Marathon Navigator with decent Lume ?

[Richie]

Hi All,

A question for all the MilWatch / Tritium Tube / Marathon Navigator Specialists. Is it still possible to obtain a Marathon Navigator (ss, diver bezel, assymetric case) with a decent amount of lume ? I've followed up several I've seen on the net fora via PM but all, according to their owners, seem to have a less than spectacular lume showing.

Is it just that the trit tubes are getting to the end of their lifetimes, and any MarNav obtained now will be "less than bright" in the lume department ?

Cheers, Richie

[barryw]

Hi All,

A question for all the MilWatch / Tritium Tube / Marathon Navigator Specialists. Is it still possible to obtain a Marathon Navigator (ss, diver bezel, assymetric case) with a decent amount of lume ? I've followed up several I've seen on the net fora via PM but all, according to their owners, seem to have a less than spectacular lume showing.

Is it just that the trit tubes are getting to the end of their lifetimes, and any MarNav obtained now will be "less than bright" in the lume department ?

Cheers, Richie

I had a Marathon Navigator,but there might be some confusion as my Navigator wasnt a dive watch,it didnt have a screw down crown and next to no water resistance really.
Mine was the composite body version,the disappointment for me was a very sloppy action when setting the hands to the correct time,and had lots of play.
I couldnt get used to the vials mounted on the hands either,and didnt care for the shape of the hands.
The vials did glow brightly but mine was new.
Hope this has been of use.

[Marco-T]

If you get a Marathon with "fresh" Tritium tubes, it's ok at night but in my opinion not as bright as f.e. Traser (perhaps Marathon uses older tubes?)
Another solution would be the Marathon with "Maraglo" which basicly is Luminova.

For comparison, Tritium Tubes







Same model, however with Maraglo







A remark on the Maraglo, don't expect a bright long lasting. If you want that => get a Seiko

[barryw]

If you get a Marathon with "fresh" Tritium tubes, it's ok at night but in my opinion not as bright as f.e. Traser (perhaps Marathon uses older tubes?)
Another solution would be the Marathon with "Maraglo" which basicly is Luminova.

For comparison, Tritium Tubes







Same model, however with Maraglo







A remark on the Maraglo, don't expect a bright long lasting. If you want that => get a Seiko

the Marathon Maraglo, is the version i will try and get ,as it has far nicer hands aswel.
My Navigator had factory fresh vials,but wasnt that impressed with them to be honest.
I wonder if they still make the manual wind field watches as i cant find them anymore?

[AndySquirrel]

Heinnie Haynes has the manual wind in stock

[sweepinghands]

I wear a Traser P6500. Got it a couple of months back from Amazon on sale so not sure of its production date or year.

Comparing the tritium glow to my seiko skx007, the tritium glows steadily throughout. Transitions from a light to dark place will see the watch light up. I have had no problems reading the dial under any light conditions. I can still see the time when I leave my watch on my desk about 2-3metres away.

Unlike my seiko, it does not glow like a torch for the first 30mins. It's just a subtle constant glow. And I like that there's no need to charge the lume under any circumstance.

[MadeOfCheese]

I agree with sweepinghands - the all-night subtle glow is what is most appealing about this watch. No need to charge it to know that I'll be able to tell the time at any point in the night (good or bad news for the insomniacs among us I guess!).

It's not as bright as superluminova initially, but once your eyes have got used to the dark it is very bright. Sometimes I have to move my hand to avoid waking the wife in the middle of the night. It's even bright enough to light the way to the loo during the night (too much info perhaps - apologies :)

[Coot]

Loo-m?

Sorry.

t's even bright enough to light the way to the loo during the night (too much info perhaps - apologies :)

[MadeOfCheese]

:lol:

[sweepinghands]

I agree with sweepinghands - the all-night subtle glow is what is most appealing about this watch. No need to charge it to know that I'll be able to tell the time at any point in the night (good or bad news for the insomniacs among us I guess!).

It's not as bright as superluminova initially, but once your eyes have got used to the dark it is very bright. Sometimes I have to move my hand to avoid waking the wife in the middle of the night. It's even bright enough to light the way to the loo during the night (too much info perhaps - apologies :)

Lol. I never tried it. Tonight I shall.