WOE Dispatch

Esquire Profile: The Mysterious Story Behind 'Watches of Espionage' - W.O.E.

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...

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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 Recovered by Mossad

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...

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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 Watches

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...

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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

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...

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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 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 Shape History’s Greatest Tool Watch

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...

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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

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...

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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 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observat

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U.S. Presidents and Timepieces, The Last 40 Years

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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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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Covert Influence in Watch Media

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...

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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 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 Batman Bezel

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,...

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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

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...

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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 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

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...

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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 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 Special Projects Division

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...

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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 Company

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...

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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

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...

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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 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

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...

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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 includes a watch they might actually wear, and this is especially true in the military, intelligence and espionage genre. When...

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Watches of the War in Ukraine

Watches of the War in Ukraine

Watches of the War in Ukraine - Mercenaries, Presidents, Generals, and Oligarchs - a conflict of timepieces

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Watches of the War in Ukraine

Watches of the War in Ukraine - Mercenaries, Presidents, Generals, and Oligarchs - a conflict of timepieces

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Third Option Foundation Fundraise - GBRS AOR-1 Watch Pouch and Challenge Coin

Third Option Foundation Fundraise - GBRS AOR-1 ...

We are happy to announce the release of a special edition watch pouch and challenge coin in partnership with GBRS Group.  The pouch is constructed with repurposed issued AOR-1 camouflage...

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Third Option Foundation Fundraise - GBRS AOR-1 Watch Pouch and Challenge Coin

We are happy to announce the release of a special edition watch pouch and challenge coin in partnership with GBRS Group.  The pouch is constructed with repurposed issued AOR-1 camouflage uniforms worn by GBRS co-founders and former Navy SEALs Cole Fackler and DJ Shipley.  Each order includes a W.O.E.-GBRS challenge...

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Watches of Diplomatic Security

Watches of Diplomatic Security

Special Agent Mel Harrison served in the US State Department for twenty-eight years, mostly as a Regional Security Officer in the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The role of a DSS...

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Watches of Diplomatic Security

Special Agent Mel Harrison served in the US State Department for twenty-eight years, mostly as a Regional Security Officer in the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The role of a DSS Agent overseas is to advise the U.S. Ambassador on all security matters and to protect U.S. personnel, facilities, and information. ...

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