FBI Breitlings, Iran Holding British Couple, Luxury Watch Scammer Sentenced, Pro-Russian Paramilitary Leader Assassinated, & New Stats For Swiss Watches By Benjamin Lowry At Watches of Espionage, we take a holistic approach to our understanding of current events, regularly scrolling mainstream news outlets, sketchy conspiracy theory sites, social media, and anything else that falls within our purview. Once a month, we take all of that roughly digested information and distill it into something we like to call the SITREP (Situation Report), a brief synopsis of recent events related to watches, crime, espionage, the military, and anything else we think you’ll find valuable or entertaining. No marketing fluff. No celebrity endorsements. Only the good stuff. This past month, there was a lot to unpack. From a fraudulent Beverly Hills watch dealer getting his comeuppance to a pro-Russia paramilitary leader dying in a mysterious explosion to British nationals accused of espionage (sketchy Breitling content included) to some surprising watch theft stats, it’s been a big February. On top of all that, one of the more important statistical analyses of the watch industry was recently released, serving up several intriguing insights. Hold onto your hats, it’s time for the SITREP. The Timepiece Gentleman Sentenced For Mail & Wire Fraud At this point, our fascination with watch-related crime is well-established and some would say borderline unhealthy. After pleading guilty back in October, Anthony Farrer, who operated a Beverly Hills watch consignment business based on an online persona known as “The Timepiece Gentleman”, was recently sentenced for mail and wire fraud to the tune of about 5.6M US doll hairs. According to court documents, after advertising a relatively straightforward consignment-style business in which he would retain a percentage of proceeds after selling a watch on behalf of a client, Farrer would instead keep all of the money, using the ill-begotten funds to maintain a lavish LA lifestyle including luxury apartments and cars. As we have discussed in our piece looking at watches as tools of money laundering and other illicit activities, timepieces are easily transferable units of value. That aspect, combined with the dramatic rise in the value of brands and vintage watches, means bad actors looking to make a quick buck will increasingly look to watches for nefarious purposes. However, in the long run, crime doesn’t pay, and the ironically named Timepiece Gentleman will have almost six years in federal prison to consider whether all of the Richard Mille Instagram wrist shots were worth it. US Secret Service Breitling On The New Deputy Director Of The FBI Dan Bongino in his USSS days wearing a Secret Service Breitling “Unit Watch” while providing close protection to President Barack Obama. As discussed in our look at the watches of the Trump Administration, the White House has no shortage of Breitling content. Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, wears a 46mm titanium Breitling Cockpit B50 with the White House seal on the dial, part of a special run of White House Breitling models ordered in the past few years. Not to be outdone, Trump’s pick for the FBI’s deputy director spot, former Secret Service agent and conservative media personality Dan Bongino, has also been spotted wearing a Breitling. Former USSS Acting Director Ronald Rowe wearing a USSS Breitling that could be the same as Bongino’s. Rather than the White House version, Bongino’s Breitling appears to be the seldom-seen older USSS Colt GMT with the Service Star on the dial that we’ve also spotted on former Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe. Remember, when it comes to sketchy dudes and Breitling, we don’t make the rules. We simply observe and discuss. Pro-Russia Paramilitary Leader Dies In Moscow Explosion - Wearing A Richard Mille? Moving from white-collar watch crime to the world of espionage, Armen Sarkisyan, the founder of a pro-Russia paramilitary group, was assassinated on 03 February following an explosion in central Moscow. The founder of the “Arbat Battalion”, a paramilitary organization that fought for Russia against Ukraine in several key engagements, has been described as a criminal mastermind and was once allegedly responsible for overseeing Russian prisons where he recruited fighters for the Russian war effort. Unsurprisingly, Ukraine has yet to comment on the explosion but with a history of targeted killings including the assassination of Russian Naval Commander Stanislav Rzhitsky carried out in Russia using Strava data, it would not be a large logical leap to imagine Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency was involved. Getting back to watches, Sarkisyan has been photographed wearing what appears to be a Richard Mille chronograph, potentially the RM 50-03 that will set you back $1M, as well as an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore chronograph. Whether this is real or not, we can only speculate, but we would not be surprised either way. Serving as a prominent private military contractor for Russia appears to have good watch implications but is also bad for your health. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group had been spotted wearing a Ulysse Nardin before he turned against Russia and—coincidentally, maybe—died in a plane “crash” a couple of months later. British Motorcycle Tourists Detained In Iran & Charged With Espionage A pair of British motorcycle tourists, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, have been detained and charged with espionage in Iran after traveling to the country as part of a Middle Eastern motorcycle tour. According to the Iranian government, the couple, “...entered Iran under the guise of tourists and gathered information in multiple provinces of the country.” According to The Guardian, since 2010, at least 66 foreigners and dual citizens have been detained by Iran on a wide variety of charges often related to espionage. Despite a photo of Craig Foreman wearing an old-school Breitling Colt, we would be shocked to learn the couple was involved in clandestine activities, and it’s far more likely they are the victims of so-called “hostage diplomacy”, the taking of hostages for diplomatic leverage. That said, the naivety of Western travelers never ceases to amaze, and we would argue people need to start taking responsibility for their actions. It might sound like fun to rollerblade through Iran, play basketball in Russia, or teach Somali kids yoga, but these decisions have real geopolitical consequences, with the US and UK governments often making significant concessions to get people like Craig and Lindsay home. Morgan Stanley’s Watch Industry Report For 2024 Is In Likely the most-referenced guide to the overall health of the Swiss watch industry, Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult’s annual report was published earlier this month. We try to stay away from pure industry news, but an overarching statistical analysis like this is worthy of your time, showing numerically which brands are growing in revenue and market share, which are in decline, and how the Swiss watch industry as a whole is faring, all free from the influence of brand marketing dollars. The revelations this year are straightforward. Rolex continues its reign, accounting for an astonishing 32% of the Swiss market share and over 10.5B CHF in turnover based on sales of 1.24M units. Those numbers—which are estimates for a private business like Rolex—are not so different from last year but worthy of a second glance when you consider the massive delta between the Crown and Cartier down in second place with an 8% market share and 3.1B CHF in turnover based on 660,000 units. More broadly, the report indicates the overall health of the industry could be better, with a 3% decrease in Swiss watch exports from 2023 to 2024 and only eleven of the top 50 brands recording growth. Despite these metrics, nothing here amounts to doom and gloom for Swiss watch lovers or indicates we are any closer to being able to walk into a Rolex AD and grab a brand spanking new GMT-Master II right out of the showcase. Watch Theft Tops $2B Globally In 2024 Richard Mille accounted for the ten most valuable stolen watches in 2024. (Source: BBC) Once again revisiting the seedy world of watch theft, new reporting from LBC based on data from The Watch Register claims the global value of stolen watches in 2024 topped £1.6B, or approximately $2B, with some £60M ($75M) worth of luxury watch theft coming from Britain alone. In most cases, stolen watches are sold internationally after being networked through transnational criminal organizations that also often deal in illicit narcotics and human smuggling, using luxury watches as another increasingly lucrative income stream. Rolex remains the most commonly stolen brand, though the top ten stolen watches in value were all from Richard Mille, which makes sense given Richard Mille’s average per-watch cost in 2024 was an astronomical 275,000 CHF, again referencing Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult’s report. As the potential upside for criminal organizations increases, these robberies have become more brazen, sophisticated, and violent, with some perpetrators surveilling potential victims in luxurious shopping areas or watch boutiques before identifying targets, following them to a more secluded area or even their residence, and relieving them of their timepieces, sometimes violently. We’ve discussed luxury watch theft in detail and provided some of our recommendations for avoiding becoming a victim of this growing trend. Suffice it to say that situational awareness is always key and flexing your Batman GMT in Mayfair is never worth catching an ass-whooping and losing your $11k watch. W.O.E. In The Press While it is never our intention, our discussion of Watches of Espionage occasionally finds itself referenced outside the traditional boundaries of our community. When we penned our open letter to Vice President JD Vance asking him to cease his Apple Watch-wearing ways, we had no idea the response it would elicit in mainstream media, including a write-up in The Daily Mail entitled, “Espionage expert's chilling plea to JD Vance”. In addition, W.O.E. was called out in The Financial Times for our discussion on the watch-wearing habits of Ahmad al-Sharaa, the defacto president of Syria who has been spotted with an ascending watch game that quickly escalated from no-name quartz to Patek Philippe. Finally, we haven’t had a chance to listen to the entire (five-hour) thing, but W.O.E. also got the nod in a popular podcast called Acquired in a Rolex-focused episode. Final Thoughts With Watches and Wonders and the majority of new watch releases looming at the end of April, there is typically something of a slowdown for watch news in the early days of Q1. Looking beyond our usual dose of watch-related crime and the recent illuminating report on the Swiss watch industry, that was precisely the case this past month, which is where espionage comes in, with yet another high-profile assassination of a Pro-Russian paramilitary leader as well as the unfortunate story of a British couple being detained in Iran, supposedly for spying. This blend is exactly what the SITREP is meant to be, a one-pager providing a high-level overview of recent events related to any aspect of our community, whether that’s watches, espionage, NatSec, or the military. Whatever your reason or path of entry into our community may be, we’re here for you, but we still wouldn’t recommend motorcycle touring in Iran. If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. Read Next: Watch Industry SITREP - January 2025

A US Marshals Watch Auction, Submarine Smartwatch Intel Leaks, A Celeb’s Stolen Rolex Returned, & More   The watch world moves at a sometimes frenetic pace, making it difficult to believe we’re already closing the door on the first month of 2025. With that being said, we’re true believers in taking the time to slow down and reflect on the happenings of the past month in our recurring SITREP (Situation Report) series. If you’re new here, this monthly after-action report of sorts is our rundown of the watch and espionage-related events we believe you will find interesting, all coupled with our commentary. No matter how you slice it, the biggest news in the United States was the inauguration of President Donald Trump, kicking off his second go-around as the commander-in-chief. We already provided our unbiased look at the watches of the incoming administration HERE in great detail so we’ll be leaving the new White House out of this SITREP if at all possible. Despite a lingering holiday hangover and the weight of a political regime change, January brought a lot to the table. From a U.S. Marshals Service auction including luxury timepieces that look straight out of the cartel lookbook, to a celebrity’s unlikely recovery of a stolen Rolex, to a French submarine’s unfortunate cyber security failures, and a whole lot more, it’s time for the first SITREP of 2025. Whoa, Keanu Reeves’ Stolen Rolex Recovered In Chile If there’s one thing we know from our monthly check-in on global watch crime, it is that in most cases, stolen watches are never recovered. Post theft, these watches are typically fed into a transnational illicit network and later sold on the black market far afield from the original crime scene. Well, in an ending good enough for Hollywood, three watches stolen from Point Break star Keanu Reeves’ home in California in 2023 were miraculously recovered in Chile following a raid of four houses related to local burglaries and the subsequent arrest of one 21-year-old individual. An Instagram post from a member of Reeves’ stunt team shows a Rolex Submariner similar to the one stolen from the actor’s home and later recovered in Chile. One of the watches, a Rolex Submariner, is engraved with the actor’s name and “2021, JW4, Thank You, The John Wick Five”. The watch appears to be from the set gifted by the actor to his stunt team after filming 2023’s John Wick: Chapter Four. At least according to social media, Keanu Reeves is rumored to be a good dude, so it’s great to see at least one fairytale ending in a stolen watch story. For even more on the alarming trend of criminal gangs specifically targeting Rolex and other luxury watches, check out the latest video on the W.O.E. YouTube Channel. Sadly, Reeves does not make an appearance. Former New Jersey Senator Sentenced In Corruption Trial After Receiving Gifts Including A Patek Philippe   (Photo Credit: Alex Kent/AFP) Former Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to eleven years in prison after being found guilty in a federal corruption trial. He received expensive gifts, including a Patek Phillipe watch, from a wealthy businessman in return for an introduction to Qatari government officials. Back in October, Menendez was charged with acting as an "agent" of the Egyptian government and allegedly accepting bribes in the form of gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes, with his total illicit compensation totaling almost $1M according to court documents. Businessman Fred Daibes reportedly sent Sen. Menendez the above images of additional watches with the casual phrase -“How about one of these.” In total, Menendez was convicted of 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent.  