A shared military history
Some watch collabs just work. IWC and Mercedes-AMG, for instance. Heuer and Ferrari. Breitling and Triumph. Well, now you can add Marathon and Jeep to that illustrious list. Today, the watch brand officially launches what it has been touting since Time to Watches last month–its four new watches inspired by two of Jeep’s emblematic vehicles, the Willys MB and the Wrangler Rubicon.
This is a collaboration that just makes sense. Both companies are steeped in military heritage. And both brands are champions of utilitarian design. In these pieces there is a symbiotic homage to each other’s spirit of rugged tenacity that dates back to their shared experience in the Second World War, when each brand began supplying the Allied Forces.
JEEP x Marathon Collection
The Marathon-Jeep collaboration will extend into two of the watchmaker’s current collections: the General Purpose (GP) Officer’s Series and the Search and Rescue (SAR) Series.
The General Purpose Officer Series
Marathon has redesigned two of its popular field watches. Both feature 41mm cases and are equipped with a contemporary reshaping of the original Marathon dial from WWII.
Each model is forged in 316L stainless steel and comes with a protective parkerized finish, which reduces reflections and improves anti-corrosive resistance. Both also employ 12-hour scales in bold Arabic numerals with a 60-minute track in the the outer chapter ring.
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The dauphine-styled hands have a particularly vintage flair and go well with the subdued patina of the dial text and numerals. Notably, the visible branding is that of Jeep, with the Marathon name appearing in a reduced font above six.
The SSGPM (“M” meaning mechanical) is powered by an 18-jewel Swiss-made Sellita SW210-1; whereas, the SSGPQ (where “Q” refers to quartz) is powered by the Swiss-made ETA F06.402 HeavyDrive-PreciDrive quartz movement–which runs within -/+10 seconds a year.
The various dial elements have been treated with the brand’s proprietary MaraGlo for after hours illumination, and come standard on a three-piece leather strap kit made from Crazy Horse leather.
The Jeep® Willys SSGPM (WW194033SS-4001) will retail for $650USD and the quartz-powered Jeep® Willys SSGPQ (WW194034SS-4001) will sell for a value-packed $500USD.
Search and Rescue Series
The SAR lineup (which happens to be my favourite from the brand) also receives two new robust divers: a GSAR and a TSAR.
Certainly the more contemporary collection of the two collabs, the SAR dials have been repurposed with a funky “red line” indicator which mirrors the Rubicon dashboard tachometer. In reality is functions as a 15-minute count-up.
True to SAR watches of the past, each is equipped with an over-sized, 120-click unidirectional dive bezel and both boast 300m of water resistance. The dials make use of a both tritium gas tubes and MaraGlo technology to light up the night.
Driving the new GSAR is the Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 automatic calibre. The TSAR, for its part, sports the Swiss-made ETA F06.412 HeavyDrive-PreciDrive quartz movement.
A unique element to the SAR series is the seven slot engraving of a Jeep grille featured on the 316L stainless steel case edge. The Willys Star–a second Easter egg–can be found on the end of the knurled steel crowns.
The Jeep® Rubicon GSAR® (WW194006SS-4101) is priced at $1,500USD, while the Jeep® Rubicon TSAR® (WW194007SS-4101) will fetch $1,200USD.
For more information, please visit the brand website.
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About the author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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