Both Jeep and Marathon Watches made their name supplying the military, and now they’re collaborating
- Jeep collaborates with Marathon Watches to create a collection of timepieces inspired by the Wrangler 1941 Limited Edition.
- The General Purpose Officer’s Series watch is inspired by the timepiece that was issued to Allied service members in WWII.
- The Search and Rescue series features a number of Jeep-inspired design cues and can be ordered with a self-winding automatic movement.
Marathon Watches built a name for itself in 1939 by creating timepieces for members of the military, and to this day, it sells a series of timepieces inspired by the General Purpose (or GP) requirements of the U.S. military during World War II. Legend has it, that same designation, GP, is what led to the name “Jeep.”
While there are competing narratives for the etymology of the off-road vehicle’s name, the fact remains that Jeep and Marathon Watches share a military history, so it only made sense for the brands to collaborate on a collection of watches.
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The brands have created two timepiece lines, and each is offered with a quartz or a mechanical movement, which means four different models in all. They are the General Purpose Officer’s Series and the Search and Rescue Series.
The former is a modernized version of the original Marathon WWII-issued timepiece, with type faces inspired by the Jeep Wrangler 1941 Limited Edition. The numerals are illuminated with Aged-Radium, and it features a three-piece strap from Crazy Horse leather.
The automatic version of the General Purpose Officer’s Series watch (below) features a Swiss-made ETA F06.402 HeavyDrive-PreciDrive quartz movement and prices start at $500, while the hand-wound manual version features a Swiss Sellita SW210-1 mechanical movement with prices starting at $650.
Meanwhile, the Search and Rescue model (below) features a military-inspired look, and incorporates features like a “red line” indicator inspired by a Jeep tachometer that serves as a 15-minute count-up. The font used on the watch is again inspired by the Jeep Wrangler 1941 Limited Edition.
Featuring an oversized 60min/120click unidirectional dive bezel and 300 meters (984 feet) of water resistance, the Search and Rescue series is as rugged as the name suggests. To illuminate the dial, Marathon Watches uses a combination of tritium gas tubes and MaraGlo technology.
Also available in two versions, the more affordable Search and Rescue watch uses a Swiss ETA F06.412 HeavyDrivePreciDrive quartz movement, and costs $1,200. The self-winding automatic version of the watch uses a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 movement, and it rings in at $1,500.
“We are extremely proud of this very unique collaboration that speaks to a shared legacy of common values and legendary history in our Jeep x Marathon Officer’s and SAR watches,” said Kim Adams House, head of licensing and merchandising at Stellantis, North America. “These timepieces aren’t just to tell time – they tell a story of two brands uniting based on shared values and purposeful use for consumers, uniting ‘Jeep people’ and ‘watch people.’”
