Back when the original version of this Marathon Watch OSAR-D watch was being produced, it was never sold to the public. That watch was known as the Marathon SAR-D (“search and rescue, with date”) and is the timepiece that immediately preceded the now iconic Marathon GSAR (“general search and rescue”). The main difference between the two watches is the dial, and more specifically the use of traditional painted or tritium gas tube illumination for the dial. As a supplier of military and professional-use watches, Marathon was quick to employ self-illuminating tritium gas tubes into a host of their products starting in the early 2000s – including the Search & Rescue series. Tritium gas tubes are highly useful, but their shape limits the types of dial and hand designs that you can develop. Thus, there is understandable enthusiast interest in Marathon’s more traditionally lumed watches since they offer a different style. Marathon even has its own special blend of luminous paint material it calls MaraGlo. Today there are only a handful of watches Marathon makes with traditional luminant, with the OSAR-D being the latest addition to this little club of military-spec wristwatches.
Marathon calls this watch face design the “Type I dial.” It has large applied hour markers (larger in this new version than on the original actually) that generally follow the shape of Submariner-style ones, which Marathon simply calls a “geometric dial.” Different hands are used, because they also use MaraGlo as opposed to tritium gas tubes. Another feature that is different about the OSAR-D compared to the GSAR is the use of a Cyclops magnifier on the sapphire crystal over the date window. Otherwise, after taking into consideration the slightly different text on the caseback of the watch, the OSAR-D has the same movement, strap, case, and bezel as the GSAR.
Given that many watches on the market have similar-looking (albeit not exactly the same) dials, most timepiece enthusiasts will probably feel that the OSAR-D represents a very familiar face (no pun intended). That means it should be easily accepted by watch enthusiasts who don’t already know the history of this model. As I said before, the original SAR-D watch from the early 2000s was made before Marathon started to sell its watches to civilians. At the time, if you had a Marathon timepiece, it was likely issued to you by a government agency that purchased it from the Canadian company. Thus, one of the major reasons for Marathon to revisit this watch is that a lot of people who like the design never actually had a chance to own one.
Compared to the original SAR-D models, the OSAR-D benefits from plenty of upgrades and improvements that Marathon has developed over the years. The watch contains the latest Swiss Made Selitta SW200-1 automatic movements, which are specially modified and regulated for Marathon (better shock resistance and accuracy for the 4Hz, two-day power reserve mechanical movements), better design for the crystal and magnifier lens, as well as Marathon’s still fresh and very comfortable Swiss Made rubber strap. If you already own a GSAR and are happy with it, the OSAR-D is not an upgrade but rather a different flavor for collectors and enthusiasts who like this style. With that said, given the geometric design of the face, the Original Search & Rescue has a bit more personality than the General Search & Rescue. For me, it all comes down to sliced eggs.
That’s what I see when I look at the circular hour markers. The applied white base with the yellow-toned luminant looks almost identical to sliced eggs to my eyes. The colors almost match perfectly. For this reason, I have played with the personality of this watch in my mind and felt a connection to my experience ordering such food at delicatessens. I thus call this boiled-egg dial watch the “deli diver.” Perfect for chefs and cooks, or anyone who needs a bit of early morning inspiration to get out and be active. We aren’t all search & rescue professionals after all. Even more interesting to me is the prospect that down the road, the luminant on this watch might naturally discolor and deepen its shade over time. If so the luminant will become more orangey/brown, and you know what that means… That’s right, the nickname of this Marathon watch may evolve into the “deviled eggs diver.” That would be great to me.
As a diver’s style watch the OSAR-D’s steel case is water resistant to 300 meters and is 41mm wide. It is 14mm thick with Marathon’s iconic “easy-to-grip” unidirectionally rotating diver’s style timing bezel. More MaraGlo luminant is placed in the 60-minute marker on the bezel. The crystal over the dial is made of synthetic sapphire, and otherwise, the watch has the same performance and specs as the current Marathon GSAR. Like all Marathon watches, the OSAR-D is assembled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland at Marathon’s own manufacture facility. As a daily wear diver, or as an interesting piece of Marathon military watch history, the Original Search & Rescue with Date watch is a comfortable and competent timepiece. It offers a slightly different flavor than the popular GSAR but isn’t a fundamentally different product. Price for the Marathon 41mm OSAR-D on the black rubber strap is $1,380 USD, and $1,680 USD on the available steel metal bracelet. Learn more at the Marathon Watch website.
