My watch today is a Marathon handwind mechanical military-spec watch. It was made according to the MIL-W-46374E specs and uses a 17 jewel Swiss mechanical movement. These were part of the first generation of military wristwatches to use glass vials filled with tritium gas (also seen on Luminox watches) instead of tritium paint. Construction is very similar to that of a Swatch as the case doesn't open from the back; the movement is loaded from the front and the acrylic crystal glued in place. It's a fairly small watch, only 34mm across, but the wide velcro cuff I have it on helps to make it feel more substantial. It is water resistant, but no rating is given, so I'd assume swimming with it is not recommended. I suppose there was a time when only a watch meeting military specs could be worn by our armed forces, but I've heard that Casio G-Shock and Timex Ironman watches are very common in combat situations lately. I wouldn't be surprised if in the future mechanical military-spec watches cease to be produced and get replaced by something cheaper and more durable, which will only make the old mechanical versions more prized by collectors. Of course, if the collectors will still pay for them companies like Marathon and Stocker & Yale would be smart to continue production for the private sector.
Posts
