The Golden Shield of IBF (1999)

Jerry and Sharon Ahern's fantasy novel was a Baen Books original of August 1999. Alan Garrison, an FBI agent who wants to be a fantasy novelist, is hunting a terrorist bomber at a science fiction and fantasy convention in Atlanta when Swan, the Virgin Enchantress of the realm of Creath, finds in him her prophesied Champion; his FBI badge is spell-changed into the Golden Shield of IBF. (Open Library)

Watches

Rolex Sea-Dweller: Garrison's wristwatch is a black-faced Rolex he was given when he graduated from law school (p. 100). Riding a moonlit plateau in Creath he can almost make out the small print below the word Sea-Dweller on its dial, though time there disagrees with it (p. 131). After Swan's magic heals him, not the tiniest scratch is left on its crystal (p. 174); later he holds it to his ear to hear it ticking (p. 311), and in Creath its sweep second hand crawls, spins or stops (p. 387). The dial text names the Sea-Dweller line; no reference or generation is given.

Source text: The combination of moons and stars illuminated the plateau so brightly that Garrison could almost make out the small print below the words “Sea-Dweller” on the black face of his Rolex wristwatch. (Jerry Ahern and Sharon Ahern, The Golden Shield of IBF, scan cataloged as Baen Books, 1999, p. 131; the OCR breaks Sea-Dweller across a line; Internet Archive scan OCR)