Earned timepieces, secondary markets, and the collector’s dilemma, where modern military watches start to feel complicated.
Over the past several years, there has been a marked increase in unit watches produced for military, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies around the world. As issued analog watches have nearly disappeared and Digital Tool Watches now dominate operational use, unit watches have emerged as the clearest enduring expression of modern watch culture within the W.O.E. Community.
Unit watches represent service, sacrifice, and commitment to something larger than the individual. These watches are not designed as luxury accessories but as wearable heirlooms, intended to be used and ultimately passed down to the next generation. The best watches can't be purchased; they must be earned.
“WE WILL FIND YOU” Simple but profound red text at 6 o’clock on an Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) aviation unit’s Tudor Pelagos 39.
The Rise of the Secondary Market
In parallel with the adoption of unit watches, we have seen a dramatic rise in secondary market unit watch sales. Tudors, Omegas, and Breitlings that originally sold for $4,000 to $6,000 now regularly command multiples of that price at auction houses and through private dealers, sometimes reaching $30,000 to $50,000. While it is unfortunate that some practitioners choose to part with these deeply personal tools, it is also understandable. Life circumstances change, and the financial pull of the secondary market can be difficult to ignore.
Still, something is lost when an earned watch leaves a practitioner’s wrist and enters the secondary market. Decades from now, long after the individuals who earned them have retired, unit watches will be among the few remaining, tangible reminders of their service. It is a shame when those stories end at the auction block, bound for a wealthy collector’s safe instead of the wrist of a great-grandson who understands what that watch means.
A French GIGN operator wears the Omega Seamaster Unit Watch produced for French federal law enforcement agencies before the Paris Olympics.
What Makes Unit Watches Different
A unit watch is a timepiece customized by a manufacturer for members of a specific unit or organization. These customizations typically include a unit insignia on the dial, an engraving on the caseback, or both. While unit watches are usually purchased by the individual operator rather than formally issued, they are still earned. Units control who is eligible. Access, and often the knowledge of the existence of a watch, is closed to the general public.
I own three unit watches, all tied directly to my service at CIA and produced by three different luxury watch brands. I know I could sell them for a significant profit, but their value to me has nothing to do with money. Their worth is rooted entirely in what they represent and the experiences they commemorate. I don’t wear them for others to see, I wear them for myself.
Two Breitling unit watches were commissioned around 2017 to mark the 65th anniversary of the National Security Agency
If I am being honest, I would not be bothered to see an Agency unit watch on the wrist of someone who hasn’t served, but I also don’t necessarily see the appeal. I have assisted several units with producing unit watches, and they often offer to include me in their order. I generally pass, as I have no personal ties to the organization. In short, I didn’t earn that watch.
There are numerous cases where wearing a unit watch you did not earn is appropriate and should not be controversial. If it belonged to a family member or was given as an honorary gift by the unit itself, the watch represents stewardship and respect rather than personal participation. If there was a unit I worked closely with, and they decided I should have a watch, I would wear it. In those instances, it honors a legacy, shared experience, or a relationship, not an identity. Intent and transparency are what make the difference.
A Breitling Superocean produced for members of the US Army’s Special Mission Unit.
The Collector’s Dilemma
Collectors are drawn to unit watches for the same reasons they pursue commercial limited editions or historic issued watches: scarcity, provenance, authenticity, and financial upside. Unlike commercial limited editions, their value is not manufactured through marketing but earned through service.
That appeal is also where the dilemma begins. Wearing a modern unit watch you did not earn is not stolen valor, but it can still feel fundamentally different. Modern unit watches are personal artifacts meant to mark recent and ongoing participation rather than simply document decades-old history. The majority of these watches are still worn by individuals who earned them, unlike vintage military-issued pieces that are relics of the past. For me, this is where they diverge from vintage, broadly issued military watches, which were tools first and symbols later. Vintage pieces invite study and preservation. Modern unit watches raise questions about ownership and intent.
