Marathon General Purpose Mechanical Watch Overview

For manner too lengthy, I’ve had a deep curiosity with testing out the 34mm Marathon General Purpose Mechanical. From afar, you possibly can inform that it isn’t attempting to do something intelligent. No frills, no confusion, no have to justify its presence with some contrived design story or way of life fantasy. Getting this one in for evaluation solely bolstered a few of my assumptions of the watch whereas bringing some surprises with it. The factor wears its function on its sleeve (and on its caseback, dial, and strap, for that matter). It’s not attempting to be a every day diver, a weekender, or a costume watch in disguise. But it does its job and that’s what persons are sometimes in search of in a watch like this.

The Marathon GPM is a type of watches that also will get made to navy spec, not simply made to look the half. Marathon is without doubt one of the few manufacturers that also delivers timepieces to precise authorities companies, and that real-world credibility provides a layer of attraction that goes manner past seems to be. We’ve reviewed some nice fashions earlier than. The one I had on wrist was a evaluation unit straight from the model, and whereas I’ll ultimately must ship it again, I loved my time with it far more than I believed I’d.

On paper, a 34mm case diameter may seem to be a dealbreaker for lots of recent collectors. But actually, that quantity barely registers as soon as it’s strapped on. The 12.5mm thickness, mixed with the 41mm lug-to-lug and a beefy NATO strap, provides the watch a stunning quantity of wrist presence. It wears compact, sure, however not dainty. The sage inexperienced case lands proper the place it must—a foresty greenish-grey tone that leans utilitarian with out being boring. The resin materials retains issues light-weight, and if you happen to’re used to huge metal circumstances, this one may make you rethink the way you outline “tough.”

There’s a blunt honesty to the caseback that I actually admire. Instead of selling fluff or ornamental thrives, you get the straight-up navy spec textual content and NSN (NATO Stock Number) data. It’s practical documentation. I want extra manufacturers would take that method. Same goes for the bezel, which isn’t there to rotate or dazzle—simply to border the crystal and preserve the whole lot locked in place. Even the crown feels prefer it’s been dialed in particularly for perform: all metal now (a welcome improve over Marathon’s older plastic ones), it winds simply and feels right-sized for the case. Oh, it doesn’t screw down and water resistance is simply 30m. Not dangerous for a area watch however I’d wish to see this elevated to 50m sooner or later. The crown can be fairly grippy and despite the fact that it might look small, it was tremendous efficient any time I needed to work together with the watch.

Of course, the star of the present right here—as with many Marathons—is the dial visibility. It’s constructed round a basic area structure with a 24-hour interior ring and simply sufficient branding to let what you’re with out turning it right into a billboard. The tritium tubes are a giant a part of that legibility. Set into the hour markers and each syringe-style arms, they glow with that vibrant, perpetual radioactivity that doesn’t want charging. Even indoors in the course of the day, you catch glimpses of the lume doing its job. There’s actual depth to the dial due to that, which provides much more character than you’d count on from one thing this utilitarian. If you’re ever inquisitive about what it takes to fabricate these tritium gasoline tubes earlier than integrating them right into a watch, try our interview with Barry Cohen, who’s at present operating the ProTek watch model.

Now, about that strap. The equipped ballistic nylon one from Marathon seems to be nice, no query. The brown tone pairs properly with the case and offers the entire thing a kind of area gear vibe. But functionally, I discovered it a bit stiff out of the field. The clearance between the spring bars and case is tight, and getting the whole lot located took extra effort than I’d like. Threading by means of the keeper was a little bit of a chore, too. That mentioned, I did strive the GPM on a single-pass olive drab strap, and that was the candy spot. It let the case sit decrease and simply felt a contact extra wearable. Do notice that the 16mm lug width could make issues robust, because it isn’t actually a standard width for straps today. Thankfully, I had one thing a bit of extra comfy within the strap drawer.

Inside, you’re getting the ever-reliable Seiko NH35A. It’s not unique or high-end, but it surely’s a type of actions you possibly can belief to simply work. With 41 hours of energy reserve, the one on this GPM ran nice day-to-day. I didn’t hook it as much as a timegrapher, however nothing jumped out as off. It’s additionally the sort of motion that, if it ever craps out, you can simply swap with a contemporary one with out pondering twice. That’s the fantastic thing about one thing this accessible.

Living with the GPM over the course of the evaluation left me with one thought: I get it. I get why this watch exists, why Marathon nonetheless makes it, and why it’s held in such excessive regard by of us who truly depend on their watches to do extra than simply inform time stylishly. It’s the actual factor, nonetheless doing the factor. And whereas this unit is headed again to Marathon quickly, I wouldn’t be shocked if one other one makes its manner into my assortment. It’s simply too easy and too satisfying to not personal sooner or later.

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