Inside the FBI’s Watch Culture

From Sketchy Breitlings to Rolex, Vacheron, & Bremont, The FBI Has A Serious Relationship With Watches

Established in 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has adapted over the years from its original charter to include a broader NatSec-focused mission set, focusing on counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber crimes. With over a century of history, thirteen thousand special agents, and a broader workforce of some thirty-seven thousand, the FBI has a strong sense of heritage, which is evident in the watches worn by special agents and other key figures within the Bureau. 

From luxury watches from Breitling, Rolex, Bremont, and Vacheron on the wrists of the FBI’s senior leadership to lesser-known unit watches celebrating the FBI’s history, much can be learned from a careful analysis and discussion of the watches of the FBI. 

As always, W.O.E. is an apolitical platform. Watches are the lens through which we view and discuss history and current events. If reading an article about watches worn by certain political figures makes you feel big feelings, we ask that you take a deep breath and consider going for a walk in nature. It always works for me… 

Director Of The FBI - Kash Patel 

Starting at the top, Kash Patel was confirmed as director on 25 February 2025. Director Patel is clearly a watch guy, with a couple of custom unit watches in the collection. Coming to the FBI with experience in three-letter agencies close to the W.O.E. community, Patel served as a prosecutor at DOJ and also as the Chief of Staff to the Acting Secretary of Defense, Deputy Assistant to the President, Senior Director for CT at the NSC, and Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of DNI. He was also a DOJ liaison officer to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). 

Early in his tenure at the Bureau, Patel wore his 46mm titanium Breitling Cockpit B50, one of several custom “unit watches” produced for White House staff during President Trump’s first term. Breitling has considerable appeal within the USG and NatSec, having produced numerous unit watches for government agencies and military units, starting in the 90s and early 2000s. 

A photo of Patel’s Bremont captured by an anonymous friend of W.O.E. inside the White House.

Patel also wears a Bremont S500, a luxury dive watch from another brand with close ties to the W.O.E. community. While Breitling’s unit watch program appears to have (unfortunately) waned in recent years, Bremont has been prolific in pairing with military and government organizations, producing as many as 500 unit projects since 2009. This is a unique unit watch made for a sensitive USG unit, which, to my knowledge, has not been seen outside of a select circle. How did Patel get one? That’s a good question… that I do not have the answer to.

Finally, Patel sometimes wears a Garmin fitness smartwatch, including while recently testifying at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. We have discussed the counterintelligence risks of intel officers and senior government officials wearing smartwatches at length, but suffice it to say that anyone in a sensitive position should not wear a smartwatch, full stop. 

Even an apparently mundane photo like this could reveal sensitive information about Patel’s health and vital signs, including his heart rate, that could be of value to bad actors, especially when combined with other forms of collection. 

Deputy Director Of The FBI - Dan Bongino 

A younger Bongino wearing his Breitling as a USSS agent.

Confirming widespread appreciation for the brand in the White House, former Secret Service agent, media personality, and current FBI Deputy Director, Dan Bongino, also wears a Breitling. In contrast to Director Patel’s White House B50, Bongino’s Breitling is a seldom-seen older USSS Colt GMT unit watch with the Service Star on the dial. We have seen this watch in the wild on several occasions, leading us to believe it was a larger order by unit watch standards. 

It’s possible that wearing a unit watch from his USSS days while transitioning to the FBI was considered an interservice fashion faux pas, leading Bongino to reach for something extremely serious for his swearing-in on 18 March. During the ceremony, Bongino wore what we assess with high confidence to be a Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon, a watch that will set you back somewhere around $100k (in steel) if not more. In the business, we call this a big boy watch.

Bongino’s FBI salary, which some media outlets have reported is around $220k, pales in comparison to the estimated $4.9M he was making from Fox News in 2024. Luckily, it appears Bongino showed up to his new job having already handled his watch shopping business. The fact that Bongino opted for the tourbillon version of the Overseas either means he deeply appreciates Swiss watchmaking and mechanical complications or perhaps just wants to flex a little. Our guess is the latter.

Former Director Of The FBI - Chris Wray 

Wray wearing his Rolex alongside US Navy CAPT Tim Sulick (wearing a G-Shock) during a tour of Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command on Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. (Photo Credit: DVIDS)

Prior to Kash Patel, attorney Chris Wray served as the Director of the FBI from 2017 to 2025, having been appointed to the position during President Trump’s first term. Wray often wears a Rolex Datejust Turn-O-Graph, likely reference 116264. More than many other brands, Rolex ownership alone does not immediately qualify someone for inclusion in the watch nerd community. As a Vanderbilt and Yale-educated attorney, Wray’s Rolex could easily be seen as a status symbol as opposed to a token of horological appreciation. Luckily, the Datejust isn’t his only watch. 

