Comparison of Marathon JDD & GSAR Automatic Diver Watches 

Thanks for making this. I’m shopping now and this is still the only direct comparo between JDD and GSAR that I can find. We’ll done, sir.

Nice review! I'm a soldier in the Australian defence force and ive just bought the Marathon JDD search and rescue divers watch and it's been fantastic! And has taken a real beating and still runs great. Cheers...

Definitely keep both - I enjoy switching up and wearing both occasionally. Beautiful readability day or night, great dial depth. Lovely mechanism and machining to the crown and bezel. They both enhance your living.

Nice review! Great job!

For those interested Marathon kicked off a 20% off sale on their site on a handful of GSARs. I just ordered one!

I have the JDD in route. Currently, I rock the GSAR but have thought it a bit small at times. Previously, I was wearing the Luminox Sport Timer. This watch stacks up in spec pretty close to the GSAR, however, not as good. I gave my Sport Timer to my nephew who needed the mil. time option and lume at night for Army runs. My preference I think when all said and done will be the JDD. Why? Well, that’s because I want to see the time FAST at a glance and be accurate. Then I need the day date because in the moment- I wanna know exactly where I’m at without having to do math or try and think- “Is it Wednesday or Thursday?” Yeah, I’m that simple sometimes. And then, in field conditions at night… I have to be able to know the time and that tritum gas tubes are the bomb. So then there is the bezel… the Sport Timer was ok but has a raised window pip… snags, gets hung up and finds every door jam on planet earth 🌍. Now my new JDD may also but I wanted a notch above in terms of rugged tool build in a watch. I chose the Arctic for clear readability in low light conditions. My GSAR is a black face- also nice. I plan to keep both for now. *** It should be stated that if you like the Luminox build or brand, they will do right by our military with proof of service. A side note to that, Marathon will not… but they currently offer a 10% discount.

Nice comparison. I went through a similar process for similar reasons. The answer is the JSAR :-)

Great video! My son just got me one for Christmas. I almost passed out. Love, love, love this thing. If you still have the bracelet for the GSAR I'm definitely interested. Thanks for the comparison.

Hi, I know this video is old. I had the gsar, original issued from when I was in CDN Military. Loved it. Loved in passed tense cause I lost it somehow. Looking to get another and debating on the JDD. Nostalgia of sorts. I have same sized wrist as you. I have only one question, after all this time, do you still where it and like it better compared to gsar? I find it looks really big and the gsar fits better so mehow.

man that JDD looks so good! And of course the gsar! I love what this company stands for and can't wait to get my JDD either this year or the next.

Thank you for the video, may I ask where you got the deal on the GSAR? Or where you would recommend that I look for one for the best deal? (like you, I hate paying retail)

Marathon is a very small family-owned watch company in Toronto and Switzerland but they made great real military issue watches.

Great video. I'm.wondering are you still around and your Marathon watches.

6 yrs later would you still recommend one?

nice job. good comparison

Hi there, Im curious as to which watch you wear the most nowadays...since you've had both for some time now. Cheers

Nice review!

Double orange on the JDD for rhe 12 marker would have been perfect but if that's my only complaint about the watch that's not too bad. Thanks for your video and wow have prices gone up! I still think the JDD and GSAR are worth the price.

Nice review! How many seconds per day / month would you say you gain or lose with these watches? I bought a TSAR used right around 5 years ago w/ SS bracelet for $400 off Craigslist. I got really lucky, love the watch. It's a BEAST and have only had to swap the battery once. I have a 7.5" wrist and have really been wanting a JDD for a while now, but they're around $1900 new w rubber strap. Not sure if I can take the plunge with that price. Really eager to find a used one in good condition, but thanks for the detailed review / your thoughts!

where did u get ur Marathons? they seems cheaper than what i have been looking for now. thanks

I own the JDD and the JSAR. I find that their format is perfect for my 7.5 inch wrist. I already had the GSAR but I found it too small for me. These watches look smaller in reality because the numbers are near the center. I also find the GSAR dial too busy with a date window wrongly positioned.

nice video. when did the JDDs go the curved glass ?.

I’d love to see how the Marathon JDD stacks up against the Seiko Tuna and the G-Shock Mudmaster GWG-1000. Both are similarly priced and durable.

I can’t get over how small the GSAR looks *in person! It’s definitely an optical illusion after measuring thrice 😅.

both super nice watches. personally what do u think of the curved glass on the JDD ? those rubber straps are amazing.. feels like your not wearing a strap at all. extremely comfortable.

Very jealous as the prices have shot up by quite a bit now

Long fetch, I know. But if you're still looking into strap options, you should check out the Marine Nationale straps by Erika's Originals, or any other NATO or ZULU straps.

Is that .50gi in the lower left?

$675.00? Damn, when did you buy yours? Did you buy it new? I just bought a GSAR and I paid $1050.00 for mine with a Rubber Strap. While I am happy for you, but a price discount of 64% and then with a SS Bracelet to boot; my friend you stole that timepiece. :-)

$675 on bracelet?!!! Who did you buy it from???

The test of time...

Don’t like where date is located on GSAR

If you ever want to sell your GSAR I would be interested 😬

the half life is 25 years

Wouldn't it be sort of silly to spend $1,000 on a watch just so that you could see the numbers easier. Why not just carry a magnifying glass?