If you could travel back in time 20 years and hit the high seas with a team of elite military rescue divers, you’d encounter a U.S. Navy unblemished by the memory of those horrid blueberry uniforms, where the M16A4 would still be the hottest rifle on the block and everyone would presumably have a CD player. But some things would look the same as they do now, though, because there’s a good chance all of the divers were wearing Marathon watches.
The Canadian watchmaker offers pilot’s watches, specialty watches and general-purpose watches, but its crown jewels have always been its uncompromisingly tough dive watches. Now, Marathon is reissuing one of its classic search-and-rescue watches with a few modern touches to make it better than ever for service members in need of a timepiece that’s tougher than Neptune himself: the OSAR-D.
To get to know this mil-spec watch, I spoke with Mitchell Wein, president of the Marathon Watch Company. Here’s what I learned.
A Canadian Watchmaker, Rescue Divers and a Timepiece that Keeps On Ticking
Marathon Watch opened its doors in 1939 and started catering specifically to the military community in 1941 when it began supplying watches to the Allies during World War II. Four generations later, the family is still at it, crafting heirloom-quality hardware that can survive anything service members throw at it.
Today, Marathon supplies watches to members of the Army, Air Force, Navy and multiple units operating under the purview of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Wein says that he and the rest of the company’s employees prioritize attention to detail and incorporating input from service members who rely on their watches in critical situations. The OSAR-D (which stands for Original Search and Rescue with Date) is a culmination of that focus and openness to feedback.
“The OSAR-D -- like its predecessor, the SAR-D -- is intended for simple, no-clutter readability. The geometric indices provide bright, bold illumination for dark environments above and below water,” Wein told Military.com.
For example, some Navy ratings have specific needs right down to the type of illumination on their watch faces, and Marathon listened.
“The use of MaraGlo instead of tritium also allows these watches to be used in ‘sensitive’ environments,” Wein said. “Nuclear submarines, for instance, are not allowed to have radioactive materials on board, to avoid potential of a reaction. There are also some government jurisdictions that restrict the use of tritium that allows these watches to be used.”
Some features of the old SAR-D, which was originally issued to Canadian Armed Forces search-and-rescue techs in the early 2000s, were carried into the new release. Others were changed for the better.
This new version is mechanically more accurate, thanks to an automatic Sellita movement with Incabloc Shock Absorber, improved illumination on the enlarged indices and improved magnification over the date window. Those are key changes for service members who need to be right on time in the darkest of environments.
“The bolder, white-bordered, applique indices -- compared to the original -- allow the illumination to be reflected internally and outward for brighter initial viewing in the dark,” Wein explained “The revised second hand is also updated for more accurate timekeeping.”
They’re little details that you might not notice without comparing the old and new versions side by side, but they make a difference to the service member wearing the watch.
Like Wein emphasized, it’s all about attention to detail. That kind of dedication has made Marathon a military mainstay for generations.
“We provide troop-trial items for field use and feedback, and we listen to their needs when developing something entirely new, ensuring that a wide variety of items [we strive for all] are NSN-assigned for ease of ordering,” Wein said.
Marathon OSAR-D by the Numbers
The Marathon OSAR-D has to be tough if it’s going to survive life on the wrist of Navy rescue divers who experience everything up to and including helicopter crashes.
The heart of the OSAR-D is an automatic Swiss movement made by Sellita. The SW200-1 features three hands, and the second hand stops when the time is set to allow for hacking when accurate synchronization among team members is critical. The 26-jewel, self-winding mechanism vibrates 28,000 times per hour. You can expect around 41 hours of power reserve once you take it off.
This movement also includes a date window with 1.5x magnification built into the sapphire crystal for rapid legibility. Both date and time are adjusted using the screw-down crown.
As Wein said, the OSAR uses MaraGlo illumination instead of the tritium vials found on many Marathon watches. While this might seem like a downgrade to tritium purists (who are not uncommon in the military), it’s a mission-driven choice that opens the watch’s appeal to certain roles.
The watch face is surrounded by a unidirectional 60-minute bezel, and the watch’s overall case thickness measures 14 millimeters. It’s a very chunky piece of hardware by design, but that’s understandable: Remember, these watches are designed for search-and-rescue divers who may need to manipulate their watch bezel while wearing thick gloves. This is a functional tool, not a fashion statement.
Wrapping it all up is a 41-millimeter (48-millimeter lug-to-lug) 316L stainless steel case and either a black rubber strap, stainless steel bracelet or a black nylon NATO strap that’s sold separately. If you want another color, such as flat dark earth or olive drab, any 20-millimeter NATO strap should work.
In keeping with its seafaring mission, the watch is rated at an impressive 30 ATM. That rating is a hallmark of serious dive watches that need to withstand the crushing pressure of operating hundreds of feet below sea level. The locked-down vault of a timepiece is also capable of warding off other threats, such as flying debris from a breaching charge and spray from a helicopter’s rotor wash.
How to Buy a Marathon Watch
If you’re lucky enough to receive a Marathon watch as part of your standard issue kit, I’m happy for you and totally not jealous at all. Fortunately, the OSAR-D is also available to the public.
There are two versions of the OSAR-D. One comes with a three-piece rubber strap that’s durable, comfortable and (relatively) economical. This watch has an MSRP of $1,380.
The other comes with a stainless steel bracelet that’s better suited to watch enthusiasts who want to sport the OSAR-D every day -- both on- and off-base. This added style comes at a price; more specifically, $1,680 MSRP.
You can order either from Marathon’s website or from popular retailers such as Long Island Watch and Teddy Baldassarre.
I own a Marathon 41mm GSAR (in Arctic white because I am a man of the snow), and I can vouch for the brand’s quality and relentless customer service. If you’re going to spend this kind of money on a watch for life in the military, you can’t go wrong with anything from this crew.
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