World War II Combat Divers Didn’t Wear Dive Watches. They Wore Affordable Tool Watches Like This

The latest throwback military watch from Mk II has its origins in the 1940s.

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If you’re in the market for a modern military watch inspired by lost classics from the 20th century, then Mk II is the brand for you.

Mk II was founded by walking military watch encyclopedia Bill Yao, and the details-obsessed American watchmaker was one of the original microbrands when it opened its proverbial doors in 2002. The brand’s reputation has only grown in the two-plus decades since its founding, with most of its affordably priced watches selling out in a flash.

For its latest offering, Mk II has partnered with the non-profit organization Project Recover for a fresh take on the former’s WWII-inspired Hellion tool watch that pays tribute to the origins of combat diving while also supporting a worthy cause.

Missing in action

Project Recover is dedicated to searching for and locating MIA American service members from conflicts around the world, dating back to World War II.

Mk II founder Bill Yao was particularly inspired by the story of Robert A. Black, Jr., John MacMahon and Howard “Red” Roeder; three members of UDT-10 — one of the original Underwater Demolition Teams, the WWII-era predecessors of the Navy SEALs — who were lost near the Yap Islands after disembarking from the submarine USS Burrfish during a covert mission.

The men’s grave sites have never been found, and Project Recover is dedicated to locating their resting place to finally bring closure to their families and those touched by the story of their bravery and sacrifice. To help aid in the effort, MkII’s new Hellion Project Recover Baku Edition isn’t just spreading the word about the case, but every purchase of the watch also sends a donation directly to Project Recover.

Diving before divers

The modern dive watch as we know it — with a rotating timing bezel, large luminous markers and other signature features — didn’t arrive until 1953 when the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner established the form. But before that, military frogmen still needed waterproof watches to wear during missions.

The design of Mk II’s Cruxible Hellion was inspired by both the “Canteen Watch” worn by those early combat divers of World War II, recognized for its unusual oversized crown lock, along with “the watch that won the war,” the A-11 field watch.

The latest version of the Hellion, the Project Recover Baku Edition, leans even more heavily into the combat diver origins of these early military tool watches than the standard version.

The name “Baku” has a double meaning. For one, it’s a contraction of the Japanese word bakuhatai, which means “demolitionists” and was used by the Japanese to refer to the captured trio in an intercepted transmission. Baku is also the name of a Japanese mythical entity that feeds on nightmares and protects people from evil spirits, which Mk II figured was a suitable metaphor for both Project Recover and the MIA UDT members.

The new watch keeps the 39 x 13.55 x 48.5mm stainless steel case of the Hellion, with its reinforced midcase, drilled scroll lugs and oversized Canteen Watch “cap”-inspired screw-down crown, but adopts a stealthier, all-brushed finish in place of the Hellion’s mirror-polished look.

The dial has received subtle updates, with larger lume plots and the Arabic numerals now getting a coat of lume, which has also been upgraded from formula BGW9 to brighter-glowing, green-emission Arclite SuperLumiNova. Project Recover’s name has also been added to the dial above the 100m water-resistant label at 6:00, a nod to co-branding customs of the 1940s.

The handset is also new, with fatter, more luminous syringe hands and a new luminous tip for the seconds hand. The hands have a gray, black and white color scheme that mimics the camouflage paint style used by WWII submarines like the USS Burrfish to avoid detection when above the surface. The seconds hand also features a version of Project Recover’s asymmetrical triangle logo as its counterweight.

The watch gets a new movement, too, in the form of a proper no-date Seiko NH38 automatic, which is produced in Japan but regulated by Mk II in the U.S. The caliber is hidden behind a closed screw-down caseback that bears a combination of stamped and acid-etched references to the Project Recover case that inspired the Hellion Baku Edition, taking direct inspiration from the casebacks of Canteen Watches issued to some UDT members of the period.

Pricing and availability

As with all Mk II watches, the Hellion Project Recover BAKU Edition is built with actual rough usage in mind — there’s no need to baby this watch; treat it like you would if you were a UDT member going on a mission in the Pacific Theater in 1944. Also, as with all Mk II products, the watch has a price point well below what you’d expect for the quality you’re getting.

The Hellion Project Recover BAKU Edition is priced at just $649, with $80 of each sale going directly to Project Recover as a donation. In addition to the watch itself, which comes on an olive Haveston M-1944C canvas strap with brushed hardware, you also receive a travel case, a Baku mission patch, and a printed zine chronicling the case of the missing UDT-10 members, the history of combat diving and Underwater Demolition Teams, and Project Recover’s efforts.

Mk II Hellion Project Recover BAKU Edition

Specs

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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