For someone who’s not a pilot, I spend a lot of time in airplanes. And it just so happened that, while awaiting takeoff in Chicago, my phone buzzed with a press release from Marathon Watches.
The company’s popular Navigator line, the SSNAV Auto, had come to market with a new white-dialed, Arctic Edition. The photos showed what I’d come to expect from the brand — a simple, plain-faced timepiece with a military aesthetic. Nothing much to see here.
I switched over to airplane mode, slid down the window, and settled in for a nap. But by the time the wheels touched the ground, I’d convinced myself to give the SSNAV Auto a spin.
Equipped with tritium tubes, an automatic movement, and “Swiss-precision and reliability, the Arctic SSNAV-D Auto was developed for pilots and everyday adventurers.” It retails for the nontrivial sum of $1,400, which feels pretty steep at first blush. Its design is a bit vanilla when compared to others who lean into the military and tritium aesthetic, such as the bombastic watches of Luminox.
Yet Marathon does have a historical pedigree. Per the product page, this watch “represents the continued lineage of Marathon’s original Steel Navigator, developed in partnership with the Kelly Air Force Base in 1986.” And a simple face can hide all manner of complications. I spent 6 weeks with a press loaner of the SSNAV-D Arctic, and found both less and more than expected.
In short: Fans of simple or MIL-SPEC gear will find a lot to like with the Marathon SSNAV-D Auto. The strap isn’t perfect, and the bidirectional bezel can wander, but its accurate timekeeping, outstanding legibility, and ease of wear make for a solid daily driver.
Marathon SSNAV-D Auto Arctic Edition Pilot Watch Review
MIL-SPEC: What Is It?
A quick note on MIL-SPEC, a term you’ll see a few times through this review. According to Wikipedia, this is shorthand for a Defense Specification, “A document that describes the essential technical requirements for military-unique materiel or substantially modified commercial items.”
Basically, an item built under MIL-SPEC conforms to the QA/QC and reliability needs required for military use. Think function over form, like the backpacks, canteens, and other gear on sale at your local surplus store. Is this watch actually built to MIL-SPEC standards? Uncertain, but that’s definitely the vibe it projects.
There are plenty of folks who find this aesthetic appealing. Me? I’m not into tactical cosplay, but I’ll take “rugged and functional” over “fancy and brittle” any day. And down to its simple packaging, the Marathon SSNAV Auto is the former.
No-Nonsense Design
On the (literal) face of things, the SSNAV is a simple design. The dial is flat, white, and legible, notable mainly for the trefoil radioactivity symbol. This is present due to the Tritium Gas Tubes on the hands and at each of the indices, which produce a constant glow.
Aesthetically, these tubes do much of the heavy lifting. Marathon’s branding is kept to a minimum, and the lack of other raised surfaces keeps the visual focus on the information being presented: hours, minutes, and seconds. Flashy? No, but certainly in keeping with the MIL-SPEC identity.
The SSNAV’s asymmetrical case evokes another watch with a military legacy, the Seiko 6105. Known in enthusiast circles as the “Captain Willard,” it’s the watch that graced the wrist of Martin Sheen in Francis Ford Copolla’s Apocalypse Now. It’s not a one-to-one match, as the size and crown positions are different. And instead of polished steel, the SSNAV’s Parkerized 316 stainless has an almost titanium-like texture to it.
Now, I understand that there are those who believe that a date window doesn’t belong on a pilot’s watch. I like ‘em, even if this one feels like a bit of an afterthought. It breaks up the face between the four and five o’clock markers, without any real adornment.
But does it work? Yes, and well.
You’ll see two straps in the photos — black ballistic nylon that came stock, and a tan version from my own collection. We’ll cover the reasoning for the swap later. For those who prefer leather or rubber straps, the SSNAV’s drilled lugs make for an easy change-out process.
At just 11.5mm tall, this is one of the slimmer automatics I’ve tested. This helps the Marathon avoid catching the sleeves of your jacket or sweater, even when wrestling it off in a cramped airline seat. It’s a watch that rides well in all conditions, from meeting rooms to gyms and hiking trails. As the marketing material says, “Purpose-built for any terrain.”
Timekeeping from the SSNAV’s Sellita SW200-1 movement was excellent. This was a long review (more than a month), and the watch generally gained between 3 and 4 seconds per day. The hand-winding experience was solid, though you can sometimes feel the rotor swinging while the auto winds on your wrist. The screw-down crown is simple, unsigned, and well-machined.
A notable quirk here is the bidirectional bezel. The back-and-forth action feels good, but I find that it clicks a few spots on its own throughout the day. This makes it difficult for me to trust when used as a timer, though not as bad as a free-spinning bezel on something like a Vostok.
Strapped for Space
Let’s return to the included strap. The looks are sharp, as are (just slightly) the corners on the metal keepers. The ballistic nylon carries the military feel, and the tasteful branding delivers what should be an on-point experience.
Just one problem: The keeper nearest the case isn’t tall enough. Its profile is so low that, try as I might, the excess nylon simply would not fit. This forces you to fold the strap over and back, where it just fits under the rear keeper.
Perhaps I’ve been wearing NATOs the wrong way for years, and Marathon’s method is correct. Believe it or not, I did search “How to properly wear a NATO.”
But even if there’s some MIL-SPEC reason I’m missing, the over-and-back approach seems far less practical than a typical undertuck. The excess length frequently slips out of the keeper and flaps loosely in the breeze. And for those with larger wrists, the extra may not reach the rear keeper at all.
Coolness at What Cost?
So, how does it stack up against other watches in this price range? Take, for example, Seiko’s reissue of the “Captain Willard” mentioned above, the SPB153 ($1,100). This diver-style watch comes with better water resistance and a more polished aesthetic for $300 less than the Marathon.
And $1,400 isn’t far from Formex territory, and TAG Heuer has options in this range. Marathon does make a quartz-powered version for $900, but come on, you know you want the mechanical.
That being said, I’ve reviewed watches with far more egregious pricing. Remember the Bremont MB Savanna? That pilot piece ($5,795) cost more than six times what you’d pay for the SSNAV, with significantly poorer lume and embarrassingly poor timekeeping.
Conclusion: Who’s It For?
Taken on its own merits, the Marathon SSNAV-D Auto is a solid watch. While its unadorned aesthetic won’t grab the attention of the more fashion-conscious, the lack of flair is kind of the point. It goes back to the MIL-SPEC idea — produce a functional, reliable tool with the ruggedness to stand up under a variety of conditions.
If we take that as Marathon’s mission statement, then the SSNAV does its job well.
To that end, this watch falls in a similar vein to Bertucci. These generally appeal to those with an outdoors bent, or folks who want simple reliability in their tools. But while some of the Bertuccis I’ve sampled felt a bit cheaply made, this Marathon most certainly is not. In many ways, this feels like the polished version of a very simple concept, without getting too far into the stratosphere.
Those seeking high-end luxury and a pilot-style aesthetic can look higher uprange, with the Omega Speedmasters of the world. So, while I have a few issues with the price and strap, I can’t fault the sincerity of the Marathon SSNAV Auto. It does exactly what it sets out to do: Tell the time, legibly and reliably under all conditions.
Read the full article here
