This July 4th marks 250 years of independence for the United States of America, and Marathon — a brand that began supplying watches to the Allied Troops during World War II and continues to do so today — is releasing a watch to honor this historic event: the U.S. 250 Anthracite SSNAV-D Auto. This limited-edition Navigator watch celebrates the U.S.’s semiquincentennial and the brand’s long-time commitment to creating mil-spec watches for the U.S. Government and Armed Forces.
Founded in 1939, with roots stretching back to 1904, Marathon Watch launched in Montreal, Quebec, with various assemblers in Switzerland, at the dawn of the Second World War. As the war raged in Europe, Marathon quickly began fulfilling military contracts for Canada and the Allied Forces. That partnership, forged in the crucible of WWII, marked the start of an enduring relationship between Marathon and NATO-aligned countries; today, the brand is only one of a handful of contractors supplying watches to the U.S. government. In the 1990s, the brand opened its own production facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Yet, one thing that hasn’t changed is its commitment to creating high-quality, reliable, purpose-built timepieces for U.S. military and government.
What better inspiration for celebrating the U.S.’s 250th anniversary than the song that will be sung from dawn’s early light until twilight’s last gleaming: the Star-Spangled Banner. The limited-edition U.S. 250 Anthracite SSNAV-D is based on Marathon’s SSNAV Navigator watch, developed in 1986 in partnership with Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, with a number of special features to commemorate this event.
The U.S. 250 Anthracite SSNAV-D Auto is immediately identifiable as a pilot’s watch that has been clearly built with purpose. Inspired by “the twilight’s last gleaming,” an anthracite ion-plating has been applied to both the 41mm stainless steel case (11.5mm thickness, 48mm lug-to-lug, 20mm lug width) and the Sellita SW200-1 movement powering the watch. That stealthy aesthetic carries over to the 12-hr bezel and dial, allowing the watch to fly under the radar, yet remain incredibly legible thanks to the high-contrast white numerals.
A closer look at the dial reveals the next celebratory elements, including an appliqué of “1776” encircled by 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies, and a red tritium tube at 12 o’clock reflecting “the rockets’ red glare.” The red tritium at 12 is then complemented by a series of green tritium tubes that illuminate the remaining indices, as well as the hours and minutes hands.
For those unfamiliar with the use of tritium tubes for illumination, these are a series of small, phosphor-coated glass tubes containing tritium (H3) gas. As the gas decays (half-life is 12.3 years), the tubes emit a constant glow that remains bright and legible throughout the night without the fade typical of luminescent paint.
Flip the watch over, and the patriotic elements continue with a Marathon’s first-ever sapphire display caseback, upon which is engraved an American flag and the text, “In God We Trust.” Visible behind the caseback is the anthracite ion-plated SW200-1, an ever-reliable Swiss Made automatic movement featuring 26 jewels, date function, and ~38-hr power reserve.
Like all Marathon watches, the U.S. 250 Anthracite SSNAV-D Auto is designed to operate under demanding conditions. As such, the watch features 10 ATM of water resistance and a screw-down crown engraved with the United States’ most enduring symbol: a star.
While Marathon could certainly have opted for a classic leather strap, the brand instead chose a strap made from genuine bison leather, in tribute to America’s national mammal. The strap is then finished with anthracite hardware to match the case.
The Marathon U.S. 250 Anthracite SSNAV-D Auto is limited to just 250 pieces in celebration of this historic Independence Day and is priced at $1,776 USD. To learn more about Marathon and its long history of creating watches for the U.S. Armed Forces and order this celebratory limited edition SSNAV-D, please visit Marathon’s website.
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