Prosecutors successfully argued that the senator tried to use his power to advance Egyptian military interests, interfere in criminal prosecutions, and secure investment from Qatari officials. As we have discussed, watches play a significant role in espionage operations, being more difficult to trace, highly liquid, and less blatant than cash, a Mercedes, or gold bars. U.S. Marshals Service Auctions Patek & Rolex Models With Sketchy  Background & Plenty Of Diamonds (Photo Credit: USMS/Gaston & Sheehan) If you’re a watch nerd, you’ve likely heard of Christie’s, Phillips, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams—some of the biggest names in the big business of watch auctions. If not, our friend Tony Traina recently shared an excellent primer on the sometimes shadowy world of watch auctions. We sometimes wonder what happens to watches seized by US federal law enforcement agencies, and you may be surprised to learn that not only are these watches sold at auction, but also that some of the world’s most serious brands and references are present and accounted for. (Photo Credit: USMS/Gaston & Sheehan) In the U.S. Marshals Service Luxury Watch Auction that closed on January 16th, the top lot was a Tiffany dial Patek Philippe Nautilus that hammered for an eye-watering $1,059,855, with the entire auction intriguingly forgoing buyer’s premiums. Some of the other heavy hitters included a Rolex “Rainbow” Daytona with the full factory pave diamond treatment that went for $455,100 and another Nautilus, this time in platinum and set with emeralds, for $930,300. The question then becomes, where the heck are these watches coming from? Looking for the perfect watch to match your gold AK? Be sure to check out the next USMS luxury watch auction. While the auction itself, which is operated by an auctioneer called Gaston & Sheehan on behalf of the USMS, (unfortunately) doesn’t specifically state the provenance of any of the watches, it’s reasonable to assume they come from seizures associated with various law enforcement actions. Whether that’s from murderous cartel bosses with solid gold AKs or more polished white-collar criminals is unclear, but an auction like this likely serves as a legitimate source of income for a federal agency like the Marshals Service. Who said crime doesn’t pay? French Nuclear Sub Crew Shares Sensitive Information Using Smartwatches (Image Credit: Le Monde) Despite offering legitimate lifestyle benefits, smartwatches and other connected devices present serious counterintelligence risks. We’ve spoken at length about the challenges presented by smartwatches like the Apple Watch for intelligence officers, and it would appear a Marine Nationale (French Navy) nuclear submarine crew has just provided another example of the potential gravity of the situation. The Île Longue military base in Brest harbor is home to France’s four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. As you’d imagine, everything on base is top secret, everyone is subject to search, and connected devices aren’t allowed in many areas. An officer exits the Suffren, the French Navy's newest nuclear attack submarine. (Photo Credit: Nicolas Tucat /AFP) Still, according to Le Monde and other sources, 16 submariners recently inadvertently shared top-secret patrol schedules and geographic data about the submarine base by uploading on-base fitness activity to Strava after recording a run on their smartwatches. The incident serves as another important reminder of how crucial it is for individuals to safeguard their data, even if it means missing your baguette and café-related notifications or having to catalog your fitness activities the old-fashioned way. Given the long-standing historical link between the Marine Nationale and Tudor and the lack of counterintelligence risks inherent in mechanical watchmaking, I can’t help but wonder if these dudes wouldn’t be better off with a Pelagos FXD. Catherine Villeneuve To Leave Bremont After Fifteen Years With Military Projects Division (Photo Credit: Bremont) After a massive fifteen years with the brand as the Head of Military and Special Projects, Catherine Villeneuve is set to move on from Bremont. Where she’ll go next is as yet unknown, but it’s more than worth taking a moment to recognize her efforts in acting as a liaison between a watch brand and numerous global military organizations. Sometimes lovingly called the “third founder” of the brand after Giles and Nick English, Villeneuve helped to create over 500 military “unit watches” for military organizations the world over. W.O.E. had to opportunity to visit Catherine at Bremont in 2023 and we are sad to see her leave. (Photo Credit: W.O.E./James Rupley) Whether this move has to do with the brand’s 2023 investment by American billionaire Bill Ackman and others and the ensuing exit of the founders, we do not know, but what is clear is that Villeneuve’s loss will be felt. Despite close ties between our community and watches, brands are often ineffective in dealing with military organizations which have their own cultures and customs. Having a full-time employee dedicated to bridging that gap did wonders for Bremont, and we can only hope to see other brands adopt similar roles in the future. For more on Bremont’s unit watch program, check out Aviation “Unit Watches”: Bremont Military and Special Projects Division.   W.O.E. In The Press (Photo Credit: Devin Pennypacker) While it’s never our intention, as our community grows to include more “mainstream” watch nerds, Watches of Espionage occasionally finds itself mentioned in the press. This past month, one of our custom-designed tools, the W.O.E. Submersible Wrist Compass, was reviewed in detail on Worn & Wound by our friend Devin Pennypacker. For those who have asked, the demand for the compass has been incredible, and we are working hard to get those back in stock soon. Click HERE to read Devin’s review. (Photo Credit: W.O.E./Brock Stevens) Our compass also made it into the virtual pages of GQ, where Cam Wolf argues that accessories like the Submersible Wrist compass will be the next big thing for watch enthusiasts. For us, the enduring legacy of wrist compasses in use by SpecOps and the military is our driving factor, but we’re also cool with fashionistas getting in on the Use Your Tools lifestyle. That said, (unless all expenses are paid) we won’t be attending Paris Fashion Week. Click HERE to read Cam’s article. Final Thoughts Some months come on stronger than others, but if the past few weeks are any indication, there is plenty of excellent SITREP content on the horizon for 2025. From the unlikely return of a stolen Rolex to one of the internet’s favorite actors to ze French accidentally sharing critical submarine intelligence to a US Marshals Service auction for some of the most ostentatious watches you could hope for, January came on strong. As always, if you should come across great stories for the SITREP in the execution of any of your daily sketchy activities, be sure to send them our way. If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. Read Next: Watch Industry SITREP - December 2024

At W.O.E., we’ve commented on the watches worn by some of history’s most infamous individuals including US Presidents, Usama Bin Laden, and Muammar Gaddafi. In recent years, several watches with provenance calling back to these historical figures have been sold at auction where they garner massive results propelled at least in part by their historical significance. The recent sale of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Rolex for $840,000 is just the latest example. Beyond challenging provenance, the auction world has also seen its share of bad press, with many calling into question the originality of certain high-profile lots including the story of an Omega Speedmaster that was faked with insider help from Omega HQ in Switzerland. Not a good look. We admit we’re no experts in the field of high-profile auctions or vintage watches so we looked to Tony Traina, a talented writer, researcher, and friend of the page to delve deeper into the good, the bad, and the ugly of modern watch auctions. As it turns out, watch auctions are their own wilderness of mirrors. Tony has his own newsletter called Unpolished. If you are interested in learning more, you can subscribe HERE. What The World Of Watch Auctions Reveals About History, Strategy, & Brand Power By Anthony Traina An estimated 5M people attended President Nasser’s funeral in 1970. On October 1, 1970, more than 5 million people attended the funeral of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. One of the most respected leaders in the Arab world, Nasser died suddenly at the age of 52. It’s thought to be one of the most-attended funerals in history. Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918–1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who became the country's second president, serving from 1956 until his death. A central figure in modern Arab history, he championed Arab nationalism, led the nationalization of the Suez Canal, and pursued policies that transformed Egypt but sometimes sparked regional conflicts and polarized opinions. Nasser wore his Rolex Day-Date ref. 1803 “President” throughout his life. On Nasser’s wrist during most of his time as president: A gold Rolex Day-Date ref. 1803 “President.” It can be seen in various photos, from his negotiations with world leaders to playing with his five children. In December 2024, Nasser’s Rolex Day-Date sold at Sotheby’s New York for $840,000. As far as I can tell, it’s the third most expensive Day-Date ever sold. More than a watch, it’s a historical artifact that tells the story of Nasser and the formation of the modern Arab world. Almost as interesting as the watch and the big result is the rumored buyer: Rolex. Hammering for $840k, Nasser’s Day-Date was reportedly purchased by Rolex. (Photo Credit: Sotheby's) It’s just the latest example of a brand purportedly buying one of its own historically important watches at auction. Patek Philippe, Zenith, TAG Heuer, and even Movado are all known to be active in the auction market. The influx of money into watches has turned auctions into big business, with brands' moves—whether covert or public—highlighting both the opportunities and risks. Understanding the players, their motives, and behind-the-scenes dynamics is key to finding extraordinary watches at auctions; without a strategy, you risk costly mistakes. What Is A Watch Auction? (Photo Credit: Christie’s) A few times a year, the major international auction houses—Christie’s, Phillips, and Sotheby’s—host watch-themed auctions in the world’s major horological hubs of Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong. It’s where the most historically important, expensive, and rare watches typically come for sale. But they’re not without controversy, the most notable scandal involving a record-breaking Omega Speedmaster in 2021 that turned out to be a put-together “Frankenwatch.” The Omega Speedmaster “Frankenwatch” sold in 2021 for $3.4M. (Photo Credit: Phillips) While auctions are public affairs and record-breaking results garner headlines, the real stories and action happen behind the scenes. Covering the watch industry, I’ve attended several watch auctions. I’ve seen Rolex representatives bidding in the auction room for their historical pieces, methodically building a collection ranging from some of the best-preserved examples in the world (paying millions for top-condition Milgauss and Daytona examples) to the most historically important. But auctions aren’t just for high-end pieces. I’ve bought watches at major and regional auctions – and from familiar toolmakers like Heuer and Enicar, not top luxury brands like Patek Philippe. There’s something for everyone if you know how to navigate it. From Watch To Historical Artifact The caseback on Nasser’s Rolex tells a story. (Photo Credit: Tony Traina) Take Nasser’s Day-Date. Its caseback engraving begins to tell its full story: “Mr. Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963” Anwar El Sadat, a lifelong friend of Nasser and fellow graduate of the Egyptian Military Academy, became Egypt's vice president in 1969 and succeeded Nasser as president in 1970. Nasser can be seen wearing the Day-Date while he visited soldiers and negotiated with diplomats, reshaping the modern Arab world – a witness to history in a way few objects are. Rolex purchased a GMT-Master formerly belonging to Pan-Am pilot Captain Clarence Warren for CHF 177,800. (Photo Credit: Sotheby’s) It’s far from the first watch Rolex has won. Luckily, these watches haven’t been doomed to some vault deep beneath Rolex HQ in Geneva. At Watches & Wonders last year, Rolex displayed several historically important GMT-Masters to celebrate the launch of a new GMT-Master II. This included Captain Clarence Warren’s GMT-Master ref. 6542 (which sold at auction for CHF 177,800), worn on the first Pan-Am flight from New York to Moscow, when then-Vice President Richard Nixon requested Warren to pilot his visit to the Soviet Union. For his airborne accomplishments, Rolex would later feature Capt. Warren in an advertising campaign. Also on display was Jack Swigert’s Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675, worn while he was the command module pilot of Apollo 13.  As W.O.E. has covered before, modern watch brands are machines dedicated to marketing as much as mechanics. The activity of these brands in the auction market is no different. These big auction results make headlines in mainstream news, helping to reposition luxury watches as heritage objects that can last generations and even witness history. It’s the type of storytelling and brand-building that brands dream of. A LIP belonging to Charles de Gaulle sold for over $500k. (Photo Credit: Artcurial) And these big results aren’t limited to Rolex. Former French President Charles de Gaulle’s electric LIP watch recently sold in an auction of his personal effects for more than $500,000. In an auction of hundreds of his personal items, it’s his watch—a simple electric model from a French maker – that sold for five times more than any of his journals, letters, or medallions. Sure, it’s marketing, but it wouldn’t be so effective if it didn’t hold a grain of truth. Especially through the middle of the 20th century, the men and women making history often had watches on their wrists as they led their governments, piloted command modules, or served their country. These were tools that helped guide those who shaped or reshaped the world. Strategic Operations & Watch Auctions A Tudor Submariner issued to the South African Navy. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Somewhere along the way, many of these toolmakers turned into luxury brands. Of course, they still make tools too—for civilians or the military—but auctions are another public stage upon which the secretive drama of the Swiss watch industry now plays out. While the spectacle of auctions and the high prices capture headlines, the real story happens behind the scenes. Auctions are also more accessible than ever. All offer online, phone, and in-person bidding, with the largest auctions often having more than 2,000 registered bidders. Preparation is key: evaluating the watches, understanding the players, acting with discipline and strategy, and avoiding the emotion of the moment. If you’re looking to get involved in auctions, whether you’re spending $100 or $100,000 here are a few tips to get started. Understand The Incentives (Photo Credit: Phillips) Auction Houses & Specialists: Every party comes to an auction with its own incentives and acts accordingly. The most important to know is that auction houses represent the seller, not the buyer. Their goal is to achieve the highest price for the consignor of the watch. Of course, they want both buyer and seller to be happy, and there is the risk of reputational damage if deals go south. But their goal is to achieve the best result for their client, the seller. Auction houses make money by charging a commission on sales (called the “buyer’s premium”), typically somewhere in the range of 25 to 27 percent. This means they typically don’t take a financial stake in a watch, but make money by selling the watch. While they will provide information and condition reports, keep all of this in mind when reviewing the information provided. The goal will be to illustrate the potential of a lot without focusing on its issues or making any guarantees. (Photo Credit: Hodinkee) Buyers (Dealers, Collectors, Brands): Anyone can throw their hat in the ring and bid at an auction, but they may have different goals. Private collectors want to own historically important watches for all the reasons a collector might – from pure passion to pure ego. Watch out for the latter: ego knows no rationality. As we’ve discussed, brands might also bid at auctions. This could be to acquire historically important pieces for their archives or museums. Or, they might want to “protect” the perception of their brand on the secondary market. Either way, it’s important to know that big-time, institutional money might be after a lot, particularly if it has historical importance. Finally, dealers are always lurking. If there’s an opportunity to resell a watch for more money, expect a dealer’s paddle to go up. For large institutional dealers that hold significant inventory, there also may be incentives to bid up certain watches to “protect” the value of their existing inventory. For example, a well-known secondary market player has significant stock in indies De Bethune and F.P. Journe and is known to actively support those markets at auction. The Crowd: There’s also the crowd. That’s everyone from media to influencers to curious onlookers. They cover the news and can amplify record-breaking or scandalous results to generate clicks or headlines. Do Your Homework & Build Your Own Relationships (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) In the watch industry, professionals often move between roles—media members move to auctions, dealers become specialists, and vice versa. All are invested in maintaining a healthy market and ensuring steady growth, so buyers feel confident in spending on expensive watches. This means they all have their own relationships and generally don’t want to disrupt the status quo. This dynamic explains why it’s important to build your own relationships before spending significant sums at auction. This requires being on the ground to assess the situation. When possible, it’s best to attend auctions and auction previews in person. Watch auction previews are a great watch to learn more about vintage watches. (Photo Credit: Asharq Al-Awsat) Auction previews are perhaps the best way to experience vintage watches in person. You’ll hear stories from specialists that don’t make their way into catalogs. But it’s also the best way to make connections, assess watches, and learn. Put your ear to the ground and see if you catch any gossip (there’s always gossip). On the day of the auction, being in the room is the only way to get a feel for the important players, who’s bidding on what, and the general vibe of the sale. Because auction specialists ultimately represent the seller, it’s often helpful to have an independent third-party dealer you trust to help vet watches. Once you develop a personal relationship with auction specialists, they are also more likely to tell you more information about a watch. Flaws that might not be readily disclosed but that they’re comfortable telling to a valued client. Last Call (Photo Credit: Bonhams) Watch auctions, though public, carry a certain air of espionage. Specialists whisper discreetly into phones, connecting with clients around the globe. When brands like Rolex bid, they often don’t even raise a paddle; a nod to the auctioneer often suffices – visible only to those who know to look for it. While these professionals act in rational self-interest, they may exploit private collectors driven by passion. That’s why coming to auctions well-informed is essential. Armed with knowledge, you can bid strategically. If you’re ready to try your hand at auctions – good luck! If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. Read Next: An Inside Look At The Swiss Watch Industry About The Author: Tony Traina is the editor and founder of Unpolished, a weekly newsletter about what’s really happening in watches. He’s a former editor at Hodinkee. Subscribe to receive Unpolished in your inbox.

