WOE Dispatch
Watches of the Middle East and the Israeli - Pa...
The latest Israel-Hamas war began one month ago with the October 7 terrorist attacks. It’s another conflict that will have significant impacts on the future of the region and potentially...
Watches of the Middle East and the Israeli - Palestinian Conflict
The latest Israel-Hamas war began one month ago with the October 7 terrorist attacks. It’s another conflict that will have significant impacts on the future of the region and potentially the world. While the nature of a conflict changes over time, one constant is the presence of timepieces on the...
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What Watch Pairs With What Military Aircraft?
Honoring an age-old tradition of matching watches up with heavy-hitting machinery. At W.O.E., we cover all sorts of subjects relevant to our community, ranging from in-depth profiles of impactful Intelligence...
What Watch Pairs With What Military Aircraft?
Honoring an age-old tradition of matching watches up with heavy-hitting machinery. At W.O.E., we cover all sorts of subjects relevant to our community, ranging from in-depth profiles of impactful Intelligence Community and military practitioners to breaking down geopolitical conflicts through the lens of watches. Today, however, we figured we’d go...
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Esquire Profile: The Mysterious Story Behind 'W...
Watches of Espionage was recently profiled by Andrew Harrison for Esquire's "The Big Watch Book." The Mysterious Story Behind 'Watches of Espionage' The Instagram account and website has become a...
Esquire Profile: The Mysterious Story Behind 'Watches of Espionage' - W.O.E.
Watches of Espionage was recently profiled by Andrew Harrison for Esquire's "The Big Watch Book." The Mysterious Story Behind 'Watches of Espionage' The Instagram account and website has become a runaway hit by revealing the surprising links between luxury timepieces and spycraft. One detail remains classified. The identity of the...
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Israeli Spy Eli Cohen’s Eterna-Matic Centenaire...
By Toby Harnden The announcement in July 2018 of a successful “special Mossad operation” to recover a watch came more than 53 years after its owner had been publicly hanged...
Israeli Spy Eli Cohen’s Eterna-Matic Centenaire Recovered by Mossad
By Toby Harnden The announcement in July 2018 of a successful “special Mossad operation” to recover a watch came more than 53 years after its owner had been publicly hanged in Damascus, Syria. The Eterna-Matic Centenaire 61 had been purchased in Geneva in 1961 by a Syrian called Kamel Amin...
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DARPA’s Take on the Next Generation of Military...
How Has DARPA Imagined the Future of Wristwatches? The unquantifiable nature of watches is that these little mechanical objects can be imbued with stories of service, sacrifice, and relationships. When...
DARPA’s Take on the Next Generation of Military Watches
How Has DARPA Imagined the Future of Wristwatches? The unquantifiable nature of watches is that these little mechanical objects can be imbued with stories of service, sacrifice, and relationships. When W.O.E. covers watches, we often shy away from product reviews and instead look at the human element that makes watches...
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Double Wristing Stormin' Norman
No, General Schwarzkopf did not double wrist a Rolex and Seiko Despite What You’ve Read. Pictured is General H. Norman Schwarzkopf wearing two watches. Read any story on Schwarzkopf and...
Double Wristing Stormin' Norman
No, General Schwarzkopf did not double wrist a Rolex and Seiko Despite What You’ve Read. Pictured is General H. Norman Schwarzkopf wearing two watches. Read any story on Schwarzkopf and watches and you’ll learn that it’s a Rolex Day-Date and a Seiko diver. There’s just one problem–he didn’t wear a...
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The Dive Watch - How The Military Helped To Sha...
by Benjamin Lowry On a moonless night, gently rolling waves reflect only the faintest shimmer of starlight. Fully submerged well up the beach by way of a spring tide, a team...
The Dive Watch - How The Military Helped To Shape History’s Greatest Tool Watch
by Benjamin Lowry On a moonless night, gently rolling waves reflect only the faintest shimmer of starlight. Fully submerged well up the beach by way of a spring tide, a team of commandos peer down at their synchronized mechanical dive watches, counting down the seconds before their waterside assault will begin...
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SOG Seikos - Vietnam MACV-SOG Watches, Part II
Detailing the Lesser Known Fourth CISO-Issued “SOG Seiko” By Nick Ferrell - Watches of Espionage previously covered a trio of vintage Seiko dive watches worn by the U.S. Military’s ultra-secretive...
SOG Seikos - Vietnam MACV-SOG Watches, Part II
Detailing the Lesser Known Fourth CISO-Issued “SOG Seiko” By Nick Ferrell - Watches of Espionage previously covered a trio of vintage Seiko dive watches worn by the U.S. Military’s ultra-secretive Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observat
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U.S. Presidents and Timepieces, The Last 40 Years
The watches of the most powerful men in the world, the Commander in Chief
U.S. Presidents and Timepieces, The Last 40 Years
The watches of the most powerful men in the world, the Commander in Chief
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"Let's Roll" - A Hero's Rolex Frozen In Time - ...
