Every Watch In Jack Carr’s Red Sky Mourning

Sketchy Breitlings, A Vietnam-Era Rolex, & More

Making fun of Navy SEALs writing books is a joke that will never get old.  That said, there have been some great authors to come out of the Teams and Jack Carr is at the top of the list.

Carr’s series of novels detailing the adventures of James Reece has become a massive hit, transcending the boundaries of our community to find broader mainstream success including a 2022 television adaptation starring Chris Pratt, The Terminal List.

We have discussed watch culture in the SEAL Teams at length and Carr is also a watch enthusiast, with an extensive collection that includes a Rolex Sea-Dweller he wore while serving in the Teams as well as a Tudor Pelagos FXD Black, several Vietnam-era Seikos, an Ares, and more

(Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley)

One of the key aspects that makes Carr’s writing compelling is the author’s incredible attention to detail, always doing additional research to describe firearms, gear, and watches in depth. Throughout the series, James Reece, Carr’s protagonist, wears a vintage Rolex Submariner gifted to him by his father, a Vietnam-era SEAL turned CIA Case Officer. In the television adaptation, Reece—portrayed by Chris Pratt—wears several watches including an Oris Aquis Pro Date Calibre 400, Resco Instruments BlackFrog Gen2 Black PVD (an insider told us he wanted to wear a military watch in specific scenes), a G-Shock GA-100-1A1, and a period correct 5.11 Military Tactical Field Ops Watch.

Chris Pratt wearing a Resco Instruments BlackFrog Gen2 Black PVD in the television adaptation of The Terminal List. (Photo Credit: Justin Lubin)

Carr’s seventh book in the James Reece series, Red Sky Mourning, was released last month. When I read it, I was truly surprised by the number of specific watches mentioned in the text, with one even playing a pivotal role in the plot. I knew Carr was a watch enthusiast, but this new novel shows how far down the rabbit hole the SEAL-turned-author has fallen. If you haven’t checked out the book, be advised: This text contains some spoilers.

Elba Industries Breitling Emergency

In Red Sky Mourning, at least one watch with a special complication plays an integral role in the plot. Andrew Hart, the dastardly fictional head of the fictional Elba Industries, wears a sketchy Breitling Emergency complete with a co-signed dial featuring Elba’s logo, a golden bee, an homage to co-signed “unit watches” from Breitling including the Blackwater Breitling we have discussed in great detail. Given Carr’s history in the SEAL Teams and working with CIA, it would be reasonable to assume the author has seen a few of these watches in his day.

Former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince wearing a Blackwater-signed Breitling Emergency.

An analog digital timepiece from Breitling’s golden era producing “watches for professionals”, the Emergency contains an antenna that broadcasts a signal on the 121.5 MHz aircraft emergency frequency when activated. Commercial and military aircraft monitored the frequency and were able to alert search and rescue teams of an individual's location, anywhere in the world. At Red Sky Mourning’s climax, the signal from Hart’s Emergency is used to locate the ne'er-do-well and James Reece, an old-school Rolex guy through and through.

Vintage Rolex Submariner

A Rolex Submariner reference 5513 from the same era as the Sub worn by James Reece throughout the books. (Photo Credit: Wind Vintage)

In the Terminal List series, James Reece is a former US Navy SEAL who has also worked extensively with the Agency. Reece’s father, Tom, was also a SEAL turned CIA Case Officer, having served in the Teams in Vietnam where he purchased the Submariner that also features prominently throughout the series on his son’s wrist. In Red Sky Mourning, James Reece’s Rolex is taken from him by the Chinese intelligence officer Ba Jin who also asks what year the Sub is from. Reece says, “It’s a ’68. You guys had just kicked off your Cultural Revolution a couple of years earlier. How many people did Mao kill in his efforts to purify the Party?” As you’d expect, Reece ends up getting the watch back in a way that does not work out well for Ba Jin.

US Navy SEALs in Vietnam wearing Rolex or Tudor Submariners.

Given the 1968 timeframe, the Submariner in question is most likely either a non-date chronometer certified 5512 or potentially the non-COSC 5513, both models that are closely associated with Vietnam-era SEALs. It’s also conceivable the watch is a date model 1680 that also offered the red Submariner text at the time that is so coveted by collectors today. While arguably this should have been an issued Tudor Submariner, a classic Rolex Submariner is the perfect choice for a legacy SEAL like Reece that also once again demonstrates the author’s attention to detail and love for horology.

Rhodesian Army Roamer Anfibio

W.O.E.’s personal Rhodesian Roamer (Photo Credit: James Rupley)

In Red Sky Mourning, as he often does, Reece visits the Hastings family, home of his best friend Raife Hastings, a South African-born former SEAL teammate, and his father, Jonathan, who served with the Special Air Service (SAS) and later the famed Rhodesian Selous Scouts. Reaching extremely deep into the annals of military watch history, Carr equips Jonathan with a Roamer Anfibio, a seldom-discussed Swiss watch whose claim to fame is having been issued to the Rhodesian military back in the 1970s.

