Time To Watches: Marathon

Summary

The Real Time Show Episode Summary: "Time To Watches: Marathon"

Release Date: June 21, 2025

Hosts: Rob Nudds & Alon Ben Joseph

Guest: Harrison McCrindle, Strategic Government Contract Officer at Marathon Watches

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Introduction

In the latest episode of The Real Time Show, hosts Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph dive deep into the world of Marathon Watches with special guest Harrison McCrindle. This episode, titled "Time To Watches: Marathon," offers a comprehensive look at Marathon's journey from a military supplier to a prominent player in the consumer watch market.

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1. Marathon’s Presence at Time To Watches Geneva [00:00 - 02:14]

The episode kicks off with Harrison McCrindle sharing his positive experience at the Time To Watches event held at Villa Saracen in Geneva. Rob Nudds remarks on the event’s success, highlighting the diverse crowd that Marathon attracted:

“It's been great so far. Yeah, we're really pleased with the turnout, the interactions have been fantastic.” [00:42]

Harrison elaborates that the booth was frequented by a mix of collectors, enthusiasts, retailers, and other manufacturers, indicating broad interest in Marathon's offerings.

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2. Transition from Military Supplier to Consumer Market [02:14 - 04:17]

Rob delves into Marathon’s history, revealing that the brand primarily supplied watches to the US military for many years. Harrison explains:

“We sort of flew under the radar for a very long time. We were primarily sold to the US government...” [01:18]

As military personnel transitioned out of service, there was a demand for these robust watches. Marathon seized this opportunity by refurbishing and redistributing watches to former servicemen and women, gradually transitioning into the general consumer market.

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3. Expanding Brand Awareness and Goals [04:17 - 05:22]

Rob inquires about Marathon’s goals at the event. Harrison emphasizes the importance of building brand awareness:

“We're putting into place some abilities to do that. Smaller production runs and unit level, customized dials and case engravings...” [07:57]

The hosts and Harrison agree that showcasing at events like Time To Watches is crucial for getting Marathon’s name in front of key audiences.

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4. Diverse Product Range and Features [04:39 - 05:22]

Harrison provides an overview of Marathon’s product lines, describing them as tool watches designed for functionality:

• Pilot's Watches: Featuring parkerized asymmetrical cases and bi-directional bezels.
• SAR (Search and Rescue) Watches: Equipped with oversized bezels and knurled crowns for use with gloves.
• Field Watches: Classic designs updated with modern materials and movements.

“They're tool watches, first and foremost... very classic military tritium based dials.” [04:39]

These features underline Marathon’s commitment to producing durable and reliable watches tailored for demanding environments.

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5. Government Contracts and International Distribution [05:22 - 08:30]

Marathon maintains strong relationships with governmental bodies, primarily the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the General Service Administration (GSA). Harrison details his role:

“It's a lot of responding to quotes, requests for quotes, you know, a few hundred a day...” [05:50]

Marathon’s operations are based in Vaughan, Ontario, with manufacturing in Le Chateau de Fonds, Switzerland, ensuring high-quality production standards. Additionally, Marathon supplies to allied forces globally through GSA Global Supply, extending their reach beyond the United States.

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6. Customization for Military Units [07:08 - 07:57]

Addressing the niche demand for unit-specific watches, Harrison discusses Marathon’s expanding capabilities in customization:

“We've had lots of requests over the years, but we were just so small we couldn't facilitate that sort of small scale...” [07:35]

Marathon is now enhancing their production processes to offer customized dials and engravings, catering to specific military units and fostering a sense of exclusivity and personalization.

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7. Pricing Strategy and Market Segmentation [08:30 - 09:51]

Marathon offers a wide range of price points to accommodate different segments:

• General Purpose Watches: Starting around $300-$400 USD.
• Chronograph SAR Watches: Up to $5,000 USD on the bracelet.

“Depending on the use case and the requirement, we run the gambit, if you will.” [08:54]

This pricing strategy allows Marathon to appeal to both end consumers and military personnel who seek reliable timepieces for various purposes.

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8. Personal Insights and Brand Positioning [09:51 - 18:35]

The conversation shifts to personal reflections on Marathon and its place in the watch market. Rob praises Marathon’s functional design and durability, likening it to essential gear for watch enthusiasts:

“They're just tools, really, unapologetically tools.” [11:00]

Alan Ben Joseph shares his personal connection, highlighting how Marathon fills a specific role in his collection:

“That's the one I bought. And this exactly fills that gap in my collection where I don't want to wear a Swatch or a digital G shock.” [17:38]

This segment underscores Marathon’s unique positioning as a functional and affordable option for both everyday wear and demanding activities.

