MiddleEast
Iran Under Fire: The Watches of Operation Epic ...
From Washington to Tel Aviv to Tehran, these are the timepieces worn by the leaders directing a historic escalation. On the morning of 28 February 2026, the United States initiated...
Iran Under Fire: The Watches of Operation Epic Fury
From Washington to Tel Aviv to Tehran, these are the timepieces worn by the leaders directing a historic escalation. On the morning of 28 February 2026, the United States initiated Operation Epic Fury, a sustained air campaign targeting Iranian-linked assets and infrastructure, conducted amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran....
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Watches Of A Jihadist-Turned World Leader
The Evolution Of A Rebel Leader Turned Syrian President, Told Through His Watches - Tactical Watch, Seiko, Omega, & Patek Philippe At Watches of Espionage, we explore national security and...
Watches Of A Jihadist-Turned World Leader
The Evolution Of A Rebel Leader Turned Syrian President, Told Through His Watches - Tactical Watch, Seiko, Omega, & Patek Philippe At Watches of Espionage, we explore national security and current events through the lens of timepieces. Today we take a close look at the watches of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani,...
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Watch Industry SITREP - December 2024
Espionage In Luxury, Trump Tariffs, Watch Crime, & The Watches Of Middle-Eastern Leaders By Benjamin Lowry It’s time for the December edition of our Watch Industry SITREP or Situation Report,...
Watch Industry SITREP - December 2024
Espionage In Luxury, Trump Tariffs, Watch Crime, & The Watches Of Middle-Eastern Leaders By Benjamin Lowry It’s time for the December edition of our Watch Industry SITREP or Situation Report, a brief recap of the previous month’s watch-related news, and any other current events related to our community, paired with...
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The Watches of Hamas, ISIS, & the Taliban
Is an Obscure Islamic Digital Watch The New Choice Of Terrorists & Non-State Actors? We once called the Casio F91W the “Preferred Watch Of Terrorists” based largely on its associations...
The Watches of Hamas, ISIS, & the Taliban
Is an Obscure Islamic Digital Watch The New Choice Of Terrorists & Non-State Actors? We once called the Casio F91W the “Preferred Watch Of Terrorists” based largely on its associations with Usama bin Laden who was often photographed wearing the attainable Japanese digital watch before his impromptu meeting with SEAL...
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Watches of the Middle East and the Israeli - Pa...
The latest Israel-Hamas war began one month ago with the October 7 terrorist attacks. It’s another conflict that will have significant impacts on the future of the region and potentially...
Watches of the Middle East and the Israeli - Palestinian Conflict
The latest Israel-Hamas war began one month ago with the October 7 terrorist attacks. It’s another conflict that will have significant impacts on the future of the region and potentially the world. While the nature of a conflict changes over time, one constant is the presence of timepieces on the...
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Israeli Spy Eli Cohen’s Eterna-Matic Centenaire...
By Toby Harnden The announcement in July 2018 of a successful “special Mossad operation” to recover a watch came more than 53 years after its owner had been publicly hanged...
Israeli Spy Eli Cohen’s Eterna-Matic Centenaire Recovered by Mossad
By Toby Harnden The announcement in July 2018 of a successful “special Mossad operation” to recover a watch came more than 53 years after its owner had been publicly hanged in Damascus, Syria. The Eterna-Matic Centenaire 61 had been purchased in Geneva in 1961 by a Syrian called Kamel Amin...
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Double Wristing Stormin' Norman
No, General Schwarzkopf did not double wrist a Rolex and Seiko Despite What You’ve Read. Pictured is General H. Norman Schwarzkopf wearing two watches. Read any story on Schwarzkopf and...
Double Wristing Stormin' Norman
No, General Schwarzkopf did not double wrist a Rolex and Seiko Despite What You’ve Read. Pictured is General H. Norman Schwarzkopf wearing two watches. Read any story on Schwarzkopf and watches and you’ll learn that it’s a Rolex Day-Date and a Seiko diver. There’s just one problem–he didn’t wear a...
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"Let's Roll" - A Hero's Rolex Frozen In Time - ...
Todd Beamer’s gold and steel Rolex was found among the debris from Flight 93. While the hands are disfigured and the sapphire crystal is gone, the date window–frozen in time–...
"Let's Roll" - A Hero's Rolex Frozen In Time - September 11, 2001
Todd Beamer’s gold and steel Rolex was found among the debris from Flight 93. While the hands are disfigured and the sapphire crystal is gone, the date window–frozen in time– still reads “11.” Remembering the heroes of September 11th Attacks: On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Todd Beamer, a...
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CIA Officer’s Love Affair with the Arabic Seiko
As I type this Dispatch, I am on a transatlantic flight to London for a short visit, a mix of business and pleasure. As a former CIA Case Officer, separating...
CIA Officer’s Love Affair with the Arabic Seiko
As I type this Dispatch, I am on a transatlantic flight to London for a short visit, a mix of business and pleasure. As a former CIA Case Officer, separating the two can be difficult. In my W.O.E. travel pouch is my Rolex GMT Master II 16710. On my wrist...
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Espionage & Family: A Tale of Two Watches
Chris Costa is the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum and a 34-year veteran intelligence officer, with extensive experience working in counterintelligence, human intelligence and with special operations forces...
Espionage & Family: A Tale of Two Watches
Chris Costa is the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum and a 34-year veteran intelligence officer, with extensive experience working in counterintelligence, human intelligence and with special operations forces (SOF). Chris has worked in numerous operational positions throughout the globe and was the first civilian squadron Deputy Director at...
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Jordanian Breitling: The Gift From A King That ...
At its core, the Breitling Aerospace is a functional tool watch. The dual digital screens of the chronometer-certified "SuperQuartz" have practical features including a digital chronograph, second time zone, day...
Jordanian Breitling: The Gift From A King That Spawned A CIA Case Officer's Love Of Timepieces
At its core, the Breitling Aerospace is a functional tool watch. The dual digital screens of the chronometer-certified "SuperQuartz" have practical features including a digital chronograph, second time zone, day and date, alarm, and countdown timer. In the intelligence business, these would be useful features for conducting clandestine operations where...
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Casio F-91W, the Preferred Watch of Terrorists
The Casio F-91W’s reputation looms large in both horology and national security circles, and for good reason. The simple, cheap and effective plastic watch is likely one of the most...
Casio F-91W, the Preferred Watch of Terrorists
The Casio F-91W’s reputation looms large in both horology and national security circles, and for good reason. The simple, cheap and effective plastic watch is likely one of the most ubiquitous timepieces on the planet, with an estimated three million produced each year since sometime in the early 1990s. However,...
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