Stunning Marathon's Army Watch You Should Not Overlook

Some people may be unfamiliar with the Marathon brand, but not Canadians, Americans, or particularly army watch enthusiasts like us. The brand is best known by watch enthusiasts for being one of the few that officially provides no-frills timepieces to the military until today. Since about 70 years ago, these systems also included the United States and Canadian armies.

To ensure the highest degree of quality and accuracy, Marathon watches combine military reliability with Swiss engineering and craftsmanship. All of these characteristics are shown on the Marathon GPM NGM Desert Tan Mechanical Ref. WW194003DT-NGM, which is based on the 1960s MIL-W-46374 army watch.

The acronym "GPM" stands for "General Purpose Mechanical," and these officially issued army watches are given to appropriate military personnel. Since this model was designed to be used primarily on property, it is an excellent match for the ground trooper division. The GPM Mechanical is a non-flashy watch that celebrates form over function, but it was designed with an intent to help the army with their missions. The sterile dial distinguishes this relation from its sibling (Government Standard); the "NGM" acronyms confirm the dial's "No Government Markings."

Marathon GPM NGM Desert Tan Mechanical Ref. WW194003DT-NGM

Marathon entered the field watch domain with the MIL-W-46374 specifications, which were developed for the US army between 1968 and today with many revisions, making them the longest-running specifications needed by the US government. To summarize what the MIL-W-46374 is all about, it needs a mechanical movement with 15 jewels (or more) and at least 36 hours of power reserve, as well as a hacking device that is shock resistant and waterproof.

Strap

The watch must also have a nylon strap and use tritium for its luminous hands and markers, which must shine for at least 8 hours in complete darkness. The case is made of steel and plastic resin, which makes it anti-magnetic. The size was held between 34-36mm, similar to other army watch, with the military 24-hour dial indicator. Many of these characteristics can still be found in Marathon's GPM Mechanical, which stays true to what field watches are all about.

Bezel

The GPM NGM Mechanical is a fantastic tool watch with a distinct personality. It starts with a metal core that is fully covered by a cool desert brown high-impact fiber shell that measures 34mm wide, 11mm thick, and 41mm lug to lug. Furthermore, the steel bezel receives a complete sand-blasted finish, which eliminates any source of inessential reflections while remaining immaculately performed.

The parkerized design pays tribute to the original GG-W-113 specs while also serving as anti-corrosion for the period. The case has a unique bezel-less design, with a stepped architecture from the sides to the dial opening, allowing the wearer to concentrate entirely on the most important time reading at any given time. The timepiece's dimensions are reminiscent of vintage swiss army watch, allowing one to feel its sturdiness and sense of intent when out in the field. Besides, one can imagine the US Marines wearing one of these and it would look great with their desert camo.

Case

Moving on to the case profile, the GPM Mechanical has a sleek and masculine appeal to it, as well as a rare outdoorsy color option not seen much in the industry. When viewed from the outside, the watch appears to be a simple compact tool watch, with short lugs and a smooth bezel to accompany it. When viewed from the sides, however, it really shines with its distinctive case profile, with the lugs blending together to form a masculine side profile. This creates a striking balanced profile that makes the wearer feel substantial while compensating for the 34mm tonneau case's ickle appearance.

The case's symmetry only gets breakthrough by its protruded sand-blasted push-pull crown, which allows for simple manipulation. The L-shaped lugs are flush with the case's overall design, and it also has drilled lug holes for fast strap changes. When we turn it over, we see the case-back, which allows it to withstand 30 meters of water and meet military standards. The required government markings and requirements are etched right on the caseback. These documents verify that the GPM Mechanical was produced in accordance with US Government specifications. All of this is to suggest that both watch collectors and the US military use watches in their operations.

Dial

The dial of a military-style watch, as you'd imagine, needs all of the right ingredients to live up to its livery. Marathon has used tritium gas tubes with MaraGloTM, a total of 14 encapsulated tritiums (Isotope H3) on its hour markers and syringe-style handset under its flat sapphire crystal, enabling you to see the time with optimum legibility even though you have been in the dark for more than 24 hours. As a consequence, light is constantly emitted. External light sources, such as regular SuperLuminova, can no longer be used to charge them.

Arabic hour markers are placed directly under the tritium tubes on the dial, only to be flanged further by a series of 24-hour markers reading inside. Finally, only the most important wordings are on board, with the "Marathon" logo at the top and the bottom half remaining sterile. The “H3, danger emblem” is added to the dial to signal the presence of tritium gas. Even at a glance, all of the material on the GPM Reissue is easily discernible. Marathon's GPM Mechanical dial is a similar remake of the MIL-W-46374, obviating the need for the new tritium gas tubes.

Movement

The epoch of Marathon's army watch requirements is held in its middle. The robust Japanese Seiko Instrument automatic caliber NH35 is housed inside the Marathon GPM NGM Mechanical sports. The dual-wind movement, which has 24 jewels, runs at 3Hz (21,600bph) and has a 41-hour power reserve. The government-approved mechanical movement is tough enough to serve as a reliable workhorse in a military tool watch. The movement is referred to as "dual-wind" by Marathon. Marathon's use of this movement demonstrates that precision is essential in all situations.

Get one today for $288.00 USD!

Marathon GPQ NGM Reissue Quartz Ref. WW194015SS-NGM

The Marathon General Purpose Field Watch in Steel is a re-imagining of the legendary Marathon GG-W-113 army watch worn by the US Army in the 1980s. It is designed to military standards and is intended for use by military personnel.

Case

The case is made of 316L surgical grade stainless steel with a non-reflective sandblasted graphite grey finish and a water resistance of 3 ATM or 30 meters. The sapphire crystal glass lens provides maximum scratch resistance, overall longevity, and dial viewing clarity, all of which are critical for military personnel.

Dial

The dial uses tritium tubes for the hour indexes, as well as the hour and minute hands, to help with low-light viewing. Tritium is a self-illuminating gas that can be used continuously without needing to be recharged.

Movement

The Swiss High-Torque Quartz ETA F06 movement in the Marathon General Purpose Field Watch in Steel is accurate to -0.3/+0.5 seconds per day. The End of Life (EOL) indicator on this ETA movement advances the seconds hand once every 4 seconds to alert the user when a battery change is needed. The movement also features a shock-resistant hacking mechanism and a date indicator on the dial between 4 and 5 o'clock. It also has a date-setting feature that is simple to use.

Strap

A one-piece nylon military band is included with the Marathon General Purpose Field Watch, which is made in compliance with MIL-S-46383B Type II and offers comfort and reliability while remaining lightweight.

The Marathon General Purpose Field Watch in Steel is a rugged and attractive watch with military-grade features including a 24-hour dial, nylon case, drilled lugs, hacking seconds, and more.