Rhodesian issued Roamer on a leather military "Bund" strap worn by Colonel David “King” Parker, Commanding Officer of the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI). Col. Parker is wearing the Roamer, which was common according to pictures from the Bush War.

Jonathan Hasting’s history with the Selous Scouts, a special forces component of the Rhodesian Army, makes this watch an excellent and historically accurate choice for Hastings who serves as something of an additional father figure to Reece. What led Roamer, a Swiss brand founded in 1888, to supply the Rhodesian military is one of watch history’s mysteries, but you can’t fault the quality of Carr’s homework. If you have been following this page, you know I've spent a lot of my life living, working, and traveling in Africa, a country with a large number of unique and lesser-known military watches. Interestingly, Hasting’s trajectory closely follows that of a real individual, someone who is not widely known outside of the Intelligence Community.

Tianjin Seagull 1963

Chang Zheng is a Chinese Jin-Class Type 094 Submarine featuring  prominently in a cat-and-mouse game with the USS Reagan in the early pages of Red Sky Mourning. In describing her captain, Commander Zhen, Carr says mentions the, “…Tianjin Seagull 1963 watch on his wrist.”, a reference that serves as perhaps the second deepest watch cut in the book after the aforementioned Roamer Anfibio. Known to enthusiasts as simply the “Seagull 1963”, the Chinese-made manual-winding chronograph serves as perhaps the least expensive mechanical chronograph available today, with an ST19 caliber produced in China at Tianjin’s factory with tooling purchased from Switzerland back in the 1950s.

A Chinese Jin-Class Type 094 Submarine like the Chang Zheng mentioned in Red Sky Mourning.

Initially produced for Chinese Air Force pilots, the Seagull 1963 is an enthusiast-favorite watch because of its attainable price point—typically less than $500—in relation to its complication coupled with a surprisingly well-decorated movement. For a Chinese submarine commander, it also makes a lot of sense given the watch’s military history. Captaining a Chinese submarine likely involves direct inclusion in the communist party. For Commander Zhen to demonstrate his pride in the party by wearing a mechanical watch produced in his country feels dead-on accurate.

Rolex Yacht-Master

A second watch from the Crown mentioned in the text is the Rolex Yacht-Master, worn by Dr. Lawrence Miles, an avid sailor, former CIA contractor, and the billionaire founder of the Delphi Corporation. Reece goes to Miles’ home in Marin, California to learn more about the motivations behind the nefarious Andrew Hart. During their conversation, Miles describes a meeting he had with Hart and two other sketchy individuals, saying,

“I remember they all wore the same watch—Breitling Emergencies. As a sailor you notice things like that,” he said, tapping the white gold Rolex Yacht-Master on his wrist and pointing to the stainless Submariner worn by his guest.”

While white gold and platinum are the materials that come to mind first for the Yacht-Master, the new titanium version would also be an interesting pick for Miles’ character. (Photo Credit: Hodinkee)

Also describing his sailing history, the Yacht-Master is the perfect choice for the billionaire and passionate sailor who spends his days overlooking San Francisco Bay. Unlike many Rolex sport models, there is no full-steel Yacht-Master in the modern catalog, meaning you’re looking at either full-gold, some combination of steel and platinum or steel and gold, or the new titanium variant released earlier this year. Given Miles’ financial situation, we like to think we went full billionaire bling.

(Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley)

Digital Tool Watches (D.T.W.) & Smartwatches

In addition to the above-listed mechanical analog watches, Carr also mentions a Timex Ironman in the text, placing the legendary attainable digital watch on the wrist of retired US Army General and current CIA Director Marcus Howe. In the text, Carr writes, “Howe looked down at the Timex Ironman watch that had graced his wrist for most of his time in uniform…” With a thirty-year background in US Army Special Forces, the humble Ironman is an appropriate and pragmatic option for the Agency director. Adding another layer, the Timex Ironman was commonly issued to CIA Paramilitary Officers as well as partner forces including Afghan units.

While less key to the plot, smartwatches are also mentioned several times in the text, usually in discussions regarding their vulnerability. We’ve detailed the role and counterintelligence vulnerabilities of the smartwatch in modern espionage, and we appreciate Carr for bringing this element of modern watch culture into the book. Read more about “CIA Officers and Apple Watches” HERE.

More than many thriller writers from outside the community, Carr manages to capture both the essential essence and concrete details of life within intelligence and special operations. Viewed from any number of angles and by various enthusiast communities for knives, firearms, tactical equipment, and watches, Carr packs the James Reece sagas with layer upon layer of references and Easter eggs that some will grasp and some won’t, but that’s the fun of it.

We often make fun of SEALs, most of whom are authors, and will continue to do so. But Jack Carr has done it the right way, avoiding repetitively rehashing his own GWOT adventures in favor of the larger-than-life story of James Reece that is bolstered by Carr’s personal experience in the field of special operations and espionage. For watch enthusiasts, this level of attention to detail and historical accuracy is the good stuff and only adds another level of intrigue to Carr’s work.

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Featured Image Credits: Breitling Emergency (Photo Credit: Lunar Oyster), Rolex Submariner 5513 (Photo Credit: Wind Vintage), Roamer Anfibio (Photo Credit: James Rupley)