The brand Marathon might be new to some, but not for Canadians, Americans, and especially military watch fanatics like us. The moniker is better known to watch collectors be among the few that, until today, officially offers no-frills timepieces to the military. Those regimes include the United States and Canadian army since circa 70 years ago.

Marathon MSAR NGM Diver Quartz Arctic Edition - Bracelet Ref. WW194027BRACE-MA-WD

Let’s dive a little deeper. The company that was to become Marathon Watch was founded in 1904 as Weinsturm Watch, later named Wein Brothers. In 1939, Morris Wein founded Marathon Watch, supplying fine precision timepieces throughout North America. Since 1941, Marathon has been manufacturing timing instruments for the Allied Forces. Today, the fourth generation of the family continues the tradition with a wide range of tools measuring time, temperature, and distance. Marathon watches combine military durability with Swiss engineering and craftsmanship to ensure the highest quality and precision. All these traits unveiled on the latest Marathon MSAR NGM Diver Quartz Arctic Edition - Bracelet Ref. WW194027BRACE-MA-WD that we are going to introduce today. This particular reference differs from its sibling (GSAR Government Standard) with its sterile dial; the “NGM” acronyms affirm the “No Government Markings” on its dial. Further, this is the latest iteration Marathon reveals of the white Arctic dial variation, a follow up from the 2020 automatic variant.

The acronym “MSAR” stands for “Medium Search and Rescue.”- where appropriate military personnel in different branches and jobs get offered these officially issued watches. Since this specific model built to be taken mostly under the sea, it fits appropriately for the Navy branch all round. The MSAR NGM Diver Quartz celebrates form over function, a non-flashy watch for sure, but builds with a purpose to aid the army with their missions. This particular reference differs from its sibling (GSAR Government Standard) with its sterile dial; the “NGM” acronyms affirm the “No Government Markings” on its dial.

Made in Switzeland, Approved by US Government

The MSAR Diver Arctic Edition starts with its 316L stainless steel case that measures 36mm wide, with a height of 14mm thick and 43mm lug to lug, lending a charming “vintage” sizing that fits most wrists. Further, the finishing of the case gets a full satin-brushed polishing, removing any source of inessential reflections in this case, while still being immaculately executed. The 120-clicks bezel gets expansive grooves that allow one to rotate it uni-directionally in almost any conditions, especially when your hands get wet. The engraved black anodized bezel stays true to military format, having it in a 60-minute format, with a luminous triangle pip at 12 o’clock. The dimension of the timepiece allowed one to feel its sturdiness and built with all sense of purpose, out in the field.

Moving to the side profile, we get beefy squared crown guards that flange the nailed-textured screw-down crown for easy manipulation. Flipping it over, we get the screw-in case-back, allowing it to withstand 300m water-resistant. Right on the case-back, we get the essential government markings and specifications engraved. These provide credentials on the MSAR Diver Arctic Edition as manufactured following US Government specification. We assure it is safe to say that both us watch collectors and the US military for use in operations on the land and water.

Full satin-brushed finishing throughout its 36mm case

The moniker “Arctic” refers to the dial being white - a color with contrasting black markers and handset (red for the seconds). It allows better readability in the polar region where “snow blindness” exists - the effect of the excess of UV rays bounces off the ice and into our vision. Also, we felt that the high-contrasting white dial re-kindles one’s excitement over the MASAR Diver line.

As you’d expect in a military-style watch, the dial needs all the right ingredients to live up its livery. Underneath its flat sapphire crystal, Marathon has applied tritium gas tubes with MaraGlo™, a total of 15 encapsulated tritiums (Isotope H3) on its hour markers and syringe-style handset. Even the second-hand gets its one at the tip, allowing one to view the time with maximum legibility even when you are in the dark for more than 24 hours. The result is a constant emission of light. It is no more charging them by external light sources like conventional SuperLuminova. The dial features Arabic hour markers right beneath the tritium tubes, only to flange further a set of 24-hour markers reading inside. The date also placed at 4.30 position as not to disrupt the placement of the tritium gas tubes. Lastly, the dial differs from the rest with its “M” logo at the top and shifting the “Marathon” text at the bottom, lending a cleaner look. The dial gets additional markings with the “H3, hazard emblem” to indicate the tritium gas usage. All this information on the MSAR Diver is easy to determine even at a glance.

Tritium gas tubes and MaraGlow™ that glows 24 hours

Inside its heart lies the traditional Swiss ETA Quartz movement, which operates with high torque precesicion and an End of life indicator for its battery life. The use of this movement shows that Marathon emphasizes on durability and accuracy under all conditions, ever more so compared to a typical mechanical movement. Further, one can pick and go with this MSAR Diver at ease without the hassle of re-adjusting the time and date.

Attached to the MSAR Diver is a 18mm high quality stainless steel bracelet made using the same high quality 316L grade. It further allows a folding diver extension along the clasp section if one needs to strap it over his wetsuit. The bracelet gets a Marathon emblem engraved onto its clasp. This matches with the adventure theme, elevating its sportiness and ruggedness as a whole.

Manufactured in accordance to US Government

In all, Marathon products are manufactured with the utmost care and go through various quality control measures. This attention to quality presented in the MSAR NGM Diver Quartz Arctic Edition - Bracelet Ref. WW194027BRACE-MA-WD, combining military toughness with Swiss craftsmanship at a sizing that fits most wrist sizing. The world of military-style tool watches ever populated in the industry, where consumers have the options to choose from, but not all have the right to get approved by the US Government until today. The MSAR Diver stands out from the rest in this way since day one, especially now with a full white dial- and besides, their watches built with a purpose in every aspect that offers startling value for money for us watch collectors. It is the kind of watch that when bought and worn the hell out of because that's what it is capable of.