Last week, professional climber Alex Honnold free solo climbed Taipei 101, a 1,667-foot-tall tower in Taipei, Taiwan. The feat was streamed live to millions around the globe and was quite the spectacle. Honnold is best known for his (even more impressive) June 2017 free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, which I would argue is one of the most significant athletic achievements of the modern era. I have never called myself a “fanboy” of anyone, but in an era where society rewards celebrities and influencers, it is refreshing to see a master of their craft be rewarded for their passion and efforts. I am a fan of Alex Honnold.

Despite owning more watches than any rational person should, I often find myself going back to the same watches, albeit for different reasons and use cases. Here are the top four (maybe five) watches I wore the most in 2025.

How Venezuela’s National Oil Industry Quietly Issued Tudor Submariners to Working Divers - Over the weekend, as headlines filled with images of helicopters, explosions, and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela once again reminded the world that power often flows through oil. At Watches of Espionage, we often use watches as a lens to view history and current events. With that in mind, we want to take a look at a little-known story of horology history: the watches that supported the divers of Lagoven Sociedad Anónima, a state-owned Venezuelan oil company that operated from 1976 until the late 1990s.

We came across two remarkable advertisements from 1942 and 1943 in Rolex Magazine that transcend the watch industry. Whether they are altruistic or motivated by self-interest is open to interpretation, but they are inarguably profound given the historical context.  

Our Favorite Tools & Accessories From The Community - In what has become one of our favorite holiday traditions, we are back with another list of some of our favorite tools and accessories from a diverse array of brands with real ties to the W.O.E. Community.

“Sketchy dudes wear Breitling” has taken on a life of its own. What started as an inside joke between me and our 250k Instagram followers has been parroted throughout the internet and mainstream watch publications. If I’m being honest, I am kind of sick of hearing it myself. But is the Breitling of today still sketchy?

Dubai is a contradiction. A booming metropolis in a lifeless and arid desert, which didn’t exist in its current form just decades ago. From Michelin-starred restaurants to vast malls and 6-star hotels, the overwhelming display of wealth and largesse is intoxicating. Emiratis maintain a conservative Arab culture, but Western practices (including alcohol consumption) are tolerated. Visitors from around the globe flock to Dubai to spend, make, and in many cases, store their wealth.

This month has been a big one, with Swiss and US officials finally reaching a much-needed tariff agreement that sucks less than the former 39% figure, a totally new Omega Planet Ocean that could end up on 007’s wrist, some intriguing watches in space, Oval Office clock drama that broke the internet, Keanu’s kindhearted letter to the FBI, a rare interview with the Rolex CEO, and more.

If cost and scarcity didn’t matter, which watches would former intelligence officers, watch industry pros, firefighters, and Navy SEALs want for their personal collection?

One of our earliest partners, Leather Works Minnesota, has been making leather goods by hand in the United States since 1999.

From a high-profile heist targeting literal crown jewels in Paris to Vice President JD Vance returning to his Apple Watch-wearing ways to a French politician accused of hiding his luxury watch, to a major slowdown in Swiss watch exports to the US, it’s been a big few weeks for the broader Watches of Espionage community. 

A US Navy Diver and EDC enthusiast customizes a niche French military dive watch to suit his underwater workplace. Brock Stevens is a US Navy Diver and part of the photography team at W.O.E. He’s also an EDC nerd who has helped in the development of several of our custom tools, including the Birdwatcher and the Submersible Wrist Compass. When we heard Brock was leaning into his diving experience and design ethos to develop a dive watch, we asked him to tell the story of the design process and how the watch was informed by his experience in the Navy as well as his deep appreciation for the utility of mechanical watches.

The Use Your Tools Ethos Is About Utility, Heritage, & Shared Experience, Not MSRP - The watch media landscape is replete with lists of “affordable” watches, many of which are constructed based on brand input or marketing dollars, SEO optimization, or integrating affiliate links. The adage that you should not believe everything you read rings true, but for many, these lists are helpful, providing a useful starting point for further research for anyone who does not live among the weeds. With that in mind, we created a list of relatively affordable watches specifically tailored to the needs of our community.

For Astronauts, Watches Are Tools & A Key Aspect Of Culture - In 2024, more than 8,000 individuals representing a diverse array of backgrounds and fields of expertise applied to be part of NASA’s 2025 astronaut class. 

Humankind’s quest to explore the final frontier has always relied on the most cutting-edge technology, including mechanical and digital watches. After the successful launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 satellite on 04 October 1957, a sense of fear and panic spread across the Western world. 

Trump Hangs With The Rolex CEO, A Taliban Casio On Display, Honoring Robert Redford, The Syrian President’s Patek Philippe, & Plenty Of Watch Crime. 

For Some Of The World’s Most Powerful & Influential People, A Watch Is Never Just A Watch - At Watches of Espionage, we view timepieces as tools, serving dual duty as timing instruments and cultural symbols.

Forget The Insiders: The Only Rule Is To Wear What Matters To You - Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal published an article, “Do Not Wear This Watch With a Suit! And Other Men’s Watch Rules to Know in 2025.” The article garnered significant attention, with many sending it in for our thoughts.

Tudor In The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Tariff Drama Heats Up, Keanu’s Stolen Watches Coming Home, Hans Wilsdorf Revelations, Fake Cartiers, & Facebook Marketplace Watch Crime - It is once again time for the W.O.E. SITREP, or Situation Report, our monthly amalgamation of news and events related to watches, intelligence, national security, and the military.