Watches Of Espionage - Elliot Brown & The Special Boat Service
We have never openly shared how our relationship with UK special Forces came about and the specialist watch development involved - until this article.
Watches Of Espionage, AKA W.O.E. isn’t your run of the mill commercial watch publication with paid or sponsored content. The cut of their jib is different. It is run by a former Case Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with a passion for timepieces and their human element.
The job of a Case Officer is to recruit spies and steal secrets to collect strategic intelligence. The location and mission may have changed over the years but the one thing that has remained a constant is a reliable watch on the wrist.
In 2021 W.O.E launched to fill a gap in the horology content space and is now a highly valued resource where every written word is crafted on the back of diligently gathered information.
They have a strong belief system and in the world of espionage, time really matters. During an intelligence operation, mere seconds can mean the difference between life and death, imprisonment or (potentially worse) failing to collect strategic intelligence. So, it's no surprise that the intelligence business, foreign intelligence collection, covert action and counterintelligence is inextricably linked to reliable, even luxury, timepieces.
As you’ll discover even with a shallow dive into their deft wordsmithing, there are so many cool stories of how, why and where watches have begun life as a simple tool, yet have gone on to develop iconic status.
When they first asked how the Holton Professional came to be, it was with an almost suspicious tone but we soon learnt that is just how they operate to ensure nothing but factual, trustworthy information is presented - sometimes not all of it positive because they aren’t being paid after all. All they have is their word (and your trust) and because of the way W.O.E. naturally operates, their presence in the world of horological story telling enjoys rare legitimacy.
This is their story about the Holton Professional 101-001.
Having chosen to never publicly talk about it until now, W.O.E is the perfect platform to bring it to you.
