Ugly in daylight, brilliant at 5 a.m.
By Hannah Lindqvist, Stockholm ยท
Tritium tubes don't need charging. At five in the morning in January, heading out for a run in pitch black, that's not a nerdy detail. You glance down and the time is just there, glowing, no torch, no button.
Marathon builds watches for search and rescue and military use, and the MSAR looks like it. 36 mm, 300 m, a functional bezel, a Sellita SW200-1 with 38 hours and a rubber strap. Nothing decorative anywhere.
The problem for me is height. 13 mm on a 36 mm case is chunky, a little brick on the wrist, and it will sit proud under a sleeve. The rubber strap is basic too. It's not pretty and it doesn't try to be.
For 1,900 dollars it's a lot of real tool. I'd wear it all winter and feel no guilt. If you want something elegant for the office, look elsewhere.