Watch Evaluation: Marathon SSNAV-D Metal Navigator 41mm Watch Remake With Excessive-Accuracy Quartz Motion

Canada’s Marathon has been engaged on a remake of the famed army aviation-focused Navigator look ahead to fairly a fairly now. Marathon has a protracted historical past of supplying timepieces to Western armed forces and is the final firm to nonetheless accomplish that in the present day. The remake of the steel-cased Navigator venture was crucial to Mitchell Wein from Marathon largely as a result of his father, Leon Wein, designed it within the early Eighties on the behest of the army. It was first produced for pilots on the Kelly Air Pressure Base (now known as Kelly Area) in San Antonio, Texas. Extra fascinating for watch lovers is that the unique Navigator was by no means accessible for buy by most of the people. Extra so, the unique items in circulation all started life as government-issue devices. In response to Marathon, manufacturing of the unique Navigator watches ended within the mid-1900s. Now, the Navigator is again, higher than ever, and, in fact, accessible for buy by anybody.

I bought an opportunity to view a few of the unique Marathon Navigator watches when visiting the corporate’s Toronto headquarters just a few years again. Footage of two of the unique items I noticed are contained on this assessment so to evaluate and distinction them to the reference WW194013SS-0103 SSNAV-D watch that I’m reviewing in the present day. Word that the very first Navigator had the “ADANAC” model, which was a part of Marathon and is the identify “Canada” spelled backward. I consider Marathon continues to make use of the ADANAC model identify on some gadgets, together with the model’s digital stopwatches. You too can see how the unique Navigator watches used conventional luminant, later to get replaced by self-illuminating tritium fuel tubes, that are a staple function on most Marathon watches in the present day.

Two totally different classic Marathon Navigator watches.

One of the vital distinctive options of the Navigator case is the visible asymmetry. I really jested with Marathon that if the model had been to make the left flank the identical thickness as the proper flank, then it could be extra in pattern with present aesthetic preferences. I’ll have been proper, however the reality stays that the asymmetrical case is purposeful, comfy, and provides some visible distinction in a watch that’s, for probably the most half, all enterprise. Marathon was appropriate to take care of this visible quirkiness and I feel it advantages the persona of the modern-day SSNAV Navigator watches.

The very first thing I’ll point out concerning the 2023 Marathon stainless-steel Navigator date (what “SSNAV-D” stands for), is that it’s a high-end quartz watch. This can be a wristwatch product class that till not too long ago has been largely ignored by conventional lovers, however that’s rapidly altering. Excessive-end quartz is lastly coming again into vogue, and I feel that’s nice information for watch lovers. I outline high-end quartz as any watch that has each a wonderful case and dial, in addition to a high-quality quartz motion designed to offer the watch most purposeful attraction. Somewhat than being outfitted with a typical quartz motion, Marathon opted for a Swiss Made ETA caliber F06.412 Heavy-Drive PreciDrive quartz motion. Let’s discuss a bit about it since we don’t spend an excessive amount of time discussing a few of the newest actions developed by Swatch Group’s ETA.

The F06.412 is a relative of costlier high-accuracy quartz actions that ETA initially produced primarily within the Nineties, and we noticed them (for instance) in high-end quartz watches produced by Breitling and a small variety of different manufacturers. These actions had been very costly and by no means actually hit their mark as a result of on the time most individuals shopping for costly watches needed a mechanical motion despite the fact that quartz actions are usually extra dependable and correct. Then about 20 years later ETA determined to revisit high-end quartz and enhance upon a few of its historic actions whereas providing much more efficiency. I feel it’s secure to say that in giant methods, these had been impressed by the Japanese, who’ve been advancing quartz motion expertise far more so than the Swiss have been doing for a very long time. A terrific instance is the HeavyDrive expertise, which sounds lots like what Casio developed for its “Robust” analog actions. HeavyDrive does two necessary issues right here. First, it makes attainable the usage of “heavy” palms that almost all conventional quartz actions can’t deal with. The Navigator and different Marathon watch palms have tritium fuel tubes mounted on them, which might have been not possible for most elementary quartz actions to deal with. Second, HeavyDrive incorporates a hand place correction system (just like how Casio does it) to realign the palms if they’re moved misplaced because of shock or critical vibration.