I Visited Tudor, Omega, IWC, & Breitling - Here Is What I Learned Switzerland is the epicenter of “watches of espionage.” The relationship to watches is obvious. Based on a watchmaking tradition going back centuries, Switzerland is home to the majority of luxury watch brands from Patek Phillipe and Rolex to Tissot and Hublot. The country’s connections to espionage are less understood. A historically neutral country, Switzerland houses several international organizations including the United Nations in Geneva, and is often the location of high-stakes intergovernmental meetings both overt and clandestine. Traditionally loose banking laws have also made Switzerland a convenient place for individuals to store wealth, regardless of the origin of those financial gains.    Needless to say, Switzerland is a country that I have visited many times and holds a special place in my heart. W.O.E. at Omega SA in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland The intentions for this trip were simple: to learn more about the Swiss watch industry and specifically brands that are closely aligned with our community. While Omega, Tudor, IWC, and Breitling are very different companies, the one thing they have in common is decades-old relationships with our community. Initially producing purpose-built issued military watches in the 20th century, today these brands are the leaders of modern unit watch programs.  IWC’s pilot’s watches, Omega’s Seamasters, Tudor’s extensive dive line, and Breitling's aviation-centric collection are accurately depicted as luxury items today, but they were all once purpose-built tools. “Watches of Espionage” is in the DNA of each of these companies and I would go as far as to say they would not exist or be where they are today without military end users. Breitling manufacturing facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (W.O.E.) I was fortunate to meet with CEOs, watch designers/watchmakers, suits, and most relevant to W.O.E., the individuals that run each brand’s Unit Watch programs. The experience gave me a deeper appreciation and respect for the craftsmanship and resources it takes to build and sustain a leading watch company. I realize how unique it is to be granted access to these closed-off facilities and this level of openness is not something I take for granted. A Geography Lesson Geneva, Switzerland. Switzerland’s watchmaking industry is intriguing in that it spreads across the relatively small country’s varied geography and its many cultural boundaries. While many of the watch industry’s corporate headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland's second-most populous city, the majority of actual production including movements takes place in the Jura mountains spanning the country’s northwestern border. Traditionally, watchmakers expanded to this area to take advantage of an agricultural workforce that was dormant during the winter months, creating the “farmer watchmaker” heritage that many brands tout today. Map of Switzerland’s watchmaking centers. (Credit: Federation Of The Swiss Watch Industry) Swiss watchmaking also spans the country’s language barriers. Rolex/Tudor, which is headquartered in Geneva, is staffed primarily by French-speaking Swiss or French workers traveling across the border, but as you head north toward Biel/Bienne, Omega’s headquarters, language and culture shift to a blend of French and German influence. Breitling is also a brand of two cultures, with Swiss-German origins, a headquarters in German-speaking Grenchen, and a production facility in French-speaking La Chaux-de-Fonds. In contrast, IWC is located in Schaffhausen, near Zürich and just across the border from Germany, conducting nearly all of its business in German. Form Follows Function - Purpose-Built Tools Ander Ugarte (left) and Christian Koop are the head designers for Tudor and IWC, respectively. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting with Christian Koop and Ander Ugarte, the heads of design of IWC and Tudor, respectively.  Intensely passionate and masters of their craft, each walked us through the process and attention to detail involved in designing a modern watch for brands steeped in heritage and tradition.  The DNA of iconic watches like the IWC Mark series and Tudor dive watches can be traced back to the divers and soldiers who wore them over half a century ago. While today’s watches trend to luxury items vs real tools, a common phrase I heard was “form follows function.” The watches are still designed with the end user in mind, just as they were a century ago. Automation vs. Hand-Crafted Modern watchmaking is a fascinating blend of cutting-edge technology and centuries-old hand craftsmanship. The two most surprising aspects of visiting the manufacturing facilities of Breitling, Omega, and IWC were the number of robots/automated steps in contrast with the number of steps still requiring human touch. The manufacturing facilities are reliant on technicians and watchmakers from the rural areas of Switzerland, who still work farmers' hours, just as they did centuries ago.  Breitling watch technician. Each morning, hundreds of watchmakers and technicians arrive at the facilities, don sterile antistatic white coats and clean Crocs or Birkenstocks, and spend hours tightening tiny screws to spec or attaching dials to movements. It is a painstaking process and a truly remarkable juxtaposition of futuristic cutting-edge technology and traditional watchmaking. Trying my hand at watchmaking at IWC Schaffhausen. The result is a watch containing hundreds of components, all working in sync to tell you the time. The watches are then shipped around the world through complex dealer networks and intermediaries for you to purchase. Seeing this process firsthand is a remarkable experience and gives me a greater appreciation for the technical and logistical prowess required in Swiss watchmaking. Military Unit Watch Programs - Omega, Tudor, IWC, & Breitling A “Unit Watch” is a timepiece that is customized by the manufacturer for members of a specific unit or organization. Customizations can include the unit’s insignia on the dial and/or an engraving on the caseback. When it comes to Swiss watches, Tudor, Omega, and IWC are the modern leaders in the space and we have profiled each program in past articles.  An Omega Seamaster “Unit Watch” produced for the US Navy SEALs. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) A cynical analysis of these programs would conclude they are sophisticated marketing initiatives, meant to garner publicity through leaks on social media. While I would argue they accomplish this goal in certain instances, the reality is the brands are largely hesitant to publicly acknowledge the partnerships. Swiss brands have spent decades carefully curating a specific narrative to position themselves as aspirational luxury goods. “Tudors of Espionage,” “Sketchy dudes wear Breitling”, and an iconic image of Omega Seamaster on the wrist of a Secret Service agent after an assassination attempt run counter to these carefully crafted narratives.  Diplomatic Security Tudor Black Bay 58. Further, in contrast to smaller brands like Bremont which garner significant revenue from military programs, for the large Swiss houses, it is costly to divert resources to customizing a dial or caseback for a relatively small batch of custom watches, which are also often sold at a discount. In short, these programs likely aren't big money makers for brands that measure watch sales in the hundreds of thousands of units. IWC Unit Watch for AH-64 pilots. So why do large luxury watch brands bother with Unit Watches? As far as I can tell, these programs are passion projects for individuals within each company and they are somewhat controversial for some brands. I have spent significant time with the individuals in charge of the unit watch programs and they are fiercely passionate about them. They truly believe that they are serving a greater calling by producing meaningful tools and heirlooms for our community. Not surprisingly, these individuals also appreciate what we are doing at Watches of Espionage. Watch Brands Are Businesses This one is so obvious that it shouldn't have to be said, but it's a simple fact that many watch “enthusiasts” often forget. The purpose of a watch company is not to make watches, it's to make money. Many of the individuals who work at the major brands are suits, marketing professionals, and technicians who could work for any number of companies in the luxury goods space. While some of them are passionate about watches, the majority of them likely do not consume watch content on their personal time and are not “watch nerds.” Swatch Group Headquarters, left is Omega building. (Photo CreditL Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg) To be clear, while I enjoy making fun of suits as much as the next guy, this is actually a good thing. If you love watches like I do, then you should want watch brands to succeed… at making money. Headwinds for the watch industry are at an all-time high with Apple Watch sales surpassing the entire Swiss watch industry. It’s not a foregone conclusion that the most iconic brands like Rolex, Patek Phillipe, and Audemars Piguet will be around in 2074. For the most part, modern watches are luxury goods, meaning they are unnecessary. If they are not profitable, they will disappear. Watch nerds often shed crocodile tears on internet forums complaining about why brand X doesn't produce a specific watch or “listen to the community,” but the reality is brands generally make decisions based on mass market appeal. It may be a tough pill to swallow, but many brands do not care about enthusiasts, and from a bottom-line perspective, they shouldn’t. Ownership Matters As consumers, we often think of brands as discrete monoliths, independent entities that make design and product decisions in a vacuum. However, industry consolidation has led to four conglomerates owning the majority of the Swiss watch industry; Swatch Group, Richemont, LVMH, and the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, the parent organization for Rolex and Tudor. Somewhat dated graphic showing ownership in the watch industry (Image Credit: Tony Traina, Rescapement) While in theory, the brands are independent or semi-independent entities, the reality is that Omega's decisions could impact the overall standing and profitability of Swatch Group as a whole, and IWC is just one node of the broader Richemont family. While Tudor often paints itself as an independent entity, when I visited Tudor HQS in Geneva, it was inside Rolex. It’s naive to think that there is no coordination between the companies. Breitling was purchased from the Schneider family by a private equity company in 2017 and whether we like it or not, the overall decisions of the brand are impacted by this ownership structure. (Photo Credit: Rolex) Conglomerates are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they offer access to capital and resources, Richemont and Swatch Group are multibillion-dollar conglomerates with robust infrastructure and supply chains. On the other hand, the conglomerates must ensure each company works towards the same goal, which likely limits independence and creativity at the brand level. Coopetition - Competitors Or Partners? Further, even between competing brands, there is a level of cooperation and sharing. Historically, the legendary Rolex Daytona utilized a chronograph movement supplied by Zenith. Even today, Breitling and Tudor, theoretically arch rivals, share movements, with Breitling utilizing several of Tudor’s base automatic calibers and Tudor receiving a modified version of the B01 chronograph caliber in return, a level of cooperation you aren’t going to see from Apple and Samsung. Tudor's MT5612 is produced by Tudor and voluntarily shared with Breitling, a rival watchmaker. (Photo Credit: Monochrome Watches) While they’re never going to admit it publicly, many of the biggest brands also look to the same suppliers for specific components from jewels to mainsprings to cases and bracelets to construct their “in-house” movements and complete watches. Third-party certifications like COSC and METAS are also utilized by multiple brands looking for a competitive advantage. Despite being fundamentally in competition, I heard several brand leaders admit the overall health of the Swiss watch industry is always in mind. A rising tide lifts all ships. For the industry to succeed holistically, the brands must balance being fiercely competitive with a measured level of cooperation. While it was created in collaboration with Omega and an impartial third party, Tudor has also started instituting METAS testing and certification for some of its watches. (Photo Credit: Monochrome Watches) Tribalism Exists at Every Level Visit any social media watch page and the tribalism—visceral feelings for or against a specific brand—is evident. There are fewer general “watch guys” and more “Rolex” or “Omega” guys. The passion is real and watch nerds think their brand is the best and everyone else sucks. The individuals I met at each brand were fiercely proud of the product they produce, which is cool to see. While they were professional enough to not bad mouth another company outright, it's clear that they truly believed their brand was the pinnacle of modern watchmaking. While this may sound like a negative, this intense conviction to be the best was inspiring. If I buy a Tudor, Omega, Breitling, or IWC, I like knowing that the people making it in the mountains of Switzerland are true believers. Heritage Matters Omega museum, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland When you buy a watch, you are not just buying the components, you are buying a piece of history. One of the most educational aspects of the trip was visiting the museums of Breitling in Zurich, Omega in Biel/Bienne, and IWC in Schaffhausen. For the brands I visited, the history is rich and compelling, and on full display. Breitling Emergency Prototype (Breilting Museum, Zurich Switzerland) Of course, the brands emphasize certain periods and events to carefully curate a narrative, but they are still compelling because it’s authentic.  Omega’s museum had numerous watches worn by astronauts, soldiers, and spies, both real and contrived (Bond, James Bond). IWC was founded by an American soldier, Florentine Ariosto Jones who fought for the 13th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and would go on to produce watches for both the Allies and the Germans during World War II, something the museum refreshingly does not gloss over. Breitling’s DNA is rooted in aviation, having provided issued watches during both World Wars decades before becoming a go-to option for those operating on the fringe of sketchiness in the 1990s and 2000s. These museums are open to the public, and I encourage you to visit if you find yourself in Switzerland. The great thing about the country is you can get pretty much anywhere in a few hour train ride. Left is an issued “MN” Tudor MilSub on an original strap, fashioned from parachute webbing. The one on the right was a unit purchase gift for a retiring officer. It was purchased through the MN Rolex-certified watchmaker, Yves Pastre who had a workshop in Toulon. (Photo Credit: Tudor Archives/W.O.E.) Unfortunately, Tudor does not have a museum, but they did provide us access to their extensive archives of military-issued watches and prototypes. This will be the subject of a future Dispatch and the spice level was high. Swiss Watch Marketing is Antiquated I have written in the past about the sophisticated marketing machines behind the Swiss watch industry and this trip confirmed that thesis (Read Here). The major brands, including IWC, Tudor, Omega, and Breitling, have masterfully curated a narrative based on decades-old craftsmanship and history, that makes them leaders in a crowded industry.  