Marathon not really a micro brand.

[willy]

I recently got myself a Marathon TSAR Quartz dive watch.The reason i wanted this watch is this.I fish a lot,so i wanted a tough watch,that i could read at night,without having to press a button or shine a light to do so.And since i did not want a watch that i had to set the time or date on everytime i went fishing,i ordered the quartz version..
                              Marathon are a bona fida watch brand,that have existed since about 1939.A Canadian Company that supply watches to military forces world wide.They have production facilities in switzerland,and the words Swiss Made are on their watches.But they are not a complete inhouse brand,because all of their calibers come from ETA.After intensive research i found more positive than negative about them.So i paid 4880dkr to the up to now best mail order firm i have ever dealt with,and 6 days later my watch arrived from the UK.These are my first impressions of the watch.

                                It arrived in a little black cardboard box.Talk about cutting costs Its 40mm case looks like it came off a production line that makes tanks.There is really no attempt to make this watch look pretty,it virtually screams to be used for knocking nails into wood.The case is very thick,and it sits higher than most dive watches on the wrist.It comes on a very soft and comfortable rubber strap.For me it is a very comfortable watch to wear,i can forget i have it on.The caliber inside is a ETA high torque quartz.They use a high torque movement because the hands are heavier than normal.This is because of the special gas filled hands,that can give light up to 25 years.The caliber costs about 20 US.Dollars on the open market.I bet Marathon get them for a lot less.Their ETA Automatic movements cost a bit more,but not a fortune.Like nearly all dive watches unless they are made by Rolex,we have a very small caliber in a big case.The Bezel is massive,the biggest i have ever seen on a dive watch.And it is in my opinion the best i have ever encountered on any watch.If you dipped your fingers into a bucket of oil,you would still be able to grip and turn it.This is how all so called dive watches should design a bezel,it is fantastic.The winding crown is made in the same way.It is longer than normal,and very easy to grip and work.My first impressions are that this is one of the few watches i have ever handled,that is designed and made for extreme hard use.

                                          But there is room for improvement.But this would of course push up the cost.And the military sometimes work on tight budgets The marking on the bezel is painted on,and rough use will have an effect on this with time.Ceramic or saphire bezels are the future i think.But where this watch puts many others in the shade, is the instant readability in any kind of light.The dial is very simple and well marked out.But the icing on the cake is the gas lume on the hands and markers.including the little triangle on the bezel.I hope Rolex-Omega-IWC will one day use this technology,because it makes luminous paint a joke.I hope this watch lives up to my expectations,because i intend to use it as hard as i can.And in 1 years time i will review it again.I have read many conflicting reports from people who have bought Marathon watches.Some complain about bad service,or hands that fall off.But i have read more positive than negative.I do not care to much about the guarantee on a watch like this concerning the caliber.It would be cheaper just to put another one in it,than sending the watch to Marathon.This is often the case with watches in this price class,often your local watchmaker can fix the problem easily.

                                        Definitely not a watch you want to buy because it looks good.Because it makes no attempt to do so.But if you like something that looks like a battle tank on your wrist and is so easy to read,then its worth looking at.

  PS. A couple of links that could be usefull. http://www.the-wandering-i.com/blog/2014...tch-review

http://www.heinnie.com/watches/watches?p=11
http://watchreport.com/review-of-the-marathon-gsar/


                      

[P.N.]

(19-05-2015, 09:13 PM)willy Skrev: I recently got myself a Marathon TSAR Quartz dive watch.The reason i wanted this watch is this.I fish a lot,so i wanted a tough watch,that i could read at night,without having to press a button or shine a light to do so.And since i did not want a watch that i had to set the time or date on everytime i went fishing,i ordered the quartz version..
                              Marathon are a bona fida watch brand,that have existed since about 1939.A Canadian Company that supply watches to military forces world wide.They have production facilities in switzerland,and the words Swiss Made are on their watches.But they are not a complete inhouse brand,because all of their calibers come from ETA.After intensive research i found more positive than negative about them.So i paid 4880dkr to the up to now best mail order firm i have ever dealt with,and 6 days later my watch arrived from the UK.These are my first impressions of the watch.

                                It arrived in a little black cardboard box.Talk about cutting costs Its 40mm case looks like it came off a production line that makes tanks.There is really no attempt to make this watch look pretty,it virtually screams to be used for knocking nails into wood.The case is very thick,and it sits higher than most dive watches on the wrist.It comes on a very soft and comfortable rubber strap.For me it is a very comfortable watch to wear,i can forget i have it on.The caliber inside is a ETA high torque quartz.They use a high torque movement because the hands are heavier than normal.This is because of the special gas filled hands,that can give light up to 25 years.The caliber costs about 20 US.Dollars on the open market.I bet Marathon get them for a lot less.Their ETA Automatic movements cost a bit more,but not a fortune.Like nearly all dive watches unless they are made by Rolex,we have a very small caliber in a big case.The Bezel is massive,the biggest i have ever seen on a dive watch.And it is in my opinion the best i have ever encountered on any watch.If you dipped your fingers into a bucket of oil,you would still be able to grip and turn it.This is how all so called dive watches should design a bezel,it is fantastic.The winding crown is made in the same way.It is longer than normal,and very easy to grip and work.My first impressions are that this is one of the few watches i have ever handled,that is designed and made for extreme hard use.

