Pilot’s Navigator CeraShell® Quartz (NAV) Ref. WW194001BK-0801

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.

Marathon Pilot’s Navigator CeraShell® Quartz (NAV) Ref. WW194001BK-0801

Let's dive a little deeper. The company that was to become Marathon Watch was founded in 1904 as Weinsturm Watch, later to be named Wein Brothers. In 1939, Morris Wein founded Marathon Watch, supplying fine precision timepieces throughout North America. Since 1941, Marathon has been manufacturing timing instruments for the Allied Forces, and today the fourth generation of the family continues the tradition with a wide range of tools measuring time, temperature, and distance. Marathon watches combine military durability with Swiss engineering and craftsmanship to ensure the highest level of quality and precision. All these traits unveiled on their take of the 1960s MIL-PRF-46374G military watch- the Marathon Pilot's Navigator CeraShell® Quartz (NAV) that we are going to introduce today.

Developed in 1986 to fulfill a specific request from Kelly Air Force Base, the Pilot Navigator was crafted for aircrews and paratroopers who required exceptional legibility and performance during extreme altitude changes. It was actively issued to personnel during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, proving its utility in real world conditions. Embracing pure functional design, this reference adopts a clean sterile dial that omits all external branding for a focused tool watch look.

Made in Switzeland, Approved by US Government

Entering the navigator watch realm, Marathon has based on the MIL-PRF-46374G specifications and manufactured for the US army ill today with several revisions, lending them to be the longest-running specifications required by the US government. This particular model follows the type III / class 1 variation and summarizing what it is all about; it needed to have a rotating bezel equipped with elapsed time ring, and electrical quartz movement that able to maintain long life that able to withstand magnetic, water and corrosion resistance along with high altitude. Further, the watch needs to have nylon strap attached to it, and to use tritium for its luminous hands and markers that have to glow for 8 hours or more in total darkness. The case made out of fibreshell high impact case with steel back, allowing to be durable while staying lightweight. The unique asymmetrical case with the military 24-hour dial indication proved to be the military issued watches back in the 1970s. All these traits can be seen on MIL-W-50717 mil-spec watches for the US military, and Marathon keeps all there in check.

The Pilot Navigator CeraShell® Quartz presents itself as an exceptional field tool with a distinct personality. It begins with a unique asymmetrical case shape crafted from high impact CeraShell® in a stealthy matte black tone, measuring 41mm wide, 11.5mm thick, and 48mm lug to lug. Formulated from a blend of bio-sourced plastic and ceramic powder, CeraShell® serves as Marathon proprietary housing material designed for durability and low weight. The bi-directional rotating bezel features a matte aluminium insert, eliminating unwanted surface reflections while providing smooth tactile feedback during operation. For dark environment legibility, a radial mounted tritium tube insert is affixed directly into the bezel pip marker.  This non reflective case design pays direct homage to historical military specifications like the MIL-W-50717, where matte finishes were used to prevent glare and protect against environmental corrosion.

Tribute to MIL-W-50717

Moving to the case profile, The Pilot's Navigator has from a sleek and a sense of masculine attractiveness to it, to its unique tactical color choice 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 matte grey push down crown. This in which allows one to feel the case has a winder side from the other, which made it pretty darn cool and tactical feel. When the watch viewed from the side, 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 profile, letting the wearer feel substantial with its unique asymmetrical case.

The L-shaped lugs sit completely flush with the main housing, tapering smoothly to mirror the overall flow of the asymmetrical case. Drilled lug holes and removable spring bars are included to make strap changes quick and hassle free in the field. Turning the watch over reveals a solid steel case back engineered to withstand rapid pressure drops up to 35000 feet, fully satisfying official military flight requirements. The back of the case features clear government markings and specification credentials engraved into the metal. These markings verify that the Pilot Navigator is manufactured in strict accordance with US Government standards, giving watch collectors and military personnel total confidence during real world operations.

Asymmetrical case design

As you'd expect in a military-style watch, the dial needs all the right ingredients to live up its livery. Underneath its flat sapphire crystal, Marathon has applied tritium gas tubes with MaraGlo™, a total of 14 encapsulated tritiums (Isotope H3) on its hour markers and syringe-style handset, allowing one to view the time with maximum legibility even when you are in the dark for more than 24 hours. The result is a constant emission of light. No more charging them by external light sources like conventional SuperLuminova. The dial features Arabic hour markers right beneath the tritium tubes, only to flange further a set of 24-hour markers reading inside. Lastly, it's a sterile variation, having no "Marathon" logo at the top and stays sterile at the bottom half. The dial gets additional markings with the "H3, hazard emblem" to indicate the tritium gas usage. All this information on the Reissue is easy to determine, even at a glance. The dial of Marathon is a direct re-make of its MIL-W-46374, saving from the use of the new applied tritium gas tubes.

Inside its heart lies the traditional Swiss ETA Quartz movement. Powered by a Swiss made, high torque, 3 jewel ETA FØ6 quartz movement, the Military Navigator guarantees you a high degree of accuracy in timekeeping. The ETA FØ6 movement is accurate to -0.2/+0.5 seconds per day and also includes an End of Life (EOL) indicator that will advance the seconds hand once every 4 seconds to inform you that a battery change is needed. Replacement battery is a 371 cell.

Tritium gas tubes and MaraGlow™ that glows 24 hours

Attached to the Pilot Navigator is a matching 20mm high-quality black nylon textile strap. It further allows one to strap on the field watch like it supposed to, feeling sturdy and waterproof if it gets wet. The nylon strap matches with the adventure theme, elevating its sportiness and ruggedness as a whole.

In all, Marathon products are manufactured with the utmost care and undergo strict quality control measures. This dedication to quality is clear throughout the Marathon Pilot Navigator CeraShell® Quartz, combining true military toughness with refined craftsmanship inspired by classic field timepieces. While the military tool watch market is crowded with options, very few carry genuine US Government approval or offer such a distinct asymmetrical design. The Marathon Pilot Navigator CeraShell® Quartz (NAV) stands out from the crowd for this exact reason, delivering a purpose built tool watch that offers exceptional value for money for watch collectors.

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