Watches Qualified by the CIA for Operational Use

At W.O.E., we have written extensively about the watches issued to the US Military, meaning purchased with government funds and then provided to military end users alongside boots, uniforms, weapons, and other standard equipment. But what about the gear used by CIA officers, including the timepieces chosen for specific missions or operations? In this Dispatch, an anonymous contributor dives into the CIA’s online archives, combing through declassified documents in search of watches and their stories. 

During my time at CIA, while I was provided a lot of specialized gear (usually more mundane than the spy gadgets you see in Hollywood), I was never issued a watch. However, in decades past, it was relatively commonplace for CIA to test and qualify watches for specific operations based on their capabilities, including some of the most storied names in watchmaking. A lot of this information was completely new to me, meaning our exploration of Watches of Espionage is far from over.

For the early maritime operators of CIA's Air-Water Division, the Rolex Submariner was approved equipment. (Photo Credit: CIA)

From Rolex to Bulova & Benrus, Several Intriguing Timepieces Have Been Approved for Use by Case Officers 

Anonymous Contributor

Unlike branches of the US Military—which work mostly on clearly defined specifications for equipment procurement—the world of intelligence sources the tools to get the job done in a much looser fashion. The more specific the mission, the more specific the gear. For instance, when it comes to watches, if you just type in “watch” in the ASSIST database, the official online repository for DOD and federal specifications, you’ll get all sorts of spec sheets for watches required by the military from 1949 to 2022. 

The idea is that a military branch's broader mission set remains consistent long enough for a specification to solidify and be routinely procured by various contractors, like Marathon or Tudor, for instance. This channel is entirely “official” in the sense that there’s a contract and a specific National Stock Number (NSN) involved. 

The Rolex Submariner is identified by name in a list of approved equipment for the CIA’s Air-Water Division from 1958. (Photo Credit: CIA)

When it comes to the CIA, it works slightly differently. The Agency’s (and fellow intelligence organizations') core function is to provide policymakers with crucial information to support high-level decisions over the long term. The gear procurement strategy isn’t based on static spec sheets or sustained materiel needs but rather mission-specific needs that vary constantly and are often unusual or outside traditional SOPs. 

What doesn’t differ from the military, however, is the level of paperwork dedicated to the procurement of said gear. Most of it remains classified, but luckily there’s a window into the official watches of espionage in the annals of the CIA’s Reading Room. Test units would evaluate watches and write extensive notes detailing why they were (or weren't) qualified for use in specific missions or functions. The once-classified paper trail of watch evaluations is where this story begins. For this Dispatch, we’ve sorted through the digital archives and picked some of the most interesting cases illustrating where and how a watch was used. 

Rolex Submariner - The CIA Air-Water Division

The Fulton Skyhook was also known as the Surface-To-Air Recovery System (STARS) and used by the CIA as well as the US Navy and Air Force.

You’ve probably seen the famous Thunderball closing scene where Bond and Domino Derval get whipped up into the air from a life raft by catching a low-flying B-17 Flying Fortress. It’s all very Hollywood, but the roots of the Fulton Skyhook mechanism which Bond utilized can be traced to the CIA’s Water-Air division, where maritime and aerial extraction technologies were tested and developed. The division was active in the ‘50s and operated through the ‘60s while falling under the Technical Services Staff (TSS).

In a massive 1958 report, the Air-Water Division outlined the gear they tested, reporting on what class it fell into. Class A category projects are those that have been completed and are available for operational use, and Class B projects are those intended for near-future completion. Of interest is that the Rolex Submariner was directly cited as a watch fit for duty. 

The Rolex Submariner reference 6538 could have been the exact model approved by CIA in 1958. (Photo Credit: Phillips)

The Agency doesn’t have overt commercial relationships like the branches of the military sometimes do—there are no direct orders. So what this most likely means is that the watch is cleared for use, but it does not mean that the CIA was buying watches directly from Rolex (at least there is no record of this). The popularity of the Submariner as a tool watch cannot be understated. The “James Bond” “Big Crown” Submariner, reference 6538, was around when the report was written. Meaning that the Sub in question very well could have been this reference, a rare case when Hollywood gets it right. 

The legacy of the Rolex Submariner as a go-to watch for special operations would be cemented just a few years later on the wrists of the men of 5th Special Forces Group, Navy Underwater Demolition Teams, and countless other operators. 

Of course, we can’t help but wonder how many of these were used operationally and where they are now… If you have any insight, please drop us a line.