In addition to co-opting watch media, they spend millions of dollars a year sponsoring sporting events, recruiting celebrity ambassadors, and producing slick marketing material. Watches and Wonders, an international watch and jewelry industry organized by the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation. (Photo Credit: Wikicommons) While I am by no means a marketing expert, I am intimately familiar with human nature. I get the feeling that the brands are reliant on what has worked in the past and not focused on the future, or for that matter the present. Celebrity ambassadors, event sponsorship, film product placement, and heavily-curated “new releases” are masterclasses in Marketing 101 but the modern consumer is savvy and the media landscape has changed. Legacy watch publications have declined in recent years and have been replaced by a plethora of dispersed voices. There are TikTokers, Youtubers, and podcast hosts who are more influential than Tom Brady and even James Bond. The Swiss watch industry appears slow to adapt to the new landscape and continues to fall back on tried and true methods. Given its age, watchmaking as a whole is steeped in tradition and slow to adapt, especially when it comes to reaching the younger consumers the industry so desperately needs to continue. W.O.E. in Schaffhausen, wearing the same IWC Mark XVII I wore while operational at CIA. Does visiting a facility impact how I will cover them? To date, we have kept the traditional watch industry at arm's length distance, something that frankly much of the industry is okay with. That said, as we have grown our audience we owe it to our community to present thoughtful and unbiased commentary on the watches and brands that are aligned with our ethos. I made some great friends and contacts on this trip and am grateful for the level of access I was granted. It will continue to be a balance between nurturing these relationships and remaining unswayed by the influence of the brands on content. Despite some of the critiques above, my appreciation for the Swiss watch industry in general and these legendary brands in particular could not be higher. I am grateful for those individuals who made this trip possible and thankful for the time and effort of the teams in Switzerland. There are several threads to pull on from this trip and we plan to write additional stories on IWC’s “Top Gun” unit watch program, recent developments in Omega’s unit watch offerings, and the real story behind the Tudor FXD. Thank you all for the support, more to come. -W.O.E. *Note, as with all of our content, this is not sponsored by Tudor, Omega, IWC, Breitling, or any other brand. If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. Read Next: W.O.E. 2024 Holiday Gift Guide - Top Picks From Other Brands

Civilians Wearing Military Watches, W.O.E.’s Grail, A Perfect EDC Bag, & More In this edition of the Dispatch, we’ll answer some common questions we get about W.O.E., timepieces, and the Intelligence Community at large. Many of these responses can—and probably will at some point—serve as stand-alone stories, but for now, here’s some additional insight on Watches of Espionage. If you have any other questions, please ask in the comments section and we’ll do our best to answer them in a future article. See past questions “Ask W.O.E. Anything Part I”, “Ask W.O.E. Anything Part II”, and “Ask W.O.E. Anything Part III”. Is it OK for civilians to wear military watches or does this qualify as “stolen valor”? (Photo Credit: Panerai) Many watch brands and references are centered around a specific narrative and culture of professionals: the Omega Speedmaster and space exploration, the Rolex Submariner and diving, and IWC’s aviation watches.  With this marketing, there comes some form of cosplaying or larping and in general, this is fine and part of the fun of the passion. I will likely never travel to space, but I like the idea of wearing a watch that has and has been designed for that purpose. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Additionally, we have covered many military-inspired brands like Bremont, Marathon, and Sangin, which are intended for use by active duty and former military members. While they maintain a strong customer base in these communities, of course not all of the customers are tier-one operators. Overall, there is no problem with this and it is by no means stolen valor. “Military-inspired” is synonymous with tough gear that is meant to be used. However, I do struggle with commercially available watches with a branch or unit insignia on the dial. IWC’s Pilot’s Watch Top Gun, Marathon’s USMC GSAR, and of course Panerai’s “Navy SEAL” watches. While I still don’t think this is stolen valor as such and don’t have a problem with people wearing them, I personally would not want to wear a watch with an insignia on the dial that I have no direct connection to, i.e. a unit I did not serve in. (Photo Credit: Marathon Watch) With “unit watches,” it gets more complicated and, in my opinion, depends on the specific unit watch and how much time has elapsed since it was worn by those who earned it. In general, I think watches with a specific unit insignia on the dial or caseback should be worn by those who earned them, not those who can afford to pay the absurd premium they command at auction. Customized Tudors, Omega, Rolex, and even Breitlings have sold for well over $40,000, a remarkable number. That said, at a certain point these watches do become collectibles and it is fine to collect them. Where that line is, is highly subjective. What was your go-to EDC bag when you were at CIA? W.O.E. in the Middle East, Sandstorm EDC bag. As a Case Officer operating overseas, your job is to recruit spies and steal secrets. This calling requires frequent travel and operational activity in a range of environments, from diplomatic functions in European capitals to dark alleys in war-torn countries. A good EDC bag should support your persona (cover) and not immediately peg you as an American. This obviously rules out the tacti-cool bag with Velcro for your Punisher morale patch. While I was at CIA, I relied on “issued backpacks” that were purchased overseas and modified by CIA as well as man purses I acquired myself, most notably the Canvas Andrew Work Bag from Sandstorm, Kenya, a bag I still use regularly today. Sandstorm Kenya The fictitious representation of “Q” in James Bond is largely a figment of Hollywood imagination, but gear and spy gadgets have been an integral part of espionage since the early days of the Office of Strategic Services.  Prior to an overseas assignment, CIA Case Officers visit an obscure warehouse outside of Washington D.C. and are issued a range of gear from disguises and backpacks. For most assignments, the gear is not as exciting as it sounds, but there are some deep disguises available, as made famous by former Chief of Disguise for CIA, Jonna Mendez. Case Officer’s EDC The key for EDC bags at CIA is to use something that won’t make you stick out as an American, i.e. the ubiquitous North Face and Patagonia backpack. I spent much of my overseas time living and working in Africa and fell in love with a boutique manufacturer called Sandstorm, which makes canvas and leather bags out of repurposed safari tent material. The bags are durable and classy, at home in the back of a dusty Land Cruiser just as much as a first-class lounge in Amsterdam. They aren’t cheap, but nothing good is. If you are really trying to blend in, or at least not stick out, my advice is to buy clothing and bags locally, or at least outside of the United States or your home country. Save the tacti-cool bags for range day and family trips to Chucky Cheese.  Many microbrands you cover use watches or parts made in China, is this ok? I’m a red-blooded American and in an ideal world, all tools would be made in America, watches made in Switzerland, and Whiskey distilled in Tennessee. That said, with the decline in American/British manufacturing and watchmaking, the reality is there are some great watches (and tools) that are designed in the US/UK, but manufactured in China and East Asia. In my opinion, many of these watches offer great value for the customer and I own some of them. Elliot Brown Holton on Glomar Explorer strap (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Obviously, there is a stigma with “Made in China” and in some ways, this is warranted but the fact is that the country, and the region in general, has specialized in high-quality manufacturing at a cost-effective price. The computer I am writing this on, and the device you are reading this on, are made in China. There has been an effort to “reshore” manufacturing and watchmaking back to the United States, but much of these efforts have come up lacking, with customer complaints about price and quality control. The key here is transparency. Designed/assembled/sewn in the USA can mean very different things and many manufacturers work to obscure the origin of products with clever language. I’m not saying that brands should lead with “Made in China,” or stamp the case back, but they should be at least open about it. (Photo Credit: Atelier DE GRIFF) There is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the watch and EDC industry and even “Swiss-made” means that the watch is assembled and tested in Switzerland but not that all the parts originate there. Legally, “Swiss Made” means “60% of production costs are generated in Switzerland, and at least 50% by value of all components is Swiss-made”, which gives a lot of wiggle room. While I won’t dime them out here, there are plenty of “Swiss watches” with significant inputs from China. When you’re traveling abroad as a civilian with an Agency background, what is your EDC? Case Officer’s EDC, just the essentials. First of all, I think people put way too much thought into “Every Day Carry” and not enough into mindset, training, and physical fitness. I am a minimalist and generally carry the same thing I did at the Agency, no crazy whizzbang tactical tools, just the essentials: pen and paper, folding knife, over $300 in cash, passport, tourniquets, and a Surefire Defender flashlight. An external battery is a necessity also. Check out a past Dispatch on “CIA Case Officer’s Everyday Carry - EDC” for more on my reasoning and experience with these tools. My personal EDC hasn't changed much in two decades and it likely won't change anytime soon. Assuming I can’t afford the real thing, how do you feel about homage watches as opposed to  “fake” or “replica” watches? We wrote an article about the counterfeit watch industry (Read HERE) and several people asked what my thoughts are on “homage” watches like a Seiko modified to look like a Rolex Submariner or GMT. I don’t necessarily have a problem with these, but I would never buy one personally. It's hard for me to determine where the line between homage and fake is and I wouldn’t someone to spot me from across the room thinking I am wearing a Rolex, then come to find out it's a homage. That said, there are some “homage brands” like Tornek-Rayville, Benrus, and Vertex, that essentially brought these brands back to life, and that is something I can get behind (I own a Tornek and love it). (Photo Credit: Modbrand) Congrats on your first video and the launch of the W.O.E. YouTube channel. How did you come up with this unique format? Our core competency at W.O.E. is storytelling, offering readers/viewers insight into our community through the prism of watches. The goal is to inform and entertain and while long-form articles (ie the W.O.E. Dispatch) are our preferred medium, the sad fact is that most people don’t read more than a couple paragraphs, preferring to take in bite-sized chunks of engaging video and photographic content. We knew video was inevitable and have been working on this for over a year. The school solution in launching a YouTube channel is to have an influencer sit in front of a ring light and offer spicy clickbait takes and “Top 10 lists” of the best watches. At W.O.E. we always aim to do something different so we decided to take the concept of our Dispatch articles and convert them into mini-episodes. This concept will evolve as we gain more resources. We have been overwhelmed with the response and plan to continue to release an episode every 2 weeks through the end of the year. Check out our first four videos HERE. What’s the best spy movie from a former Case Officer’s point of view? I like thrillers/spy movies as much as the next guy. Jason Bourne, James Bond, and Red Sparrow are all fun and entertaining experiences, but they are far from the reality of true espionage work which is months of hard work and lots of writing, punctuated by exciting moments and “cool” operations. The fact is most intelligence work is boring and if the movies were accurate . . . they wouldn’t be that interesting. Spy Game is one of my favorite movies and is entertaining, but also has threads of truth, particularly the training and mentorship of Tom Bishop, played by Brad Pitt. It’s still Hollywood, but a great watch, nonetheless. Argo and Charlie Wilson's War are interesting looks at historic CIA operations, however, I would recommend starting with the books. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Good Shepherd capture the methodical aspect of the wilderness of mirrors of the spy world, but also aren’t as exciting as the Bourne series. The Recruit is an interesting look at the training pipeline at “The Farm” and one that many from my generation watched multiple times prior to training. (Photo Credit: Black Hawk Down) Movies like Zero Dark Thirty and Black Hawk Down are less historically accurate, but interesting watches nonetheless. Regardless, if you want to learn about these events and what really happened, I would recommend reading the books first. Our W.O.E. Reading List (read HERE) is a great place to start. Last but certainly not least, Spies Like Us is a comedy with zero historical accuracy but does have a real cult following in CIA. “Doctor” can be heard in just about every CIA Station around the globe. Don’t sleep on it. If I’m down to two or three watches that all meet my criteria and price range, how do I decide? (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) One of the most common questions I get is people looking for help trying to decide between two or three watches they want to buy. Sometimes they are very different—like a Tudor FXD and a Breitling Aerospace—and sometimes they are similar references from the same brand. The answer is always the same, go with your gut. Continue to watch videos and read about the watches, but most importantly try them on at the store or borrow one from your watch friends. This is such a personal decision and nothing I say should impact your choice. Ultimately, go with your gut, and your budget.  Is there any watch that’s a grail for you, something you’d trade your entire collection for? W.O.E.’s South African-issued Tudor Submariner reference 7016. