For those of you who are not familiar with Marathon, they are a Canadian watch company that was formed in 1904. In 1941 they began manufacturing timing instruments for the Allied Forces and they continue to supply watches to the Canadian and U.S. militaries to this day. They manufacture their watches in La Chaux de Fonds Switzerland. The Marathon GSAR (Government Search and Rescue) automatic dive watch has a 25 jewel ETA movement, stainless steel case, sapphire crystal and uni-directional bezel. Its 41mm diameter x 46mm lug to lug length x 14mm thick case makes it very wearable for most wrist sizes. The dial is illuminated with tritium gas-filled tubes and the pip at 12:00 by Maraglo. The lug with is 20mm. I have owned this watch for some time and I am very satisfied with its quality. For reference, my collection includes watches from Omega, Oris, Ball etc. and the Marathon definitely holds its own.

Where the GSAR really shines is in its tank like build. I believe that this watch can withstand almost anything that can be thrown at it, all while looking classy on the wrist. The bracelet on the GSAR with its screwed-in links is fantastic, one of the best in my experience. The clasp while good is only single locking, it really should be a double lock clasp. The GSAR can be purchased with a very nice rubber strap, but if you want the full experience opt for the bracelet. I will share a story about this watch, a co-worker of mine saw it on my wrist and he asked me what it was. I told him and he said that it reminded him of a “military Rolex Submariner“. He is not a watch person so I forgave his lack of knowledge of Rolex history, however, I did find this to be an interesting observation. If you are a military buff and/or are into unique dive watches, this Marathon GSAR might be for you.