A Canadian maker of genuine military timepieces, Marathon Watch Company recently celebrated 85 years of toolmaking. A family-run company, Marathon is part of an important lineage of linked North American and European watchmakers that, collectively, have a legacy going back more than 100 years.
Marathon began supplying the Allied Forces with military-specification timepieces starting in 1941. Marathon not only continued to supply professional-use watches to American, Canadian, British, and other allied nations but also innovated its products over the decades while developing a prestigious watchmaking facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Each Marathon watch is hand-assembled in the brand’s Swiss facility and tested for peak performance.
For many years, civilians were not able to purchase Marathon watches. Until the early 2000s, service professionals were the only people who received access to Marathon’s now-popular lineup of watches, which includes a Search and Rescue Dive Series, Navigator Pilot Series, and General Purpose Field Series. In 2024, Marathon was also chosen to be the official watchmaker of Jeep vehicles. Service professionals, medical rescue teams, and law enforcement members still visit Marathon’s office to purchase watches directly from the company. Marathon also sells watches via its website and authorized dealers around the globe.
Two generations of the Marathon Watch Company’s founding family continue to lead the company today. Each has also left an indelible mark on the personality of Marathon watches. Leon Wein was responsible for creating the Marathon Navigator series of military pilot watches, with their distinctive asymmetric cases, and president of the company Mitchell Wein created the now-iconic GSAR diver’s watch with its tall grippable bezel that was originally intended for maximum versatility by search and rescue professionals. These continue to represent the most popular products made by Marathon today.
To learn about the latest professional-use timepieces now available or for more information about the story of the brand, please visit the Marathon website
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