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Yes, no. A “grail watch” is the ultimate watch for a collector, something that they would never sell if they were able to acquire it. Like the “holy grail”, this watch is often unattainable, or incredibly unlikely to obtain. It’s more of a fantasy than a realistic goal. Pictured above is my South African-issued Tudor Submariner ref 7016 from approximately 1974, which is (was?) my grail watch. I acquired this piece from Ross Povey last year and it is my “prized possession,” I will never sell it. A Rolex Milsub is another grail for me, but I wouldn’t trade my entire collection for one. (Photo Credit: Bonhams) Moving forward, there are plenty of watches I would love to acquire including a Rolex MilSub and an Israeli-issued Shayetet 13 Tudor Sub 7928. That said, there is nothing I would trade my entire collection for. Many of my watches have personal value that transcends monetary value. The Breitling Aerospace I received from King Abdullah of Jordan (Read HERE) is probably worth a few thousand on the market, but to me, it is priceless. I have too many memories with that piece to let it go.    How do I buy a watch for my wife? (Photo Credit: Tudor Watch) This is a tricky one. I have purchased Mrs. W.O.E. several watches including a Cartier Tank, Black Bay 58, and a Patek Philippe Gold Ellipse. Despite my best efforts to woo her into the world of watch nerds, she couldn't care less. The fact is that women have more competition for their attention (and money) than men. While this is a generalization I am probably going to catch some smoke for, women are bombarded by messaging for and tend to covet handbags, shoes, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces whereas men traditionally have fewer personal items to consider. The watch industry has been desperate to acquire women customers and has made some headway, but it's still heavily tilted toward men. My advice is simple, bring your significant other to a watch store to try on a range of watches. If something speaks to them, then follow that thread. If not, don’t push it.    What is your favorite strap and why? (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) When it comes to W.O.E. products, I am our first customer and if it's not something I would use, then it doesn’t get made. That said, each of our product lines is very discrete and developed for different use cases. Just because you like one of our straps doesn’t mean you will like them all. The Glomar Explorer probably gets the most wrist time, particularly in warmer months. It’s such a versatile strap and works particularly well with both the Blue and Black FXDs, but also virtually any tool watch. With the new tightened strap keeper, there is no chance it is coming off your wrist.  Sizing can greatly vary on these straps, depending on the watch and your wrist size. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Second, I am a big fan of leather on field watches and divers and wear the Jedburgh, particularly on my older vintage pieces and watches like the Arabic Seiko.  From the start, it is a very comfortable strap with a low profile. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Lastly, I love all of our Five Eyes straps and wear them regularly. But when it comes to single-pass straps, I often defer to our past collaborations with Zulu Alpha and recently have been wearing the W.O.E. - Zulu Alpha 4.0 a lot. They are expensive, there is no way to sugarcoat that, but the quality of the hardware and fabric are night and day in my opinion. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) The main point here is to find a strap that works for you.  There are so many variables in watches, wrist size, and preferences, that there is no one size fits all. I encourage you to read the (over 1,000) reviews on each product page and see what other people's experiences have been. Remember, it’s much easier to buy and try a lot of different straps than it is with watches… What current Rolex model family would you buy assuming no wait list and cost isn’t an issue? I am a big fan of Rolex, particularly vintage and neo-vintage Submariners and GMTs. I am a simple man and give me any Sub or GMT with an aluminum bezel and drilled lug holes and I will be happy. I have “expressed interest” in the new Black/Gray Rolex GMT Master II, and would love to get one, but I am not losing sleep over it. That said, the one piece I would kill for (not actually) is the Titanium Yachtmaster. However, these pieces are almost impossible to get and I am not willing to pay the excessive premium on the secondary market or play silly games with ADs to get one. I am ok with that. Watch buying advice? (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) Still, the most common question we get is on watch buying advice from newbies and experts alike. While the W.O.E. platform is geared towards telling stories from our community, we have considerable resources to answer these questions.  Please check out the following articles if you are new to the world of watches. Advice for Buying a Watch Best Watches Under $5,000 - Ask the Experts Best Watches Under $1,000 - Ask the Experts Best Military Watches If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. – This Dispatch has been reviewed by the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board to prevent the disclosure of classified information.

“Terrific” Trump Watches, Rolex Submariner Secrets, Shark Tank Tudors, & More Watch-Related Crime By Benjamin Lowry Last month, we tested a new Dispatch format offering a brief overview of notable watch industry news as well as a discussion of current events either directly or tangentially related to our community. Given the positive feedback on our first run, each month I will provide a brief overview of watch-related news and current events pertaining to our community, all paired with our commentary. As a disclaimer, our monthly Watch Industry SITREP (Situation Report) will never include vapid reporting about which Patek Philippe model Zac Efron pairs with his chiseled abs or what brands have paid to be included in this year’s Fashion Week. Most celebrity endorsements are sponsored anyway, and we frankly don’t care (unless it’s Daniel Craig). To quote Thomas Jefferson, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” While that is probably overstating the value of this watch and espionage-oriented platform, suffice it to say that knowledge is power and you don’t want to be caught sleeping on the big news at your next local watch meetup. That said, here are some notable watch industry events from this past month coupled with our commentary, starting with the recent unveiling of 45th President Donald J Trump’s very own collection of “luxury” watches. “That’s A Lot Of Diamonds. I Love Gold, I Love Diamonds” - Donald Trump Watches If you like gold and diamonds, which Trump says “everyone does”, the Victory Tourbillon could be for you. Bottom line up front, W.O.E. is an apolitical platform, but now and then, political figures cross over into our horological world and—as is the case here—require closer examination. Yesterday, Donald J. Trump revealed a new collection of watches headlined by a solid gold “Victory Tourbillon” that will set you back a cool $100k. If that’s out of your price range, there’s also the “Fighter”, sometimes also called the “Fight Fight Fight”, a dive-inspired model that presents a more reasonable $500 price point while still being equipped with an automatic Seiko movement. But as silly as they are, the watches, which are pre-order only for now, are not the news here. As always, Trump himself is the hook. Trump’s “Fighter” model will set you back a cool $499. In what feels almost like a parody or an AI deep fake, the website, GetTrumpWatches, is led by an embedded video that is the stuff of dreams. In the video, Trump introduces himself as your favorite president, proclaims that he is doing “quite a number with watches”, and that, “the quality to me is very important”. Describing the Victory Tourbillon by saying “This isn’t just any watch, it’s one of the best watches made” before launching into the number of grams of gold and the number of diamonds used in the Victory’s eye-watering six-figure design. No matter where you stand politically, watch enthusiasts must unite to enjoy this incredible minute or so of content. If you thought the front of the “Fight Fight Fight” was amazing, the back is even more terrific, though it does say the watch is rated to 200 meters where the specs indicate 100 meters. I digress. Further, the watches do not appear to be making America great again, with the FAQ section indicating the watches are made from “premium, Swiss-Made materials”, whatever that means, and saying proceeds from the watches do not support the former president’s campaign. Instead, the watches—whose country of origin is unclear—are a product of a licensing deal with TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC. With watch-specific and mainstream media eating these watches up—ourselves included—it’s difficult to fault Trump’s ability to remain at the forefront of the public eye. NFL Player Shot But Survives Attempted Rolex Robbery In San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Rocky Pearsall after being shot in an attempted Rolex robbery in San Francisco. In our last SITREP, we discussed watch-related crime including a still-at-large NYC man who placed victims in chokeholds before relieving them of their watches. It gets worse. Days later, on August 31st, San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall was shot in an attempted robbery of his Rolex on the streets of the troubled city that is San Francisco in 2024. According to local news, a teenager spotted the Rolex on the 6’1” 192-pound first-round draft pick, brandished a firearm, and demanded the watch. A struggle ensued in which both Pearsall and his assailant were both shot, but the wide receiver kept his watch, which appears to be a Rolex Datejust, proudly wearing it on the sidelines only two weeks later. Pearshall wearing his nearly-stolen Rolex Datejust on the sidelines only a couple of weeks after the attempted robbery. At W.O.E., we shy away from telling people how to live their lives but have discussed how to safely travel with a watch in great detail (read HERE). Your experience may vary, but suffice to say SF is not the place for flexing your luxury watch collection. Hammer-Wielding Smash & Grab At Pentagon City Mall Broken glass litters the scene around the Pentagon City Mall Tourneau | Bucherer. In further crime news, a Tourneau | Bucherer boutique close by the Pentagon was the subject of a smash-and-grab robbery back on September 1st, when three teens allegedly used hammers to smash into display cases inside the watch boutique. According to police, the sound of the breaking windows was enough to make multiple eyewitnesses report a shooting had taken place, leading to a full lockdown of the shopping center for about an hour. Whether specifically targeting watches or other industry pillars including Louis Vuitton, the luxury industry has been plagued by similar robberies in recent years.  Tourneau, which dates back to 1900, was acquired by Bucherer, one of Europe’s largest watch retailers, in 2018. In some of the most surprising watch news in years, Rolex SA then purchased Bucherer in 2023, presumably to have greater control over its supply chain, secondary market, and customer experience. For luxury boutiques, often “protected” by unarmed security professionals unwilling to engage in fisticuffs with hammer-wielding assailants, the smash-and-grab methodology is challenging to counter, with similar robberies targeting watch retailers taking place in Newport Beach, California, Ellis​​ville, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and Concord, North Carolina in the past year. That said, with most of the watches on display being “Exhibition Only,” they will likely be disappointed with the loot. A Rolex Submariner Book Full Of Revelations Long shrouded in secrecy, a new book developed with Rolex shares untold history and details about history’s most popular watch. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.) As one of the world’s most secretive brands, Rolex is not known for sharing, making the recent unveiling of a book entitled Oyster Perpetual Submariner—The Watch That Unlocked The Deep all the more surprising. A co-venture between watch industry historian Nicholas Foulkes and the Crown itself, the book peels back the layers on several aspects that have long been speculated among Rolex enthusiasts in the darkest corners of internet watch fora. (Photo Credit: Hodinkee) First and foremost, and in a move that led to numerous pearl-clutching gasps among Rolex diehards, the brand formally provided production numbers for each and every Rolex Submariner reference ever made. For collectors, this is huge, providing concrete data for any argument about how rare a particular reference is or isn’t. We’ve never seen a move like this from Rolex before, and perhaps the book indicates a changing tide for a luxury icon that is quite possibly as secretive as any respected intelligence agency. Beyond the production numbers, a detailed history is provided for the Sub’s close relationship to the Explorer, former names considered by the Crown before landing on “Submariner” and plenty of other historical gems. The book formally launches in French and English on October 1st and rest assured, we will have more to say about the text in due course. A Custom Tudor Black Bay 925 For The Shark Tank Cast Known for wearing red straps with the watches in his luxurious and ostentatious collection, Kevin O’Leary is the resident watch enthusiast on Shark Tank, the popular entrepreneurial reality show that just wrapped shooting for its sixteenth season. To celebrate the 24 team members who have been with the show since the pilot, O’Leary purchased 24 of a custom version of the silver Black Bay 925 with a Shark Tank logo on the dial as well as the name of the recipient and “One great idea can change your life forever” engraved on the exhibition caseback.  Within the watch collecting hobby, so-called “unit watches” are one of our favorite aspects, with Tudors Of Espionage (T.O.E.) playing a not insignificant role in our admiration for these customized timepieces. That said, these particular iterations come off more than a little bit corny. Further, the accompanying attempt at virality—a short video entitled Gifting 24 Custom Shark TankTudor Watches—feels like engagement-thirsty virtue signaling of the highest order when the project could have easily been more subtle. We’ll have to see where aftermarket pricing for these goes when someone inevitably sells one… Final Thoughts Whether it’s a solid gold tourbillon from none other than Donald Trump, an NFL player fending off a would-be Rolex thief and getting shot in the process, or the chamber of secrets that is modern Rolex letting just a little bit of light in with a new Submariner book, September didn’t disappoint when it comes to watch-related news. If you guys enjoyed this format and our commentary, please let us know. If you come across great stories as the next month progresses, be sure to share those as well. As a whole, the watch industry is often guilty of taking itself too seriously. With this monthly column, we aim to share some relevant events you might actually care about while also just maybe having a good time in the process. If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our free weekly newsletter for further updates HERE. Read Next: Watch Industry SITREP - August 2024 *As a disclaimer, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on links to various books in our articles and make a purchase, this can result in Watches of Espionage earning a commission. If you’re interested in these books and want to make a purchase using these links, we appreciate your support.

