GPM Government Sage Green Mechanical Ref. WW194003SG-0003

Marathon Watch might be new to some, but definitely not to military watch fanatics like us. This Swiss watchmaker is popular amongst collectors as one of the few brands that crafts timepieces for militaries including the United States and Canadian armies for almost 70 years.

Marathon GPM Government Sage Green Mechanical Ref. WW194003SG

Delving into the rich history of this watchmaker, we discovered that the brand we now know to be Marathon was founded in 1904 as Weinsturm Watch, which was later renamed Wein Brothers. Back in 1939, Morris Wein founded this brand and supplied fine timepieces famed for their precision throughout North America. Since the 1940s, Marathon has been manufacturing time instruments for the Allied Forces. Today, the horological baton has been passed on to the fourth generation of the Wein family which continues to strengthen the brand’s reputation by producing a wide range of instruments that measure 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 are unveiled on their take of the 1960s MIL-W-46374 military watch - the Marathon GPM Government Sage Green Mechanical Ref. WW194003-SG that we are introducing today.

The acronym “GPM” stands for “General Purpose Mechanical.” Military personnel gets offered these officially issued field watches, where appropriate. Since this specific model is built to be used mostly on land, it is thus appropriate that it is mainly used by the ground trooper’s branch all around. The GPM Mechanical celebrates form over function, a non-flashy watch for sure, but is built with a purpose to aid the army in their missions. This particular reference has the U.S. Government markings on its dial.

Made in Switzeland, Approved by US Government

Marathon’s field watches are based on the MIL-W-46374 specifications and manufactured for the US Army from 1968 till today with several revisions, leading them to be the longest-running specifications required by the US government. Summarizing what the MIL-W-46374 is all about, it needed to have a 15-jewel (or more) mechanical movement with at least 36 hours of power reserve and a hacking mechanism with shock resistance and waterproofness. Further, the watch needs to have a nylon strap attached to it and it is to use tritium for its luminous hands and markers that have to glow for 8 hours or more in total darkness. The case must be made out of steel and plastic resin, allowing it to be anti-magnetic. Similar to other military watches, the size is kept at 34-36mm with the military 24-hour dial indication. All these traits can be seen in today’s Marathon’s GPM Mechanical, keeping with what field watches are all about.

The GPM Mechanical sets forth as an excellent tool watch with a unique personality. It starts with its metal core covered entirely by a high-impact fibre shell in a green colour tone, measures 34mm in diameter, with a height of 11mm and a 41mm lug-to-lug. In addition, the finishing of the steel bezel gets a full sand-blasted finishing, removing any source of inessential reflections on the case, while still being immaculately executed. The matte case pays tribute to the original GG-W-113 specs with parkerised finishing that also serves to be anti-corrosion for that period. The case has a unique bezel-less design, where it gets a stepped architecture from the sides to the dial opening, which allows one to entirely focus on the essential time reading at any given occasion. The dimension of the timepiece stays true to military watches of yesteryears, which enables one to feel its sturdiness and with all sense of purpose, to be out in the field.

Based on the GG-W-113 specifications since 1960s

Moving to the case profile, The GPM Mechanical has a sleek profile with a sense of masculine attractiveness to it. This is down to its unique outdoorsy colour choice you do not see much in the market. When the watch is viewed from the top, it lets off only as a no-frill compact tool watch, complemented by its short lugs and smooth bezel. However, when one views it from the sides, it is where it shines with its unique case profile, with the lugs streamlined together with its masculine side profile. This results in a strikingly balanced profile, allowing the wearer to feel that the watch is substantial enough to compensate for its ickle 34mm tonneau case.

The case only gets a breakthrough from its symmetry by its protruded sand-blasted push-pull crown for easy manipulation. Its L-shaped lugs are flushed together with the overall case, and further feature drilled lug holes to allow for easy strap change. Flipping it over, we get the case-back, allowing it to withstand 30m water-resistant that satisfies military specifications. Right on the case-back, we get the essential government markings and specifications engraved. These provide credentials that the GPM Mechanical is manufactured following US Government specifications.

Tritium gas tubes and MaraGlow™ that glows 24 hours

As you’d expect in a military-style watch, the dial needs all the right ingredients to liven up its livery. Underneath its flat sapphire crystal, Marathon has applied tritium gas tubes with MaraGlo™, a total of 14 encapsulated tritium tubes (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, only essentials wordings are on board, having the “Marathon” logo at the top and “U.S. Government” texts 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 GPM Reissue is easy to determine, even at a glance. The dial of Marathon’s GPM Mechanical is a direct re-make of its MIL-W-46374, save for the use of the new applied tritium gas tubes.

Inside, its heart keeps the epoch of Marathon’s field watch criteria. The Marathon GPM Government Sage Green Mechanical houses the robust Japanese Seiko Instrument automatic NH35 calibre. This 24-jewel, dual-wind movement operates at 3Hz (21,600bph), with autonomy that holds a 41-hour power reserve. The Government approved mechanical movement is durable enough to be a decent workhorse in a proper military tool watch. The use of this movement shows that Marathon emphasizes accuracy under all conditions, just like they did in the 80s.

Manufactured in accordance to US Government MIL-PRF-46374G

Attached to the GPM Reissue is a 16mm high-quality sage green nylon textile strap that matches the case colour. It allows one to strap on the field watch like it is supposed to, feeling sturdy and waterproof if it gets wet. The nylon strap matches the adventure theme, elevating its sportiness and ruggedness as a whole.

All in all, it is apparent that Marathon timepieces are manufactured with the utmost care and undergo stringent quality checks before they are launched. This attention to detail and finesse is embodied in the Marathon GPM Government Sage Green Mechanical Ref. WW194003-SG, which bears testament to the expertise of the Swiss watchmaker. Military-style tool watches are becoming increasingly popular in the market, where consumers have a whole range of options to choose from. However, not all of them meet the high standards of the US Government whilst still being able to stand out with their unique design unlike anything else on the market. Marathon is one of them.

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