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NEW VIDEO: How Criminals Use Luxury Watches For Money Laundering For organized crime and nonstate actors, moving large amounts of illicit cash through transnational networks presents a serious problem. Cash is bulky, heavy, and difficult to explain away if you’re caught holding the literal bag. Bolstered by rising secondary market prices for luxury timepieces, bad actors have increasingly looked to watches as a form of liquid assets that can be moved around the world more easily. In our new episode of W.O.E. TV, we discuss how criminal organizations, t-organizations, and intelligence services use luxury watches to launder money and move illicit funds. Enjoy the watch, -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools

Every Day Carry - I’m a minimalist at heart and my philosophy on EDC is to carry what you will actually carry.  Everything should have a purpose. The EDC community is divided between tac-bros preparing for the zombie apocalypse and hipsters who color match their fidget spinners.  I respect both communities, but like most things in life I just don’t fit in either box. These are the things I carry on my person at all times, not pictured is a G43 in an SOB condm and spare mag in a pocket, my daily.  At Least $300 in cash and lip pillows. -Slide one - minimal EDC for daily use -Slide two - when on airplanes/international travel. Mobility:  The most dangerous thing I did at CIA was drive.  If and when I get in a crash, I want to be in an SUV.  I generally have a man purse within arms reach with secondary items, notebook, tourniquets.  Don’t overthink it. “It is wisest not to think of what one must have with one, but what one can do without.”- Bror Von Blixen -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools

Vintage Rolex sign in Aden, Yemen. Three separate pictures stretching back to the early 1960s (I think).  Rolex Nostalgia:  A couple weeks ago I wrote about my love-hate relationship with Rolex.  My love of the brand can best be told with this series of pictures, a time when Rolex watches were designed and fielded for hard men, doing hard things in hard places.  Today they are bought and worn by celebrities and LDE finance bros at Surf Lodge. This sign is such an amazing piece of history, someone told me that this building has since been demolished which is unfortunate if true.  Hopefully Harlan Crow swooped it up and it is in his garden in Dallas. I first came across the first one on @niccoloy page.  Give him a follow if you don’t already. -W.O.E. . . . . #watchesofespionage #useyourtools #Rolex

Beneath The Surface: Recovering WWII Heroes In Palau (Dispatch Live) At W.O.E., watches are the lens through which we explore history—and sometimes, they take us to places we never expected. Our friend, US Navy Diver and photographer Brock Stevens, recently joined Project Recover on a mission to Palau, diving on the wreck of a WWII F4U Corsair and searching for the remains of the pilot who never made it home.⁠ Wearing his Mk II Fulcrum 39, Brock descended 35 feet into clear Pacific waters, documenting the crash site piece by piece. On land, the team searched the jungle for the possible burial site of three UDT-10 frogmen captured and executed in 1944.⁠ These were no ordinary dives. They were missions rooted in remembrance, sacrifice, and the duty to bring the missing home.⁠ Over 72,000 U.S. WWII service members are still unaccounted for. Full story by @deepsea.edc now live.⁠ check out @projectrecover also. #WatchesOfEspionage #ProjectRecover #DiveWatch #useyourtools

Mike Waltz - Former Army SF Officer turned congressman has been removed as the National Security Advisor, reportedly nominated for United Nations ambassador.  Pictured wearing his Rolex GMT “batman” on a jubilee bracelet. Waltz is clearly a watch nerd and we have seen him wearing an older all black GMT on a nylon strap.  He has an impressive resume, retiring from the Army as a Colonel with over 26 years of service and four bronze stars (including two for valor) during the GWOT. It’s been a tough few weeks for him after he inadvertently added The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg to a signal chat exposing the White House’s Houthi war plans in an incident that would become known as “Signalgate”. -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools #gameofthrones #houseofcards

Wearing a two-tone Rolex “Bluesy” Submariner during a training op is wild, and I am here for it. U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), secure a simulated embassy as part of Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 2-25 at Deuce Village, Yuma, Arizona. -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools Video and pics from @scalin_photography

Get your tin foil hats on boys, I feel a conspiracy theory brewin.  Why is the Department of Defense redacting watches from pictures? In official DOD photos of a 7th Special Forces Group training exercise, the sole metal/analog watch has been redacted.  Interestingly, the black digital tool watches are not redacted.   The pictures were taken during an amphibious assault demonstration during the Hyundai Air and Sea Show and U.S. Army SaluteFest, Miami Beach, Fla. What do we think?  What is the watch? Maybe it’s a smart watch with PII? Are birds even real? -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools

Hollywood Watches Of Espionage (Dispatch Live) When it comes to watches of espionage, the elephant in the room is Hollywood’s portrayal of “spies” wearing timepieces while operational. This week, we continue our discussion of Hollywood Watches of Espionage. Whether we like to admit it or not, real-life intelligence officers are just as susceptible to being inspired by Hollywood as anyone else, a rule that also applies to watches. From a Breitling in Broken Arrow to Jason Statham wearing a Sangin in A Working Man to the made-up but awesome watch worn by Sterling Archer, the right timepiece adds depth to characters portraying members of our community. Enjoy the read, -W.O.E #useyourtools #watchesofespionage

“Here I am, where I ought to be.”- Karen Blixen It’s difficult to write about Africa without falling into cliches and over-simplifications. What I will say is that there are few things better than watching the sunset over the Zambezi from the hood of a Toyota Land Cruiser, with a poorly mixed luke-warm G&T in your hand, Seiko on the wrist, lip pillow tucked in snug. Life is beautiful. -W.O.E. #useyourtools #watchesofespionage