A Rolex Submariner reference 116610 produced for the British Special Reconnaissance Regiment around 2013. (Photo Credit: Sotheby’s)
Unit Watches for Sale
Every few months, I see another auction house release a batch of unit watches, everything from the coveted British SAS Rolex Submariners and Explorers, SBS Seamasters, and more recent Tudors for various American and European units. These watches are objectively sexy, with incredible histories representing some of the finest warfighters and intelligence officers ever produced.
That said, to me, the sterile photos, boxes, and warranty cards appear as lifeless, stripped-down versions of what these watches really represent. For the auction houses, it is likely just another lot, no different from a Tiffany stamped dial or pièce unique. From the outside, the auction world can feel disconnected from the values that gave these watches meaning in the first place. Above, I said that these watches can’t be bought, but the truth is, they can. The watches, originally designed to be earned, can now be acquired by the highest bidder, often by someone who would never have been eligible to or capable of earning them, which does not sit comfortably.
A British SAS Rolex Explorer II unit watch previously for sale (Photo Credit: Xupes)
That said, this is not a condemnation. I believe in the basic principles of capitalism and do not fault anyone involved in these transactions. The market exists because demand exists. But understanding why these watches feel different, and why admiration does not always translate cleanly into ownership, is essential.
Cosplaying in Watch Collecting
Cosplaying is baked into modern watch culture. While I never plan to travel to space, I like the idea of wearing a watch that has and was designed for that purpose (Omega Speedmaster). That said, when it comes to unit watches, there is a fine line between appreciating history and borrowing identity. When collectors wear modern unit watches without any personal connection to the unit or service, it can drift from collecting into something that feels performative.
A Tudor Pelagos 39 custom Pelagos 39 developed for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Emergency Response Team (ERT).
Intention is Key
While I in no way claim to be the arbiter of right and wrong, it is my personal belief that we should judge individuals by intent. Assessing someone's intentions from afar is a dangerous game, but I have spoken with several watch collectors who own unit watches who I believe are in it for the right reasons. Where this gets tricky is that many of the people I know who would appreciate the gravity of these watches can’t necessarily afford them.
Owning a unit watch for its history as a way to honor someone's service is fundamentally different from wearing it as a trophy or a proxy for an experience you did not live. The watch itself does not change, but the intent behind owning it does. When intention is rooted in respect, collecting can be a form of preservation. When it drifts toward performance or identity borrowing, something starts to feel off, even if no rule has been broken.
Being honest about why you want the watch, and what you expect it to say about you, is ultimately what separates thoughtful collecting from something that edges uncomfortably close to cosplay.
Final Thoughts
What makes unit watches special is precisely what makes them complicated. While you actually can buy that special Omega Unit Watch Seamaster reserved for SOF units, you can never fully replicate the meaning the watch carries for someone who has earned it.
Long after the operations fade and careers end, these watches remain as quiet reminders of service and shared sacrifice. Whether or not one chooses to collect them, they deserve to be approached with respect for what they represent and an understanding of why they feel different from anything else in the watch world.
Like I said, in our community, it's never just a watch.
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32 comments
This is a tough one. I think as a collector you should be cautious about how you portray your collection. It should be very obvious that it is a collection and not earned hardware. Having 2 or 3 or more unit watches from diverse units should make it obvious you didn’t earn from say, SAS, NSA, and RCMP in one life of service, but it should be clear in conversation. I do see the appeal of a collection of special/niche pieces if they become available.
Great article as usual and this one provoked a lot of thought. I always appreciate how W.O.E. teaches that “there are no rules” when it comes to watches. But, for me, in this specialized case, I think there has to be a rule; that if you have never served in any capacity, let alone in a specific unit, you shouldn’t be caught anywhere near a unit watch. I don’t think there is any remote need to obtain one. A behavior that should become more normalized, is that not EVERYTHING should be obtained, and it’s ok to admire and appreciate something from afar. I’m a civilian who has not served (outside of my soul-crushing state government job) and I am the farthest thing from any operator, but I’ve held this opinion for a while and it bothers me when other civilian “collectors” argue for their seat at the unit watch table. I just don’t think it’s necessary. They can argue that their intent is in the right place, but I think a lot of mental gymnastics are used and it still leads back to the same place of why do you need to obtain one?