Marathon Brings Back It's Navigator Watch in Steel
Sunday - 14 May 2023
Government contracts still make up the bulk of Marathon’s clientele, but back at the time when the Marathon Navigator watch was released in 1986, it was designed in partnership with Kelly Air Force Base and was geared towards professional pilots. It was forged from stainless steel until a new military standard enabled the brand to explore new materials, which is where Marathon began crafting the Navigator watch from a composite nylon case. Now Marathon returns to its roots with a Navigator watch crafted from stainless steel once again.
The modern Navigator pilot’s watch from Marathon became popular for its 41mm case made out of Carbon Fibreshell after it was given the go-ahead in the 1990s to explore new materials. Since then, Marathon has been careful to keep most of the details of the watch faithful to the original. It does, however, offer an added date function and a couple of strap options that make the watch quite a versatile and stylish companion for plenty of everyday situations. Since the original steel version of the Navigator watch was designed for the aviation industry, the new Navigator for 2023 marks the first time that the brand has made the steel option available to the public, not to mention the first time it has been offered with a date complication in steel.
As mentioned, little has been changed about the design of the Marathon Navigator watch. It still measures a width of 41mm on the wrist and sits at a depth of 11mm. The watch is also implemented with 100-meter water resistance, making it ideal for a quick dip. Features that assist with this water resistance are those such as the strong sapphire crystal glass front and a screw-down crown located at 3 o’clock. The crown is also knurled to assist with an easy grip. The lugs at both the northern and southern ends of the case have been drilled and measure a 20mm width. Interestingly, the design of the caseback has been carefully thought through. For ease of use, a small port can be opened with a coin for a quick and easy battery replacement.
The sapphire crystal glass front acts as a protective sheath across a black dial, with scratch-resistant and anti-reflective properties that protect the dial from denting, heat, moisture and light damage. It secures to the sides of the case, which attach to a bi-directional rotating bezel with an engraved and black-painted scale featuring a 12-hour track. Striking white Arabic numerals and crisp white central hour and minute hands stand out beautifully against a rich black display, where a date feature can be referenced at 4:30. Inside this hour track is an additional 24-hour track. Experts at Marathon have also designed the matte black dial with tritium tubes on the markers, the hands and the bezel pip. These tubes hold a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that delivers a continuous and rich glow to the essential elements of the design. Although not as bright as Super-LumiNova, GTLS-based lume has the advantage of a continual glow that does not fade as the night draws on.
The engine inside the new Marathon Navigator steel watch or 2023 is a Swiss-made quartz movement that provides an accuracy to ± 10 seconds per year. It also incorporates a PreciDrive thermo-compensation and HeavyDrive system that can detect shock and cleverly prevent the hands of the watch from skipping. From fieldworkers to military personnel to search and rescue members and everything in between, the qualities of the Marathon Navigator Steel watch are endless and speak for themselves, thus the model is set to be an incredibly popular member of the robust Navigator series.
If you’d like more information on the new Marathon Navigator Steel watch for 2023, you can check out the spec details on the watch by visiting the product page here online, or call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team on 01335 453453.
