WOE Dispatch
Watches Worn By Pilots Of The D-Day Squadron
Crossing The Atlantic In A DC-3 To Commemorate The 80th Anniversary Of Operation Overlord Watches intended for pilots represent one of the most compelling categories in the arena of tool...
Watches Worn By Pilots Of The D-Day Squadron
Crossing The Atlantic In A DC-3 To Commemorate The 80th Anniversary Of Operation Overlord Watches intended for pilots represent one of the most compelling categories in the arena of tool watches, only matched in enthusiast appeal by watches designed for diving. Pilots are, for lack of a better term, cool....
Read More
Bribes & Operational Gifts - The Role Of Timep...
Using Watches To Make Friends, Exert Influence, & Recruit Spies The job of a CIA Case Officer (C/O), or Operations Officer, is to recruit spies and steal secrets. The core...
Bribes & Operational Gifts - The Role Of Timepieces In Clandestine Operations
Using Watches To Make Friends, Exert Influence, & Recruit Spies The job of a CIA Case Officer (C/O), or Operations Officer, is to recruit spies and steal secrets. The core competency of a C/O is building relationships with individuals (targets) and ultimately recruiting them to provide Foreign Intelligence on their...
Read More
Precision In Flight: IWC’s Historical & Endurin...
As a CIA Case Officer, one of my go-to watches was an IWC Mark XVII. It’s a great and versatile watch that can fit in with a suit and tie...
Precision In Flight: IWC’s Historical & Enduring Bond With Military Aviation
As a CIA Case Officer, one of my go-to watches was an IWC Mark XVII. It’s a great and 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. Notably, IWC also has...
Read More
The Best Military Watches For Land, Sea, & Air
A Capable Timepiece Is An Essential Tool For Service Members Timepieces intended for the military have inspired the broader watch industry since the earliest days of wristwatches. Names like the...
The Best Military Watches For Land, Sea, & Air
A Capable Timepiece Is An Essential Tool For Service Members Timepieces intended for the military have inspired the broader watch industry since the earliest days of wristwatches. Names like the Rolex Submariner, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Breguet Type XX, and Hamilton Khaki have all been influenced by or owe their very...
Read More
The Watch Industry & Celebrity Marketing Throug...
Celebrity Watch Deals Are Nothing New—But Are They As Compelling As They Once Were? Last year, watch media was flown into Mykonos, Greece from all over the globe. The occasion?...
The Watch Industry & Celebrity Marketing Through the Ages
Celebrity Watch Deals Are Nothing New—But Are They As Compelling As They Once Were? Last year, watch media was flown into Mykonos, Greece from all over the globe. The occasion? The 75th Anniversary of the Omega Seamaster. The real reason folks came out? Dinner with George Clooney, the salt-and-pepper Hollywood...
Read More
A Navy SEAL’s Unlikely Journey Into The Watch W...
From The Mountains Of Afghanistan To Watches & Wonders In Geneva I pulled out my map and grease pencil, and said, “Tell me where you are. We are coming.” Calmly,...
A Navy SEAL’s Unlikely Journey Into The Watch World
From The Mountains Of Afghanistan To Watches & Wonders In Geneva I pulled out my map and grease pencil, and said, “Tell me where you are. We are coming.” Calmly, Kevin started giving his position, reaching the sixth number before another shot rang out. Silence. Another team member whispered, “Man...
Read More
Bezels & Blades - Tools With A Purpose
Timepieces & Watches Have Deep Meaning In The NatSec Community Ask any self-respecting watch nerd what passions pair with timepieces and you will inevitably hear about Porsche, Leica cameras, and...
Bezels & Blades - Tools With A Purpose
Timepieces & Watches Have Deep Meaning In The NatSec Community Ask any self-respecting watch nerd what passions pair with timepieces and you will inevitably hear about Porsche, Leica cameras, and Negroni-flavored toothpaste. Like any community, watch enthusiasts have coalesced around several big personalities (tastemakers) who set the aspirational standards of...
Read More
Diving With The Marathon Search and Rescue
Putting One Of The Last Real Military Dive Watches To The Test In the watch world, clout is king. For brands without centuries of history to lean on, sales and...
Diving With The Marathon Search and Rescue
Putting One Of The Last Real Military Dive Watches To The Test In the watch world, clout is king. For brands without centuries of history to lean on, sales and marketing professionals are left in a mad scramble for authenticity and heritage, searching for a story that makes their watches...
Read More
Sketchy Dudes Wear Breitling - We Don’t Make Th...
Watches of Espionage is vehemently brand agnostic. The watches we cover are dictated by the community and one brand that consistently pops up is Breitling. There are few truths in...
Sketchy Dudes Wear Breitling - We Don’t Make The Rules
Watches of Espionage is vehemently brand agnostic. The watches we cover are dictated by the community and one brand that consistently pops up is Breitling. There are few truths in the world of intelligence, but one of them is Sketchy Dudes Wear Breitling. Before the Breitling fan clubs take out...
Read More
US Army PSYOP: Christopher Ward “Unit Watch” in...
