At the start of 2021, Marathon released an ‘Arctic’ variant of their iconic GSAR. A welcomed release from a brand with a lot of history both with the Canadian military and the US Military among many others. The watch community loves to talk about tool watches, which just so happen to be luxury watches — to me they are talking about a Mercedes G-Wagen (the Orange County variants that is). Sure, that can go off road and do cool shit, but that’s certainly not why you buy it.
The GSAR, and Marathon watches generally, are the Jeep Wranglers of the lot — all utility, all tools. I picked this Arctic GSAR up second hand, and have been wearing it a ton.
Bottom line: this is a better watch than I expected, and better than I wanted it to be, but the current pricing makes it a tough sell near MSRP pricing.
Specs
Ok, let’s tackle the specs on this watch. First things first, this is a chonk of a watch. It’s a 41mm case, with a 48mm lug-to-lug length. That’s not too bad. It has ideal 20mm lug spacing for straps/bracelets. Where the curve ball comes is the thickness, as this is riding in at 14mm thick. The reason for that thickness is really the overly thick bezel, allowing for better grip on the bezel generally.
From there the specs are rather great. You have a 316L stainless steel case rated at 300m/30atm of water resistance. There’s an oversized screw down crown as well.
Powering the watch is a Stelita SW200 movement with an Incabloc Shock Absorber. This system nets you a 42hr power reserve, a date display, and a 4hz movement. My watch, which is likely beyond the suggested service intervals without servicing, is running between -9 to +6 seconds per day at the extreme end of things. Which is surprisingly great. I note the service interval, as a true tool watch like this is not something one should be needing to worry about having serviced often.
The big claim to fame here is the lume on the watch. The hands (including the seconds hand) and the indices are all Tritium vials — there’s no need for any exposure to light for these to glow. They will eventually fade over decades, but Marathon can replace them. The bezel has Maraglo illumination in the triangular marker, with the rest having no glow to them. Maraglo is exceptional, and bright.
The crystal sits perfectly flush with the bezel and resists glare well. All in all, really solid specs and what you’d want in a true tool watch.
Wear & Utility
Here’s Marathon’s summary of this watch:
Marathon’s 41mm Arctic Edition Large Diver’s Automatic is a renowned Government Search and Rescue (GSAR) timepiece. Within our SAR Class of watches, the GSAR holds a legacy and is highly esteemed by both military professionals and collectors.
Fairly understated blurb, as this watch is designed to be a 24/7 watch worn in downright awful conditions. Normally, my testing would be confined to my desk, some dinners, and maybe a hike or two in the woods. This watch didn’t seem to want to have any of that normal bullshit.
I did drive this watch at my desk, and on hikes, of course. But it also spent a good amount of time encrusted in snow and ice. Plunged deep into snow during comical falls. It took a couple of hard knocks against walls and doors as I was moving furniture around and loading/unloading my car from a long trip. All of this unintentional, but a good test nonetheless. It remains unscathed — it would be worrying if that conclusion was anything but, so that’s not a remark made to wow, but a confirmation of a watch made to work.
When I picked this watch up, I did so hoping to accomplish two things: write up a review; and check the box on owning a watch I have always wanted to own. What I didn’t expect was to find that this watch might be one I can’t sell. To find a watch which I am like “yeah, I’ll just wear the GSAR instead” of all the other much more expensive watches I own.
Here’s what I really dig about this watch, things which when you put them altogether, creates a fairly unique offering in the world of watches:
- This watch is chunky but intentional in that design and is done so in a very consistent manner. The bezel is oversized, so you can easily manage it with gloves on, or cold and wet fingers. Some watches might stop there and leave you a bullshit tiny crown, but not the GSAR, it goes above and beyond and elongates the crown while creating a very gripy texture on it. Thus, both parts of the watch you might need to use, are useable in less than ideal situations, whether that’s cold hands or thick gloves. That consistency lends a fantastic cohesiveness to the watches design language.
- The case is much better finished than I expected for the price. It’s all brushed, but the actual machining and fit and finish are very nice. The design of the case is well done also. It feels like a tool, but it doesn’t feel like a budget tool.
- The tritium tubes, as expected, are fantastic. They will come off as disappointing if you move quickly from bright sun to dark rooms, as they are not bright enough that your eyes will pick them up right away. But, wake up in the middle of the night, and they are bright enough that you can get a little giddy about it. They will also glow through a layer or two of sheets, which might catch you off guard at 4am.
- Most watches you cannot read the seconds hand for very long, if at all, once it gets dark as there’s never enough lume to make a difference. Here, the tiny pip of tritium on the seconds hand is easy to read, and thus easy to time things, in the dark of the night.
- The dial is very legible despite being very busy. The dark black hands, the bright red seconds hand, and the firm but bold enough Arabic numerals strike a great balance of a watch designed to be read and used. When you glance at the dial, your eyes immediately focus on the hands and nothing else.
- I have very mixed feelings about the bezel. It visually looks great, but I think it is odd to use Maraglo instead of more tritium. I also am not sure locking this model to a dive bezel presents any level of additional utility for users. I’d love for options for a countdown/mission timer, or even a 12hr bezel to be present on the watch.
- Turning the bezel is very satisfying, and I can’t tell if this is because of the mechanism, or how easy it is to grip.
The wearing experience with this watch (I tested with a double pass NATO strap, and a leather strap for the majority of wear) is one of understated simplicity, which comes across as a very effective watch for doing watch like things with. It’s not something you’ll ever need to think about, so long as it is on your wrist.
That said, for those who go to offices, the watch is a beast and can quickly stack your cuff at the edge of the watch, or even fail to allow some cuffs to fall over the top of the watch. It is a tool, and in a way you either want it exposed or you don’t, so cuffs falling nicely over it is probably a net-negative feature for a watch like this.
Overall
I’d like to summarize this by telling you exactly what makes this watch compelling, but I am at a loss for those words. What I can say is that I had intended on selling this watch after reviewing it, but I won’t. There’s something stupidly great about this watch.
Perhaps it is the tank like feeling of this on your wrist. Or the pleasing tritium. Maybe it’s simply the really well balanced design of this watch. I have to assume it is a little of all of that, as I could not be happier with this watch. The only thing I would change is the bezel insert — that’s it. Even the 42hr power reserve is a non-issue, as this isn’t a watch designed to be left resting on your nightstand.
I was able to get an amazing deal on this watch, but that’s where the gotcha with this comes into play. Back in 2021, the watch retailed for $1,300. While lot, that psychologically feels right for a watch like this. Today this watch (on a strap, not bracelet) is retailing for $1,700 and who knows how much in the future. (Quick math says inflation would peg this at roughly $1,500 at the time of writing when you inflate the $1,300.)
At $1,700 this watch is hard to recommend. There is a lot of competition around that price point, you could buy: Seiko Prospex, Sinn’s, Oris, Weiss, or Ball among a few other options. There’s too much competition.
But, at the same time, the GSAR stands alone — in the same way that the Jeep Wrangler does. When you want a no bullshit, but well made tool watch — your searches will eventually land you at the GSAR. Rightfully so.