Marathon‘s Officer’s Mechanical (also designated as GPM, which stands for General Purpose Mechanical) represents an important part of watchmaking history, the modern watch being a direct descendent of the field watches that the brand developed for the Allied forces in WWII. They are specifically designed for officers and infantry partaking in ground operations, and are currently built according to U.S. Military Standard MIL-PRF-46374 G. While this indicates that form follows function, there is also for civilian watch enthusiasts enough to get excited about.

The case’s cone shape, with its distinct lugs, is quite pleasing and almost elegant. It’s very well-finished, with no sharp corners, and comes with an easy-to-grasp crown tucked away between two shoulders for added protection. It could have been a dress watch if the dial wasn’t all business. Its matte black color offers a bold contrast with the white numerals and markers, making it very easy to read. To ensure that this is also the case in the dark, Marathon uses tritium gas tubes on both hands, as well as the hour markers. The one at twelve o’clock has a different color so that it is easy to identify. They are protected by a sapphire crystal that is placed ever so slightly above the stainless steel case.
In today’s world, we might not consider a 36mm large (or should I say small) watch very military. In popular fiction, soldiers wear big and bold watches, but in ac...