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9. Conclusion and Community Engagement [18:35 - End]

Wrapping up, Rob and Alon encourage listeners to engage with the community and share their experiences with Marathon Watches:

“Drop us a line at either Rob or Alon show via the official website www.therealtime.show or the Instagram handle herealtime show...” [18:35]

This call to action fosters a sense of community and invites further discussion on the practical applications and personal stories related to Marathon timepieces.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Harrison McCrindle on Repurposing Military Watches:

  “We sort of picked up the, the lost time and gave them some. Gave them their watches back kind of thing.” [02:26]

• Rob Nudds on Marathon’s Functionality:

  “If you're a watch guy... you're not going to want to wear that watch all the time... there's going to be some moments when you need a real Go anywhere do anything Beta.” [13:00]

• Alan Ben Joseph on Personal Watch Preferences:

  “I don't want to wear fantastic plastic... I do want hands.” [17:07]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of The Real Time Show provides an in-depth exploration of Marathon Watches, highlighting their evolution from a military supplier to a versatile brand catering to both governmental contracts and the general public. Through engaging discussions and personal anecdotes, listeners gain valuable insights into Marathon’s commitment to functionality, durability, and expanding market presence. Whether you're a seasoned watch enthusiast or new to the brand, this episode offers a comprehensive understanding of what makes Marathon Watches a standout choice in the tool watch segment.

Transcript

[Harrison McCrindle]

Foreign.

[Rob Knuts]

Watch fans and welcome to another edition of the Real Time show with me, your friendly neighborhood watchmaker, Rob Knuts, the friendly neighbourhood jeweler Alan Ben Joseph, and the strategic government contract officer from marathon watches, Harrison McCrindle. Nailed it.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Hey guys, how's it going?

[Rob Knuts]

I stuck the landing there, didn't you? Yeah, I took notes. That's the first time in two and a half years that's happened and hopefully it'll last for the next two and a half years as well. So Harrison, we've had Marathon on the show before for a full length episode which was extremely interesting. But we, we want to hear your take on the brand and your take on the experience of being here at time to watches at the Villa Saracen in Geneva. So let's start with the latter. How's the event going for you?

[Harrison McCrindle]

It's been great so far. Yeah, we're, we're really pleased with the, the turnout, the, the interactions have been fantastic. We've been really happy so far for sure.

[Rob Knuts]

What kind of people are you getting to your booth? Are you getting mostly end consumers, retailers, journalists.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Fair, fair, good mix. Lots of collectors, enthusiasts, a few retailers, other manufacturers as well.

[Rob Knuts]

Interesting.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Sebastian from Salida was at our booth a few minutes ago. It was great, great conversation, very good.

[Rob Knuts]

He's a fantastic guy. What's your goal though? What do you want? Are you most interested in. Well, maybe a mix is the answer to that question as well. But are you here for a specific reason?

[Harrison McCrindle]

So we sort of flew under the radar for a very long time. We were primarily sold to the US government, You know, some production overrun, military surplus.

[Rob Knuts]

Was that a deliberate pun?

[Harrison McCrindle]

Not. Maybe not, no. But we, yeah, we've been supplying the military for the whole time. And then it wasn't until a few years ago that we actually started supplying to the general public. A lot of guys leaving service had to return their watches and then so we sort of picked up the, the lost time and gave them some. Gave them their watches back kind of thing.

[Rob Knuts]

Interesting. So when, when these watches would be given back by their servicemen and women to the military, what would happen to them? Would they be just crushed or refurbished or repurposed or just given out as.

[Harrison McCrindle]

They were sort of repurposed, they'd be redistributed, reissued as needed. But then in a lot of cases, after a certain amount of uses, like firearms, like everything else in the military, it's sold off to the general public afterwards, we wound up in the collector circles.

[Rob Knuts]

Oh, so they did make their way out into the civilian realm. But they weren't directly sold to civilians. So there was this interest and this knowledge about Marathon before you actually decided to go direct to the civilian realm.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yeah, it was very much a. If you knew, you knew kind of thing. Oh, very cool.

