In 2024, Canada-based military tool-watch maker Marathon surprised the timepiece community by announcing its first commercial collaboration project — the brand would be the official watchmaker for the Jeep automobile company. That means a formal licensing relationship between Marathon Watch Company and Stellantis (corporate owner of America-based Jeep) that has Marathon making Jeep-branded timepieces to be sold via multiple channels intended for enthusiasts of both storied companies.

Jeep was on the lookout for a new watchmaker, and from the start, it knew it wanted a higher-end Swiss Made product. Jeep is such a dominant brand in the automotive world that even a low-end watch would sell. Of course, there have been lower-end Jeep-branded wristwatches in the past, but rarely if ever something as nice as the Marathon Jeep Rubicon GSAR and the Willys Officer’s watches. These are legitimate military-grade tool watches that also happen to be Jeep-branded. From a product perspective, these are among the most authentically useful branded “car watches” around. If you really want a timepiece designed for where offroad 4×4 vehicles like a Jeep are designed to take you, this product is a leading choice from a practical standpoint.

While I am sure more products are coming in the future, the Marathon Jeep family’s launch collection consists of four products. That is both a mechanical or quartz version of the Rubicon GSAR/TSAR and the Willys Officer’s watches. Most enthusiasts will prefer the mechanical (the GSAR is an automatic while the Willys Officer’s watch is manually wound) models, but the Swiss Made quartz versions are excellent and more practical for lay people who prefer daily accuracy and the convenience of a battery watch. More so, the price differences between the mechanical and quartz versions feel entirely reasonable (some other brands charge far too much of a premium for their mechanical versus quartz watches as a way to make more money).

Technically speaking, the quartz version of the GSAR is known as the TSAR – and aside from the movement, there isn’t much difference between these two models. “GSAR” stands for “Government Search & Rescue” while “TSAR” stands for Tritium Search & Rescue. Both models feature tritium gas tubes for dial illumination, which is part of the main appeal of these do-anything timepieces. That leads me to an important question, what is different between these Jeep models and the standard Marathon SAR watches? The entire goal of the design exercise was to build on what Marathon makes but with a natural connection to Jeep. Structurally the watches are the same. The differences between the standard Marathon SAR watches and the Jeep Rubicon GSAR/TSAR are the dial, crown decoration, case decoration, caseback engravings, and the available khaki green strap. Otherwise, in form and function these Jeep watches are the same as the military-grade Marathon timepiece models they were based on.

Before I talk more about the appeal of the GSAR and why this is a great all-purpose watch, I want to explain more details about the Jeep and Marathon connection. What do these two brands have in common aside from “shared values?” In 1941 both Marathon and Jeep supplied Allied Forces in World War II with equipment. Marathon produced “General Purpose” military watches and Willys-Overland produced a light truck known as the General Purpose vehicle or “GP” for short. Soldiers liked to call the “GP” the “Jeep,” and thus, that nickname became the future name of the company that would produce similar vehicles for civilians. The other watch design to result from the Marathon and Jeep collaboration is a modern version of the Marathon General Purpose watch and is more visually connected to the Willys MB vehicles. Marathon positions the Jeep GSAR and TSAR as more modern watches connected to the higher-trim Jeep Rubicon 4×4 truck series. One of my favorite cosmetic design embellishments on these watches is the Jeep grille and headlights motif that is etched and toned into the left side of the case. On the opposite side of the watch, a military-style star is put into the crown (with a resulting satisfying effect). The rear of the case also has some Jeep engravings, including the company’s “Go Anywhere. Do Anything” slogan.

Really what matters in this collection of watches is the dial. That is where most car/watch relationships go wrong, and the hardest thing to get right in any collaboration product. Even though there is a natural synergy between vehicles and timepieces, combining a passion for both in a single object is actually very difficult to do. I would go so far as to say that most car/watch collaborations get it wrong, even if the actual collaboration itself helps cross-pollinate mutually interested consumer demographics. So cutting to the chase, how did Marathon and Jeep do in the dial department? Surprisingly well, actually. The trick was to take a very clever approach to dual branding. Rather than the watch and automotive company names competing for space and dominance on the dial, these dials simply give most of the attention to “Jeep.” Lucky for Jeep, its name and logo seem natural on a watch dial. The Marathon brand name is on the dial, but it is de-emphasized and somewhat hidden in the technical text below. “Marathon” sounds like it could simply be the name of the watch model.

Compared to the standard Marathon GSAR and TSAR watches, the Jeep versions have more personality and flair. The font and color used for the Arabic hour numerals are more interesting, and the added bit of red color on the dial feels fun and sporty. Note that the dials not only have tritium gas tubes for darkness illumination but also Maraglo (a formation of luminous material) on the hour markers and Jeep logo. I would have liked some of the dial’s added personality on the rotating bezel insert design, but I am grateful for how nicely this composition turned out overall. Even though you can order these Marathon Jeep Rubicon watches with Marathon’s standard black rubber strap, I highly recommend the fashionability of the green strap option.

The GSAR watch case is 41mm wide in steel, and water resistant to 300 meters. It is 14mm thick, with 20mm wide lugs, and a 48mm long lug-to-lug distance. The distinctive tall bezel was designed for operators wearing gloves, and the additional height in the dial is necessary because the gas tube-equipped hands need more space to move around. What I will not do right now is fully review the Marathon GSAR again because I have already reviewed a number of other Marathon GSAR models over the years with one of the first being from 2018. In short, this is a very high-quality-for-the-money diver’s style watch that is all tool and tank. All Marathon watches are assembled at the brand’s own manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, and inside the GSAR watch is a specially shock-protected (for Marathon) version of the Swiss Made Sellita SW200-1 automatic 4Hz, 41-hour power reserve movement.

As a company with really no experience doing such commercial collaborations, Marathon did surprisingly well at the outset. Not only are these true tool watches for Jeep enthusiasts, but they are Jeep watches that timepiece enthusiasts can be more than happy to wear. Being able to satisfy enough car people and watch people with such a collaboration is very tough to do, and Marathon succeeded. Best of all, there is no price difference between Marathon’s standard SAR watches and the Jeep Rubicon SAR models. That fact alone speaks volumes about Marathon’s dedication to being a customer-centric brand. Price for the Marathon Jeep Rubicon GSAR 41mm watch (Reference WW194006SS-4101) is $1,500 USD, $300 less for the quartz TSAR version. Learn more at the Marathon Watch Co. website.