The World Needs Watchmakers & A Unique Organization Aims To Help Fill The Gap With Veterans Bolstered by the rise of social media and a slew of watch-related platforms, the internet has made the age-old art and science of horology cool once again. Ironically, as more people enter the hobby, the global watch industry faces a labor crisis. Becoming a skilled watchmaker is no joke, and there are simply not enough qualified watchmakers to go around. In this Dispatch, we’ll discuss the watchmaker shortage, including how we got here, what the industry is doing about it, and a unique opportunity for veterans who want to get involved. It may not feel like an obvious choice, but if you’re a disabled veteran in search of a new career, watchmaking may be one to consider. An organization called the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative provides all but completely free initial watchmaker training, credentialing, and even help with job placement. What Is A Watchmaker? (Photo Credit: VWI) Watches date back to the 16th Century, and watchmakers were artisans who hand-fabricated every component of every single watch they produced. By the early 1900s, standardization took over, with watch companies focusing on mass production using interchangeable components. A watchmaker from the Swiss Vallée de Joux. (Photo Credit: Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne) Watchmaking changed from a largely European artisanal cottage industry to a broader technical field where budding watchmakers could learn the ways of assembling, maintaining, and repairing watches and “calibers”, which is what watch nerds and the French call the movement. Until the 1960s, watches were virtually all powered by mechanical means. That, coupled with the fact that almost everyone used to wear a watch, meant watchmaking was a small but legitimate career field supported by trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and infrastructure providing aftermarket components for servicing or repair. The Quartz Crisis To Today The release of the Seiko Astron spurred the Quartz Crisis, the effects of which directly influenced the current watchmaker shortage. (Photo Credit: Seiko) While there were numerous earlier efforts with electronic timekeeping, Seiko’s 1969 release of the Astron launched what came to be known as the “Quartz Crisis”, a major contributor to today’s watchmaker shortage. Bad news for watchmakers, quartz calibers were easier to mass produce and would quickly become far less expensive than their mechanical counterparts. Some estimates indicate the number of watchmakers employed just in Switzerland dropped by over 60% during the 1970s while the Swiss watch industry as a whole saw its employment decline from 90,000 at its peak to just 28,000 during the same period. Inexpensive digital quartz watches from Japan like the Casio Casiotron of 1974 emperiled the Swiss industry like never before. (Photo Credit: Casio USA) As the need for watchmaking declined with the rise of quartz, the once-proud trade of watchmaking became less profitable and attractive and the watchmaking needs of those who still preferred mechanical timekeeping were increasingly met by an aging population of watchmakers, a trend that continues into modern times. The numbers are staggering. A watchmaker at work at Patek Philippe's "The Art Of Watches" exhibition in 2017. (Photo Credit: CNN/Getty) According to Jordan Ficklin, the executive director of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI), today there are an estimated 4,000 watchmakers in the United States, a decrease of as much as 90% compared to the 1960s. Of course, there are fewer mechanical watches out and about compared to that period, but the shortage still means backlogs for watch repairs stretch into the years in some instances. Becoming A Watchmaker In 2024 (Photo Credit: VWI) As internet-based watch enthusiasm has spurred a modern renaissance for mechanical watches at virtually all levels of the industry, the supply of newly minted watchmakers has failed to keep pace. Every year, hundreds of watchmakers who were trained before the Quartz Crisis retire with only a handful of qualified replacements stepping up to take up the reins. But let’s say you’re interested in watches and seriously considering taking up watchmaking as a career choice, how does one become a watchmaker in the first place? At least in the United States, there are essentially two options. A budding watchmaker can either attend a formal school—and there are only a few in the US—or complete an apprenticeship program. There are only a handful of certified watchmaking schools in the United States including Gem City College School of Horology in Quincy, Illinois (Photo Credit: AWCI) With a formal watchmaking school, students pay to attend a program lasting from two to four years. The schools also typically work with brands and other entities to employ newly minted watchmakers, which is the easy part given the shortage. With an eye towards self-preservation more than altruism, many watchmaking schools are subsidized by the brands. Apprenticeships, the old-school way of becoming a watchmaker, still exist but are rare in the United States today. In most cases, apprentices don’t get paid, making this a challenging route. (Photo Credit: VWI) In either case, if you can get yourself trained or experienced or both to a solid level, there is no shortage of jobs out there waiting for qualified watchmakers, some of which pay surprisingly well compared to a traditional college education for non-binary art history or whatever kids are studying these days. If you’re a veteran, there is another unique opportunity out there that is so good, we almost didn’t think it was real. Veterans Watchmaker Initiative Sam Cannan founded VWI in 2017. (Photo Credit: VWI) Starting in 2015, Sam Cannan, a retired Baltimore police officer turned watchmaker, set out on a unique journey, to create a school for disabled veterans to learn watchmaking. Even more challenging, Cannan aimed to make the school completely free of charge, providing a pathway for veterans to learn a skilled trade and earn gainful employment in a high-demand career field. It took a couple of years, but Cannan eventually found a building in Odessa, Delaware where he set up shop, donated by the New Castle County government for $1 a year. The Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking was founded after the Second World War and provided no-cost watchmaker training to disabled veterans. (Photo Credit: Bulova) Calling back to the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking founded in WWII to provide veterans of the wars in Europe and the Pacific with free watchmaker training, Bulova came on board as a founding sponsor. In return, VWI is also an authorized Bulova service center, and students finishing the school’s full 16-month watchmaker training course attend a further three-month internship repairing watches within the service center. While studying, students also have the option to live in a nearby house owned by the school, providing an opportunity for students to obtain an almost completely free education in watchmaking. (Photo Credit: VWI) The program’s graduates are in high demand and have been placed—with the program’s assistance—within the Richemont and Swatch Groups as well as brands like Patek Philippe, with a near 100% placement rate for students graduating from the full watchmaker course. Staring into a watch movement wearing a loupe may seem like a far cry from the realities of military service, but many program attendees and particularly those diagnosed with PTSD as a service-connected disability describe the trade as therapeutic, providing a level of mental health support in addition to promising career implications. If you’re a disabled veteran and interested in attending one of VWI’s courses, which also include a shorter six-week watch technician program, click HERE to learn more. Watchmaking In 2024 (Photo Credit: VWI) Thus far, a renewed interest in mechanical watches has failed to spur a new generation of watchmakers. However, with the help of programs like VWI, hope is on the horizon. As is often the case with the so-called “Skills Gap”, awareness is at the core of the issue. If watch brands both big and small hope to persevere, qualified watchmakers must exist at all levels, ready to handle assembly at the production level as well as after-sales service whether handled by an authorized dealer or an independent watch repair business. As we’ve described, brands including Bulova are stepping up to help—in its interest as much as anything—but we would argue a broader effort from the largest players is necessary to keep pace with a majority retirement-age watchmaking workforce. Especially for disabled veterans searching for a skilled career field that is also in high demand, watchmaking might be a great place to look. If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. Read Next: Advice for Buying a Watch

From the Cold War To The War In Ukraine, Watches Are Used As A Propaganda Tool, But Are They Effective? In June 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the frontline troops on Ukraine's Armed Forces Day and presented soldiers with Ukrainian-produced Kleynold watches. The tradition of presenting watches to military personnel as commemorative gifts is long, but these watches served another purpose. With a government photographer on hand to capture the moment, the Ukrainian-produced Kleynold KFS-820s were tools of propaganda, a public demonstration of unity, patriotism, and Ukrainian ingenuity. This is just the latest example of watches used as tools of influence by Ukraine, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Cold War Of Covert Influence During the Cold War, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) competed on several “battlefields.” These included “hot wars” like Korea and Vietnam, “near-miss Armageddons” such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and shadowy proxy wars around the world. One of the lesser-known battlefields involved influence operations. Both superpowers used overt, clandestine, and covert resources to influence non-aligned populations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In the United States, the lead agency was the US State Department and, specifically, the Policy Planning Staff (PPS). George Kennan, the State Department senior official responsible for the PPS, served in Moscow and realized that in the case of the USSR, the United States faced an implacable foe under Joseph Stalin determined to control the world either by force of arms or by political warfare. George F. Kennan pictured in Geneva, Switzerland. To counter that threat, Kennan prepared a series of papers at State addressing political warfare's challenges. Kennan understood that a successful program would have to include every possible tool in the national security tool kit. This included public diplomacy, economic and military support to neutrals as well as allies, and clandestine and covert influence programs run by the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency.  The diverse set of CIA operations supporting this strategic plan included clandestine publishing and delivery of books banned in the USSR such as Boris Paternak’s Doctor Zhivago, smuggling news and music radio broadcasts into the Warsaw Pact countries and the USSR, and effective use of “agents of influence” to deliver a US-orchestrated message. Traditional Propaganda To counter this effort, the USSR used similar techniques. In the case of strategic communications, the USSR offered foreign journalists tours of “Potemkin villages” presenting the power of the communist economy. The May Day celebrations included displays of the Soviet military might, and in 1960, they created an international university in Moscow, Patrice Lumumba University, to train future non-aligned leaders. The KGB conducted “active measures” propaganda using their own agents of influence designed to portray the West and most especially the US as a poverty-stricken, depraved nation. The greatest tool in the Soviet propaganda tool kit was their space program. While US rockets were blowing up on the launch pad, the Soviets launched a small satellite, SPUTNIK, in October 1957 which broadcasted a radio signal as it orbited the Earth. In April 1961, the Soviets put the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit, providing rocket fuel for the USSR’s propaganda program. The Soviet Union & Watches The Soviet Union had a basic watch industry before the start of World War II, but it was after the war that their watchmaking endeavors shifted from producing watches for the war effort to a blend of military and civilian programs. Two of the best-known of these 20th-century watch factories were VOSTOK (“East” in Russian) and the Petrodvorets Watch Factory (later renamed RAKETA, Russian for “rocket” after Yuri Gagarin’s epic flight). Both companies produced basic, easy-to-service, reliable hand-wound watches. Both RAKETA and VOSTOK watches were worn by Soviet political and military leaders as well as Soviet astronauts, pilots, and polar explorers. Soviet watch designs were also distinctive (for example the “Big Zero” Raketa). They also offered creative designs for water resistance including the legendary Vostok Amphibia that relied on increasing water pressure at depth to secure its water resistance. Raketa “Big Zero” in a chrome-plated cushion case with short, curved lugs (Photo Credit: Vintage Watch Inc) Beginning in the 1960s, both factories began to produce watches that advertised Soviet successes in military operations, space, and exploration. These watches had dial designs including Gagarin’s face, Soviet tanks, Soviet ships, submarines, and Soviet aircraft. These designs were primarily focused on building solidarity within the Soviet Union, but they were also exported around the globe allowing citizens of non-aligned countries with weak economies to own a reliable watch marked in English as “MADE IN USSR”.  Vintage Raketa with Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin on the dial. The objective was clear: While the West produced watches for the elite, the Soviet Union made watches for the common man. While anyone familiar with the international watch industry of the 1960s knows that US, UK, and Japanese firms were producing high-quality watches at an affordable price, the marketing plans for these firms did not counter the Soviet argument. Simply put: The West ceded this particular piece of strategic communications to the Soviets. Did it matter? Probably not. The collapse of the USSR was a catastrophe for most command economy industries. However, both RAKETA and VOSTOK survived and began to export to the West. The oddest aspect of these export efforts was the importance of nostalgia for the Cold War. Soviet paraphernalia began to show up in kiosks throughout Europe and both RAKETA and VOSTOK found European partners willing to invest in their robust yet extremely inexpensive watches. The War In Ukraine Long after the collapse of the USSR and the creation of the modern state of Ukraine, the country had a nascent watch industry in Kyiv founded in 1997 and focused on simple quartz and mechanical watches. None of these watches appeared on the market in the West and they certainly didn’t hold the status of popular VOSTOK models including the  Komandirskie and the Amphibia, both of which have cult followings among enthusiasts.  