Marathon GSAR review: the tritium diver, honestly
Our verdict: 4.4/5. The Marathon GSAR is a 41 mm automatic dive watch built around one feature most watches cannot match: self-illuminated tritium gas tubes, which the retailer places on all hands and at each hour position, so the dial glows without being charged by light first. Around that sits a plain, tough spec from Marathon's own sheet: a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with Incabloc shock protection, a 316L steel case, a sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown, a uni-directional 60-minute bezel and 30 ATM water resistance. Marathon says its SAR watches are developed to Canadian Government requirements for professional search and rescue. Owners love the lighting and the build. The trade-offs are real and consistent: it is 14 mm thick and heavy on the wrist, and it is an expensive watch for a tool. Tritium lighting also turns up on rifle optics: see our Trijicon ACOG review.
OpticsPlanet shoppers rate it 4.7/5 across 15 reviews (one pool shared by every version on the listing). The version we card is the black Anthracite GSAR, WW194006BK-0130, at around $2,300; the steel versions on the same listing cost less (table below). Check price and availability on OpticsPlanet.
How we reviewed it: a research-based review built from Marathon's own product pages, the retailer listing and all 15 owner reviews on OpticsPlanet, read lowest rating first. We have not worn or bench-tested this watch ourselves; the score is our editorial opinion and owner ratings are shown attributed to their source. Claims we could not confirm on Marathon's site are left out. See how we evaluate.
What the GSAR is
GSAR stands for Government Search and Rescue, the name Marathon itself uses. Marathon calls it "the most storied and venerable" of its SAR watches and says the SAR series was first introduced in the early 1990s, developed to Canadian Government requirements for professional search and rescue operations, and continues to be an essential kit element for elite members of both the Canadian and U.S. militaries. Marathon's subtitle for the model is "Standard-Issue Diver's Automatic, Type II", and the standard steel GSAR page lists a NATO Stock Number, 6645-21-558-0133.
The watch itself is a three-hand diver with a date. The case is 41 mm across, 14 mm thick, 48 mm lug to lug, with 20 mm lugs. Inside is a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with an Incabloc shock absorber and 26 jewels. It is rated to 30 ATM, which the retailer gives as 300 metres or 1,000 feet. The crown screws down, the crystal is sapphire and the bezel turns one way on a 60-minute scale.
Anthracite or steel: which GSAR is this?
This matters before you buy, because the OpticsPlanet listing sells four versions at two very different prices. The row we card, WW194006BK-0130, carries UPC 063442332047, the same code Marathon publishes for its 41mm Anthracite Large Diver's Automatic (GSAR). Marathon describes that version as "first issued in 2018 for stealth during tactical night missions" and finishes its 316L steel case with a black, anti-reflective Ion-Plating on the case and movement. Marathon sells the brushed steel GSAR (its SKU WW194006SS-0130) as a separate product. Spec for spec, Marathon's two pages list the same Sellita SW200-1 calibre (labelled "Anthracite" on the black version), case size, water resistance, crystal, bezel, crown and lighting; the finish and the price are what change.
| OpticsPlanet row (as the retailer names it) | MPN | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Anthracite Black Sterile (the version we card) | WW194006BK-0130 | around $2,300 |
| No Markings, Black | WW194006SS-0130 | around $1,800 |
| Black, NSN 6645-21-558-0133 | WW194006SS-0030 | around $1,800 |
| USMC, Black | WW194006SS-0230 | around $1,900 |
The row names are the retailer's own. Marathon sells its Official USMC GSAR under SKU WW194006SS-0230-KIT, which carries the code of the row the retailer calls USMC, WW194006SS-0230. The 15 owner reviews are shared across all four rows, and several reviewers mention the anthracite or a U.S. government or Marine Corps dial. Confirm the exact row in your cart matches the finish and dial you want.
A Marathon brand film showing Marathon watches in diving, flying and outdoor settings. No model name is legible in it, so it is not a GSAR close-up.
Why owners rate it: the tritium and the build
The lighting is the most repeated praise. Across the 15 reviews (one reviewer wrote two of them), at least six different reviewers single out the tritium or the night legibility. That is the point of tritium: the tubes glow on their own, so there is nothing to charge in sunlight first. The retailer's listing says the tubes last up to 25 years; Marathon's product page gives no lifetime figure, so treat that number as the retailer's.
“The Tritium looks incredible and will make watches with standard lume look pale in comparison.”
Most helpful positive review, via OpticsPlanet
Toughness comes next. Reviewers describe it as built like a tank, an absolute beast and insanely well built, and one verified owner reports a year of daily wear through construction work and heavy-equipment maintenance. Three reviewers also say it wears smaller than its size suggests, and one of them credits the deep dial.
“I don’t baby my watches and the GSAR has purred through it all.”
Justin Smith (AL), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet
“The dial being so deep and actually smaller in diameter makes the watch wear smaller than the size would otherwise indicate.”
r3ing (MD), via OpticsPlanet
The honest catches
Size and weight are the steady complaint. At least three reviewers call it heavy or thick, one listing weight as the only con, another describing it as extra thick. The fullest account comes from a four-star reviewer who loves the look but reports wrist pain after days of wear and swaps wrists to manage it. Marathon's own figure explains the feel: 14 mm thick on a 48 mm lug-to-lug case.
