For April 2019, the monthly giveaway here on aBlogtoWatch is the Marathon Search & Rescue Diver’s Automatic (GSAR) “Grey Maple” watch. One of the few tool-watch makers still producing watches for the military (including the Canadian and United States forces), Marathon is known for its rugged, tough, and legible watches. In fact, the brand lets you know right away that the watches are “manufactured in accordance with U.S. Government specifications. Issued to and worn by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The Mil-Spec Search & Rescue Diver’s Automatic (GSAR) “Grey Maple” watch is named so because of the leaf insignia on the dial. The watch is 41mm-wide and 14mm-thick with a 48mm lug-to-lug and is characterized best by the highly luminous tritium gas tubes used on the hands and hour markers.
The Marathon Search & Rescue Diver’s watch is built to ISO 6425 standards, and if it’s good enough for Search & Rescue teams or Canadian military divers, we are confident it can withstand what most civilians will put it through. It is water resistant to 300 meters and uses scratch resistant sapphire crystal to ensure legibility in any environment. The self-illuminating tritium tubes contain an isotope of hydrogen, which ensures that they don’t dull down in brightness.
The watch uses a Swiss-made ETA 2824-2 automatic movement that operates at 4 Hz and has a 42-hour power reserve. This is a reliable mechanical movement on par with the specs a watch like this requires. Some people ask if a quartz movement wouldn’t be more practical for this military use, but the answer is “no” because mechanical movements can resist EMP (electromagnetic pulse) blasts that would render a quartz movement dead.
The Marathon Search & Rescue Diver’s Automatic (GSAR) “Grey Maple” Watch retails for $1,280, and you have a chance to win one by following the instructions below.
To Enter You Must:
1. Comment on this post below (on aBlogtoWatch.com, not Facebook, or elsewhere you might see this article) before the giveaway is over with your valid e-mail address where required. (If you’ve signed up for the commenting system before, your e-mail should already be in there.) For a chance to win, share in the comments what military branches around the world would you most like to see watches developed for and made available?
2. Be a pal. If possible, “like” or follow any or all of the following:
Want aBlogtoWatch articles automatically sent to you via e-mail? Sign up here:
3. Wait until the giveaway is over on April 30, 2019, for the winner to be chosen at random. A couple of basic rules: You can only enter once. You must comment with a valid e-mail address where you can be reached. Your comment must be confirmed and approved. You must complete the objectives to be considered. You are responsible for providing your contact shipping information if you are chosen. Shipping restrictions to non-U.S. entrants may apply, based on sponsor’s policies. Giveaway watch selection based on sponsor’s inventory and watch availability. Any comments made after the end of the giveaway period will not be considered. If you are chosen as a winner, you then have 24 hours to ensure receipt of your full shipping information or an alternative winner will be chosen. For the full terms and conditions, please click here.
Good luck, and thanks to Marathon Watch, sponsor of the Marathon Search & Rescue Diver’s Automatic (GSAR) “Grey Maple” watch giveaway here on aBlogtoWatch!