NEW VIDEO: Seiko Watches & Toyota - Tools Of Warfare Look back at pictures of conflicts from the past six decades, and you are bound to see one thing: Seiko watches on the wrists of military personnel, often on both sides. For the same reasons that the Toyota Hilux and Land Cruisers are commonly spotted in war zones—relatively low cost and legendary reliability—Seiko watches have adorned the wrists of hard men in hard places for decades. In our new episode, we discuss Seiko’s rise among the military and special operations while also identifying key models with close ties to our community. Enjoy the watch, -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools

Former CIA officer Dale Britt Bendler (right) pled guilty to acting as a foreign agent and mishandling classified information yesterday. Bendler is pictured here wearing a Breitling Superocean Heritage (shocked). On the left is former CIA paramilitary officer Felix Rodriguez, who allegedly “liberated” Che Guevara’s Rolex after his death. According to the DOJ, Bendler spent over 30 years working for the CIA as an intelligence officer and retired as a member of the SIS in 2014. Beginning in July 2017, while a full-time CIA contractor, Bendler worked with a U.S. lobbying firm and engaged in unauthorized and hidden lobbying and public relations activities on behalf of foreign national clients. As described in the plea agreement, Bendler’s undisclosed lobbying activities included an attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence a foreign government’s embezzlement investigation of one of Bendler’s foreign national clients and a separate attempt to use his position and access at the CIA to influence the U.S. government’s decision as to whether to grant a U.S. visa to another of Bendler’s clients. -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools

Seiko Willard (?) on the wrist of a member of 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) during a fast-rope exercise on Camp Pendleton, California.  While most modern practitioners have transitioned to Digital Tool Watches, Seiko still reigns supreme.   As we have previously discussed, Seiko is the Toyota of watches, robust tools built for hard use.  For decades hard men in hard places have worn Seikos on their wrists. -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools U.S. Army photo by Spc. @chris__sanger

Rolex, A Love-Hate Relationship (Dispatch Live)  A few months ago, I got “the call” from my local AD for the sought after “Bruce Wayne” GMT-Master II.  Excited to be deemed worthy of dropping a small fortune on a watch, I bought the watch without hesitation, but was left with questions about the modern Rolex customer experience. Aspiring “Rolex men” have two options: you can visit the authorized dealer (AD) regularly to build "rapport" (ass kiss) with the salesperson in hopes of one day being granted an allocation, or pay the absurd grey market prices to a second-hand dealer. Both are equally disheartening and damaging to brand equity, even for an icon like Rolex.  I argue this customer journey represents a potential existential threat to the Crown, long term.  This week, I discuss my love-hate relationship with Rolex, the world’s most legendary watch brand.  Enjoy the read,  -W.O.E  #useyourtools #watchesofespionage

ANNOUNCEMENT: Tactile Turn x W.O.E. 2.0 - We are very excited to release the custom Tactile Turn x W.O.E. Titanium Bolt Action Pen, tentatively set for next week. The tool contains subtle nods to the W.O.E. community, including a DNC clip and unique watch-style crown bolt engraved with the W.O.E. spearhead. Inspired by our appreciation for PVD watches, we custom PVD’d the inside of the bolt, with an added “Tactile Turn X WOE” engraving under the clip. There are a few carry items that everyone needs, and a quality pen is one of them. Whatever the scenario, this US-made titanium pen has you covered. Details are on the W.O.E. website.  Please sign up for “Notify When Available” if interested. The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword, -W.O.E. and Tactile Turn . . . #watchesofespionage #tactileturn #madeinUSA #machinedpen #pocketgear

W.O.E. stay in these streets. Ten toes down in Palladium boots. -W.O.E. #watchesofespionge #useyourtools

South African-issued Tudor Submariner ref 7016 from approximately 1974. This is my grail watch, which makes me the luckiest “watch collector” in the world. Few people actually obtain their grail. There are approx a dozen confirmed SA issued Tudors and it’s truly an honor to own this one. I came up in Africa Division at CIA and have spent much of my life living and working on the continent. Each geographic and functional division/center has its own culture. The two things all Case Officers have in common is they think their “home base” Division is the best and EUR is the worst. But AF is known for producing some of the best leaders in the Directorate of Operations because the posts are often difficult and small, allowing for increased responsibilities early on in their career. I was told by C/AF that to really be an AF C/O you have to live through a coup and get malaria, proud to say I checked both boxes while EUR officers sipped lattes with liaison at the bistro. The more you know, -W.O.E. #watchesofespionage #useyourtools #blessed #vegansofinstagram

Watches Of The Shawn Ryan Show (Dispatch Live) This week, we take a look at some of the watches worn by guests of the Shawn Ryan Show, a popular interview-style podcast created by the former Navy SEAL and CIA GRS contractor. From fellow SEALs, Army Special Forces and politicians to fighter pilots, Ryan’s unique background gives him a higher level of access to these individuals, many of whom also happen to wear intriguing timepieces on the show. There are also some great never before seen unit watches making an appearance. The link between SpecOps, Intelligence, and watches remains strong. Enjoy the read, -W.O.E #useyourtools #watchesofespionage @shawnryan762 @shawnryanshow

Nothing cooler than vintage Rolex Bond advertisements. I think these were both found by @rolex.magazine and/or @niccoloy . If I remember correctly there was some debate over whether the first one was real. Check out @adpatina for some cool vintage ads. He’s the best in the game and a master of his craft. -W.O.E. #watchesofespionge #useyourtools