Marathon vs Traser (Luminox) watches

Cosmic Superchunk

Cosmic Superchunk

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Jan 28, 2001
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I was looking at several watches at an Army/Navy store over the weekend and checked out the Luminox brand Navy SEAL watches as well as a Marathon (Military Issue) Navigator Pilot watch. The Marathon watch has a rotating bezel ring, but does not have a date window like the Traser/Luminox watches. Here's a pic of the Marathon and the Luminox:

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The Marathon watch uses tritium vials for illumination as does the Luminox, but instead of a rubber wrist band, it has a typical military type watch band. I had owned a manual winding military issue watch with the name Cammenga several years ago, but was not too familiar with Marathon, so I did a search and found that they have a U.S. Government contract to supply watches to the U.S. military.

Does anyone have any comments or opinions of the Marathon watches? How do they rate compared to the Luminox brand?
 
The Marathon brand is the current issue to the military. The Luminox brand is the civie version. The important difference between them is that the luminox has an illuminated or traser vial illuminated second hand while the marathon DOES not. For myself, I would prefer the genuine issue model but the "read deal" does not have an illuminated second hand. Between the two choices you offer, that is the only difference. Between the two brands, however, one is offered with titanium case and bracelet, and a sapphire crystal while the genuine issue brand comes NOT in such a permutation. I bought the Ti and sapphire crystal version of the Luminox and while its bracelet is a far cry from an Omega, I am for the most part, satisfied.
 
I didn't check to see if the Marathon had a scratch resistant crystal or not. I know my old Cammenga didn't. From the looks of it, I think it doesn't. Here's a close up of the Marathon watch:

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Yea, the Marathon Navigator there has an acrylic crystal. Not scratch resistant but easy for the user to buff out scratches.
 
I own the Marathon Navigator Watch with a steel case, I use it every day for work as a Policeman in Belfast, it really comes into its own on night shift. My only gripe is the crystal it scatches way too easy with 2 days I had a deep score across its face, I got it buffed out by a watchsmith.
My recommendation would be get a Trazor (no seal motif) and get saphire cyrstal or mineral.

http://www.traser.com

 
Thanks for the info lads. I did some further checking and found that a company called Stocker & Yale also had a U.S. Government contract to supply watches to the U.S. Military and they produced a SEAL watch which looks exactly like the Traser/Luminox sans the Luminox logo:

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Pic courtesy of:
http://www.countycomm.com/Watches.htm
 
Originally posted by el cid
Thanks for the info lads. I did some further checking and found that a company called Stocker & Yale also had a U.S. Government contract to supply watches to the U.S. Military and they produced a SEAL watch which looks exactly like the Traser/Luminox sans the Luminox logo:
Click to expand...

I think the operative word is "had". S&Y otherwise known as "SANDY" no longer produces them since the early 90's. Deano has sort of alluded to something that I hesitated to mention...frankenwatches. A reasonably competent horologist can replace your acrylic crystal with a suitable mineral crystal or sapphire crystal. If your beef is the luminox logo or the infamous "Navy Seals" captioning, then a horologist can replace the dial for you too. Basically, a frankenwatch is a watch made from parts from 2 or more watches.

A better example of a frankenwatch would be on the countycomm website which uses a Ollech & Wajs case, the marathon dial and luminous hands, and a automatic 2824-2 movement.

My personal dreamwatch at the moment would be a Omega X-33 with the Traser illuminated hour, minute and second hands although I have no idea if this combination is possible. In the past, I've wanted a watch using the Luminox titanium watch but replacing the movement with the automatic 2824-2 movement...but an experienced horologist told me that the movement is too thick to accomodate the relatively narrow caseback.
 
Originally posted by el cid
So if Stocker & Yale no longer has a government contract, these Traser/Lumonox SEAL watches are not official issue?
Click to expand...

Yes, you've hit the nail on the head. As far as I know, no NAVYSEAL or specwar operator (though, I'm far from the authority on the SPECWAR community) uses Luminox or Traser, furthermore there are no military procurement numbers on either watch make. So, if you want to appear to have a issued military watch don't buy Luminox or Traser and instead buy a Marathon which has military procurement numbers from countycomm. I got over my disdain for Luminox because they produce traser illuminated watches (with the illuminated second hand!!!) with titanium cases and bracelets, there is no such animal in a genuine issue watch.

S&Y are official issue but are no longer produced and so if you buy one then they are likely 10+++ years old. I'm told that the Traser illumination has a half-life of 12-15 years so perhaps the illumination has faded a bit on these NewOldStock or NOS watches. I really like the look of the stainless steel S&Y 660.

The Marathon watches are current issue but some of what is sold is NOS and what was stated about the SANDY watches may apply to the Marathon watches as well. The stainless steel navigator at $225 would be my personal choice in the genuine issue watch. Before you buy you might ask about the production date.
 
Thanks again PsychRN. I had a feeling that all the hype about Luminox being "Official Navy SEAL Issue" was just a marketing scheme. From what I've heard they're good watches, but they are not official issue. The Marathon watch I looked at had a stainless steel back with the description: Watch, Wrist, Navigators...and has several serial numbers and a date JAN 2000. Just like the pics above, the face is marked Marathon with U.S. Government below.
 
I have an friend that is ForceRecon Marine who cross trained in BUDS and wears the jump wings and the dive bubble which he calls "dual cool". I foresaw the ribbing I would get if I had a "Navy Seals" watch so I bought a Luminox that has no "Navy Seals" b.s except on the caseback where no one who see it while I was wearing it. If I really want to, I can dremel polish the Navy Seals BUDWEISER logo off the caseback.

Sounds like you really want a issue watch. The Marathon Navigator for $125 is a nice watch. If I were you, I'd get the Stainless Steel Navigator for $225. You'd still have to get a cool band though, maybe a Hirsch Carbon Fiber band with deployant buckle?
 
el cid,

I have been wearing a "demo" Marathon Navigator for a week, the non stainless steel one I see pictured on this thread. It has been a real pleasure to wear, and the tritium vials are very bright . I will probably buy a stainless steel version in the next day or two. I believe it might be too good a watch to pass up.

Mark
 
Well, I bought the watch yesterday in the afternoon at the Army/Navy store. I really like the watch, but when I got home I noticed it had a small scuff on the acrylic crystal, so I used a very tiny bit of gun metal polish and a soft cloth and buffed it out completely. It works!
 
for PsychRN

just wondering; why is lack of the illuminated second hand a deal breaker?
 
Hi Ralph! Headed your way tomorrow!

I imagine the second hand would be very important to Psych RN as a nurse for timing breathing, taking pulses, blood pressure, etc. Just playing detective, but that is my guess...
 
Hi, Clay . . . considered that, but most of the time a nurse works in an illuminated environment?

Maybe PsychRN operates in a clandestine manner sometimes. ;)

Give me a call when you get to the hill country.
 
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