IWC Tribute to Mk XI, Butler J80, Omega Speedmaster, Scurfa MS17, Marathon Navigator
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Cockpit review of the Marathon Navigator 2019.
I've been a watch enthusiast for over a decade, and a professional aviator for over 22 years, yet it's just now that I feel I've found a few truly "it" watches. First disclaimer: I only speak for myself and my own experience as a Naval Flight Officer (think "Goose" from Top Gun), and mileage varies WIDELY here. I do not speak for the Navy, the government, or any other organization, and this personal review is not a product endorsement. Second disclaimer: the best modern watches for professional flying are digital multifunction watches (yes, analog has its merits and I prefer it, but I'm under no illusions about what makes the best tool). Ok with that out of the way, I've been looking for a perfect analog flying watch for a long time. Let me describe why I feel the Navigator makes my list.
Note: Want give a shout-out to other watches I've flown with, including the old Citizen Navihawk which I took to Afghanistan and loved, the outstanding Butler J80 chrono that I'll wear if flying a low-level of other time-intensive flight, and simple Timex digitals. Also have enjoyed taking an Omega Speedmaster and a Stowa Flieger up flying with an appreciating nod to history. There is just a lot of aviation watch goodness out there!
![Wrist Analog watch Watch Watch accessory Arm]()
I've been a watch enthusiast for over a decade, and a professional aviator for over 22 years, yet it's just now that I feel I've found a few truly "it" watches. First disclaimer: I only speak for myself and my own experience as a Naval Flight Officer (think "Goose" from Top Gun), and mileage varies WIDELY here. I do not speak for the Navy, the government, or any other organization, and this personal review is not a product endorsement. Second disclaimer: the best modern watches for professional flying are digital multifunction watches (yes, analog has its merits and I prefer it, but I'm under no illusions about what makes the best tool). Ok with that out of the way, I've been looking for a perfect analog flying watch for a long time. Let me describe why I feel the Navigator makes my list.
- Legibility. As I've gotten older, my aircraft navigation systems have gotten better. When I first started in T-34, T-2, and T-39 trainers, I absolutely needed a good watch with stop-watch capability in order to graduate flight training. When I moved on to "gray jets" (i.e., actual combat aircraft), the first variants of the EA-6B Prowler I operated had a drifty inertial navigation system with no direct GPS integration, so again I needed a good multi-function watch. This was especially true for low level visual navigation. Cheap digital watches took care of me then. In later, improved versions of the EA-6B, and in the newer EA-18G Growler, I really didn't need to time things off my wrist as much (though with the Growler lacking a mechanical 8-day clock, I still flew all my sorties with a chronograph). My mindset, especially as my age and eyes exceeded 40, shifted to simple, legible designs. The Navigator has a perfectly clean and legible dial: you can easily read the exact time at a glance. Where it really shines however (pun intended), is at night. A lot of my career has been carrier based and most of my night flying has been on Night Vision Goggles. The ship, when you're not flying, gets really dark at night with few light sources to charge traditional lume. Flying on goggles keeps your eyes from dark adapting because you have a little green TV screen in front of each eye, meanwhile you keep your cockpit lighting as minimal as possible. All this amounts to the fact that there are many times on long, dark nights that you look down and struggle to read your traditional lume, both in flight and on the ship. With tritium tubes: problem solved. In fact the lume is so good that if evading capture in hostile territory, you'd have to cover the dial with your glove or flight suit cuff.
- Utility. I never thought I'd like a 12-hour bezel, but now I love it. What I really enjoy is the fact that I don't just get one single piece of information as with a normal GMT hand, i.e., the current hour in UTC time (AKA Zulu time). Instead, with the bezel I can quickly look at any time in the future and translate it to/from Zulu time. That is really useful in pre-flight planning when looking at the weather forecast, Air Tasking Order (ATO), or notices to airmen (NOTAMs), all three products being written in Zulu time. So when thunderstorms are forecasted for 1800-2000Z, I can very quickly find that time range on my bezel and translate it to local time (important because flight schedules and ship's schedules are published in local time). Additionally, the bezel doubles as an elapsed time bezel, and I find myself using that a lot day to day.
- Accuracy. No need to belabor this point but quartz is super accurate and that is important in a business where seconds count. My Navigator's accuracy greatly exceeds the published limits, which are already awesome.
- Ruggedness. The 2019 Navigators are water resistant (yes I wish they were more so, like 100m, but 60m will do fine), magnetic resistant, impact/shock resistant, and scratch resistant (thanks to the introduction of sapphire crystals into the newest model). Carrier life is tough on watches: you're surrounded by metal all the time and watches get banged up a lot. I would go on deployment with this Navigator with no fear.
- Convenience. For those used to being critical of quartz, the Navigator at least gives you an End Of Life indicator and an operator-accessible batter hatch so that anyone can replace a battery. So you're not likely to get surprised by a dead battery at an inconvenient time, and no problem if the battery goes out while you're in the middle of the ocean on an aircraft carrier (or at an air base in Afghanistan), as long as you were smart enough to pack a spare.
- Looks. Yes, I care about looks. Yes, I noticed that the new Growler aircraft is cooler looking than the Prowler (although that old girl grows on you). The Navigator's aesthetic is super cool. A mix of modern and old school, and it just looks so purposeful, I love it.
Note: Want give a shout-out to other watches I've flown with, including the old Citizen Navihawk which I took to Afghanistan and loved, the outstanding Butler J80 chrono that I'll wear if flying a low-level of other time-intensive flight, and simple Timex digitals. Also have enjoyed taking an Omega Speedmaster and a Stowa Flieger up flying with an appreciating nod to history. There is just a lot of aviation watch goodness out there!