While Rolex is a household name, Wray’s PVD-coated Bremont U-2/51 Jet is a little bit more of a deep cut. It’s unclear whether Wray’s watch is a unit-specific model, but considering Bremont’s unit watch history, it is certainly possible. Within Bremont’s collection, the U-2 serves as a professional pilot’s watch, with the U-2/51 Jet variants expanding upon the theme with a stealthy blacked-out aesthetic. What drew Wray to Bremont we may never know, but it’s anything but a random choice. 

Former Director Of The FBI - Robert Mueller

Robert Mueller served as the Director of the FBI from 2001 to 2013, having been sworn in only a week before US history was forever changed by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In addition to being a Princeton-educated lawyer, and in stark contrast to more recent FBI directors, Mueller had significant military and combat experience. Joining the military in 1968, Mueller served as an officer in the US Marine Corps, earning a Bronze Star Medal with the “V” device as well as a Purple Heart for valorous combat actions in Vietnam. 

True to form for an old utilitarian Marine officer, Mueller wore an inexpensive digital Casio during his tenure as the FBI director, typically on the inside of his wrist, a common phenomenon among the military and special operations we have discussed at length. Given its position, Mueller’s watch is difficult to positively identify, but it could be a DW-290, an F108WH, or another square-cased Casio Digital Tool Watch (D.T.W.). In any case, a digital Casio worn inside the wrist is a practical and unassuming choice for an FBI director with significant military history. 

Former Director Of The FBI - William Webster 

Webster photographed later in life wearing his Rolex Day-Date. (Watch Photo Credit: Leather & Lume)

Going into the archives, another legendary FBI director, and the only person to lead both the FBI and the CIA, is also associated with a serious watch. In 1978, Jimmy Carter appointed William Webster as the FBI director, a change of pace from his prior position as a federal judge. After completing his ten year term in 1987, Webster was then appointed DCIA by Ronald Reagan, a position which he held until 1991. No surprise for an attorney, judge, and government official of the 1970s, Webster wore a solid gold 36mm Rolex Day-Date, a watch better known as the “President”. 

The Breitling Avenger II GMT FBI Unit Watch

(Watch Photo Credit: Mappin & Webb)

Starting in 2018, FBI Special Agents were eligible to participate in a large order of customized Breitling Avenger II GMTs. The unit watch is similar to the catalog model, beyond having the FBI seal printed on the dial at six o’clock and applied FBI text at nine instead of the regular Arabic index. Rumor has it this project was initiated out of the London Legal Attache (Legat) office.

An anonymous submission from an FBI Special Agent.

The caseback displays the FBI badge, and many examples are also customized with the agent’s name or another unique identifier. Of the 850 reportedly produced, a fair number of these have ended up on the secondary market. It’s always a shame to see, but given the potential upside for customized unit watches, we also understand. 

An Elliot Brown Unit Watch For The 50th Anniversary Of The Special Surveillance Group (SSG)

A brand close to our community, Elliot Brown came to prominence by producing the current issue dive watch for the Special Boat Service (SBS), the UK’s maritime Special Mission Unit. Since its inception in 2015, Elliot Brown’s Holton Professional has become the basis for numerous unit watches, including a special version produced in partnership with the FBI’s Special Surveillance Group (SSG) to honor the unit’s 50th anniversary. 

The SSG is one of the lesser-known units in the FBI. Founded in 1974, the unit consists of FBI Investigative Specialists, who are typically unarmed and different from Special Agents. The unit specializes in static, vehicular, and mobile surveillance of US and foreign nationals suspected of espionage or terrorist activities. Informally known as “G’s”, SSG has a rich heritage that led the unit to commission a custom Elliot Brown watch in 2024, which is similar to the standard Holton, beyond the printed unit crest at six and special “Fifty Years” text just below. The watch has a custom-engraved caseback and a unique color for the “11” in the date wheel to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.

Compared to other brands known for unit watches, from Tudor to Omega to Breitling to Bremont, Elliot Brown presents a newer and growing program that is also priced much more competitively. We hope to see it continue. 

Final Thoughts 

Whether it’s an inexpensive Casio worn on the inside of the wrist or a $100k tourbillon flexed at a highly publicized swearing-in ceremony, the watches worn by FBI Directors and Special Agents reveal as much about the individuals who wear them as the institution they serve. The watches of the FBI are tools, first and foremost, but also symbols of heritage, status, unit pride, and sometimes, whether wisely or not, connected to the risks of modern technology. 

For us, this is the story: timepieces as tools and cultural artifacts, reflecting the ethos of an organization that has been shaping America’s national security for over a century. At W.O.E., we’ll continue to analyze and discuss the watches worn by those in our extended community, and by extension, the people, history, and missions behind them.

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