Use Your Tools - It's Never Just A Watch

Watches Are Talismans Of A Life Well-Lived, This Is What We Mean By “Use Your Tools”

When a timepiece comes off the production line in Switzerland, Japan, or even China, its inherent value is the sum of its parts combined with the intangibles of brand equity. At that point, it is “just a watch.” It’s no different from any other Seamaster, GMT-Master, Alpinist, or Duro. When the timepiece finally makes it onto the wrist of an end user, the real story begins.

“Use Your Tools” is our ethos, but I want to take a step back and explain what this really means to us. Yes, it’s about using your watches as tools: tools of intelligence, operations, and to keep time. But more importantly, it’s our core belief that a relationship can be developed with seemingly inanimate objects through shared experience, a phenomenon that particularly applies to watches. In our community, watches are valued for their mechanical and aesthetic properties, but their real value is derived from the experiences they embody. They are, or can be, talismans of a life well lived.

W.O.E. in an undisclosed location in Africa.

It's Never Just A Watch

The reality is, many of the stories we tell aren't about watches; they are about people. Whether the watch is an “expensive” Rolex or a “cheap” Seiko is insignificant. We often tell stories of “great men,” like Special Forces legend Billy Waugh and his Rolex GMT or the British Special Boat Service wearing a custom Omega Seamaster; however, the watches themselves are just the vector to the human element. And you don’t have to be an Army Special-Forces-Navy-SEAL-TK-supercommando to embrace our ethos. When a watch is gifted from a father to a son and worn for decades for graduations, weddings, and the birth of children, it is no longer just a watch; it is a part of his identity. That is “Use Your Tools.”

Jordanian Breitling Aerospace, a gift from the King of Jordan. (Photo Credit: W.O.E.)  

Leaving A Pregnant Wife To Grab A Rolex GMT? Chirpers Gon Chirp

In October 2022, friend of W.O.E. Tony Traina wrote an article about a collector who left his pregnant wife in the car to run back into the house to grab his Rolex GMT-Master II while she was in labor. The ruthless internet mob of watch dorks was quick to chirp and attack the subject of the article, Tony, and Hodinkee from the comfort of their moms’ basements. Hodinkee even went as far as to remove the social media post and lock down comments on the article.

And I get it, if you don’t subscribe to our belief that watches are about personal relationships and shared experiences, the whole scene does sound ridiculous (Mrs. W.O.E. would agree). That said, I identify with this mindset. I remember the watch I was wearing for the birth of my children just as clearly as the one I was wearing on a helicopter in Afghanistan. The weathered timepieces are physical representations of those emotions, moments, and milestones. Besides, the average labor lasts 12 to 24 hours. Was he really in all that much of a rush? (I’m kidding… kind of.)

An excerpt from the Hodinkee article's comment section. He’s one of us. (Photo Credit: Hodinkee)

Watches As Male Expression - You Don’t Have To Be A Secret Squirrel

I would go as far as to say that the mindset of the soon to be father was not that far off from the Navy SEAL who decided to wear his prized Rolex Submariner on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden or the former Canadian JTF2 operator who wears his Tudor Pelagos “Unit Watch” while performing on stage as a musician in his next chapter of life. For these men, and for us, it is never “just a watch.” Watches are a reminder of our journey, our accomplishments, and our community.

While “Use Your Tools” applies to men and women, our audience is overwhelmingly male. The marketing departments of Swiss brands are desperate to acquire female customers but face stiff competition from the range of jewelry that many women appreciate, typically including earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Despite my best efforts to recruit Mrs. W.O.E. to our ranks, she remains lukewarm on watches.

Zenith Chronomaster Original, a gift to W.O.E., commemorating a professional accomplishment. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)

In stark contrast, men have traditionally had more limited forms of self-expression through physical goods worn on their bodies. We don’t judge men who opt for belly button piercings or gold chain necklaces, but for many, a watch is the only “expensive” item they will purchase and wear for decades. There are some parallels with cars, firearms, and other collectables, but a watch is attached to your body, serving as a passive observer for good times and bad.

Overcoming Grief

I recently found myself in a crowded church, mourning the loss of a dear friend, taken from us way too early in life. As I glanced around the nave, I observed grieving parents, a strong but devastated husband, and children too young to fully realize their mother was gone. To distract myself from the searing pain and tears welling up in my eyes, I stared at my watch, the second hand slowly sweeping across the dial. The name on the dial doesn’t matter. At that point, the watch became a vessel for memory, pain, and presence. That experience will forever bind me to that watch.

The watch I wore most overseas at CIA, a IWC Mark XVII. A versatile watch that can fit in with a suit and tie at a diplomatic function in Europe or jeans and a dirty t-shirt in the African bush. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)

Watch Collecting CIA Officer

When I was at CIA, I did not consider myself a watch collector. I had a handful of watches I had accumulated over the years, and I appreciated them for their physical and mechanical attributes, but I did not collect them. I did not take wrist shots to send to my internet friends or spend hours poring over obscure watch forums. I enjoyed the watches, but my interest was surface-level. The kids would have called me a “casual”.

Since starting W.O.E., my passion for watches has evolved into more of a collector mindset, seeking out specific historical references and spending my free time researching stories of watches in the intelligence and SpecOps communities. While the joy I derive from timepieces is great, in many ways I envy my past self. I was a purist with the mindset of a “one watch” collector.

Tudor FXD on W.O.E. Z.A. 2.0 Strap. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)

Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy

The happiest watch collector in the world is the man with one watch. He wakes up in the morning, dutifully straps on his Seiko Turtle, Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster, or whatever else. He does not stop to admire his watch throughout the day, he only looks at it to check the time. He doesn’t have social media and has never heard of Watches of Espionage. The watch is a tool and an extension of his persona. He doesn’t know it, but his watch is also a family heirloom, bearing the scars of decades of constant wear. It’s his companion through the journey of life, resolutely positioned on his wrist for the peaks and valleys.

In the era of social media, we have an insatiable appetite for more, always looking for that next purchase to satisfy a perceived material need. It is tempting to feel inadequate when you see glimpses of other people’s watch collections. I have passed through this valley of envy and still feel it when I see some collections, but what I am jealous of is the one watch man, the man I used to be.

W.O.E.’s early 2000s black and red Rolex GMT “Coke” reference 16710. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)

The Man Makes The Watch

To the uninitiated, this whole premise of W.O.E. may seem materialistic, but it's not. A watch’s monetary value is the least interesting aspect. If your takeaway is that you need a Rolex to be a cool guy, you’re missing the point. We believe the man makes the watch, not the other way around.  

A badass wearing a Hublot is still a badass, just as a dweeb wearing a Rolex MilSub is still just a dweeb. It’s about who you are and what you do, not the watch you’re wearing on your wrist.

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