A KLEYNOD watch from the brand’s military-oriented “Forces” collection. However, following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory in 2022, the Ukrainian Kyiv watch company changed its name to KLEYNOD (Ukrainian for “treasure”) and began to impress a historic Ukrainian battle insignia on their watches. Their marketing tool was simple: The KLEYNOD watches symbolized the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. In a previous W.O.E. Dispatch, we showed President Zelensky giving KLEYNOD watches to front-line troops. At present, KLEYNOD offers over a dozen different military-related watches, clearly keeping the ongoing war effort in mind. Colonel Oleksandr “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko, an early casualty of the War in Ukraine wearing a Ukrainian-made watch, Kleynod "Independence Insignia" edition. When Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker fighter pilot Colonel Oleksandr “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko was killed on 25 February by a Russian S-400 missile during the Battle of Kyiv, he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Gold Star. Oksanchenko was a legendary Ukrainian pilot who retired in 2018 but like many Ukrainians returned to service to defend his nation. To celebrate this national hero and create unity, the Ukrainian government and press circulated pictures of the Grey Wolf, with a Kleynod "Independence Insignia" edition watch clearly visible on his wrist. The watch was developed on the 15th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. Russia, Putin, & Timepieces Similarly, Russia continues to tout its watch industry as a source of national pride. President Putin, known for his extensive watch collection including an 18k yellow gold Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne, Blancpain, and IWC, is now seen regularly wearing a Russian made, Imperial Peterhof Factory (Raketa) watch. Putin and affiliated Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) officials similarly have presented Russian-made watches to forces as honorary gifts. Conclusion: In the West, we often see watches as timekeeping tools or status symbols. Certainly, both points are true around the world with world leaders wearing valuable timepieces. Cases in point include the new Danish King Frederik’s Omega Seamaster “Unit Watch” or Donald Trump’s many Rolex models. However, in the case of the USSR or today’s Russia and Ukraine, watches made locally serve as small but impactful propaganda tools that remind both the wearer and the observer alike that indigenous industries make reliable tools that are robust and meant to be used. Both countries export these timepieces to sustain their industries, but also to send a small message to the world: We are industrial powers. -- This piece was jointly written by W.O.E. and J.R. Seeger who served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and as a CIA officer for a total of 27 years of federal service. Seeger led multiple, small unit teams during his service, including leading one of the CIA teams that infiltrated Afghanistan after 9/11. This newsletter has been reviewed by the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board to prevent the disclosure of classified information. If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE.  Read Next: Double Wristing Stormin' Norman

Celebrity Watch Deals Are Nothing New—But Are They As Compelling As They Once Were?  Last year, watch media was flown into Mykonos, Greece from all over the globe. The occasion? The 75th Anniversary of the Omega Seamaster. The real reason folks came out? Dinner with George Clooney, the salt-and-pepper Hollywood heartthrob on Omega’s payroll. A play-by-play account of the experience from an insider ran in Revolution Magazine: The sun was setting on a beach Omega managed to make private for the evening. Picture this: 2,000 candles covered the sand where a strong breeze was making sure my hair would make me look as if I had just gotten out of bed, or as if I had stuck two fingers into an electrical socket. There were 140 guests split into two tables and I was fortunate enough to sit at George Clooney’s…I mean, he’s a fuckin’ 62-year-old god I would date in a split second, even if, for the record, he is my Dad’s age. Thankfully, he’s married to a goddess named Amal Clooney, and fully taken. Although… I have to say that when I laid eyes on him, it felt as if I was struck by a bolt of lightning from Zeus himself. Omega CEO Reynaldo Aeschlimann (far left), George Clooney, (right of center), and a few other of Omega’s notable celebrity partners in Mykonos. (Photo Credit: Revolution) Needless to say, celebrities are a highly effective tool for getting the watch media to write about a certain event or product. That much is evident from the sort of celebrity coverage the watch world gave to the Met Gala the other week. In fact, entire TikTok and Instagram accounts have cropped up dedicated to covering what watches celebrities wear. And with them, a large following. W.O.E. is indifferent when it comes to this kind of celebrity marketing and I can confidently say a movie star wearing a watch has never impacted my buying habits. That said, for better or worse, celebrity endorsements are a massive part of modern watch culture. What we think about them doesn’t matter. They’re not going anywhere.  So how exactly did we get here? What happened to the iconic watch advertisements featuring people of real consequence shaping the course of history?  It has to do with the shifting aspirations of watch consumers, the changing role of the wristwatch, and the influencer economy. In this Dispatch, we’ll explore how watch marketing shifted from pilots, explorers, and divers to vapid Hollywood celebrities and K-pop superstars. The Early Age Of “Celebrity” Testimonials  Charles Lindbergh pictured alongside the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927.  Many pilots died trying to claim the Orteig Prize, a $25,000 cash prize for anyone who could fly from New York to Paris nonstop. Charles Lindbergh famously won the prize in 1927, but not before between six and 15 pilots perished in the competition, depending on the source of reporting. Lindbergh eventually became somewhat of an ambassador for Longines and later developed the “Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch” with Philip Van Horn Weems of the US Navy, an early pioneer of modern aerial navigation techniques. A celebrated pilot and explorer, Lindbergh was one of the earliest “celebrity” ambassadors for Longines in the ‘30s.  A 1931 advertisement for the Longines “Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch”. In the aviation world, one mid-century aviator’s name looms large, and that is, of course, Chuck Yeager. He was famously a Rolex ambassador, but he wasn’t the first ambassador who challenged the status quo in a profession and rose to stardom that Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf would capitalize on. Wilsdorf was a brilliant marketer, and while the testimonial model was certainly used before, he took it to a new level and leveraged celebrity status in a novel way.  Rolex advertisement featuring legendary pilot Chuck Yeager. In 1927, Mercedes Gleitze swam across the English Channel with a Rolex strapped to her wrist (some accounts say it was around her neck). She was just 26 years old and spent a grueling 10 hours in the water. When she reached shore, her watch was in perfect order. In the 1920s, this was an incredible feat of engineering and paired well with the equally challenging real-world accomplishment. Wilsdorf then made her a brand ambassador, using Gleitze’s stardom as a record holder to demonstrate the waterproof properties of the “Oyster” case.  An advertisement for Rolex’s Oyster case technology celebrating Mercedes Gleitze’s English Channel swim.  That was the first instance of “celebrity” ambassadors by Rolex. Now back to Yeager. It was in 1987 that Yeager first appeared in a Rolex advertisement, although the brand had worked with him during his years of service as an aviator on product testing and development. It was only in the ‘80s that he became a spokesperson for Rolex. Rolex regarded airmen as celebrities in the mid-century era, because they were. Various advertisements even cite the Crown’s involvement with the US Air Force’s Thunderbirds, the jet demonstration team. During the ‘50s and ‘60s, the image of American might via the Thunderbirds helped Rolex sell watches.  Rolex advertisement highlighting the brand’s relationship with the US Air Force Thunderbirds. Partnerships were not limited to the high-flying variety. Underwater, Aqualung was touting its relationship with Jacques Costeau, underwater adventurer and documentarian, and Doxa was also tied up in this partnership. The ‘60s were an age of adventure, and Costeau’s films and shows filled viewers' imaginations with the magical world beneath the sea—providing a point of view they’d never seen before.  A 1958 ad from US Divers, the United States Aqua Lung affiliate, using Cousteau to market its diving equipment.  All of these “ambassadors'' (different brands called them by different names) had one thing in common: their popularity came from performing feats against the odds and contributing something important to their field. In other words, their real-world accomplishments moved the needle. As a generalization, the same can’t be said about today’s celebrity watch ambassadors, the majority of whom come from film, sports, or music. But this change also has to do with the fact that the watches being advertised back then filled a much different need than the watches of today. It’s easy to forget today, but watches were once tools. The Transmogrification From Tool To Luxury In Watches Jacques Cousteau and Luis Marden wearing Aqualung equipment, excellent social proof for Aqualung as a brand. (Photo Credit: National Geographic) Among Dr. Robert Cialdini’s “Weapons of Mass Influence'' is the concept of “social proof”. This means that in most instances, humans observe their environment and surroundings to learn what is the “correct behavior”. In simple terms, it’s looking to prominent figures for influence, observing what strategies have worked for successful individuals in the past. If Jacques Costeau used Aqualung diving equipment when he produced his famous documentary The Silent World in ‘56 and laid the foundations for what would become an era of undersea living research, then Aqualung could cite him as social proof that their equipment performed well enough for Costeau to carry out his job, which ultimately contributes to the field of undersea scientific research.  Up until the advent of phones, smartwatches, and other “wearables” that keep time, the crucial task was solely that of the mechanical wristwatch. There was no other choice. It wasn’t necessarily a fashion accessory, it had to perform its job just like any other tool one would rely on.  While often considered luxury items, watches are still critical tools in certain instances. (Photo Credit: Tudor Watch) Now in 2024 that’s not the case for the broader public. In the W.O.E. community it still very much is—while timepieces are in part about culture, they are still crucial tools used to accomplish tasks. But it’s important to remember that suits in Geneva aren’t necessarily marketing watches for the niche W.O.E. crowd. To reach a larger qualified demographic, watches are now marketed as luxury accessories.  The key takeaway is that while watches were once a necessity for the masses, they now primarily serve as a luxury item for those with horological interests and money to spend.  Classical Expressions Of Heroism Replaced By Celebrities Han So Hee, the star of K-drama Nevertheless, became an Omega ambassador in 2022.  Since the watch isn’t necessarily what it once was in terms of the role it plays, that means the way most watches are marketed and positioned must change, too.  To prove the point, let’s look at the inverse of the above hypothesis: Tools that have always been tools will still use “testimonial” style advertising, citing ambassadors that use their products for their jobs. Take a look at diving equipment manufacturer, Draeger’s online catalog and you’ll see operators, not celebrities, using their products.  The same goes for just about any gear company that’s popular in our community. You won’t find celebrities endorsing companies producing power tools and gear to get the job done.  So why did it happen in watches? Watch brands, like any other company, have one purpose: to make money. And in 2024 this means mainstream appeal. They’re going to make the most effective investment in terms of share of voice (SOV), often hiring agencies to make smart investment decisions that ultimately lead to the highest number of sales.  Whether we like it or not, actors like Brad Pitt, a Breitling ambassador, are an excellent vehicle for boosting watch awareness and sales. For better or worse, celebrities are synonymous with luxury and wield great influence. Brad Pitt, David Beckham, and Lady Gaga are leveraged to create social proof, which is in stark contrast to the “hero” or boundary-pushing individuals brands may have looked to in the past. The truth is that traditional celebrities simply have larger followings than outstanding individuals moving the needle in the world today. Investing in celebrity partnerships exposes a higher number of individuals to the brand.  Recently, K-Pop star Lisa launched her own Bulgari watch that takes inspiration from the Swiss Alps and the national flower of Switzerland, Edelweiss. This sort of release demonstrates the sort of deal watch companies engage in: They get to use a big name that draws in people, and in return, the celebrity gets clout and a big check. Lisa, a Thai national who is a member of a K-pop group, is not a known watch fan. It’s a transactional relationship, the same sort of arrangement that happens in the fashion world.  The John Mayer X Audemars Piguet Limited Edition Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is a rare example of a celebrity being associated with watches because of a genuine passion for horology. (Photo Credit: Hodinkee)  On the contrary, some deals exist in the celebrity space that make a lot of sense including the John Mayer X Audemars Piguet Limited Edition Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. Mayer stands out as the mainstream celebrity who has done a lot in terms of bringing watches to a wider audience while having a true passion for the craft. There are exceptions to every rule.  