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Nestled on the rocky shores of Lake Ontario, just minutes northeast of the bustling metropolis of Toronto, sits the small lakeside community of Whitby, Ontario. Quaint and unassuming, it’s hard to imagine that during the pivotal years of the early 1940s, Whitby was home to the men and women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) who would change the course of WWII through the dark art of covert intelligence. Known colloquially as Camp X, Special Training School No. 103 was a secret training facility established by the British in order to train covert agents in clandestine warfare. American and Canadian operatives from all walks of life were recruited into the program, trained to be every bit as debonaire and deadly as countless books and movies would have you believe. But, above all else, they were ghosts — the SOE presence so secret they were unknown even to the SIS (now MI6). Whitby Watch Co. honors the sacrifices of the men and women trained in their backyard in creating its newest release, the Intrepid X, fully designed and assembled in Canada.
Established in 1940, the British Special Operations Executive was created to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance on axis powers throughout Europe (and beyond). Known as the Baker Street Irregulars, Churchill’s Secret Army, or the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, agents of the SOE were the nameless, faceless army that changed the course of the war through clandestine means. Chief among them was a Man Called Intrepid. Ian Fleming’s inspiration for James Bond, Sir William Stephenson (codename Intrepid) was sent to Camp X in Whitby, Ontario to train Canadian and American men and women in the art of subterfuge. Under Stephenson’s guidance at Camp X, agents learned the skills of subversion, deception, lock picking, explosive handling, recruitment, silent killing, in unarmed combat, and in the use of new communications technologies. Deployed throughout Europe, their names and identities were left behind at Camp X, some of their acts in the war effort remain invisible to history. Though these agents were responsible for extracting the Enigma Machine and countless other acts, most of their personal stories will never be told, and missions in the service of the Allied Powers never commemorated. Whitby Watch Co. crafted the Intrepid X to help keep the memories of these alive.
Built to be robust and capable, yet discreet, the Intrepid X is housed in a 44mm 316L stainless steel case. Coupled with a 50mm lug-to-lug distance, 22mm lug width, and 15mm thickness, the Intrepid X is bold and aggressive, yet easily wearable on a wide range of wrist sizes thanks to the sloping lugs that allow the watch to smoothly conform to the wrist. Whether you choose the natural stainless steel or the PVD-coated black case, each is finished with a brushed finish throughout and topped with a unidirectional dive bezel, topped with a luminous marker. The Intrepid X is built to take anything you can throw at it, equipped with a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and 100m of water resistance.
The caseback on the Intrepid X is engraved with the compass rose badge of the Canadian Armed Forces Intelligence Branch, a symbol that recognizes the worldwide scope of the branch’s reach, with the two daggers commemorating the covert cloak and dagger operations undertaken by the SOE.
The textured dial of the Intrepid X is striking and dynamic in the light. However, Whitby Watch Co. ensures that the dial texture doesn’t distract from legibility with large, applied hour markers and oversized dauphine hands. The Intrepid X takes the Personnel Branch of the Canadian Forces motto, E Tenebris Lux (From darkness, light) literally, with ample application of C3 Super-LumiNova on the hands and markers.
In a classic three-register chronograph format with a tachymeter chapter ring, the Intrepid X manages to provide instant access to copious information. And, of course, Intrepid X does so in style, with subtle pops of red on both the running and chronograph seconds hands and along the chapter ring.
Powering the Intrepid X is the tried-and-true Swiss Made ETA (Valjoux) 7750 automatic chronograph movement. Developed in the 1970s and refined over the ensuing decades, the ETA 7750 remains one of the most dependable chronograph movements on the market. The ETA 7750 features day and date complications, running seconds, and both 30-minute and 12-hour registers. The Intrepid X comes mounted on a classic three-link bracelet secured by a push-button clasp with safety lock. With a 22mm lug width, changing up the look of your watch is quick and easy, and the Intrepid X will look excellent on anything from a minimal stitch leather strap to a NATO-style fabric strap.
While all Whitby Watch Co. watches are designed in Canada, the Intrepid X is the first of their collection to be assembled in Canada. The Watch package is complete with a Nanuk 904 waterproof case that is also Made in Canada (Montreal). An added touch to the package is the Official Scottish Intrepid Tartan pocket square that was designed by the Canadian SOE commemorative committee to honour all Canadian intelligence and military branches that descended from the operations during WWII. For a limited time, the Intrepid X is available with extended Launch Pricing starting at $1,890 CAD. To learn more about Whitby Watch Co. and the Intrepid X be sure to visit the brand’s website.
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