There is an undeniable appeal to military watches. From their history to their purposeful designs to their unintentional rugged style, they have a charm that watch fans can’t pass by. Yet, while many brands have supplied watches to the military in the past, few continue to to this day. Marathon Watches of Canada is unique in these regards as they not only have the history, having supplied military watches since 1941, but also currently manufacture mil-spec watches for the US Armed forces, as well as others. The current generation of Marathon watches are manufactured in their own facility in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, and are built to the exacting standards you’d expect of a military watch.Today, we’re excited to add Marathon’s tough-as-nails, mil-spec tool watches to the Windup Watch Shop.
Well known for their Vietnam-era field watches and Desert Storm-era pilots timepieces, Marathon’s current catalog builds off of this history with modern components and details, creating watches that live up to current standards, yet have an appealing vintage style. Something that immediately sets Marathon watches apart from others with similar style is their use of tritium (H3) gas tubes on their dials and hands. These tiny, miraculous little tubes are constantly glowing, day or night, and need no external light source to charge. The result is an even glow that makes these watches highly legible in darkness.
To kick off our collection of Marathon watches, we focused on their lightweight, durable, and highly affordable Navigator high-torque quartz and General Purpose Mechanical lines. Starting at $270, all equipped with 3mm thick sapphire crystals and tritium gas tubes, these are perfect watches for Summer adventures. We’re also including a glow-in-the-dark Marathon Clip-On Wrist Compass with each purchase. Check out the Marathon collection here.
Marathon Navigator
If you’re familiar with military watches, the design of the Navigator will immediately call out to you. The 41mm high-impact fiber shell case features an asymmetrical design that naturally protects the steel crown at three, a design that has been in military use since the late ‘60s. On top of the case is a bi-direction 12-hr bezel, which can be used for tracking a second time zone. The dial is pure mil-spec with large numerals, a 24-hr track, and tritium tubes for every hour.
The Navigator is available with three case colors, and two dial options. For the case you have classic Black for a stealthy look, Desert Tan for a warm and very attractive earth tone, and Sage green for a subtle, camo style. The dials then come in Sterile - No Date for no distractions, or Logo - Date, with Marathon at twelve and a date at 4.5. Shop the Marathon Navigator Collection here.
Marathon General Purpose Mechanical
For people who want that true, classic field watch feel, the General Purpose Mechanical (GPM) is the way to go. Housed in a blocky 34 x 40.8 x 11mm fiber case is the trusty Seiko NH35 automatic movement, adding mechanical charm. Though small on paper, on the wrist, the GPM has a bold presence. Thanks to the mil-spec dial and tritium gas tubes, it’s a highly legible, lightweight, all day watch. Exactly what you should expect from a field watch.
Like the Navigator, the GPM is available in Black, Desert Tan, and Sage green for three distinct and highly appealing looks. Grab a Marathon General Purpose Mechanical here.
