There are a few photos that singularly encapsulate what W.O.E. is all about, and back in May 2024, we posted a statuesque Underwater Demolition Team man who does exactly that. Dated 1960, the black and white photo, which was originally brought to our attention by our friend Nick Gould (AKA @niccoloy), shows a man named Ron Damon at attention, flanked by his teammates, and equipped with the prototypical frogman’s tools of the day: UDT trunks, a pistol belt, a KA-BAR knife, and a watch, but it wasn’t just any watch.
Rather than the Tudor Submariner widely issued to the Teams at the time, Damon’s timepiece is a Rolex GMT-Master reference 6542, a watch not intended for an amphibious environment, and one that sent W.O.E. team member Ben on a watch nerd mission. Ben’s research and learning more about Damon’s story eventually led him to a modern Tudor model that forges an unlikely bond between a brand we have called the tool watch leader and a pioneering frogman who went on to have an incredible career in special operations and public service.
When Ben told me a few weeks ago that he acquired his first serious GMT, I was shocked. As a former CIA case officer, I consider the GMT the ideal watch, but Ben’s background is in diving, and he’s the type of guy who always says you don't need anything extra—even the date—underwater, so why would he covet a GMT? When asked, he said he was inspired by this photograph.
As a wise man once said, a watch is never just a watch, and Ben’s research is yet another case study.
How a Photograph of a SEAL-Turned-Green Beret Led to a Path of Discovery & a New Tudor
By Benjamin Lowry
What makes a certain watch appeal to a particular person can be a delicate and nuanced science; the stuff of marketing research, focus groups, and fancy Swiss consultants. But for me, a Coast Guard veteran turned commercial diver, the dive watch has always ruled supreme, and to the exclusion of virtually every other watch category. This predilection stems from the core belief that the best part of a watch should be the story or history behind it, and the stories and history that resonate for me are those of the nautical world, where dive watches were born, fielded as tools, and, for a select few, continue to flourish.
The photo in question: Ron Damon (left) in 1960 with a Rolex GMT-Master 6542 on the wrist. (Photo Credit: Rolex Magazine)
But just as a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, a solitary black-and-white photograph of a man named Ron Damon sent me down a path of discovery that ended with a full heart and a new watch, which, to be clear, is definitely not why we’re here. At Watches of Espionage, timepieces are the lens through which we view and understand history, current events, and, in this case, an exceptional individual we never would have known about if not for the watch on his wrist.
Ron Damon - UDT, SEAL, Special Forces, & Police Officer
After graduating from high school in 1955 in Portland, Maine, Ronald C. Damon enlisted in the Navy, serving with Underwater Demolition Team 21 (UDT-21) and later as a SEAL before leaving the Navy in 1962. In 1968, Damon began a prolific career in law enforcement, starting with the South Portland Police Department. In 1975, in addition to his police work, he joined the US Army as a reservist, completing US Army Special Forces selection and training before being assigned to the now-defunct 11th SFG(A), a reserve Special Forces Group, where he served until 1990.
Damon as a frogman and later as a police officer.
There aren’t many out there who have worn the SEAL Trident and a Green Beret, meaning Damon, who was also a passionate bodybuilder and powerlifter, was a hard man, a reputation bolstered by numerous awards and citations. As part of his law enforcement career, Damon helped to establish South Portland's first SWAT and Dive teams, ultimately retiring as a Lieutenant in 1989 before starting with the Maine Department of Drug Enforcement, where he worked until his full retirement in 1999.
UDT men locking out from a submarine in the Caribbean in the early 1960s. (Photo Credit: US Navy)
On 20 January 2018, Ron Damon passed away, leaving behind a loving family and legacy in the military and special operations. While the legend of Ron Damon was well-known to his peers, who described him as courageous, a hero, and a daredevil, we are honored to be able to tell even an abbreviated version of his story to the broader W.O.E. Community, a path we never would have tumbled down without an official US Navy photo of Damon and a watch.
Rolex GMT-Master Reference 6542
This 6542, similar to Damon’s, hammered for $81,900 in 2023, with more recent examples going for well over $100k. (Photo Credit: Christie’s)
When Ron was photographed with his Rolex in 1960, wearing a watch from the Crown wasn’t the status symbol it is today. Back then, a frogman’s watch was a tool, and Damon would have likely selected the GMT-Master based on a combination of the watch’s capabilities and aesthetics. We may never know how Damon ended up with a GMT-Master, then pitched as a pilot’s watch, rather than the Tudor Submariner commonly issued to UDT men of the era, but what we do know is that he stumbled upon one of history’s most important sports watches.
Unveiled in 1954, the first GMT-Master reference 6542 was, according to legend, developed in response to a request from Pan Am for a watch for its pilots capable of displaying multiple time zones at a glance with an additional 24-hour hand and rotating bezel. Rolex’s very first GMT, the 6542 differed from later models with its smaller 38mm case, lack of crown guards, and plastic-like Bakelite bezel insert. Despite its screw-down crown and caseback, the 6542 only offered 50 meters of water resistance, making the watch a confusing pick for Damon’s underwater workplace, but one that was clearly up to the task if the photo in question is any evidence.
A 1958 6542 showcases the distinctive “Pepsi” bezel that would make Rolex’s GMT an icon. (Photo Credit: Wind Vintage)
Damon passed on 20 January 2018, and photos from various obituaries show Damon wearing several watches, none of which were the 6542. So where did the watch go? Despite our best efforts, the mystery remains unsolved at least for now. Did he flood the watch on a dive, lose it in a poker game, or is it quietly gathering dust in a sock drawer somewhere?
