his NASA flight suit, meaning the astronaut could be the owner of four Rolex models.

Viewed by any measure, Jonny Kim is an impressive human being, having served with distinction in the SEAL Teams before attending medical school and ultimately becoming a NASA astronaut. At W.O.E., we believe that watches are tools and talismans, useful objects capable of serving as a home for shared experiences that can and should accompany you through all of life’s adventures, a point of view Jonny Kim, the former SEAL, medical doctor, and astronaut, can clearly get behind.

While we don’t know anything about Kim’s politics, we are already casting our vote for Jonny as the President of the United States in 2028.

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