“This watch is super heavy on your wrist and after some time wearing it (in days) you may experience some wrist pain like I do.”
supernachos (CA), via OpticsPlanet
The same reviewer sent the watch back under warranty after a spring inside snapped, which they believe they caused by over-winding it by hand. The repair was covered: they mailed it to support in New York, it was shipped on to Canada for the repair, and it took about a month to come back. The only one-star review, from a verified owner, reports two separate problems: the first order arrived with the wrong watch in a box labelled for the version they ordered (the return went without issue), and the correct watch stops if it sits unworn for a day or two.
“I have found that if the watch sits for a day or two, it stops!”
Stacy Watkins (GA), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet
For context, our reasoning rather than a Marathon statement: an automatic movement winds from the motion of your wrist, so any automatic left on a dresser runs down eventually. Marathon's GSAR page does not publish a power reserve figure, so we cannot tell you how long it should run off the wrist. If you rotate several watches, factor in resetting the time and date, or look at a quartz alternative.
Trade-offs, plainly
- It is thick and heavy for a 41 mm watch: 14 mm tall, and at least three reviewers name weight or thickness as the downside.
- Price is a stated con even from a five-star owner, and the Anthracite version we card costs noticeably more than the steel rows on the same listing.
- An automatic stops when it is not worn; one owner who rotates watches finds that a real nuisance.
- Fifteen reviews is a small record, and it is shared by four versions with different finishes and dials, so no single version has its own owner history.
- Warranty depends on where you buy: Marathon's warranty runs from purchase at an Authorized Marathon Watch Dealer. One OpticsPlanet reviewer writes that the store is an authorized dealer; confirm that with the retailer before you order.
Key specifications
| Model | GSAR (Government Search and Rescue), 41 mm Large Diver's Automatic; Marathon labels it "Standard-Issue Diver's Automatic, Type II" |
|---|---|
| Version carded | Anthracite, MPN WW194006BK-0130 (OpticsPlanet row "Anthracite Black Sterile") |
| Movement | Sellita SW200-1 automatic with Incabloc shock absorber, 26 jewels |
| Calendar | Date |
| Case | 316L stainless steel; on the Anthracite version with black Ion-Plating (Marathon finish name "Anthracite") |
| Size | 41 mm diameter, 14 mm thick, 48 mm lug to lug, 20 mm lug width |
| Water resistance | 30 ATM; the retailer lists 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Bezel | Uni-directional, 60-minute scale |
| Crown | Screw-down |
| Lighting | Tritium gas tubes and MaraGlo (Marathon); the retailer lists tubes on all hands and each hour position and MaraGlo on the bezel triangle at 12:00 |
| Strap | 3-piece rubber strap kit (Marathon); the retailer lists vulcanized rubber |
| Country of origin | Switzerland (retailer specification) |
| Warranty | Marathon: two-year international warranty from purchase at an Authorized Marathon Watch Dealer, plus one more year if you register the watch online |
Specifications are Marathon's unless marked as the retailer's. We print no weight, power reserve, accuracy or beat-rate figure because Marathon's GSAR pages do not give one. No editorial award is claimed.
Should you buy it?
- Buy it if you want a mechanical dive watch whose dial you can read in total darkness without charging it, with a sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown and 30 ATM, and you are comfortable with a thick, heavy case.
- Choose the Anthracite version if you want the black Ion-Plated case and accept the higher price; choose a steel row if you want the same Marathon-listed movement, size and lighting for less.
- Skip it if you want a slim watch that slides under a shirt cuff, or a watch you can leave in a drawer for days and pick up running. Marathon also makes a quartz version of the 41 mm diver (the TSAR, with an ETA high-torque movement) and a smaller 36 mm MSAR Auto; we have not reviewed either.
FAQ
Is the Marathon GSAR a good watch?
On the record we could read, yes, with two clear caveats. OpticsPlanet shoppers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 15 reviews, and 13 of the 14 reviews with a visible star rating are four or five stars. Owners praise the tritium lighting, the build and the deep dial. The caveats are size and weight (at least three reviewers call it heavy or thick) and price. The single one-star review reports a wrong watch shipped first and a watch that stops after sitting for a day or two.
What makes the Marathon GSAR special?
Its lighting and its background. Marathon lists tritium gas tubes and MaraGlo for the lighting, and the retailer listing places self-illuminated tritium tubes on all hands and at each hour position, so the dial glows without being charged by light first. Marathon says its SAR watches are developed to Canadian Government requirements for professional search and rescue work, were first introduced in the early 1990s, and remain an essential kit element for elite members of both the Canadian and U.S. militaries. The standard steel GSAR page also lists a NATO Stock Number, 6645-21-558-0133.
Was the Marathon GSAR issued to the U.S. Marine Corps?
The OpticsPlanet listing says so, but Marathon does not say it on either GSAR product page we read. Marathon describes the SAR series as developed to Canadian Government requirements and as kit for elite members of the Canadian and U.S. militaries. Marathon does sell an Official USMC version of the GSAR, and the retailer lists it as the USMC row. We have not confirmed a USMC issue from a government source, so we do not state it as fact.
How accurate is the Marathon GSAR movement?
Marathon lists the movement as a Sellita SW200-1 automatic with an Incabloc shock absorber and 26 jewels, but its product page gives no accuracy figure and no power reserve, so we print neither. As with any automatic watch, it is wound by wrist motion, so one that sits unworn will eventually stop; one OpticsPlanet reviewer reports theirs stops after sitting for a day or two.
Does the Marathon GSAR have an anti-reflective coating?
Marathon lists a sapphire crystal on both GSAR pages we read but does not mention an anti-reflective coating on the crystal. The word anti-reflective appears only on the Anthracite GSAR page, where Marathon describes the black Ion-Plating on the 316L steel case as anti-reflective. That is a case finish, not a crystal coating.
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