Last month, John brought you a review of the Marathon GSAR (you can see that here). The GSAR is their automatic version of their iconic Search-and-Rescue (hence, SAR) model. If you liked the style, but want to save a few bucks, then perhaps the quartz-driven Marathon TSAR is the route you’ll want to go.
Marathon TSAR: what is it?
While it’s an acronym, the name of the watch tells you all about it. It’s got tritium (the T), and then it’s Search-and-Rescue, as we mentioned up top. In short, it’s a watch that was built for heavy duty, and telling the time (or timing) when visibility is not necessarily the best. While many watches will be built to look “tacti-cool”, the Marathon SAR design is one that can actually get the job done.
The aesthetics
As John noted in his review, the Marathon SAR line is brutalist and utilitarian. And that’s ok – the Marathon TSAR is a watch that was built for a purpose, and that purpose is not for blending in at the office.
In terms of the color scheme, you’ve got the highly-contrasting (and easy-to-read) white on black palette that any number of military watches adopt. With sizing, everything is chunky. You’ve got a tall, thickly notched bezel that can be grasped by gloved hands. Same with that extra-long knurled crown – easy to work with gloves.
The overall look of the watch is one of utility and robustness. Which, when a watch is used for it’s intended purpose, means it will not look out of place. So, what about all of us folks that are not first responders or in the military? Doesn’t mean you can’t wear it. Just don’t try to put this watch with a suit, or anything approaching dressier clothes. The watch is designed to get down and dirty, so treat it as such. Weekend camping trips, or hitting the lake with the family? There you go, this will get it done.
The movement
As I mentioned earlier, the Marathon TSAR is the quartz-driven version of their SAR design. Frankly, for a hard-use watch, quartz makes sense to me. It’s going to inherently be more shock resistant, and the accuracy of quartz is something you cannot deny.
The specific movement is the ETA High-Torque FØ6 which has additional engineering in it to help resist shock. Battery life is pretty impressive, and when it starts getting low, you’ll get an end-of-life indication. When this happens, you’ll notice the seconds hand stop, and after 4 seconds, jump forward to that spot. It’s still keeping accurate time, it’s just letting you know that you need to replace that battery soon.
The tritium
If you’re thinking about a watch like the Marathon TSAR, you’re of course going to be thinking about tritium. It’s a great way to illuminate a watch that doesn’t require sunlight, and won’t blind you if you’ve got eyes adjusted to a darker night. Don’t get us wrong – lume is great (and this watch has some on the bezel pip). It’s just that tritium offers a softer glow, and often in colors you don’t get from paint. If you’re looking for some new feature to add to your collection, tritium is a fun route to take.
Wearing the Marathon TSAR
As John noted in his review, the Marathon TSAR is a watch that wears a lot more comfortably than you’d expect. When you see a spec of 41mm and 14mm thick for a steel case, you’re thinking you’ve got a puck. And the photos can make it look that way as well.
I found it quite comfortable on my 7.25″ wrist, and the thicker rubber strap not only helps keep it in place, it also looks proportionally correct. And, if you’ve got even larger wrists, they include a longer version of the buckle-side strap, so you can fit it to a larger wrist (or over a wet suit, say).
Wrapping thing up
For us civilians, the Marathon TSAR can seem like a little bit of overkill. Still, if you want a design that has been part of military history, and is still a capable daily driver, it’s hard to argue against, especially with the inclusion of tritium. The version we reviewed comes in at $1,200, while versions with other dials and/or bracelets lift the price. You can see the whole SAR collection at marathonwatch.com
Marathon TSAR Tech Specs
- Movement: ETA High-Torque FØ6
- No of Jewels: 3
- Scale Quantity: 2
- Scale Range: 1-12 (13-24)
- Calendar Type: Date
- Luminous Features: Tritium Gas Tubes and MaraGlo
- Crystal Material: Sapphire
- Crown Type: Screw-Down
- Case
- Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
- Case Finish: Brushed
- Diameter: 41mm
- Thickness: 14mm
- Lug-to-lug: 48mm
- Lug width: 20mm
- Bezel Type: Uni-Directional
- Bezel Scale: 60 Minute
- Submersibility: 30 ATM
