Black DefStan nylon, Parkerized hardware and a white dial: the Marathon Arctic SSNAV-D, reference WW194013SS-0503, is a study in contrast. This 41mm Steel Navigator with Date blends a bright face with a strap that looks straight out of the supply room.

The DefStan strap is a big part of this watch's character. Its matte grey Parkerized buckle and keepers cut reflections and pick up a subtle patina over time, a nice counterpoint to the brushed 316L stainless steel case. It is the kind of strap that looks better the more you wear it, and it gives the Arctic dial a rugged frame rather than a dressy one.

The Arctic white dial, free of government markings, was created for legibility in bright or snowy conditions, and it carries a date window at 4:30 alongside tritium gas tubes that glow through the night. The Swiss ETA F06.412 PreciDrive quartz movement inside is thermocompensated and keeps to about ten seconds a year. The 11mm case uses a screw-down crown for 10 ATM water resistance and a sapphire crystal. Rounding things out, the 90-click bi-directional 12-hour bezel is the same navigation tool Marathon designed with Kelly Air Force Base for U.S. Air Force pilots in 1986. The steel Navigator returned in 2023.

Arctic SSNAV-D on DefStan: WW194013SS-0503

• Reference: WW194013SS-0503
• Case: 41mm 316L steel, 11mm thick
• Movement: ETA F06.412 PreciDrive, Swiss thermocompensated quartz
• Water resistance: 10 ATM
• Crown and crystal: screw-down; sapphire
• Bezel: bi-directional, 12-hour scale, 90 clicks
• Dial: Arctic white, no government markings, date at 4:30
• Lume: tritium tubes
• Strap: 11" DefStan nylon with Parkerized hardware, 20mm

A bright dial on a strap with grit, and plenty of character in both.