“As an old EMS and military helicopter pilot, I have always been looking for a watch that is easily read at night. I have owned Luminox Navy Seal watches, an Isobrite Afterburner (T100), Microtec, and numerous, highly lumed watches, searching for something that is always readable in low-light conditions while using NVGs. I discovered that the tritium tubed watches were the only ones that fit that description.
Of the many types and sizes of tritium-lumed watches I have owned and used, I have to say that this Marathon Medium TSAR ticks off almost all the attributes of what I would consider to be the perfect pilot/tool/diver.
First of all is the tritium. Marathon puts the tubes on the watch face as indices. They aren't tiny dots in mounted in a chapter ring or somewhere else. They glow brilliantly, especially on the Artic face. They aren't so bright that they are obtrusive (Sorry, Isobrite Afterburner...) But they are always highly visible.
Second, it's quartz. It's dead-on accurate, never needs winding, never needs so many of the things an automatic watch will need. All I have to do is change a battery every couple of years.
Third, the watch fits excellently, having a wonderful blend of heft and balance. The bezel is extremely positive in setting and locking. I've been wearing it on the stainless steel band but the Marathon rubber band is also excellent. I was concerned that maybe the 36mm would be too small but on my 7+" wrist, it works well.
There are only two areas that I would like to see improved. First, the second hand could use a tiny tritium tube like the automatic versions have. This is the only tritium watch I have that has regular lume on the second hand. I would much prefer the tritium. Second, the watch body could be made of titanium. That's it. Everything else is perfect for me.”
“Love the watch! But not the bracelet ... I have worked on my own watches for years and have the proper tools. I bought the Marathon Arctic TSAR in part because Marathon used screws for the bracelet links. I was expecting that sizing the bracelet would be a breeze (if you have sized Seiko bracelets before you know what I mean.) Well no ... they used loctite on the screws! I was able to get a couple of links removed but the bracelet is still too loose. I could not remove any more links because excess loctite was used and my best jeweler's screwdrivers would not budge the screws. If I bought the watch again I would opt for the rubber strap.”