[Rob Knuts]

It's very cool. I could imagine it being quite a, you know, a tug on the old heartstrings as a service person to have to give back your. Your watch, that spin with your missions and whatnot.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yeah, and it was exactly that. That sort of led us to selling to the general public. A lot of guys, you know, they. They loved wearing it, their navigators, their general purpose watches, for such a long time that, you know, they were. They'd leave. They reach out to us and go, you know, can. Can I just buy one from you? And, you know, we'd say, you know, we're not really set up for that. You know, we'd have certain distributors that would sell the surplus, but they wanted to buy directly from us, so. And so the advent of the Internet and e commerce in general allowed us to finally be able to serve those people again.

[Rob Knuts]

It's my turn for one pun here. Just came to me. Did Marathon hit the ground running?

[Harrison McCrindle]

Let's say yes.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

The guys were sitting in front of each other. He's so proud of himself.

[Rob Knuts]

I was an admiral myself. I'm beaming from ear to ear. This is the happiest I've been for a long time. Yeah, thanks for indulging me on that one. But it did take Lake off immediately.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Did it? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. We've been slowly building since then. You know, getting the name out, and that's partly why we're here, is it's good for us to finally get in front of people, get our name into the mouths of those who matter. Right.

[Rob Knuts]

What are your volumes annually? Are you able to share that with us, or is that something you prefer to keep dumb on?

[Harrison McCrindle]

I don't know. Off the top of my head.

[Rob Knuts]

Great answer. But you did, Helen.

[Harrison McCrindle]

It's a substantial portion is the US military, through DoD and through GSA. A lot of it is end consumer now and through distributors, but a good portion of it is still very much the government contracting.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

For those that are not familiar with these initials, please spell them out.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yeah. So GSA is the General service administration, and the Department of Defense is dod.

[Rob Knuts]

Okay. I have one question for you. Well, actually not question, a request, more to the point of. Anyone that hasn't seen marathon watchers will probably be wondering exactly what they look like, because it sounds like they could be like timex Ironman. Right. Because it's not like a, you know, basic digital watch. Far from it. What is it that they look like? What are their distinct characteristics? How would you describe it to somebody? Through an audio channel Just like this.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yeah. So they're tool watches, first and foremost. You know, we do pilot's watches with our navigator with that, you know, parkerized asymmetrical case, 12 hour bi directional bezel. Very classic military tritium based dials. We also have, our SAR watches are search and rescue watches. They're dive watches, oversized bezels for use with gloved hands, knurled crowns for the same basic military dials, tritium illumination, automatic and quartz movements. And we also have the field watches which are, you know, we've been doing since, you know, the 1980s. So it's the same ever since. It's just modifying and upgrading as we, as we go with case materials and movements and whatnot.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

You already answered half of my question. If you supply other government institutions already in the U.S. do you supply also other governments around the world?

[Harrison McCrindle]

We do, yeah. Through GSA Global Supply, we are available to any allied force that's willing to buy them and so they can buy them through gsa.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

So you're responsible for that division within Marathon.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Correct.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

How does your day look like?

[Harrison McCrindle]

It's a lot of responding to quotes, requests for quotes, you know, a few hundred a day, let's say. And then a lot of it is dealing with existing contracts, making sure that supply is coming in for existing delivery orders and whatnot. And then also part of my day is helping with streamlining production and making sure that engravings have the correct contract numbers and our CADs and whatnot.

[Rob Knuts]

So where are you based?

[Harrison McCrindle]

We are based in Vaughan, Ontario, just north of Toronto. And then our factory is in Le Chateau de Fonds, Switzerland.

[Rob Knuts]

So one important question. Yeah, you said allied forces.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yes.

[Rob Knuts]

So we don't need to get too political right now, but are you keeping a close eye on developments?

[Harrison McCrindle]

Always, yes. You know, we've had such strong ties to the US government for so long that you know, we, we don't see any need to, to sully that. It's, it's a strong positive relationship with them for sure.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

What I was wondering, that's why I asked the question, if you supply different governments, some military outputs put their numbers in the case back. So when you repurposed those watches, U.S. army, let's say they don't put a number.

[Harrison McCrindle]

No. So that's a general issue. I am at our general purpose watches, for instance, steel watches they're not serialized based on the unit of issue. They're serialized from our production standpoint, but. But not unit specific.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

So Breadmund is very much known for creating unit specials. So they're only made for a particular unit. Only unit members can actually purchase that particular run of production. Does Marathon do that as well?

[Harrison McCrindle]

It's something we're expanding on more and more. We've had lots of requests over the years, but we were just so small we couldn't facilitate that sort of small scale. But we're putting into place some abilities to do that. Smaller production runs and unit level, customized dials and case engravings and whatnot. Specific for the units for sure.