Todd Beamer’s gold and steel Rolex was found among the debris from Flight 93. While the hands are disfigured and the sapphire crystal is gone, the date window–frozen in time–...
"Let's Roll" - A Hero's Rolex Frozen In Time - September 11, 2001
Todd Beamer’s gold and steel Rolex was found among the debris from Flight 93. While the hands are disfigured and the sapphire crystal is gone, the date window–frozen in time– still reads “11.” Remembering the heroes of September 11th Attacks: On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Todd Beamer, a...
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Covert Influence in Watch Media
A CIA Case Officer’s job is to steal secrets by recruiting and running assets - penetrations of a foreign government or hostile non-state actor. At the core of this trade...
Covert Influence in Watch Media
A CIA Case Officer’s job is to steal secrets by recruiting and running assets - penetrations of a foreign government or hostile non-state actor. At the core of this trade is manipulating an individual to report on his or her organization and spy on behalf of the US Government. A...
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Does Rolex Make Mistakes? The Motley 8 - Error ...
In Watch and Firearm Collecting, Details Matter I purchased a new Rolex GMT Master II “Batman” directly from an authorized Rolex dealer (“AD”). After photographing the watch in my studio,...
Does Rolex Make Mistakes? The Motley 8 - Error Batman Bezel
In Watch and Firearm Collecting, Details Matter I purchased a new Rolex GMT Master II “Batman” directly from an authorized Rolex dealer (“AD”). After photographing the watch in my studio, I was surprised to see a production error that I had never seen before. In the “8” in the “18”...
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CIA Officer’s Love Affair with the Arabic Seiko
As I type this Dispatch, I am on a transatlantic flight to London for a short visit, a mix of business and pleasure. As a former CIA Case Officer, separating...
CIA Officer’s Love Affair with the Arabic Seiko
As I type this Dispatch, I am on a transatlantic flight to London for a short visit, a mix of business and pleasure. As a former CIA Case Officer, separating the two can be difficult. In my W.O.E. travel pouch is my Rolex GMT Master II 16710. On my wrist...
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Ask Watches Of Espionage Anything, Part II
In this edition of the Dispatch, we answer some common questions we get about W.O.E., timepieces and the Intelligence Community at large. Many of these responses can even serve as...
Ask Watches Of Espionage Anything, Part II
In this edition of the Dispatch, we answer some common questions we get about W.O.E., timepieces and the Intelligence Community at large. Many of these responses can even serve as stand alone stories– and probably will at some point–but for now, here’s some additional insight on Watches of Espionage. If...
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Aviation “Unit Watches”: Bremont Military and S...
One of the most common questions we receive from active duty military, law enforcement and intelligence officers is how to organize a “unit watch.” We have previously profiled Tudor’s unit...
Aviation “Unit Watches”: Bremont Military and Special Projects Division
One of the most common questions we receive from active duty military, law enforcement and intelligence officers is how to organize a “unit watch.” We have previously profiled Tudor’s unit watch program and plan to cover all of the major players in this space. UK-based Bremont Watch Company has made...
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Watches and Commercial Espionage: Waltham Watch...
The connection between watches and the military, the dangers of commercial espionage and the influence of firearms manufacturing on the watch industry. by Aaron Stark In December 2022 I published...
Watches and Commercial Espionage: Waltham Watch Company
The connection between watches and the military, the dangers of commercial espionage and the influence of firearms manufacturing on the watch industry. by Aaron Stark In December 2022 I published Disrupting Time: Industrial combat, espionage, and the downfall of a great American company. I got started on this mission of...
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Modern Navy SEAL Watch Culture - GBRS Group
Travel Pouch And Challenge Coin - Third Option Foundation Fundraise Modern Navy SEAL Watch Culture - GBRS Group and Watches of Espionage Collaboration We have written extensively about the history...
Modern Navy SEAL Watch Culture - GBRS Group
Travel Pouch And Challenge Coin - Third Option Foundation Fundraise Modern Navy SEAL Watch Culture - GBRS Group and Watches of Espionage Collaboration We have written extensively about the history of Navy SEALs and watches. From Tudor Submariner 7928’s issued in Vietnam and Seiko 6309-7049’s during the Cold War days...
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Hollywood Watches of Espionage
Mercenaries, Arms Dealers, CIA Contractors, and Navy SEALs – a timepiece can complement a fictional character. Watches play a significant role in film. An accurate depiction of a character often...
Hollywood Watches of Espionage
Mercenaries, Arms Dealers, CIA Contractors, and Navy SEALs – a timepiece can complement a fictional character. Watches play a significant role in film. An accurate depiction of a character often includes a watch they might actually wear, and this is especially true in the military, intelligence and espionage genre. When...
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