A page from the manual of CIA Air-Water Division equipment shows the gear utilized by an “underwater swimmer”, gear that would have included a Rolex Submariner. (Photo Credit: CIA)

Bulova Accutron - CIA’s Cygnus Program

Officially, it was known as Project OXCART. Unofficially, it was known simply as “Cygnus”. Many years later, the public would know it as the Lockheed A-12 Reconnaissance Aircraft. While its overall look is similar, it’s important to note that the SR-71 came later and was a different airplane altogether. 

Surviving Lockheed A-12 Oxcart reconnaissance aircraft parked together in outdoor storage at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, following their 1981 public disclosure. (Photo Credit: US Air Force)

The Cygnus nickname appears in official CIA reports of the time, and in this instance, it’s the load-out and survival kit for A-12 pilots and a readiness report. We’ve previously covered the Accutron Astronaut in-depth: 

And that’s why it has become perhaps the most prominent military aircraft ever produced. It’s become a symbol for superlative, next-generation technology and a very specific can-do attitude of the mid-century era that simply doesn’t exist anymore. Budgets be damned, the Blackbird was going to be the most capable airplane ever. And it was. It’s a flying superlative. 

However, the watch that’s most typically associated with the A-12 is anything but iconic; instead, it’s been relegated to enjoyment by a very niche community of die-hards. Although, what it lacks in popularity it more than makes up for in technical prowess. The Bulova Astronaut was a perfect horological fit for the A-12; both platforms were so far ahead of their time that neither of the core technologies they introduced stuck around long after they were gone. 

The Astronaut used the Accutron tuning fork movement, which predated quartz and proved to be accurate to one second a month. It didn’t have a balance assembly (or mainspring); instead, it used a tuning fork oscillator that vibrated at 360hz. If we think in terms of a “propulsion system,” the tuning fork movement was congruent to the SR-71’s J58 engine that pioneered a system that essentially turned it from a standard jet engine at lower speeds to a ramjet engine above Mach 2. (For more on the Bulova Accutron Astronaut and the A-12, click HERE)

It’s no surprise that the Accutron Astronaut is cited in both reports as an essential piece of kit for all A-12 pilots (Item #3 on the Cygnus Survival Kit), but where things get interesting is the handwritten, unnamed watch listed as item #9 in the same survival kit list. 

The history of the Bulova Accutron Astronaut is forever intertwined with the CIA’s Project OXCART. (Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley)

In the readiness report, we see the Accutron listed as “WATCH ACCUTRON S/N H 24956”, “WATCH ACCUTRON S/N A-70214”, and “WATCH ACCUTRON S/N B-83167”. However, in the Cygnus Survival Kit, the mystery watch has a six-digit serial number, unlike the 5-digit serial number of the Accutron. It’s listed as WATCH, WRIST SN064182 along with some illegible handwriting. Even with modern photo enhancement, the handwriting cannot be read. 

Rolex, Seiko, and Glycine all used six-digit serial numbers in the ‘60s, but this specific serial number is congruent with the format of Seiko serial numbers. It’s pure conjecture, but the watch may have been Seiko reference 6619-8060, 6119-8100, or 7005-8030, otherwise known as the MACV-SOG watches. The A-12 pilots were recruited from the ranks of the Air Force’s Tactical Air Command (TAC) reconnaissance and forward air control (FAC) units, which would have been working with MACV-SOG during this period. Again, this is pure conjecture, but the numbers roughly check out. 

A screenshot of the Readiness Report for Lockheed A-12 Reconnaissance Aircraft identifies the Accutron Astronaut as essential equipment, listing two examples along with their serial numbers. (Photo Credit: CIA)

Uncovering this mystery watch simply goes to show us that there’s always another puzzle left to solve. 

Watches weren’t the only equipment provided by Bulova for Lockheed-produced spy planes during the Cold War. In a 1960 memo from the Chief of the CIA’s Technical Services Division, he notes that “The 12" F.L. Chart and Target camera similar to CHALICE A-1 has been cancelled. This was produced by Bulova Watch Company.”

CHALICE was the codename for the U-2 spy plane overflights of the Soviet Union. 

Benrus Golden Day Calendar - Project AEQUOR

In the early ‘50s, the CIA worked to infiltrate the far western regions of the Soviet Union. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of the republics targeted as part of the effort against the Soviet Union. The goal was to build an underground network that could serve as an anti-communist guerrilla front. Members of the Byelorussian National Rada (BNR) out of Munich were recruited alongside Belarusians who fled to Western Europe after the war following their collaboration with the occupying Nazi forces. 

