WOE Dispatch
The Great Escape: Rolex & WWII POWs
Allied Prisoners of War and Rolex Watch Co., a story of hope in the midst of a grim world conflict. As the war between Axis and Allied forces raged on,...
The Great Escape: Rolex & WWII POWs
Allied Prisoners of War and Rolex Watch Co., a story of hope in the midst of a grim world conflict. As the war between Axis and Allied forces raged on, Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the watch company named Montres Rolex SA, had a brilliant notion: Why not let these...
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The W.O.E. Tudor PVD Pelagos FXD
Customizing my dream watch, the W.O.E. PVD Pelagos FXD - When Tudor released the Black Pelagos FXD last year, I instantly knew I wanted one to land in my collection....
The W.O.E. Tudor PVD Pelagos FXD
Customizing my dream watch, the W.O.E. PVD Pelagos FXD - When Tudor released the Black Pelagos FXD last year, I instantly knew I wanted one to land in my collection.
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Watches & Wheels: Pairing Military Vehicles wit...
Round Two of honoring the age-old tradition of matching watches up with heavy-hitting machinery. We’ve done it once before–paired watches with military aircraft–and now we’re doing it again. Except this...
Watches & Wheels: Pairing Military Vehicles with Timepieces
Round Two of honoring the age-old tradition of matching watches up with heavy-hitting machinery. We’ve done it once before–paired watches with military aircraft–and now we’re doing it again. Except this time, we’re trading wings and rotors for wheels and tracks. These watch pairings explore the world of military vehicles. There’s...
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A Mystery Death in Oslo, an Intelligence Op Gon...
An unidentified woman was found dead in a luxury Oslo hotel. Was “Jennifer Fairgate” an assassin, spy or a troubled woman looking to disappear? Her timepiece is a clue to...
A Mystery Death in Oslo, an Intelligence Op Gone Wrong?
An unidentified woman was found dead in a luxury Oslo hotel. Was “Jennifer Fairgate” an assassin, spy or a troubled woman looking to disappear? Her timepiece is a clue to solving a complex puzzle that reads like a Hollywood thriller. 3 June 1995, Oslo Plaza Hotel, Room 2805 The woman’s...
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CIA Timepiece Analysis: President Putin and Tuc...
Last week, former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson interviewed former KGB officer and current Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While much of the coverage surrounded the controversy...
CIA Timepiece Analysis: President Putin and Tucker Carlson
Last week, former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson interviewed former KGB officer and current Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While much of the coverage surrounded the controversy of Tucker himself, we will focus on what we know best: the watches present at the meeting in the Kremlin. ...
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South African Issued Tudor Submariners - Making...
Our good friends Darren and Ross Povey from Tudor Collector discussed the history of military issued Tudor Submariners on the most recent episode of “Making Time” podcast. We plan to...
South African Issued Tudor Submariners - Making Time Podcast
Our good friends Darren and Ross Povey from Tudor Collector discussed the history of military issued Tudor Submariners on the most recent episode of “Making Time” podcast. We plan to do a complete W.O.E. Dispatch on South African MilSubs in the future but this is a great opportunity to learn...
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Ask Watches Of Espionage Anything, Part III
In this edition of the Dispatch, we’ll answer some common questions we get about W.O.E., timepieces and the Intelligence Community at large. Many of these responses can – and probably...
Ask Watches Of Espionage Anything, Part III
In this edition of the Dispatch, we’ll answer some common questions we get about W.O.E., timepieces and the Intelligence Community at large. Many of these responses can – and probably will at some point–serve as stand alone stories, but for now, here’s some additional insight on Watches of Espionage. If...
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The Real Spy Gadget Watches of the CIA, KGB, MI...
The Real Spy (Gadget) Watches of the CIA, Soviet KGB, Turkish MIT and German Intelligence While Hollywood's depiction of lasers, knockout gas, and grappling hooks disguised as Rolex Submariners and...
The Real Spy Gadget Watches of the CIA, KGB, MIT and German Intelligence
The Real Spy (Gadget) Watches of the CIA, Soviet KGB, Turkish MIT and German Intelligence While Hollywood's depiction of lasers, knockout gas, and grappling hooks disguised as Rolex Submariners and Omega Seamasters is entertaining, it’s largely all a fantastical product of a screenwriter's imagination. In fact, at CIA I was...
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Sangin Instruments - The Marine Owned “Raider R...
Sangin Instruments - The Marine Owned “Raider Rolex” I first heard of Sangin Instruments during TDY travel to a WarZone while at CIA. At the time I was responsible for...
Sangin Instruments - The Marine Owned “Raider Rolex”
Sangin Instruments - The Marine Owned “Raider Rolex” I first heard of Sangin Instruments during TDY travel to a WarZone while at CIA. At the time I was responsible for a counterterrorism Covert Action program in the Middle East and I was traveling to visit the program on a flight...
