WOE Dispatch

US Secret Service Omega Seamaster During Trump's Assassination Attempt

US Secret Service Omega Seamaster During Trump'...

A Special Unit-Specific Version Of An Iconic Watch Designed For The US Secret Service This past Saturday, a series of gunshots was heard around the world. Former US President Donald...

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US Secret Service Omega Seamaster During Trump's Assassination Attempt

A Special Unit-Specific Version Of An Iconic Watch Designed For The US Secret Service This past Saturday, a series of gunshots was heard around the world. Former US President Donald Trump was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania in support of his upcoming presidential bid when suddenly, he flinched and...

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The Murky World Of Counterfeit Rolex

The Murky World Of Counterfeit Rolex

Fake Watch Shopping In Istanbul -  A Case Study As a CIA Case Officer operating overseas, you are exposed to the dark side of humanity. It is not a career...

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The Murky World Of Counterfeit Rolex

Fake Watch Shopping In Istanbul -  A Case Study As a CIA Case Officer operating overseas, you are exposed to the dark side of humanity. It is not a career for the faint-hearted and you learn some things they don’t teach in school. He who fights monsters should see to...

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Custom G-Shock, Omega, & Tudor - Watches Fit To Guard A King

Custom G-Shock, Omega, & Tudor - Watches Fit To...

Unit Watches Of The UK’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Despite the rise of inexpensive Digital Tool Watches and feature-rich connected smartwatches, there is an ever-growing subset of the military, intelligence,...

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Custom G-Shock, Omega, & Tudor - Watches Fit To Guard A King

Unit Watches Of The UK’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Despite the rise of inexpensive Digital Tool Watches and feature-rich connected smartwatches, there is an ever-growing subset of the military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities with a passion for mechanical or otherwise more interesting timepieces. We’ve discussed so-called “unit watches” in...

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A Second Seiko 6139 Chronograph In Outer Space

A Second Seiko 6139 Chronograph In Outer Space

The Watch Journey Of A Vietnam Fighter Pilot & Astronaut  by Nick Ferrell NASA Astronaut and US Air Force Colonel Richard Covey recalls the first time he glimpsed the sunrise...

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A Second Seiko 6139 Chronograph In Outer Space

The Watch Journey Of A Vietnam Fighter Pilot & Astronaut  by Nick Ferrell NASA Astronaut and US Air Force Colonel Richard Covey recalls the first time he glimpsed the sunrise over the curvature of the Earth from 150 miles up in space, “I thought two things: First, ‘Holy Cow!’ This...

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Which Watch Would James Bond Really Wear?

Which Watch Would James Bond Really Wear?

Picking More Reasonable Timepieces For History's Most Famous Secret Agent When it comes to Watches of Espionage, James Bond is the elephant in the room. While there is a significant...

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Which Watch Would James Bond Really Wear?

Picking More Reasonable Timepieces For History's Most Famous Secret Agent When it comes to Watches of Espionage, James Bond is the elephant in the room. While there is a significant gap between real-world intelligence operations and Hollywood's depiction, Ian Fleming’s character has had an indelible impact on our community’s watch...

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Watches Worn By Pilots Of The D-Day Squadron

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...

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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....

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Bribes & Operational Gifts  - The Role Of Timepieces In Clandestine Operations

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...

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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...

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Precision In Flight: IWC’s Historical & Enduring Bond With Military Aviation

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...

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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...

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The Best Military Watches For Land, Sea, & Air

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...

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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...

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The Watch Industry & Celebrity Marketing Through the Ages

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?...

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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...

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A Navy SEAL’s Unlikely Journey Into The Watch World

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,...

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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...

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Diving With The Marathon Search and Rescue

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...

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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...

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Sketchy Dudes Wear Breitling - We Don’t Make The Rules

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...

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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...

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US Army PSYOP: Christopher Ward “Unit Watch” in Recruiting Video

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...

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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.

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The Seiko Found In The Wreckage Of A Spy Ship And North Korean Covert Operations

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...

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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...

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From NASA To SpaceX - The Watches Of SpecOps Astronaut Recovery Teams

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...

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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...

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Watches And Wonders Releases For The W.O.E. Community

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...

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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...

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Hollywood Watches of Espionage, Part II

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...

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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...

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