In the first half of 2024, Canadian brand Marathon Watch announced a formal relationship with automaker Jeep (owned by Stellantis). The deal saw Marathon produce official Jeep watches, which are now sold by both Marathon and Jeep. Jeep and Marathon have a shared history going back to 1941 when both companies produced a “General Purpose” product for Allied Forces during World War II. The Willys MB light truck was known as a General Purpose vehicle, and Marathon produced a General Purpose wristwatch. Soldiers shortened the pronunciation of the General Purpose truck to “GP,” which was then further shortened to just “jeep,” and hence the name of the now famous offroad truck maker was born.

When Marathon introduced the first collection of Jeep collaboration watches it consisted of two models, each available with either a mechanical or quartz movement. On aBlogtoWatch I previously reviewed the Marathon 41mm Jeep Rubicon GSAR watch, and today I am going to review the also mechanical Marathon 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPM Officer’s Mechanical watch. As I stated before, this reference WW194033SS-4001 SSGPM watch with a manually-wound mechanical movement is also available in a Swiss Made quartz version, known as the SSGPQ, for $150 less. Aside from the movement and small differences in the dial text, the mechanical and quartz versions of the Jeep Willys Officer’s watch are the same.

While the GSAR and TSAR Jeep watches will no doubt be popular, it is this 41mm Officer’s Mechanical model that is the most novel Marathon product from the collaboration so far. This is the first time Marathon has produced this style of officer’s case in a 41mm wide size. Until now, this elegant and intriguing two-part case design was only available as the 36mm wide Marathon Officer’s Mechanical GPM. Now Marathon has increased the size of the case and added a more lifestyle-focused vintage-style dial that honors the Jeep legacy in a pretty handsome overall design.

While this timepiece is still designed to be a sports watch with a military spirit, it is much more focused on fashionability and style compared to most Marathon watches. The 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPM takes the Marathon spirit and creates a “what if something like this existed in the past” retro-style timepiece in honor of the Jeep relationship. I have commented before on how nicely Marathon integrated the Jeep name into the overall composition. Rather than having a dial where two brand names awkwardly compete for dominance, Marathon allows the Jeep name to take center stage while its own brand name is more discreetly put on the face.

36mm is a bit small for me, but the longer lugs of the Marathon SSGPM Officer’s case help the smaller cousin to this watch still work well. 41mm is a better universal size, in my opinion, but the longer protruding lugs do have the watch extend past the edges of smaller wrists such as mine. It isn’t really that the lug-to-lug distance of 48mm is very long, but rather that the overall lugs extend outwards versus downwards, which creates the feeling of it being large for some wrists. The case is a modest 11mm thick and has a water resistance rating of 50 meters. Over the dial is a flat AR-coated sapphire crystal.

The steel case of the Marathon SSGPM Officer’s Mechanical watch is given a Parkerized finish (designed to increase surface wear durability and corrosion resistance on ferrous metals), which is similar to sandblasting, and allows you to really see the interesting shape of the case. A mixture of blocky edges and dramatic curves and slopes combine to create this interesting round-shaped watch case. I personally find the Jeep Willys watch case shape very interesting, even if it is a bit long for the wrist. That said, those with larger wrists will probably not have anything to complain about there. In fact, Marathon admitted that some of the “Jeep guys” are asking for even larger watch case sizes.

The dial of the Marathon Jeep Willys SSGPM watch is a reimagination of the original General Purpose watch dials that Marathon produced for military purposes in 1941. Changes include everything from font choices to the Jeep brand name on the dial. With that said, in a good way the dial of this Willys watch very much feels like it could go with a vintage Jeep, as much as it celebrates military watch heritage. This dial is also among the few that Marathon produces without tritium gas tube illumination. Rather, the dial relies on more traditional lume paint (here Marathon’s own MaraGlo), which is used for hour and minute hands, as well as the hour markers.

Going with Marathon’s current deep relationship with Swiss Sellita, the 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPM Officer’s Mechanical watch contains a Sellita SW210-1  hand-wound movement. The 18-jewel movement operates at 4Hz and has 45 hours of power reserve. What is important to note is that the winding system of the movement was tweaked for a better tactile response when manually winding the movement through the crown.

The Marathon Jeep SSGPM watch has 20mm wide lugs, and the included strap is a comfortably thin single piece of natural brown leather. It is comfortable and pliable, with a good mixture of being fashionable and fitting with the retro theme. The strap is on the more fragile side (one of the downsides of many thin leather straps) and will probably need to be replaced after being worn enough times. More so, this isn’t the type of watch strap that likes to get wet. I recommend that anyone who loves this watch might want to consider getting an extra rubber or nylon NATO-style strap to wear with it. The case has lug holes drilled on the outside that make using a tool to change the straps pretty easy.

The Marathon 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPM Officer’s Mechanical watch is a cool timepiece that will have a broad appeal. While the concept might be a niche pleasure among watch enthusiasts, Marathon did something very interesting here for Jeep automotive fans who like the history of the company more than the brand’s contemporary trucks. As watch enthusiasts can sometimes only like models from a particular era in a brand’s history, so, too, can car people. Just here in Los Angeles, there is a thriving community of vintage Willys and Jeep automobiles, in addition to the legions of newer Jeep vehicles around. Marathon implicitly understands that these two types of Jeep fans exist, which is why the Jeep Rubicon GSAR watch has its name (and appeal), and why this Jeep Officer’s Mechanical watch has Willys in its title.

Given the quality and components of this watch, the price feels pretty good. Recall that the Marathon 41mm Jeep Rubicon GSAR watch has a retail price of $1,500 USD. The Marathon 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPQ Officer’s Quartz watch costs one-third that price at just $500 USD. This manually-wound model is just a bit more with the reference WW194033SS-4001 Marathon 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPM Officer’s Mechanical watch priced at $650 USD. Learn more at the Marathon Watch website.

Necessary Information:
>Brand: Marathon
>Model: reference WW194033SS-4001 41mm Jeep Willys SSGPM (Officer’s Mechanical)
>Price: $650 USD
>Size: 41mm wide, 11mm thick, 48mm long lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: Fashionable vintage-style wear to combine with automotive appreciation experiences. Good conversation piece.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Excellent choice for vintage Jeep automotive enthusiasts needing a timepiece to celebrate their hobby. Anyone wanting to experience this Officer’s case in a larger size.
>Best characteristic of watch: Nicely made case with efficient yet very interesting shape architecture. Interesting creative exercise from a typically utilitarian watch brand. Good value for money.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Lugs extend far on smaller wrists. With regular wear, the leather strap will probably need to be replaced before long.