As necessary is the PreciDrive expertise which is all about accuracy. Most traditional quartz actions are correct to about 10-15 seconds per 30 days. PreciDrive actions are correct to about 10 seconds a 12 months. That is because of thermo-compensation within the built-in circuit of the motion which permits the mechanism to make on-the-fly changes if the watch experiences adjustments in temperature. Such adjustments are usually among the many solely environmental issues which may have an effect on the accuracy of a quartz motion. With the ability to compensate for adjustments in present temperature, has the impact of drastically growing the accuracy of quartz actions. It’s value noting that whereas the Navigator SSNAV-D watch isn’t formally COSC Chronometer licensed, it could simply cross this check (which is totally different and extra demanding for quartz versus mechanical actions). Other than Marathon, the small variety of firms that use this F06.412 quartz motion embrace Swatch Group’s Tissot and Certina, in addition to some quartz watches produced by TAG Heuer.

Functionally the F06.412 quartz motion options the time with central seconds and a date indicator window. Battery life is between 68 and 94 months relying on the dimensions of the battery used (I’m not clear on which battery Marathon makes use of). The motion can be comparatively skinny to mechanical actions, which implies that the SSNAV-D is a modestly sized timepiece at 41mm large and 11mm thick.

Marathon actually needed to be sure that this timepiece instrument is made in addition to attainable and with a vigilant deal with detailing. Software watch followers will admire the superb detailing and crisp development of the case and dial components. Although Marathon relies in Toronto, its watchmaking facility is in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Thus, the SSNAV-D is a completely “Swiss Made” watch. The sandblasted metal case has been modified a bit from the unique Navigator watches with better-curved lugs and a extra grippable bi-directional turning bezel. I’ll cease right here to notice that the bezel-turning motion is superb and produces a pleasant clicking sound. The bezel has a tritium lume pip on the 60-minute mark and is designed as a hybrid given the presence of a 60-minute counting scale, in addition to a 12-hour second time zone indicator.

The SSNAV-D case is waterproof to 100 meters with a screw-down crown, and for this new model has a sapphire crystal over the dial (versus acrylic for earlier technology fashions). The dial is typical of Marathon merchandise in no-nonsense black with high-contrast white markers and palms. Marathon makes use of a unique coloration of tritium fuel tube for the 12 o’clock hour marker which makes orienting the dial along with your mind a bit simpler in the dead of night and permits for enhanced legibility. The seconds hand is given a red-colored tip which additionally helps with legibility and provides a pleasant coloration accent to this in any other case monochromatic dial show. Word as properly the drilled lug holes on the case making it simpler to alter straps.

Marathon produces a lot of simple-style army watches that aren’t too giant, which may simply function each day wears in each mechanical and quartz kinds. The Navigator is the one one which I do know of to comprise a high-accuracy quartz motion and does certainly have a definite look and persona when in comparison with different Marathon merchandise. It makes a whole lot of sense for Marathon to return this basic to their present product catalog, and for followers of the model, it’s nice that this as soon as military-only watch will be owned by anybody. The updates that Marathon made to the Navigator for the WW194013SS assortment are clever and appreciated, and assist make a contemporary instrument watch that faithfully evokes the spirit of the unique.

Marathon at present provides three totally different variations of the SSNAV-D Navigator watch. The one I’m reviewing is the reference WW194013SS-0103 which is provided with the fancier 20mm large black ballistic nylon DEFSTAN (Defence Commonplace) strap which has matching Marathon {hardware} and is outwardly the military-preferred strap. What I don’t actually perceive is why Marathon provides a barely cheaper but additionally black-colored ballistic nylon strap as properly. The worth distinction between the 2 is barely $30 USD, and the cheaper straps are available in two sizes, the marginally shorter WW194013SS-0101 and the marginally longer (by solely an inch, apparently) WW194013SS-0102. Every of these watches value $800 USD. My alternative is for the DEFSTAN strap given its nicer put on and naturally matching metal {hardware}. Worth for the as-tested reference WW194013SS-0103 Marathon SSNAV-D Navigator 41mm large watch is $830 USD. It’s a very good worth for such a flexible high-end quartz timepiece meant to final for a few years. Study extra on the Marathon web site right here.

Obligatory Information
>Model: Marathon
>Mannequin: 41mm Metal Navigator w/ Date SSNAV-D reference WW194013SS-0103 (as examined)
>Worth: $830 USD (as examined)
>Measurement: 41mm diameter, ~48mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thickness, 20mm lug width.
>When reviewer would personally put on it: Snug and dependable daily-wear instrument watch with a enjoyable persona and a great deal of utility.
>Buddy we’d suggest it to first: Navy-style watch lover eager on a historic design with a wonderful high-accuracy Swiss Made quartz motion.
>Finest attribute of watch: Glorious general development high quality. Snug to put on and use. Excessive-performance quartz motion. Truthful pricing.
>Worst attribute of watch: Uneven case to not everybody’s style. Barely complicated alternative of straps.