Pilot’s Navigator Government Desert Tan Ref. WW194001DT-0002

Product Description Specifications Reviews Video

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 Government Desert Tan Ref. WW194013-S-DT-B

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 Government Desert Tan Ref. WW194001-S-DT-D that we are going to introduce today.

The Pilot Navigator started from a request from Kelley Air Force Base in the US. In 1986, Texan’s Air Force base needed watches that could endure extreme changes in pressure when used at high altitudes, while remaining legible and accurate. Therefore, Marathon manufactured this watch created to meet those demands. The Pilot’s Navigator mends for pilots and paratroopers during a mission, for instance, been issued to those troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for their tasks.

Made in Switzeland, Approved by US Government

Since this specific model built to be taken mostly for aviation sectors, it fits appropriately for the military trooper’s branch all round. The Marathon Pilot’s Navigator celebrates form over function, a non-flashy watch for sure, but builds with a purpose to aid the army with their missions. This particular reference differs from its sterile dial sibling with its “US Government” signed dial; having these additional credentials on its face.


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 magnetically, water and corrosion resistance along with high altitude. Further, the watch needs to have a 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 fiber shell 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 seen on MIL-W-50717 mil-spec watches for the US military, and Marathon keeps all there in check.

Tribute to MIL-W-50717

The Pilot’s Navigator sets forth as an excellent tool watch with a unique personality. It starts with its unique case shape entirely made with high-impact fiber shell in desert brown-tone, that measures 41mm wide, with a height of 13mm thick and 48mm lug to lug. Further, the finishing of the bi-directional bezel gets the same fiber shell material, removing any source of inessential reflections in this case, while still being immaculately executed. The matte case pays tribute to the original MIL-W-50717 mil-spec with matte finishing that also serves to be anti-corrosion for that period. 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.

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

Asymmetrical case design

Its L-shaped lugs are flushed together with the overall case, and further features the drilled lug holes to allow easy strap change. Flipping it over, we get the case-back, allowing it to withstand high altitude 35000 ft that satisfy military-specifications. Right on the case-back, we understand the essential government markings and specifications engraved. These provide credentials on the Pilot’s Navigator as manufactured following US Government specification. All that said, we assure it is safe to say that both us watch collectors and the US military for use in operations.

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. It is 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, its a US Government variation, having “Marathon” logo at the top and ” US Government” logo 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.

Tritium gas tubes and MaraGlow™ that glows 24 hours

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 -0.3/+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. The replacement battery is a 371 cell.

Attached to the Pilot Navigator is a matching 20mm high-quality brown 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.

Essential Govt Markings on Case-back

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 -0.3/+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. The replacement battery is a 371 cell.

Attached to the Pilot Navigator is a matching 20mm high-quality brown 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.

Maker	Marathon
Movement	High-torque quartz • ETA FØ6 Movement
Dial	Black
Luminous	Tritium gas tubes and Maraglo™
Case	Composite 316L stainless steel back
Bezel	Fixed bezel
Crown type	Push-pull crown
Lug width	20mm
Crystal material	Sapphire crystal
Strap	Brown nylon textile strap
Water resistance	30m
Dimensions	41mm in diameter, 48mm lugs to lugs, 13mm thick

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