Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service | Award Watch | Steel | White Dial

Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service | Award Watch | Steel | White Dial

Description

This is not a luxury watch and it does not pretend to be one. It is a simple steel quartz watch, and the entire interest is in what is written on it.

The caseback is engraved DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, with the Korean 국가정보원장 alongside. The dial carries no maker's name at all, only the agency's gold star emblem on a purple enamel disc at the nine o'clock position, and the same star is engraved on the bracelet clasp.

Watches of this type are presented by South Korea's National Intelligence Service as a token of appreciation to members of the public who report a credible security or espionage tip through the agency's hotline. They are awarded in the Director's name, which is what the caseback records. They are not issued equipment and were never sold at retail, so they turn up only when one leaves the family that received it. Offered as the piece of intelligence-service history it is, not as a watch to be valued on its movement.

Key Features

• Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service award watch
• Caseback engraved in the name of the NIS Director
• NIS gold star emblem on the dial and clasp
• No maker's name on the dial
• Textured white dial centre
• Stainless steel case and bracelet

Specifications

• Brand: Unsigned, presented by the Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service
• Case: Round, stainless steel
• Dial: White with textured centre, NIS star emblem on purple enamel, no maker's name
• Movement: Quartz
• Caseback Engraving: DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, with 국가정보원장 in Korean
• Bracelet: Stainless steel with the star emblem engraved on the clasp
• Provenance: Awarded by the NIS to a member of the public for a security tip, in the Director's name. Never sold at retail.
• Case Dimensions:
• Lug to Lug:

Condition Report

• Dial: White dial clean, textured centre crisp, enamel emblem intact.
• Case: Steel with light surface marks consistent with age and wear.
• Crystal: Good.
• Movement: Serviced and running properly.
• Bracelet: Steel bracelet in good order, clasp emblem legible.

Historical Significance

South Korea's National Intelligence Service, known through several names since its founding in 1961 and as the NIS since 1999, runs a long-standing public hotline for reporting espionage and security threats. Citizens who provide a useful tip are thanked with a presentation watch given in the Director's name. The watches are deliberately modest, because the point is the recognition rather than the object, and that modesty is exactly why so few survive in collectable condition. It is a piece of state civic apparatus you can wear.

Offered by ReWrist. Each piece is inspected and photographed in-house. Vintage Luxury, Redefined.