WOE Dispatch
CIA Officers and Apple Watches
Counterintelligence Risks of Smart Watches “Apple watches are for nerds.” Though we don’t actually think this, it’s easy to understand how one could come to that conclusion. The Apple Watch...
CIA Officers and Apple Watches
Counterintelligence Risks of Smart Watches “Apple watches are for nerds.” Though we don’t actually think this, it’s easy to understand how one could come to that conclusion. The Apple Watch of today could be seen as the “calculator watch” of the ‘90s–in other words, a product with a nerdy association....
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Best Watches Under $1,000 - Ask the Experts
One of the coolest parts of the W.O.E. platform is exposing people to the world of watches in an unpretentious and engaging manner. Getting into watches can be intimidating and...
Best Watches Under $1,000 - Ask the Experts
One of the coolest parts of the W.O.E. platform is exposing people to the world of watches in an unpretentious and engaging manner. Getting into watches can be intimidating and it is difficult to know where to start. Regardless of one's socioeconomic status and access to disposable income, we recommend...
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Watches for the Modern CIA Case Officer
We asked former senior Case Officer, J.R. Seeger to write a piece on advice for a young Case Officer/Intelligence Officer for shopping for a watch. Spoiler alert: it is not...
Watches for the Modern CIA Case Officer
We asked former senior Case Officer, J.R. Seeger to write a piece on advice for a young Case Officer/Intelligence Officer for shopping for a watch. Spoiler alert: it is not a Rolex. CIA Case Officer: The Ideal Timepiece by J.R. Seeger When I joined the CIA in the 1980s, my...
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Army Ranger's Story of Watches and the Evolutio...
From Grenada to Ground Zero With Army Ranger Jose Gordon: Anti-aircraft rounds pierced the skin of the aircraft from bottom to top, their trajectory indicated by the occasional laser-like tracer....
Army Ranger's Story of Watches and the Evolution of Modern Warfare
From Grenada to Ground Zero With Army Ranger Jose Gordon: Anti-aircraft rounds pierced the skin of the aircraft from bottom to top, their trajectory indicated by the occasional laser-like tracer. As the MC-130 Combat Talon of the Air Force’s 1st Special Operations Wing settled into its final approach, Ranger Private...
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CIA Case Officer’s Everyday Carry - EDC
We get a lot of questions about “everyday carry,” commonly known as “EDC.” So in light of these requests, we want to provide some insight into our typical EDC and...
CIA Case Officer’s Everyday Carry - EDC
We get a lot of questions about “everyday carry,” commonly known as “EDC.” So in light of these requests, we want to provide some insight into our typical EDC and what I carried as a CIA Case Officer (C/O) in Africa and the Middle East. A timepiece is a crucial...
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EDC Travel Valet & Bottle Opener - The Story
Keeping your watches and tools organized is important and having a central location in your house for your wallet, keys, watch and other tools is crucial. So we designed our...
EDC Travel Valet & Bottle Opener - The Story
Keeping your watches and tools organized is important and having a central location in your house for your wallet, keys, watch and other tools is crucial. So we designed our own W.O.E. Everyday Carry (EDC) Valet for at-home use or while on the move. Each order includes a W.O.E. Surreptitious...
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Espionage & Family: A Tale of Two Watches
Chris Costa is the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum and a 34-year veteran intelligence officer, with extensive experience working in counterintelligence, human intelligence and with special operations forces...
Espionage & Family: A Tale of Two Watches
Chris Costa is the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum and a 34-year veteran intelligence officer, with extensive experience working in counterintelligence, human intelligence and with special operations forces (SOF). Chris has worked in numerous operational positions throughout the globe and was the first civilian squadron Deputy Director at...
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An Exploration of “Unit Watches” from the Speci...
“Unit watches” are at the heart of watch culture in the National Security community and closely tied to the idea of “Watches of Espionage.” A unit watch is a timepiece...
An Exploration of “Unit Watches” from the Special Operations Community: Tudor
“Unit watches” are at the heart of watch culture in the National Security community and closely tied to the idea of “Watches of Espionage.” A unit watch is a timepiece that is customized by the manufacturer for members of a specific unit or organization inside the military. Customizations can include...
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Remembering the Legacy of Billy Waugh Through H...
Former CIA Paramilitary Officer Billy Waugh passed away at the age of 93 exactly one week ago; but we don’t mourn his death–instead we celebrate his incredible life of service...
Remembering the Legacy of Billy Waugh Through His Watches
Former CIA Paramilitary Officer Billy Waugh passed away at the age of 93 exactly one week ago; but we don’t mourn his death–instead we celebrate his incredible life of service in the best way we know how–through his timepieces. William “Billy” Waugh is the Forest Gump of CIA and Special...