In any case, with recent examples hammering for $100k or more, emulating Ron’s precise watch choice, a noble effort by any measure, simply isn’t an option for me. With that being said, I’m prepared to argue that the watch from the Rolex organization that most faithfully honors Damon’s GMT isn’t a Rolex at all.
Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
(Photo Credit: Brock Stevens)
As Rolex has ascended into the world of luxury and hype culture, beyond the means of most, Tudor has become the de facto choice for many seeking a modern combination of utility and refinement. In a lot of ways, the Rolex of the 1960s and 70s is the Tudor of today, capable of being used as a tool and falling somewhere near the reach of practitioners while still coming from the Crown, albeit indirectly.
Given my love for diving and dive watches, I own a Pelagos 39 and also covet the FXD, but previously, Tudor’s Black Bay collection of heritage-inspired divers didn’t land, lacking the emotional and historical connection I perceive between the “Snowflake” Submariners of old and my P39.
(Photo Credit: Brock Stevens)
Enter the Black Bay 58 GMT, released at Watches and Wonders in 2024, a watch that, at least for me, calls back to the original Rolex GMT-Master 6542 worn by Ron Damon, but with all the mod cons. Sure, Tudor’s version swaps the “Pepsi” color scheme for a black and red “Coke” approach, but it revives the smaller sizing, gilt dial and hands, domed crystal profile, and riveted-style bracelet of the first GMT-Master.
Even better, the Tudor version has 200 meters of water resistance, 100 more meters than the modern Rolex GMT-Master II and a whoppin’ 150 more meters than the 6542, making it an ideal GMT for anyone who spends time in and around the water, myself included.
(Photo Credit: Brock Stevens)
As a diver who has always been GMT curious, the BB58 GMT bridged a crucial gap, with my appreciation and interest only enhanced by my experiences learning about a pioneering frogman, Green Beret, and public servant.
Final Thoughts
To be clear, I am no Ron Damon, and the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT isn’t a stand-in for a six-figure vintage Rolex reference; it’s a reminder of why watches matter to us and others like us in the first place. Ron Damon didn’t wear a GMT-Master because he believed it would one day be coveted “in original, unpolished condition” or destined for a big payday at Sotheby's. He wore the watch because of its capabilities as a tool of his trade, serving as a companion in a life defined by service and quiet professionalism.
A vintage Rolex GMT and even a modern Tudor are great watches, sure, but they aren’t really the point. At W.O.E., the watches and stories may change, but our core ethos remains the same: timepieces are enduring vessels for memory, identity, and shared experience. In this case, a 1960 black and white photograph of a frogman named Ron Damon is a powerful reminder that, should you find yourself poised at the edge of the rabbit hole, it is your responsibility to follow it all the way down.
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12 comments
I couldn’t agree more. The modern Tudor watch is what Rolex used to be. An honest tool watch but they have some dramatic improvements over the 5 series references. The Tudor bracelet with T Fit is worlds better and the movement is now METAS certified. I wear my BB58 on a strap as I don’t love the bracelet but the 58 GMT fixes all complaints. I also own the FXD which is the apex predator of dive watches!
I have a Rolex GMT Master ll Ref.16710 from 1997/98, which I’m wearing at work tonight by coincidence.
If I didn’t own this piece, I would be acquiring a Tudor BB58 GMT.
Steel Reef offers a Pepsi colorway for the BB58 GMT. They have a few other colorways and also offer inserts for the BB41 and BB54 models. They are sick
If he joined Army Reserve SF in the 70s he likely got “flash qualified” through a combination of unit level training at weekend drills and annual training, correspondence courses, and two week MTT annual training Robin Sage conducted by an active SF Group. This is no shit. It was called split training. For both active and reserve component you didn’t get tabbed or awarded an MOS, it was Additional Skill Identifier (ASI) “S”. You kept your MOS. The tab and CMF 18 didnt come about until October 1981. (there is actually a female that got flash qualified in the 80s and she later legitimately wore the tab) Back then guys in a reserve group waiting go to through airborne school wore baseball caps, once they graduated airborne they wore a maroon beret with a “candy stripe” instead of a flash, after they completed the SF Extension Course which consisted of a ton of correspondence courses along with phase I unit level training they wore a green beret with a candy stripe, for some it took a year or two, others it took up to five or more years before going to Mobile Training Team (MTT) then the final annual training 2 week Robin Sage conducted by an active component SF Group. Graduating the MTT Robin Sage phase III awarded the ASI and replaced the candy stripe with a flash. They called it flash qualified. Later on in the late 80s and early 90s they called the graduates of this program “paper tabs” because their entire training was a paper trail of correspondence course certificates and unit training rosters for classes. There were some bad MFers with paper tabs too.
Ben,
A terrific story! It is a reminder that there are many quiet professionals out there whose story may never be revealed. As to Ron Damon’s Rolex, your article makes clear that Rolex at the time was not a luxury watch nor was it actually a watch that kept “superior chronometer” time. It was a tool worn by professionals. And, in case anyone wonders about 50m water resistance, the UDT heroes of that era were scout swimmers who rarely swam below 10m.
For a half year in 1985, I worked with men who served in Laos and Vietnam. They all wore GMT Master watches and every one of those watches was battered and scraped and still going strong – much like their owners. Along with a “baht” gold bracelet, short sleeve shirts and flattop haircuts, the GMT Master was a uniform of their time in that secret war.
Keep digging up these tales of adventure! There are many still out there, but time is running out. Most of those men of that era have passed and their stories will likely go to their grave if we don’t ask them questions.