U.s. marines gsr automatic - Marathon Search and Rescue Divers Automatic Wristwatch, GSAR

I was a little skeptical at first because of the sheer size and heft of this watch. My experience with the fit and finish of government contracted/issued watches and gear is spotty at best. I also thought having the U.S. Government stamp on the face of the GSAR was part of the cache. However, this watch is amazingly comfortable for its size. The large knurled screw-down crown does not even dig into the back of my hand when doing push-ups! The bezel is not sharp or obtrusive and audibly clicks off in 30 second increments for precise dive time monitoring in limited visibility. The soft vulcanized rubber strap gives off a faint “plain vanilla” essence which, rather than being less manly, is strangely quite appropriate for such a “Spartan” watch. As a result, the strap doesn’t constantly reek of sweat and grime like my hard rubber G-Shock and it doesn’t cut into my skin. This watch has covert “wow factor” because it uses the same Swiss-made automatic 25 jewel movement as many of the top and much more expensive designer watches. I am a Casio G-Shock Tough Solar fan, but on my last deployment, I struggled to keep it fully charged due to working at night and with sleeves down. Automatic movements may loose a few more seconds than a quartz over a month’s time, but if you wear it daily and synchronize weekly, you have an amazingly accurate perpetual motion machine with 48 hours of stored reserve power and no batteries! In addition, the Tritium gas tubes give off the perfect amount of tactical illumination reminiscent of the old school lensatic compass that they used to issue to us back in the day. Overall, the look if this watch is functionally rugged and utilitarian. It is a “timeless” design that is a fitting Government GSAR tribute to the legendary Corps-issued dive watch. I do not even miss the “U.S. Government” tag of the original issue pieces because I am actually a U.S. Marine. I purchased the matching stainless steel bracelet with a subtle EGA etching because, as any Teufel Hunden knows, you can never have too many MOTO Marine Corps Cult symbols on your person. RAH!