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Tudors of Espionage (T.O.E.s)
The Shield Protects the Crown: W.O.E. is a watch snob–or at least I was. For years, I looked down on Tudor as an inferior tool watch existing in the shadow...
Tudors of Espionage (T.O.E.s)
The Shield Protects the Crown: W.O.E. is a watch snob–or at least I was. For years, I looked down on Tudor as an inferior tool watch existing in the shadow of its big brother Rolex. I never understood why someone with a Rolex would purchase a Tudor. After all, Tudor...
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Trading a Rolex to Get out of a Sticky Situatio...
The "Escape and Evasion" Rolex The final requirement to be certified as a CIA Case Officer (C/O) is to pass the certification course at a classified government training center commonly...
Trading a Rolex to Get out of a Sticky Situation - Myth or Reality?
The "Escape and Evasion" Rolex The final requirement to be certified as a CIA Case Officer (C/O) is to pass the certification course at a classified government training center commonly referred to as “the Farm.” Students learn the tradecraft to clandestinely recruit and handle assets. The entire learning process is...
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Bond: A Case for Omega
This Dispatch is a counter argument to the previous Dispatch “James Bond Should Wear a Rolex” To those familiar with modern fiction, the inclusion of extreme detail for items such...
Bond: A Case for Omega
This Dispatch is a counter argument to the previous Dispatch “James Bond Should Wear a Rolex” To those familiar with modern fiction, the inclusion of extreme detail for items such as the tools of the hero’s trade are incredibly common, but rarely to the extent found in Ian Fleming’s text...
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Jordanian Breitling: The Gift From A King That ...
At its core, the Breitling Aerospace is a functional tool watch. The dual digital screens of the chronometer-certified "SuperQuartz" have practical features including a digital chronograph, second time zone, day...
Jordanian Breitling: The Gift From A King That Spawned A CIA Case Officer's Love Of Timepieces
At its core, the Breitling Aerospace is a functional tool watch. The dual digital screens of the chronometer-certified "SuperQuartz" have practical features including a digital chronograph, second time zone, day and date, alarm, and countdown timer. In the intelligence business, these would be useful features for conducting clandestine operations where...
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Leather Straps by W.O.E. - The Story
There are a few accessories that every watch owner needs, and a durable two-piece leather strap is one of them. So we went out and designed our own using the...
Leather Straps by W.O.E. - The Story
There are a few accessories that every watch owner needs, and a durable two-piece leather strap is one of them. So we went out and designed our own using the best craftsmen in America. The Jedburgh is a two piece English Bridle Leather Strap and the Desert Night Camouflage (DNC) is a...
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The History Of Casio G-Shocks And The US Military
Forty years have passed since the introduction of the Casio G-Shock in 1983. And while the basic formula behind the world’s most durable watch has remained largely unchanged since the...
The History Of Casio G-Shocks And The US Military
Forty years have passed since the introduction of the Casio G-Shock in 1983. And while the basic formula behind the world’s most durable watch has remained largely unchanged since the legendary DW-5000C first hit store shelves, the world of warfare and the United States Military in particular have made significant...
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Glorious Amateurs: The Watch Worn by the OSS an...
Readers of thrillers set in World War II and even some non-fiction histories of the OSS and SOE could easily assume the kit of these “special forces” operators was highly...
Glorious Amateurs: The Watch Worn by the OSS and SOE
Readers of thrillers set in World War II and even some non-fiction histories of the OSS and SOE could easily assume the kit of these “special forces” operators was highly specialized and the result of great care and curation in OSS and SOE headquarters. The reality was that early in...
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CIA Analysis of Foreign Leaders’ Timepieces
A foreign leader's timepiece can play a part in informing the profile and psychological assessment of the given leader, and when it comes to analysis, just having a piece of the puzzle...
CIA Analysis of Foreign Leaders’ Timepieces
A foreign leader's timepiece can play a part in informing the profile and psychological assessment of the given leader, and when it comes to analysis, just having a piece of the puzzle helps – a watch might be significant or might not be.
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Marathon, Watch Maker for the Modern Military
We often assign greater value to watches that were issued to soldiers in days gone by, like the Rolex MilSub of the ‘80s, Marine National Tudor Submariners from the ‘60s,...
Marathon, Watch Maker for the Modern Military
We often assign greater value to watches that were issued to soldiers in days gone by, like the Rolex MilSub of the ‘80s, Marine National Tudor Submariners from the ‘60s, or the Omega SM300 examples ordered by the British Ministry of Defence during the same era. There’s something fascinating about...
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