[Rob Knuts]

I'd like to get a TRTS unit up and running. That'd be pretty cool, wouldn't it? We could have our own podcast cohorts.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

And we know now how to obtain that with Mitchell.

[Rob Knuts]

Oh yeah, of course. Absolutely. Inside track.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

On. On that.

[Harrison McCrindle]

You've got my card on that topic.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

I don't know if I told you, Rob, they took the best distributor in Europe are different than the bugs.

[Rob Knuts]

The Dutchman in Germany you can't get something that is.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Here he is. Yeah, he's my buddy. Yeah. Doing our distribution of Germany. It's fantastic. Wonderful guy. He spent a lot of time at our booth and chit chatting with him. Fantastic.

[Rob Knuts]

So what's the reception been like in Germany then to watches like Marathon?

[Harrison McCrindle]

Positive. Yeah, yeah. We're. Yeah. He handles just in general distribution for all of Europe. But Germany has been a good one as well because they allow tritium watches, whereas other countries in Europe don't necessarily. So Germany's a good partner that way.

[Rob Knuts]

Give us an idea of the price points that we're talking about here because some of the Marathon watches are extremely affordable in the now.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yeah. So our general purpose watches, for instance, they start around 300 or $400 US ranging all the way up to our chronograph search and rescue watch, which is around 5,000 on the bracelet. So, you know, depending on the use case and the requirement, we. We run the run the gambit, if you will.

[Rob Knuts]

Yeah, I can imagine that there's. There's a fair amount of. A huge amount of volume interest in the lower end because like it's a very striking and interesting product to be able to obtain for such a small amount of cash. But I suppose those more expensive pieces are the preserve of collectors or maybe more often service people that have a very deep affection for the brand. Is that the case or do you find it to be more.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Yeah, We. We do get requests for the. The chronograph periodically through Department of Defense and through gsa. It's often used as a end of service gift or. Or promotion, but then often use those also for ship captains and. And. And whatnot.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

Harrison, did you hear his second pun? Is it the case? Ah, bro, you didn't even notice it yourself.

[Rob Knuts]

Well, you know, we're in a groove now. Obviously. It's all just flowing. This is solid gold podcasting. We're obviously found our feet. Oh, wholesome. Okay, what's your favorite model?

[Harrison McCrindle]

So I've been wearing lately the steel Navigator automatic, mostly because the Navigator is fantastic for travel and I've been doing a lot lately with all the trade shows and so being able to quickly set the time zone off the bezel is fantastic. And normally I'd wear a quartz, but I've been wearing the automatic mostly because it's just if you feel more connected to the watch, it's almost a living thing on your wrist. It's fantastic.

[Rob Knuts]

Are you a collector outside of Marathon?

[Harrison McCrindle]

I have become one, unfortunately.

[Rob Knuts]

Yeah.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Unfortunately for my wallet.

[Rob Knuts]

Yeah, we've heard that before. So what other things interest you then beyond Marathon?

[Harrison McCrindle]

I have an affinity for tool watches in general. I have tremendous respect for Tudor and Omega and what they do and even some of the smaller ones. I'm a big fan and I love a good field watch, good dive watch.

[Rob Knuts]

Very good. Very good. So we can expect to see a lot more of marathon around Europe now, thanks to your partners over here.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Absolutely.

[Rob Knuts]

People are getting to know the brand. If you haven't heard the full length episode that Alon recorded with Mitchell, then go back onto the Real Time show and check it out. Okay, guys, we're gonna let you get back to your booth and keep talking to that wide variety of people that are coming by to say hi. Good luck on the rest of the week.

[Harrison McCrindle]

Take care.

[Rob Knuts]

Cheers. Thank you. So I went for a run this morning in preparation for this analysis of ours. Marathon watchers, one of Canada's most prolific watchmaking exports. What did you make of the meeting? What do you make of the team behind marathon? And what do you make of the watches, really? Now we're outside of the glass igloo.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

First of all, kudos to you. Nice intro. I love how you dropped that running a marathon in there. Well done. Off the record, before the recording, we asked the team, which were awesome guys, if their dear chief was philosophically high on the first recording on the Real Time show. So we kicked off the meeting in a fun way. We Were joking around. Lovely guys. How can you not love Canadians, right? They're always out and about, super happy, super jolly. They were passionate, they knew what they were talking about. I actually love the in depth insights in how they cater to all these governments organizations. So I really enjoyed that recording, actually.

