Very unusual "Precista" GTLS navigator watch

[Crusader]

[New information is in blue.]

Hello all,

while browsing I found in a vintage watch section elsewhere a picture and a description of a very unusual Precista navigator watch with Tritium vials:



(Here's the link, btw: http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/vintage_m ... atches.htm , then scroll down to/search for "Precista H3 Military Issue Navigator?s Watch".)

This type of watch was issued to the US Forces ca. 1990/1991 (manufactured by Marathon of Canada), the so-called "steel navigator". It is very well known and well documented. See e.g. http://www.mochanni.com/~hseung/album/m ... eview.html . Nowadays the issued U.S. navigator watches come with composite plastic cases, but the basic design remains unchanged from the steel version of the early 1990s, see: http://home.earthlink.net/~brendo81/Inf ... 6374G.html

The above watch appears to be the same as the steel navigator, except for the "Precista" logo on the dial replacing the "Marathon" logo, and the W10/6645-99.258... designation on the back. "6645" is the NATO code for wrist watches, of course, and the "99" makes it British, while "W10" makes it army (surprisingly not 6B=RAF) issue. The "H3" and radiation logos denoting the presence of tritium are per the U.S. mil-spec, by the way; in order to conform to the British mil-spec the dial would have to be marked by a circle-T. So one could speculate that a Marathon (U.S.) navigator dial was used and the Precista logo added. Interestingly, the crown is thinner than on the 1990/1991 steel navigators and reminiscent of the (non-issued) "steel navigator re-issues" of a few years ago (see http://www.countycomm.com/steelnav.htm ), although the latter use the dial with the orange marker at 12 introduced into the mil-spec in June 1994 while the Precista appears to have the a marker of the same color as the others at 12, placing it before that time.

Interestingly, Marathon and Precista are said to have collaborated on the Precista 300m dive watch for the British forces (see http://www.mochanni.com/~hseung/album/mwr/precista.html ), and that its case was very similar to the steel navigator ( see http://www.mochanni.com/~hseung/album/m ... eview.html ). There is also a similarity of the cases used for the rare Marathon GG-W-113 of 1984 and Precista (and CWC) G10s (see http://www.mochanni.com/~hseung/album/m ... gw113.html ).

I like to believe that I have done some research on military watches, but I have never come across a Precista navigator, nor a tritium-vial watch in British Armed Forces service in general. I think this may either be a very unusual watch, or--though less likely, in light of the Marathon-Precista connection indicated above--one that has been faked using a Marathon steel navigator.

May I ask:
- Do you know whether this watch was in widespread use by UK forces, or is this possibly a trial watch that was issued only for evaluation purposes?
- Do you have more information on the connection between Precista and Marathon?
- When did Precista cease to produce watches? (Eddie has answered that in the post below.)

Thank you very much, and best regards,

Crusader

[swanbourne]

The name "Precista" was used by Southerns Material House and they produced genuine military watches certainly into the 1990s although I have never seen this one before. Southerns had financial difficulties in 1996/97 and were bought by Apollo Straps. The name has not been used since then.

Eddie

[Crusader]

I have updated -- and will continue to do so -- the original post as more information becomes available, so if you're following this topic, make sure to double-check the first post for the blue passages.

Thank you, and best regards,

Crusader

[Ming Thein]

Interesting. Did you buy it?

Ming

[Crusader]

Oh no, not at all. Knowing something about mil-watches is a lot more affordable for me than actually owning them... I found this while browsing, and I had never heard of this particular watch with a British label and NSN. So that piqued my interest.

Crusader

[Nimrod]

Sorry I have been not very vocal for a while but have been away for a period of time and only came back this weekend.

Re Precista I have never seen anytihing like it before. I must admit it looks a very nice piece of work but trying to be polite in the fraze it looks like a "bastard" of a watch the fraze meant in the correct sence and not as an offencive word. A strange mixture of US and Uk military but certainly unusual.Sorry cant be any more help
Regards
Nimrod

[Finkaudio]

... an article, writing that Presista and Marathon have been made by the GALLET company in Switzerland.

I just found the article :

http://home.t-online.de/home/konrad.knirim/story.htm


If all the watches have been made by Gallet, it would explain something.


Regards

Karl-Heinz Fink

[Crusader]

Very intersting, Karl-Heinz. I had thought it was the other way around, with Gallet being a production plant selling cases and/or movements to Marathon, not that they actually owned Marathon.

Marathon's website (see http://www.marathonwatch.com/ ) states "MARATHON is a global corporation with plants manufacturing parts throughout the world in the most economical efficiencies. MARATHON'S Swiss manufacturing plant gives the company full control of production, export and distribution of its highest quality timing instruments."

Perhaps Mr. Knirim only meant that Gallet was supplying Marathon and the other brands? I'll pursue the matter further.

The "highest quality" blurb is unadulterated b*llsh*t, by the way.

P.S.: Love your avatar, by the way, as I collect stuffed bears myself. Had that not been your avatar, I would have chosen one of my bears for my avatar, not a Crusader.

Crusader

[Finkaudio]

....and our house if full with them. Most of them I bought and so at least I always know something for X-Mas and birthdays.

I think the Marathons are not that bad. I won a SAR on MWR and so I got it shipped to my hotel during my stay in SF.

It does not have the character of a watch that Eddie has made, but it's a tool watch that does the job. Build quality is very good, so nothing to coplain about it.
I also have a Marathon GG-W 113, that got a case just like a MOD Precista. That would be the watch no.2 with a Precista-Marathon link

Best Regards

KH

[Crusader]

Hello Karl-Heinz,

the Maraton GG-W-113 is mentioned in my original post; Hyunsuk's websi
te drew my attention to the connection.

I haven't handled a SAR yet, but the composite Navigators supplied to the US military are clearly produced with an eye to cost reduction, and I have heard little good things about Marathon's quartz field watches. This may not be entirely Marathon's fault, as the gov't is certainly putting pressure on prices, but it puts the watch very nearly into the CBP category, which is not the case with the SandY 650 or its present-day manifestations.

Crusader

[Finkaudio]

...watches, only a Sandy 490 with mechanical movement.

This one I really like and I would like it even more if I could get a thinner 22mm ruber strap that I could cut down to 18mm, so the watch would look a little but bigger on my 8,x" wrist. :cry:


Regards

KH