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Omega's Modern Unit Watch Program - Frogmen, SE...
Omega has a long history of producing watches for the military, most notably the classic Seamaster 300 made for the British Royal Navy. Today the company is continuing that history...
Omega's Modern Unit Watch Program - Frogmen, SEALs and the Secret Service
Omega has a long history of producing watches for the military, most notably the classic Seamaster 300 made for the British Royal Navy. Today the company is continuing that history with special production “unit watches,” and appears to have standardized its program, offering a unique Seamaster Diver 300M solely to...
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Watches as Tools of Money Laundering and Illici...
Luxury timepieces are one of the most effective mediums to move illicit funds around the globe and a tool to integrate those ill-gotten gains into the financial system. Transnational criminal...
Watches as Tools of Money Laundering and Illicit Finance
Luxury timepieces are one of the most effective mediums to move illicit funds around the globe and a tool to integrate those ill-gotten gains into the financial system. Transnational criminal networks, terrorists, narcotraffickers and corrupt politicians have used watches to launder money as a part of global illicit finance. The...
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Top Dispatch Articles of 2023 - Watches of Espi...
Top Dispatch Articles of 2023 - Watches of Espionage As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look at the top Dispatch articles from the year. Thank you for...
Top Dispatch Articles of 2023 - Watches of Espionage
Top Dispatch Articles of 2023 - Watches of Espionage As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look at the top Dispatch articles from the year. Thank you for all of your support, we look forward to a great year in 2024. -W.O.E. 10. Hollywood Watches of Espionage Mercenaries,...
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Tactical Watches & Christmas Films - Die Hard, ...
Movie Watches To Watch For This Christmas Season: Watches of Espionage Edition Like we’ve always said here at W.O.E., tradition matters. It’s what builds culture and forms the pillars of...
Tactical Watches & Christmas Films - Die Hard, Lethal Weapon & Home Alone
Movie Watches To Watch For This Christmas Season: Watches of Espionage Edition Like we’ve always said here at W.O.E., tradition matters. It’s what builds culture and forms the pillars of our community. And during the Holiday season, tradition means appreciating the cinematic masterpiece that is Die Hard. As usual, we’ll...
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W.O.E. 2023 Holiday Gift Guide
In preparation for the holidays, we provide the W.O.E. stamp of approval on the following products. We have closed up “shop” for the year but will be back next year...
W.O.E. 2023 Holiday Gift Guide
In preparation for the holidays, we provide the W.O.E. stamp of approval on the following products. We have closed up “shop” for the year but will be back next year with some exciting tools for our community. Please sign up for “Notify Me When Available” for anything that interests you. ...
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A Question of Time: The Time Pencil Explosive F...
In intelligence operations, time matters. While our Dispatch articles traditionally focus on watches, today we look at another tool to measure time, the time pencil. It’s a short time fuze...
A Question of Time: The Time Pencil Explosive Fuze in World War II
In intelligence operations, time matters. While our Dispatch articles traditionally focus on watches, today we look at another tool to measure time, the time pencil. It’s a short time fuze detonator used for explosive charges in covert operations in World War II. We have profiled watches of the Glorious Amateurs...
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A Brief History Of The Dive Watch - How The Mil...
Benjamin Lowry - If you’re new here, you’ll want to go back and read part one (HERE) of this two-part series where we detail the history of the earliest diving-specific...
A Brief History Of The Dive Watch - How The Military Helped To Shape History’s Greatest Tool Watch (Part Two)
Benjamin Lowry - If you’re new here, you’ll want to go back and read part one (HERE) of this two-part series where we detail the history of the earliest diving-specific watches and their crucial links to military organizations including Italy’s Decima Flottiglia MAS, the US Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT
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Moscow Rules: Watches of the Widow Spy
Spy Watches, Women and Espionage - At the height of the Cold War, a female CIA officer operated with impunity on the streets of Moscow, free from the ever-present KGB...
Moscow Rules: Watches of the Widow Spy
Spy Watches, Women and Espionage - At the height of the Cold War, a female CIA officer operated with impunity on the streets of Moscow, free from the ever-present KGB surveillance. But it all changed one warm summer night when she was ambushed while servicing a dead drop for a...
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Advice for Buying a Watch
The Watches of Espionage community can be broken down into two segments: professional watch nerds tired of the traditional watch media; and complete newbies, those initially attracted by Military and...
Advice for Buying a Watch
The Watches of Espionage community can be broken down into two segments: professional watch nerds tired of the traditional watch media; and complete newbies, those initially attracted by Military and Intelligence content but with little interest in watches. Over time, the latter group usually develops an interest in watches and...
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