Last week, the US Army’s 4th Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Group released Ghosts In The Machine 2, the second installment in a series of highly stylized recruiting videos supporting one of...
US Army PSYOP: Christopher Ward “Unit Watch” in Recruiting Video
Last week, the US Army’s 4th Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Group released Ghosts In The Machine 2, the second installment in a series of highly stylized recruiting videos supporting one of the Army’s more unusual units.
Read More
The Seiko Found In The Wreckage Of A Spy Ship A...
A Seiko Dive Watch 7548 - 7000 was recovered from the wreckage of a North Korean Spy Ship after the Battle of Amami-Ōshima. Where did it come from and what...
The Seiko Found In The Wreckage Of A Spy Ship And North Korean Covert Operations
A Seiko Dive Watch 7548 - 7000 was recovered from the wreckage of a North Korean Spy Ship after the Battle of Amami-Ōshima. Where did it come from and what does it tell us about North Korean Covert Action? At CIA, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is known...
Read More
From NASA To SpaceX - The Watches Of SpecOps As...
The Historic Link Between The US Space Program, Special Operations Forces, & Timepieces In 2020, some 45 years had passed since a crewed US spacecraft splashed down at sea. On...
From NASA To SpaceX - The Watches Of SpecOps Astronaut Recovery Teams
The Historic Link Between The US Space Program, Special Operations Forces, & Timepieces In 2020, some 45 years had passed since a crewed US spacecraft splashed down at sea. On 2 August, NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken experienced no less than four g’s as they hurtled toward the...
Read More
Watches And Wonders Releases For The W.O.E. Com...
Last week was Watches and Wonders, a trade show in Switzerland where watch brands showcase their latest releases. Journalists, tastemakers, and watch enthusiasts flock to Geneva to see and photograph...
Watches And Wonders Releases For The W.O.E. Community
Last week was Watches and Wonders, a trade show in Switzerland where watch brands showcase their latest releases. Journalists, tastemakers, and watch enthusiasts flock to Geneva to see and photograph new timepieces, meet with brand representatives, and drink no shortage of champagne and Negronis. Watches and Wonders is a masterclass...
Read More
Hollywood Watches of Espionage, Part II
Sketchy Surfers, Intelligence Officers, And A Dictator – Timepieces Add Depth To Characters While Entertaining Watch Nerds As we established in our first installment of this series (READ HERE), watches...
Hollywood Watches of Espionage, Part II
Sketchy Surfers, Intelligence Officers, And A Dictator – Timepieces Add Depth To Characters While Entertaining Watch Nerds As we established in our first installment of this series (READ HERE), watches play a significant role in film and television, particularly as it relates to the world of espionage. Watch enthusiasts can’t...
Read More
W.O.E. Collaboration With Tactile Turn
Pen, Flashlight, Knife, Watch - The Essentials “If you didn’t write it down, it didn't happen” is a common saying in the intelligence business. In a digital era, there is...
W.O.E. Collaboration With Tactile Turn
Pen, Flashlight, Knife, Watch - The Essentials “If you didn’t write it down, it didn't happen” is a common saying in the intelligence business. In a digital era, there is something satisfying about staying old school, and a custom pen, built to last a lifetime, is a must. Custom Tactile Turn...
Read More
Inside The Watch Culture Of CIA Paramilitary Of...
A Watch Given To A CIA Paramilitary Officer After a successful joint operation in the late 2010s, a European intelligence service presented a CIA Paramilitary Officer with a gift, a...
Inside The Watch Culture Of CIA Paramilitary Officers
A Watch Given To A CIA Paramilitary Officer After a successful joint operation in the late 2010s, a European intelligence service presented a CIA Paramilitary Officer with a gift, a U-Boat timepiece to commemorate operational success. Like most accomplishments in the world of espionage, the ceremony (if you can call...
Read More
Living In Zulu Time - Why GMT Watches Are Impor...
Tracking Multiple Time Zones In Austere Circumstances By J.R. Seeger, former CIA SIS Greenwich Mean Time or “GMT” is an internationally accepted timing standard by which all other time zones...
Living In Zulu Time - Why GMT Watches Are Important to Special Operations & Intelligence Officers
Tracking Multiple Time Zones In Austere Circumstances By J.R. Seeger, former CIA SIS Greenwich Mean Time or “GMT” is an internationally accepted timing standard by which all other time zones are defined. A GMT watch tracks one or two additional time zones by way of a fourth hand, a bezel...
Read More
Dear Panerai, Stop Putting the Navy SEAL Triden...
An Open Letter to Panerai, From Watches of Espionage In 2022, Panerai released the limited-edition “Navy SEALs collection” available intended for purchase by the public, and not exclusively Navy SEALs. ...
Dear Panerai, Stop Putting the Navy SEAL Trident On Watches
An Open Letter to Panerai, From Watches of Espionage In 2022, Panerai released the limited-edition “Navy SEALs collection” available intended for purchase by the public, and not exclusively Navy SEALs. The watches are operator-chic , complete with a Navy SEAL Trident on the dial or caseback and a “Time to...
Read More