J. Crew has long been a reliable source for some of the most reliable, stylish and surprisingly affordable menswear on the market, and that approach now extends right to your wrist game, too. The venerable retailer just debuted the new J. Crew x Marathon Watch Company Pilot’s Navigator, a special-edition timepiece available now for under $500.
Only 500 of the rugged watch itself are available, which retails for a very agreeable $425 and should look right at home on the trail alongside a pair of the best spring joggers or back in town — outfitted with one of the coolest jackets for spring, of course.
It carries on J. Crew’s heritage of classic-meets-modern menswear, be it durable chambray shirting or iconic, versatile-yet-polished tailoring and business casual blazers. That you could ever-so-slightly dress up or dress down the Marathon Watch Company Pilot’s Navigator is a testament to its versatility for the price point.
The watch also carries on J. Crew’s legacy of working with some of the coolest, most iconic menswear brands in the game, be it selling the coveted Nike Killshot in special colors or offering up a carefully curated selection of vintage watches from the world’s top brands.
Naturally though, the Pilot’s Navigator falls on the much more affordable end of the spectrum, yet looks vintage in nature all the same. It’s fitting, after all — Marathon has been making Swiss watches since 1939.
That they do so with a family-owned focus (four generations, specifically) is all the more impressive in an era of big-market watch retailers.
On this latest timepiece, both the dial color and case are exclusive to J. Crew, and the entire timepiece is built to what J. Crew and Marathon call “strict military specifications” under MIL-PRF-46374G regulations.
Unlike watches that use other forms of technology to power visibility, the Pilot’s Navigator makes use of self-contained tritium gas tubes to deliver standout legibility in low-light conditions.
The Altitude Orange dial is visually striking and teams up nicely with the stainless steel case and contrasting NATO strap, all delivering the sort of sporty appeal that wears especially well with J. Crew’s fresh array of breezy chambray shirts, denim jackets and lightweight, pocket-filled field jackets that are perfect for spring days.
The highly useful, sharp timepiece is powered by a quartz movement (an ETA F06 quartz movement, to be precise), and clocks in with a highly wearable case size of 40mm.
It’s the perfect watch to add to your rotation for the price, given both its durability and utility — you can even turn it into another watch entirely by swapping out the brown canvas strap for another canvas or leather strap in your collection.
We’d call that some serious bang for your buck. J. Crew calls this timepiece the perfect blend of “durability with Swiss craftsmanship,” and we think you’ll agree once you get one of the best affordable watches on your wrist from an outstanding new partnership.