Image from the first Chernobyl Way (Чарнобыльскі шлях / Chernobyl Shlyakh) mass protest and march in Minsk, Belarus, which took place on 30 September 1989. (Photo Credit: Vladimir Sapogov)

A project outline from August of ‘53 out of Munich Station details the efforts and objectives of the project:

Project AEQUOR was originated during FY 1952; initial approval was granted from 1 July 1951 through 30 June 1952. The facilities of the Byelorussian National Council (BNR), the Byelorussian government-in-exile, have been utilized to spot, recruit, train, and dispatch penetration agents into the Byelorussian SSR. To date, a one-man team was air-dropped in the fall of 1951, and a four-man team was air-dropped in the autumn of 1952. The latter team, minus one agent, is currently operating in the Byelorussian SSR. There are no plans for dispatching a team in FY 1953.

Agents were dropped in the Byelorussian SSR under the cover of night from various US airbases in Europe. Unfortunately, members of Team II, referenced in the project outline, were caught and exposed in 1956 in a series of articles in the Soviet publication Komsomolskaya Pravda. The physical drop strategy had largely failed, and eventually Project AEQUOR was wound down, and Operation Aeprimer, developed with learnings from AEQUOR, took its place. 

The Benrus watch described as a “Golden Day Calendar Chronographic” in the 1953 outline for Project AEQUOR may well have been a rare calendar variant of the Sky Chief collection. (Photo Credit: Every Watch)

Of interest, however, is the inclusion of two watches in the project outline. The first was an obvious choice to blend in: WATCH, wrist, Soviet, low-grade. The second watch referenced in the project outline, WATCH, Wrist, 17 jewel Benrus Golden Day Calendar Chronographic, stands out for its origin and price. Historically, Benrus watches were assembled in America from kits shipped over from Switzerland. The brand was purportedly the third-largest watchmaker in the USA during the ‘50s, with Bulova and Hamilton in first and second. 

With such a prominent connection to the US, it’s most likely that the Benrus, which lists “Golden” in its description, might be used to get out of a sticky situation. The closest watch to that description is the Sky Chief, a now-highly collectable Benrus Chronograph that did come in gold-plated variants, including one with a calendar function. The description puts the watch at a unit cost of $55, which is also in the right range of most Benrus models in the mid-1950s. 

In the early 1970s, Benrus created the Type I, a direct answer to the MIL-W-50717, and a watch that was only available through US Military supply channels. (Photo Credit: Analog:Shift)

There’s also the possibility that the operators—although undercover—needed the precise functionality of a chronograph to perform complicated tasks like nighttime airborne insertion. The Buy American Act also urged the Agency to purchase Benrus watches, which had numerous contracts with US military forces already. When it comes to watches and espionage, however, every detail is considered. 

Seiko Wall Clocks - Bangkok Bureau 

While the Directorate of Operations (DO) is responsible for jobs “in the field”, the Directorate of Analysis (DA) takes that information that’s been collected and turns it into actionable insight used by policymakers, mostly from a desk. And the perfect companion to a desk is a wall clock. In the case of the Bangkok Bureau, a 1981 report tells us that those wall clocks were made by Seiko, and it even details annual battery replacement. 

ENGINEERING ATTACHMENT 

October Monthly Report Bangkok Bureau

Ten 12-hour Seiko quartz wall clocks, battery-operated, were installed in various offices at the bureau. The quartz clock uses a single "AA" battery (1.5V), replaceable once a year. 

While the Engineering Attachment failed to identify the specific model of Seiko clock, we would imagine it was fairly straight-laced.

The Bangkok Bureau also received “15 each Air Conditioners GE Model AD920W, 20,000 BTU, 220V 50Hz”, bought locally. These are just as essential in the tropical heat to getting the job done as the wall clocks. 

Final Thoughts

The CIA’s paper trail offers a rare glimpse into a world where even the smallest details matter, all the way down to the timepieces qualified for operational use. From a Rolex Submariner cleared for clandestine underwater operations to the pioneering Bulova Accutron Astronaut riding along in one of the fastest aircraft ever built, seeing analog watches approved by the CIA and listed alongside other tools, from scuba masks to jet fuel to emergency signaling devices, again underlines the pervasive role of watches in espionage operations. 

Some of these watches are well documented, while others leave us with more questions than answers, and that’s part of the appeal. In the intelligence business, the record is rarely complete, and sometimes the most interesting details are buried in a footnote or a handwritten inventory entry, declassified and uploaded to a public server only decades later.  

We may never know exactly which watch accompanied that A-12 pilot, or why a Benrus chronograph made the cut for a covert operation behind the Iron Curtain. But that’s the nature of the game. As W.O.E. always says, a watch is never just a watch. Sometimes, it’s the only surviving clue to a story that was never meant to be told.

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