[Rob Knuts]

Yeah, I did too. And I. I've really got a soft spot for Marathon. There's something about them, the pure functionality, the fugliness of the watches, because let's face it, you know, they're not elegant, they're not refined in the way that a Laurent Ferrier or a Cartier is. They're just tools, really, unapologetically tools. And the military colorways in which they come are appealing to me. I like the collaborations they sometimes do with brands like Jeep. You know, it does deepen an understanding of what this brand stands for, who they see themselves as selling to. And I like that. Self confidence. I mean, you can turn your nose up at it if you want, but this is the kind of watch, if you're a watch guy, right, or a watch gal, should we say, and you have a collection of nice pieces, or maybe not even a collection, maybe just one really nice watch that you saved up for and is your pride and joy. You're not going to want to wear that watch all the time, every day, everywhere, regardless of what you're doing, there's going to be some moments when you need a real Go anywhere do anything Beta. And I would say, and okay, this depends whether you define a beater as something you can beat around or whether there's something that just beats relentlessly, like a sort of tractor movement. That's a conversation for another day, but let's just say a Gadda watch a go anywhere do anything watch that you can smash to hell. What are your choices? Right? If you're a watch person, what do you go for? When you're not wearing your Chapek Antarctic or your Zenith Defy, what do you pull out of the box? Is it Casio G Shock, which is an easy answer. Is it a heavy duty Casio something like a Mud Master or a Range Master? Something really fancy, so something still pretty luxurious and pretty expensive? Or do you go something like a Marathon, which is extremely affordable, or maybe like a Casio F91W? You know that that's the F91W is probably the entry point. Then you've got a Marathon and then you've got a G Shock and then you've got super duper G Shocks. You got Timex in between there with Ironmans. And whatnot. For me, Marathon is exactly in that bracket. I've got G shocks, I want a Timex Ironman, I really do. And they're really pushing some cool designs at the minute which are great. If you've not seen them, go check them out. They've got some great especially Japanese only market versions which actually aren't Japanese only market versions. That and the decent Casio. What would you choose? You know, do you agree that that's in that bracket? That is one of those watches that you would go for if you're a watch person that needs something to smash around in a kayak.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

Interesting actually and I think we can dedicate a whole episode or an article analysis on this that I have that same issue. And as you might know, I recently moved the location of the Ace Jewelers boutique, meaning I had to basically dust out all the vaults and take my whole private collection with and relocate them. So what I did is I took about 40, 50 watches home and they're obviously they're less expensive ones and I'm actually bringing them to the rotation and I there's watch in there that I forgot so. Including some swatches. But even 40 years down the line of wearing and owning swatches, I can never keep them on for more than a day either. I can't just stand the full plastic of it or the hard ticking sound. And last week I Wore My system 51 watch again. Well the first few hours I enjoyed that, the noisy rambling of the rotor. But then it starts to annoy me. And what you just described is something that I always ponder when I go on holidays. Usually I don't travel more than three, four watches on a holiday and I can't have a G shock on all the time. I usually wear my G shocks when I work out or do sports or go to the gym and do crazy stuff like moving or doing some chores which I don't do too often. So I usually tend to metal watches or titanium and I don't always want a metal bracelet. So I always make a mix of high and low end mechanical, non mechanical plastic straps or rubber straps versus metal straps. So it's a very interesting case. And you know what Rob, why don't we end this analysis and revert back to our dear TRTS community to hear their two cents on this very good question of yours.

[Rob Knuts]

Let's wrap it up there then and just say for me like I know there's higher end marathon models available that go into the multi thousands, you know, 1, 2, 3, €4,000 but for me the the real selling point of this whole brand is the entry level stuff that they do. Like the 34 millimeter Wusten Brauner Alve Kratz Mid Marigold for example. That's like one of my favorite pieces. Like just basically the the tan plastic case model. Like you can't be, in my opinion for pure functionality.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

So funny for you to say that because that's the one I bought. And this exactly fills that gap in my collection where I don't want to wear a Swatch or a digital G shock. I do want hands. I do want something funky or a bit off or weird. I'm not bothered if it gets banged up or broken, but I don't want to wear fantastic plastic.

[Rob Knuts]

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more and I can't wait to hear what the community has to say about it. So if you have got some comments on this, like what are your watches on your day off from the luxury pieces and drop us a line at either Rob or Alon show via the official website www.therealtime.show or the Instagram handle herealtime show and we will respond to those questions as soon as we can.

[Alan Ben Joseph]

Sam.