For its latest release of 2024, Marathon has partnered with the American automotive brand Jeep to create a capsule collection of four watches that combine two of Marathon’s most popular collections with design details from famous Jeep vehicles. While the two models from the General Purpose (GP) Officer’s Series are inspired by the Jeep Willys-Overland (which was used by U.S. troops during World War II), the pair of Search and Rescue (SAR) Series watches are based upon the Rubicon Wrangler, and buyers have the option of either quartz or automatic movements.

The two models from the Marathon General Purpose (GP) Officer’s Series that are inspired by the Jeep Willys-Overland are the SSGPQ (ref. WW194034SS-4001) and the SSGPM (ref. WW194033SS-4001), with the key difference between the two watches being the movements used to power them. While the SSGPQ features the Swiss-made ETA F06.402 quartz movement that includes both HeavyDrive and PreciDrive technologies for superior accuracy and shock resistance, the SSGPM runs on the manually-would Sellita SW210-1, which operates at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.

Aside from their movements, the two Marathon x Jeep General Purpose Officer’s Series watches are largely identical, and both models feature 316L stainless steel cases with a matte parkerized finish to reduce reflections and increase their corrosion resistance. In terms of their dimensions, both quartz and mechanical versions of the Willys-inspired Marathon General Purpose Officer’s Series measure 41mm in diameter by 11mm thick, with drilled 20mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 48mm. Similarly, both models receive sapphire crystals protecting their dials, push/pull-style crowns at 3 o’clock, 50 meters of water resistance, and solid casebacks, with the quartz version including a user-accessible battery hatch.

Since the key difference between the two Marathon x Jeep General Purpose Officer’s Series watches is their internal movements, both models are fitted with the same style of matte-black time-only dial, which offers a modernized take on what can be found inside the original Marathon watches that were issued to troops during World War II. Rather than using radioactive tritium tubes like most Marathon models, the pair of new General Purpose Officer’s Series watches have the brand’s photo-reactive MaraGlo luminous material applied to their hands and Arabic numeral hour markers. Additionally, both new Jeep-inspired models feature bright red centrally mounted seconds hands, and both versions are completed by medium brown straps made from Crazy Horse leather.

The other two new models that are part of Marathon’s collaboration with Jeep are both based on the brand’s Search and Rescue (SAR) Series of divers and similar to the pair of General Purpose Officer’s Series models, the Rubicon-themed duo of Marathon SAR watches are available with the option of either quartz or mechanical movements. While the TSAR (ref. WW194007SS-4101) runs on the ETA F06.412 quartz movement with both HeavyDrive and PreciDrive technologies, the GSAR (ref. WW194006SS-4101) is powered by the Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, which offers the same specs as the manual-wind caliber found inside the mechanical General Purpose Officer’s Series model with an operating frequency of 28,800vph and a 42-hour power reserve.

Both of the Marathon x Jeep Search and Rescue (SAR) Series watches feature brushed 316L stainless steel cases that measure 41mm in diameter by 14mm thick, with drilled lugs that are set 20mm apart and extend to create an overall lug-to-lug profile of 48mm. Additionally, both models have flat sapphire crystals surrounded by the SAR collection’s signature oversized 120-click rotating timing bezel, along with solid screw-down casebacks and 300 meters of water resistance. To further lean into their Jeep Rubicon Wrangler design inspiration, both GSAR and TSAR versions feature engravings on the 9 o’clock side of their cases that depict the iconic seven-slot Jeep grille, while their knurled screw-down crowns at 3 o’clock are signed with the Willys star emblem.

Aside from having slightly different text relating to their movements, both Marathon x Jeep Search and Rescue (SAR) Series watches have dials that offer the same overall appearance with a matte black surface, date windows at 4:30, and red sections spanning the first 15 minutes, which are inspired by the “red line” indicator found on the dashboard of the Jeep Wrangler 1941 Limited Edition. While the hands and indexes all feature Marathon’s usual luminescent tritium tubes, the tan-colored Arabic numerals and “Jeep” logo are both finished with the brand’s photo-reactive MaraGlo material, and all of the various luminous elements emit a green-colored glow in the dark with the one exception being the orange tritium tube that is placed at the 12 o’clock location. Lastly, both of the new Marathon x Jeep Search and Rescue (SAR) Series models are completed by rubber straps in an OD green color to further lean into their military vehicle inspiration.

Collaborations between watch brands and cars are hardly a new concept, although the longstanding military ties of both Marathon and Jeep make this an especially natural partnership. Additionally, while we the industry has largely become accustomed to co-branded watches costing slightly more than their standard-production counterparts, the Marathon x Jeep collaboration models are priced identically to their core-collection siblings. Consequently, the quartz General Purpose Officer’s Series SSGPQ costs $500 USD, while the mechanical SSGPQ is priced at $650 USD. Meanwhile, the quartz TSAR Search and Rescue Series comes in at $1,200 USD, and the automatic GSAR costs $1,500 USD. As someone who isn’t a Jeep enthusiast, my personal choice would still be one of the brand’s classic general-production models, although I still love seeing Marathon branch out a bit and create a collection of thematic collaboration pieces that still feels true to the brand’s utilitarian and military-focused identity. For more information on the Marathon x Jeep watch collection, please visit the brand’s website.