Watch Collecting with <SLV>: "Becoming a Collector"

Watches of an Army Intelligence Officer - Rolex & Seiko

Aug 29, 2026
In this video, we sit down with Colonel Chris Costa (Ret.), a former US Army Case Officer with a lengthy career in the military and national security who now serves as the executive director at the @IntlSpyMuseum.
Throughout Costa's incredible career, he depended on watches as tools, from a Seiko 6309 "Turtle" to a Rolex Submariner he wore through countless deployments in support of the Global War on Terror and beyond.

21:39

Articles Mentioned In This Video:
- Chris Costa - Espionage & Family: A Tale of Two Watches: https://www.watchesofespionage.com/bl...

The New Space-Tested SC02C
Monochrome

Mechanical watches have accompanied astronauts and cosmonauts into space for decades, but few contemporary watches can claim to have been developed specifically around the demands of extravehicular activity, like Konstantin Chaykin’s new SC02C. Born from the manufacture’s collaboration with Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, the chronograph has been tested during four spacewalks and is now being released as a civilian limited edition.

The Urban Gentry

A $60 Casionaut You Can Buy NOW + My Childhood Casio BOSS & AQ-240 Patek Alternative Double Unboxing

Sep 13, 2026 #wristwatchcheck #unboxing #review
In recent weeks Casio has made a bit of a kerfuffle in the watch world with the leak of the up and coming GAC-2500 and GMC-2500. It has already been dubbed the "Casionaut" by watch fans due to its strong resemblance to Patek's iconic ultra luxury sports watch, the Nautilus. But its marmite looks and lack of a traditional digital display, on what is obviously an evolution of their famed and highly successful "Casioak" ani-digi watches, is puzzling to say the least. But all is not lost, as there is a watch you can buy right now for well under $100 that evokes not only Patek Nautilus vibes, but elements of their actually classy Ellipse too. Best of all, this watch has a far deeper and richer heritage, pop culture stardom and horological significance spanning 4 decades that we'll explore in this video. Join me for a retrolicious, nostalgia filled, double Casio unboxing of their legendary AQ-240 released in 2025, as well as a NOS lost gem from my childhood, the Casio Executive B.O.S.S. Illuminator SF-5780-W PDA from the mid 1990s that I managed to find in fully working condition. However, ultimately what this Casio extravaganza proves is that in a world dominated by un-smart insidious and rotten apple watches, pointless doom scrolling distractions, along with unwanted surveillance and notifications, Casio not only provides a great alternative, but is the best option for under $100 to free you from the online dependent, planned obsolescence misery. Few brands, if any, offer as much innovation, functionality, affordability, history and classic design iconography as Casio. So in the words of Kyle Reese: come with me if you want to live...and enjoy the video. What do you think about the Casio watches in this video? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

A $60 Casionaut You Can Buy NOW + My Childhood Casio BOSS & AQ-240 Patek

Not sure how many watch collectors are here, but I've got a question. My FIL's best friend passed away recently and his widow is looking to clean out a lot of his things including a watch collection of somewhere between 100 and 1000 watches. He collected watches in display boxes and I didn't count them all, but there is a lot there. The watches that I saw were not especially valuable (ie. no Rolex or stuff like that that I saw). Widow doesn't even know what is squirreled away in the collection. I'm trying to help her out as best I can with some other things, but thought I'd ask here how/where you would handle the sale of a decent collection of watches or even get the collection appraised?

^
- if you know a jeweler he/she may be able to help you

- https://www.watchfinder.com/sell-yo...utm_content=us_en|m|s|sell_your_watch|Generic

- https://www.texaswatchexchange.com/sell-a-watch