Marathon Navigator's Wristwatch MIL-PRF-46374G



This watch is pretty bad ass.  I just got it in the mail the other day.  You have to love military watches.  High Tech and low cost.  The Marathon uses H3 Technology.  The Tritium tubes are bright as hell and super kick ass at night.  Plus I like the orange tritium tube they put for the 12o'clock and on the bezel.  Very light weight and great conversion piece.  This one is just the first of my soon to be many Marathon watches.  Also if you like the Rolex Submariner, Explorer, Daytona or GMT style watches then you might want to look this company up.  Some of their models have the same look for a tenth of the price.  I think that with the watches history and background it is more of a conversational piece then a Rolex as well.

MIL-PRF-46374G Watches

With MIL-PRF-46374G a new idea in U.S. Military purchasing was introduced, the Performance Standard. The military no longer specifies endless detail on the design of the watch, they just state what performance tests it has to meet. This gives manufacturers more leeway to be innovative and hopefully gets a better product for the troops at lower cost. Note that some watches under the prior standard have been procured this way, under MIL-PRF-46374F.

In the G standard, issued 12 November 1999, the most noticeable change is on the dial where all extraneous markings have been removed. Only the H3 and radiation symbol remain so users can focus on the hands and numbers. The case back has similar markings to earlier models.

Under MIL-PRF-46374G, the Navigator watch is now called Type III, Class 1, new terminology for the Type 6 of the prior standard. Typical markings for these watches:

WATCH, WRIST: NAVIGATORS
MIL-PRF-46374G
6645-01-364-4042
26 MILLICURIES
NRC ID: 54-28526-01E
SPO440-00-D-0168-0005
JAN 2003
CAGE 38775

The CAGE Code refers to Marathon. Some watches of lower grades have been produced by reference to MIL-W-46374G, not a performance spec. In 2000, Stocker & Yale withdrew from the military watch and compass business and sold that division of the company to Cammenga & Associates, Inc. a maker of the U.S. Army Lensatic Compass among other products. Cammenga later stopped making watches leaving Marathon the sole supplier of watches to the U.S. Military.

• Intended Use: High altitude, Pilot/parachute - Law enforcement
  Bi-Directional Time Zone Ring
  Analogue dial with 2 time scale
  Water resistant to 6 atm. atmospheres
  Stop Second (hack) high torque movement
• Fibreshell high impact case with stainless steel engraved back. Hesalite Crystal forgives excessive external pressure changes.
• Fibreshell high impact, waterpoof and dustproof case.
  Black face features both 12- and 24-hour dials, with luminous hands and hour markings, white numerals and a sweep second hand. Luminous Features are indicated by self lighting tritium tubes
• This watch is made in accordance with MIL-PRF-46374G Type III, Class 1
• This watch comes with black nylon mil-spec strap (Xtra long to fit over uniform). This strap is manufactured in accordance with MIL-S-46383B, Type III.
• Note: This watch is available only to Government and approved Departments and Ministries.

According to the instruction sheet supplied with the watch...

Watch is water-resistant, shock-proof, and has stop second feature.
Accuracy maximum error rate is +/- 0.7 seconds per day.  Replacement
battery is 395 watch battery or equivalent.

This watch is manufactured in accordance with MIL-PRF-46374G, Type
III, Class 1 (Analog, minimum life: 5 years, antimagnetic, corrosion
resistant, high altitude with elapsed time ring, water resistant,
electrical movement, battery installed)

History of the mb-microtec H3 military technology

The technical term for the unique H3-light is a Gaseous Tritium Light Source (GTLS).

Here is a article about the History of the mb-microtech H3 military technology based on the Luminox watch.  Also the history of the company in the military.  H3 History

This article leads you to think that the "Sandy p6500" is the watch the military uses which is really a lie!  The p6500 is a remake of the "Stocker & Yale Sandy p650 Type 6"  (Stocker & Yale does not sale this watch to civilians only military) Luminox is not the only company that remakes this watch.  Traser also makes a watch that is identical to the p650.  So if you are looking to get the real mccoy then keep your eyes out for the Stocker & Yale Sandy p650 Type 6.