Nirmal “Nims” Purja, a former Bremont ambassador, is an excellent modern example of a brand getting behind a boundary-pushing athlete and explorer. (Photo Credit: Bremont)  While the golden era of exploration is over, there are still people today who have done far more to the advancement of humankind than any actor, fashion icon, or TikTok influencer. The problem is, that they do not wield the same influence as modern mega-celebrities do.   While it’s true that suits in Geneva hire celebrities to promote products, it’s also true that the general buying public doesn’t buy based on heroic actions of servitude anymore. While an explorer may have hundreds of thousands of followers and a certain level of influence, their ability to alter consumer decision-making en masse for $10,000 watches unfortunately just isn’t what it once was. This is more a reflection of societal interests than it is a core problem with the watch industry.  One of our altruistic motivations at W.O.E. is to maintain the ethos of the tool watch, using watches as a prism to tell stories of the unnamed men and women who actually make a difference in the world, not just on the silver screen. So What About The W.O.E. Community? What’s The Best Course Of Action?  Ryan Gosling, our nemesis and one of TAG Heuer’s modern ambassadors. (Photo Credit: TAG Heuer) With the advent of AI, the enshittification of the internet, and social media, this celebrity trend is most likely here to stay. But that doesn’t mean that you as an enthusiast have to embrace it. There’s still plenty of marketing that big watch brands use that specifically resonates with our community.  The celebrity trend only means that it’s harder for people who appreciate tool watches to find their tribe in the larger watch world. It’s like anything. There are groups inside a large whole, and then sub-groups inside those. What was once a much larger segment of the watch space has shrunk down to a much smaller group that occupies only a corner of the hobby now. We look at the world as it is, rather than how we might like it to be. This is just a fact. Those who simply don’t care about celebrities represent a smaller slice of the overall target market than those who do.  Concluding Thoughts Lisa, a K-Pop superstar, recently became a Bulgari ambassador. (Photo Credit: Bulgari) Like many interests and hobbies, what you put in is what you get out. There’s a surface-level veneer meant to appeal to the masses, and this is where standard celebrity partnerships fall. But dig deeper and there’s always another layer of authenticity and organizations doing something interesting. The deeper you go and the longer you spend wading through the watch world, the easier it becomes to separate what’s meaningful from what’s meaningless. One thing’s for sure: here at W.O.E, we’re not putting any celebrities on the payroll any time soon.  If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. READ NEXT: A Saudi Astronaut’s Rolex GMT at the International Space Station

Last week was Watches and Wonders, a trade show in Switzerland where watch brands showcase their latest releases. Journalists, tastemakers, and watch enthusiasts flock to Geneva to see and photograph new timepieces, meet with brand representatives, and drink no shortage of champagne and Negronis. Watches and Wonders is a masterclass in marketing, also known as the mass manipulation of consumers. We have previously written about covert influence in watch media (READ HERE) and this event is the Superbowl or, if you will, the Fashion Week. Propelled by the rise of digital media, what was once a straightforward industry trade show has been catapulted into the feeds of even the most basic enthusiast, with extensive coverage across all forms of social media, podcasts, and legacy watch publications.  Photo Credit: Watches and Wonders For weeks leading up to the event, the internet has been rife with “Watches and Wonders Predictions,” an organic marketing exercise that benefits both brands and content creators. The most influential tastemakers are invited to Switzerland as guests of the trade show, with hotels and other expenses covered either by the Watches and Wonders foundation or the brands. Lavish parties are thrown to showcase the watches but more importantly to woo the journalists, who are then expected to (objectively) cover the new watches, often simply regurgitating press releases with brand-approved language. Whether or not they are invited back next year is implied in part on their coverage of the event or the particular brand that sponsored their attendance. It’s brilliant.    Photo Credit: Watches and Wonders Don’t Hate The Player Or The Game To be clear, we don’t hate the players or the game. On the contrary, we admire the masterclass that is Watches and Wonders. It’s a fascinating exercise in human psychology, consumer behavior, and marketing. As enthusiasts, the releases are exciting, the speculation and leaks are admittedly fun, and the grand reveals offer the age-old intrigue of the unknown. While we normally don’t cover new releases, we want to highlight several watches that speak specifically to our community and our “Use Your Tools” ethos.  Photo Credit: Watches and Wonders We originally planned to cover 10-12 timepieces, but frankly struggled to identify more than a handful that met our criteria. The industry is trending towards high fashion and this seemed to be the year of dress watches and precious metals, which needless to say is not really within our wheelhouse. These are by no means endorsements, but here are a few that caught our eye. Rolex GMT-Master II Grey-Black Bezel Price: $10,900 (In Theory) A CIA Case Officer has been described as a “Ph.D. that can win in a bar fight”, and that fictional person would (traditionally) wear a Rolex GMT.  Whether the updated grey and black bezel on the newest GMT Master II is to your taste is up to you, but we would argue it gives the watch a modern look that is also more subtle than something like the legendary Pepsi bezel. For the traditionalists, the Pepsi is still available and was not discontinued as indicated by the rumor mill.  It’s an easy win and we like it. Cons: The days of a Case Officer or SpecOps operator walking into a boutique on R&R and walking out with a Rolex GMT are over. Given the astronomical secondary market prices (at times over double retail for certain references), it’s hard to say a new Rolex GMT is a true tool watch with a straight face. Modern Rolex models tend to be pretty shiny and this new GMT is unfortunately no exception. It can and will still be used as a tool by a select few, but the modern GMT Master II lacks much of its original tool watch feel. Also, good luck getting one at retail. Doxa Sub 200T Price: $1,550 - $1,590 For both the military and recreational diving communities, Doxa is a legendary name, having famously been worn by Dirk Pitt, Clive Cussler’s fictional undersea hero, and in the US Navy’s pioneering SEALAB experiments. Better known for their storied salvaging efforts, US Navy Divers also have been at the pointy end of the espionage spear, responsible for developing and executing a daring mission to tap Soviet undersea communication cables in the 1970s on Operation Ivy Bells. Jumping ahead to 2024, Doxa sneaked in just ahead of the Watches and Wonders releases, unveiling the Sub 200T about a week ahead of the big show. Providing a smaller alternative to the established Sub 300 and 300T, the 200T comes in with a 39mm diameter and more slender case while maintaining much of the Doxa Sub design language. Available in a staggering array of colors and matte or sunray dial finishes, the Sub 200T seems poised to provide a smaller-wearing alternative for those who have traditionally considered Doxa’s chunky cushion case to be a bit too much. Cons: Most Doxa Sub models wear considerably smaller than their stated diameter, meaning this 39mm Sub 200T might wear more like 36 or 37mm on the wrist, pretty small. Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT “Coke” Price: $4,400 - $4,600 While they may not have the historic caché offered by Rolex’s GMT Master models, Tudor’s GMT watches have come a long way since the release of the Black Bay GMT in 2018. However, from that 41mm wide by 15mm thick model’s inception, many were quick to call for a smaller and thinner option. But what most enthusiasts wanted was a Black Bay 58 GMT, and that’s exactly what we got in 2024. At this point, Tudor’s relationship with our community is well-established. Still producing unit watches for some of the world’s most elite military operators, Tudors of Espionage (T.O.E.) are very much a thing. That said, the new Black Bay 58 GMT feels like more of a vintage throwback than a modern practitioner's watch, but still offers its own play on the desirable “Coke” format along with the best set of dimensions thus far for a Tudor GMT, measuring 39mm wide and under 13mm thick. Cons: The new BB58 GMT relies heavily on “gilt” gold-tone markings that aren't for everyone. The faux rivets on the bracelet have to go and it’s really hard to understand why they use them on new designs. There is no utility to this feature and it crosses the line of homage-corny. The nicest thing we have heard about faux rivets is, “...they don’t bother me that much.” Bremont Terra Nova Price: $2,850 - $4,250 We are big fans of Bremont and we've previously covered the UK brand’s intriguing relationships with intel and military units around the globe (READ HERE). It would be intellectually dishonest to ignore the new Terra Nova collection of field watches “inspired by military pocket watches of the early 20th century”. That said, it’s hard to sugarcoat this one. To use a cricket metaphor, it was a swing and a miss. The rebranding fell flat with both enthusiasts and Bremont traditionalists.   Prior to the event, newly appointed Bremont CEO Davide Cerrato (formerly of Tudor, Montblanc, and Panerai) foreshadowed a pivot to a lower price point and we were genuinely excited about these releases. The strategy was sound but the implementation was flawed. The Terra Nova and the redesigned Bremont Supermarine are a stark departure from what makes Bremont loved by many, standing out as classy and refined aviation-inspired watches. Cons: The list is unfortunately long. The new logo, font, and overall design and manufacturing quality fall well short of expectations. To make matters worse, the price range places it squarely in competition with the likes of Tudor and many others. On the bright side, the brand appears to still offer the previous models (with original branding) and Special Projects appear unchanged. Understanding that a full pivot like this is bold, and takes a lot of time, effort, and money, we would love to see Bremont bounce back from this and return to its roots. Tudor Black Bay Monochrome Price: $4,225 - $4,550 We didn’t set out to profile two watches from the same brand, but Tudor came in with another solid (though predictable) win, not our fault. A follow-up to last year’s redesigned 41mm Black Bay Burgundy that added additional strap and bracelet options as well as METAS certification, the new Black Bay Monochrome makes one of Tudor’s single strongest arguments for a vintage-inspired sports watch to wear every day. Though we’ve often argued the Pelagos 39 is the modern Tudor-Sub, the Black Bay Monochrome is now right up there with a slimmer case design compared to previous iterations and more subtle looks than something like a ceramic Rolex Submariner. In our opinion, this is a major step up from the Black Bay 58, which we also love. Cons: If forced to nitpick a great watch, again enough with the faux rivets.  Fortunately, this watch is also available with a “Five-Link” (Jubilee) or an integrated rubber strap, both of which feel like better moves. Zenith DEFY Revival A3648 Price: $7,700 It’s not a name we talk about all the time in our shadowy corner of the watch world, but Zenith is a brand we respect and is also doing some very interesting things in 2024. Better known for its contributions to the world of chronographs, having unveiled one of the automatic chronographs in 1969 with the El Primero, modern Zenith balances a collection of up-to-date designs and heritage. This particular inclusion in this list is slightly less about being an ideal watch for Intel/Spec Ops and more about simply being a great new luxury tool watch. Completely overshadowed by the collection of chronographs, Zenith also produced several chunky yet capable dive watches in the late 1960s and 1970s including the rarely-seen Defy A3648. It’s not going to be for everyone, but the modern DEFY Revival A3648 is a near 1:1 of the original with a 37mm case and a very old-school feeling bracelet. With no less than 600 meters of water resistance, it’s also as capable a dive watch as you could ever want while offering a serious splash of orange on the bezel, dial, and hands that will speak to dive watch enthusiasts. Cons: It’s awesome they made this thing 37mm, but a lot of modern-day collectors might not be able to handle the lack of girth. Bright colors on watches are not for everyone (myself included), and a more subtle option might be cool to see in the future. Grand Seiko SBGJ277 Price: $6,800  Like Zenith, we seldom talk about Grand Seiko, instead concentrating on Seiko’s well-established and legendary historical associations with military special operations. With that in mind, Grand Seiko has operated as a separate brand for years now and provides some of the best watchmaking in its price category. The newly-released SBGJ277 leans into Grand Seiko’s history with high-beat mechanical calibers, in this case operating at 5 hz or 36,000 VPH. In addition, this new member of the brand’s Sport collection offers 100 meters of water resistance and a 55-hour power reserve, more than enough to suit the average Case Officer while differentiating from the established Rolex and Tudor crowds. Cons: While the finishing on this SBGJ277 is impressive for the dollar amount, the additional polished elements and textured dial both serve to create a more refined and therefore less utilitarian look. It’s not to say you couldn’t “Use Your Tools” with this watch but rather that it doesn’t look or feel the part as much as some others on this list. Again, we are not necessarily endorsing these watches, but each of them caught our eye and calls for a closer look. We understand that these watches are not cheap and if you’re interested in learning more about entry-level options that are well-suited to our community, check out “Best Watches Under $1,000 - Ask the Experts.” Next week we will resume our regular programming.  *sponsored by Rolex, Doxa, Tudor, Zenith, Bremont, and Grand Seiko (Just Kidding) -- If you enjoyed this article, please consider signing up for our weekly free newsletter for further updates HERE. READ NEXT: Remembering the Legacy of Billy Waugh Through His Watches