The brand Marathon might be new to some, but not for Canadians, Americans, and especially military watch fanatics like us. The moniker is better known to watch collectors be among the few that, until today, officially offers no-frills timepieces to the military. Those regimes include the United States and Canadian army since circa 70 years ago.

The Pilot Navigator started from a request from Kelley Air Force Base in US. In 1986, Texan’s Air Force base needed watches that could endure extreme changes in pressure when used at high altitudes, while remain legible and accurate. Therefore, Marathon manufactured this watch was created to meet those demands. The Pilot’s Navigator is mend for pilots and para-troopers during mission, like for instant, been issued to those troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for their missions. “There were approximately 50000 pieces of these made for them,” mentioned Mitchell Wein, the current owner of Marathon Watch. “These were in fact, the first ever quartz pilot watches made by my father, specifically for the Air Force. And we were the sole supplier to the US government even when we are from Canada.”

Although the Wein family had them first made in stainless steel case, the ones that were supplied to the Air Force Base were actually made out of fiber shell high impact case with a steel back, allowing to be durable while staying lightweight. Also, the material choice has had helped the government to keep their pricing low without compromising Marathon’s strength in military watchmaking. Since then, both the military and now the watch civilian markets have received the iconic Navigator in that lightweight material, until now. The all new Pilot’s Navigator Stainless Steel NGM - Nylon Ballistic Strap Ref. WW194013SS-0101 finally comes in full stainless steel material, just like the very first Navigator that Marathon had made prior to the government’s contract.

Moving to the case profile, The Pilot’s Navigator has from a sleek and a sense of masculine attractiveness to it to its unique bold case design that you do not see much in the market. The case has an asymmetrical shape, where it gives full crown guard architecture, from the lug sides on the right to the screw-down crown in which grants a proper 100m water-resistant. This in which allows one to feel the case has a winder side from the other, which made it a pretty darn cool and tactical feel. When the watch viewed from the front, it lets off only as a no-frill tool watch, only to be complemented by its short lugs and hour bezel. However, when one views it from the top, it is where it shines with its unique case profile, with the lugs streamline together as a whole with its masculine yet unique side profile. This results in a striking silhouette, letting the wearer feel substantial with its asymmetrical case.

Its L-shaped lugs are flushed together with the overall case, and further features the drilled lug holes to allow easy strap change. Flipping it over, we get the case-back, allowing it to withstand high altitude 35000 ft that satisfy military-specifications. Right on the case-back, we understand the essential government markings and specifications engraved. These provide credentials on the Pilot’s Navigator as manufactured following US Government specification. All that said, we assure it is safe to say that both us watch collectors and the US military for use in operations.