Before Marathon became a name stamped on the wrists of soldiers and explorers, it was an idea rooted in family and purpose. The Wein family had been part of the watch trade since decades before, building a quiet reputation for integrity and precision—values passed down from one generation to the next. When Morris Wein founded the Marathon Watch Company in Montreal in 1939, he wasn’t chasing prestige—he was building on that legacy of trust. The world was on the brink of war, and Wein saw a need for something enduring: watches that could be relied upon not just in everyday life, but in the most demanding circumstances imaginable. He named his company Marathon—a symbol of endurance, discipline, and the long race of craftsmanship.
Within two years, Marathon was supplying timepieces to Allied forces. These watches weren’t made to shine under chandeliers; they were built to survive salt, sand, and shock. In muddy trenches and turbulent skies, they kept ticking when seconds meant survival. Every tick of a Marathon watch was a quiet act of dependability—a reminder that timekeeping could be as vital as the mission itself.
Unlike many brands that only borrow military style, Marathon’s connection runs far deeper. Since 1941, it has been an official supplier of timepieces to the U.S. and Canadian armed forces, building watches to exact military contracts and standards. Each model carries a NATO Stock Number and meets the Department of Defense’s MIL-PRF-46374G specification, making Marathon one of the last true military-issue watchmakers in the world.
When peace returned, Marathon didn’t chase the glitz that defined the postwar years. Instead, it stayed true to its calling: making watches that serve. To achieve the highest level of precision, the company partnered with expert manufacturers in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland—the birthplace of Swiss horology—while continuing to design and engineer its watches in Canada. That partnership created something unique: the durability of North American practicality fused with the finesse of Swiss craftsmanship. Every Marathon watch was built for function, not fashion—tested to withstand extremes and trusted by those whose lives depended on their tools.
Over the decades, Marathon’s lineup evolved into a collection of professional instruments, each designed for a specific mission and environment. From its early hand-wound field watches for Allied troops to the Navigator pilot’s watch of the 1980s, every model carried the brand’s DNA of precision, endurance, and purpose. The TSAR (Tritium Search and Rescue) and GSAR (Government Search and Rescue) became the backbone of its modern identity—rugged dive watches created for Canadian Search and Rescue teams and Navy divers, each built to 300-meter depth ratings and ISO dive standards. The smaller OSAR (Officer’s Search and Rescue) delivered the same toughness and reliability in a more compact, versatile form, ideal for officers and field personnel. The CSAR (Chronograph Search and Rescue), powered by the robust Valjoux 7750 automatic movement, expanded that legacy into aviation, offering split-second accuracy under the most demanding conditions. In recent years, Marathon has embraced its heritage through limited reissues, mid-size divers, and Arctic editions—each maintaining the brand’s unwavering military-grade standards while introducing its storied precision to a wider civilian audience.
Of all these models, the GSAR remains the heart of Marathon’s identity. It embodies everything the brand stands for: rugged dependability, luminous tritium visibility, and a Swiss automatic movement that never falters. The GSAR isn’t a collector’s ornament—it’s a lifeline. It glows through darkness, braves pressure at depth, and measures the minutes that matter most. It doesn’t promise prestige—it promises performance.
For much of its life, Marathon didn’t seek attention. The company quietly supplied governments and armed forces, building its reputation one mission at a time. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that collectors and enthusiasts began to discover the brand’s story—realizing that while others were selling luxury, Marathon had been delivering reliability. They found a company still run by the same Wein family, still designing in Canada, still crafting in Switzerland, and still holding true to the philosophy that started it all: make something that lasts.
Today, more than eighty years later, the Marathon Watch Company continues its race—steady, purposeful, and unpretentious. It remains one of the few family-owned watchmakers still producing genuine military-spec timepieces for governments around the world, while offering those same models to civilians who value authenticity over image. Marathon watches are not symbols of status but instruments of trust. They speak softly in the language of endurance, ticking faithfully on the wrists of those who depend on them most. While trends race and fade, Marathon endures—proving that true greatness isn’t about being the fastest. It’s about having the heart to keep going.
