The Marathon MSAR is a real stealth diver
What I like about my 36mm MSAR is that it makes no excuses for what it really is: A military diver's watch for the soldiers too stupid to get a G-Shock or an other cheap quartz instead. Since stupidity isn't a good survival trait for soldiers, it's probably why it is relatively rare and more often than not, found on desk instead of depth diving wrists.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I never wore a mechanical watch when I was soldiering, but that I still admire the MSAR for existing, which is why I was one of the first to grab the Arctic version when it was launched.
I love the way it looks. I love that it's so different. I love that it's seldom recognized and is therefore the perfect stealth diver. And of course I love the fact that it's one of the few real diver's watch that I can wear comfortably on my thin wrist.
I just wish it had a different bracelet. It's not that there is anything inherently wrong or bad with it, it's just that it looks like the only military operation the MSAR ever took was to raid one of Seiko warehouses and "appropriate" the whole stock of bracelets that was kept there. The MSAR deserves a better bracelet because the one I got is the weakest part of an otherwise impressive package.
I'm a big fan of watches that are interesting because they are either unique, have interesting features, well designed or simply offer a great value for their price.
Whew! A lot said here . I did smile tons. I will forgo talking on my Army AKA Vet brethren. Not my service branch but I have respect. The GSAR was a latter iteration but the primary focus was rescue swimmers and divers. I have a SEAL buddy who's dad was PA in the Navy and qualled for rescue swimmer. He has a nice wall mount of NASA mission patches he opened the hatch post splash down for. You can see pics of GSAR watches being worn by Navy divers working assist on EVA dive simulations with astronauts in large pools. The hype around the Submariner, both Rolex and Tudor, was built on SEALS wearing shiny steel watches into combat. Of course the Seiko Willard was a favorite of soldiers. I've never known a Marine to wear an Oris FORECON GMT but they look cool & have some tough specs. Italy' s Col Moschin units are issued Oris. Tudor has a deal with the a French Navy... I digress
The GSAR is a great watch for sure. Yours is awesome! I think the only unit wearing the Artic GSAR are Canadian Rangers. This is a tough divers that meets actual specs. You are spot on about that bracelet. I prefer the watch on its vanilla scented strap. Thanks for sharing
Yea, the stamped clasp tells me all I need to know about that bracelet. Divers look great on rubber though.