Marathon GSAR 41mm Government Search & Rescue Automatic Dive Watch
ELITE tier
Marathon Watch Company has supplied watches to the U.
Origin
Made in Switzerland (assembled), Canada (Marathon HQ, Richmond Hill, Ontario)
Warranty
2-year international manufacturer warranty extended to 3 years with online registration; Marathon services its own watches directly from Ontario, Canada and the ETA 2824-A2 movement is supported by every ETA-authorized watchmaker.
Price
~$2000 (Heirloom)
Community
Reddit r/BuyItForLife Approved
S. and Canadian militaries since the Second World War, and the 41mm GSAR — Government Search and Rescue — is the dive watch issued to U.
S. Marine Corps SAR divers.
The build sheet reads like a milspec compliance document: ISO 6425 dive watch certified, 316L stainless steel case engraved with NSN markings, 300-meter water resistance, AR-coated sapphire crystal, and a unidirectional bezel with 60-click ratchet. The hour markers and hands are filled with self-powered tritium gas tubes that glow continuously for 25 years without ever seeing daylight or a charge.
Inside is the Swiss ETA 2824-A2 — the most serviceable automatic movement in modern watchmaking, with parts inventoried at every ETA-certified watchmaker on Earth. Marathon's 2-year manufacturer warranty extends to 3 years with online registration, and the company services its own watches indefinitely from its Ontario, Canada workshop.
At roughly $2,000, the cost-per-year over a 30-year service life is $67 — the price of a single quartz fashion watch that will not survive a decade. The GSAR is a tool issued to people whose lives depend on it.