Temporal Operative Pocket Watch

Trained temporal operatives are awarded a pocket watch made of white, rose, and yellow gold with a similarly tri-colored chain. The cover is embossed with the Solas Tempus insignia and the inside has the words, "Salva semper protegens historiae futuris exhalaret ultimum." The standard uniform adds a special pocket for this watch and it's chain to the right side just under the rib cage. This may be awarded to officer or enlisted alike, though it is very rare for an NCO to be a temporal operative.

The watch is not only a status symbol much the way a specific kind of patch, medal, or tattoo is within any military branch but can also serve as identification and credentials. Standing orders within Solas Tempus facilities are to take anyone with such a device approaching as a proxy for an operative with some amount of credibility. This is because no operative would willingly give their watch away the same way no officer would willingly give their dog tags away. However, most often an operative would use his or her issued challenge coin to give proper credibility.

Symbolic Meaning

The watch itself is a symbol of the status as a Temporal Operative - that being the highest priority of any duty in the organization. Even an NCO operative can, at times, carry more weight (though not necessarily authority) than a commissioned officer who is not an operative. The watch it cared for much the same way dog tags or other symbols of rank and status in the organization are.

Technology

As a device, the watch is very simple and operates nearly entirely as a mechanical pocket watch. The only difference is that the crystals (normally sapphire) which allow for low-friction movement of the time piece are replaced with a man-made crystalline substance. This substance builds a low-level kinetic charge converting ambient temporal flux energy to passive kinetic energy within the mechanism. At the very core of the watch a microscopic temporal fissure is contained within a dilithium lattice. This fissure puts off microscopic amounts of temporal energy which along with the effects of the crystals, holds the time piece to the correct time and provides the mechanical energy with which to operate.

Identification

The operative name, serial number, and the date the watch was issued are laser etched along the edge of the balance wheel. The watch is then sealed upon assembly and after being sealed the fissure is opened causing movement to begin. Should the seal be broken, the balance within the inner workings of the watch will fall apart and the fissure will become unstable either closing entirely or becoming an unfixed-point in space-time, phasing out of reality. In fact, each fissure has its own unique signature, which is also recorded at the time of creation - this fissure can also be used for a variety of other purposes in determining the source of a device down to time the fissure has been open as well as pinpointing if it was created within this time-stream.