Watch It: Van Neistat Dove Deep Into The World Of Mechanical Watches And Came Out With A Marathon

The Neistat Brothers, an HBO series from the early 2000s, put Casey and Van Neistat on the map over a decade ago, but since then, both brothers have taken different paths, ultimately making their careers on YouTube. Casey, first, with his viral daily vlogs catapulting him to one of the most famous people on the internet. More recently, Van took to YouTube, bringing a raw and refreshingly authentic perspective to the platform, and in his latest video, he describes his journey to buy his first mechanical watch—a Marathon 41mm GSAR Type II. 

Van is known for his analog and fix-it-yourself approach, nothing more evident than with his vintage Land Cruiser, among other things, but he’s never worn a watch. Well, until recently, when he started his journey in watches from a gift from Casey—a Timex Ironman Triathlon. A gift from a loved one ignites his passion for watches – it’s a tale as old as time (or watches, at least). 

As a longtime viewer (and fan) of Van, I’ve realized that curiosity is one of the themes that constantly drives him. Quickly after wearing this watch, he talks about how he likes it, but some of his needs aren’t fulfilled, so he moves on to a Casio Standard MRW-200HJ, which he also realizes doesn’t work for his needs.

As he describes it, after some research, he finds the perfect watch with the purchase of the Marathon 41mm GSAR Type II – Diver’s Automatic. His excitement for finding this ideal watch was palpable and relatable—nothing beats acquiring the one that exactly suits your needs. Van celebrates this in a way only he could— by creating a three-foot dial replica of the watch, for the sole purpose of illustrating some brief sequences shown in the video. 

Upon receiving his first watch, he was so into Marathon that he reached out directly and was gifted a second one—a 46mm CSAR Type II Diver’s Automatic —which makes this video technically an ad (both for Marathon and the brand’s connection to the Windup Watch Fair from our pals at Worn & Wound) when revealed at the end, but honestly, one of the more genuine ones I’ve seen. The video perfectly captures what brings many of us to watches—needing something for a specific purpose, experiencing them through someone else’s recommendation, trying options that don’t work, and finally finding the right one. Neistat documents this entire journey beautifully in just eight minutes. We can’t recommend this video enough—you can watch it here.

For more on these watches, head over to Marathon’s website. 

​Hodinkee 

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