                                          But there is room for improvement.But this would of course push up the cost.And the military sometimes work on tight budgets The marking on the bezel is painted on,and rough use will have an effect on this with time.Ceramic or saphire bezels are the future i think.But where this watch puts many others in the shade, is the instant readability in any kind of light.The dial is very simple and well marked out.But the icing on the cake is the gas lume on the hands and markers.including the little triangle on the bezel.I hope Rolex-Omega-IWC will one day use this technology,because it makes luminous paint a joke.I hope this watch lives up to my expectations,because i intend to use it as hard as i can.And in 1 years time i will review it again.I have read many conflicting reports from people who have bought Marathon watches.Some complain about bad service,or hands that fall off.But i have read more positive than negative.I do not care to much about the guarantee on a watch like this concerning the caliber.It would be cheaper just to put another one in it,than sending the watch to Marathon.This is often the case with watches in this price class,often your local watchmaker can fix the problem easily.

                                        Definitely not a watch you want to buy because it looks good.Because it makes no attempt to do so.But if you like something that looks like a battle tank on your wrist and is so easy to read,then its worth looking at.

  PS. A couple of links that could be usefull.  http://www.the-wandering-i.com/blog/2014...tch-review

                                                           http://www.heinnie.com/watches/watches?p=11
                                                                http://watchreport.com/review-of-the-marathon-gsar/


                                                             

                      

Du har virkelig fundet dig en god ven der Willy. Jeg er spændt på at høre mere når du virkelig får sat det på prøve. Du har ret i at der ikke i givet fald skal bruges meget tid på reparation i forhold til hvad et nyt værk koster. Men det er jo ikke anderledes end med de fleste quartzure.
P.N.

[whoa]

He altid godt kunnet lide dem! De giver indtryk af at det er et brugs ur! Så tillykke med det.. Mangler selv et med tritium gas.. Men kommer nok engang!

-Sent using Rock, Paper and the occasional Scissors-

[phrede]

Ja, savner helt mit MSAR


- via iPhone

[peterkaa]

Er det tritium rørene der gør at du har valgt dette over et prospex med kinetic værk?

Det er en fed feature, havde engang et Ball, lume-rørene og lænken kan man godt savne fra det ur. Værket, not so much.

[willy]

(20-05-2015, 09:56 AM)peterkaa Skrev: Er det tritium rørene der gør at du har valgt dette over et prospex med kinetic værk?

Det er en fed feature, havde engang et Ball, lume-rørene og lænken kan man godt savne fra det ur. Værket, not so much.

Yes absolutly because of the lume.But mostly because i wanted to find out just how good they are.It does not come up to the watchmaking standard of a Prospex.Of that i am pretty sure.It is more of a primitive solid piece of machinery.I would not recomend it to anyone who wanted a good looking watch.But it is a charming little beast,and i really like it up to now.I am really going to hammer this watch for a year,and then give my opinion of it.I nearly got a Ball last year,but for a knock around Watch they are a bit pricey.What did you think of the quality of your Ball?We have not read much about them on this site,it would be interesting to hear your views on them.

[Claus Tukjær]

Marathon er et fint mikromærke.

[willy]

(24-05-2015, 08:14 PM)Claus Tukjær Skrev: Marathon er et fint mikromærke.

I suppose you would say the same about Seiko or Rolex Claus

[peterkaa]

Ang. Ball Eng. Master diver II world timer (langt navn), det var fedt og alt var lækkert. Visere, skive, lænke og lasse var virkelig veludførte. Ifht. De løsninger der var valgt. Altså der var fx. ikke mange facetter på kassen, men de poleringer/børstninger der var lavet var virkelig i top. Det samme med lænken, virkelig lækkert udført.

MEN en world timer der er så besværlig at stille, er ubrugelig i praksis, den komplikation var simpelthen så dårligt implementeret at man blev i dårlig humør af at bruge den. Verdensskiven kunne kun stilles den ene vej, så hver gang urer skulle stilles tog det tre fire forsøg at få den til at gå rigtigt og i indgreb på den rigtige måde. Svært at forklare frusterende at bruge.

Med det sagt, er det ikke usandsynligt at jeg ville købe er Ball igen, men uden andre komplikationer end dato.
Man er bare så langt oppe i pris at både landmaster SD og MM300 er i spil og så er det svært ikke at prøve det først.

[willy]

I have owned the MM 300.It is a fantastic watch,and so well made.Some have crtiticised the bracelet,for not being up to the standard of the watch.But i liked the bracelet,it is comfortable and the instant micro adjust is brilliant.One of the watches i could buy again.