One’s position on a matter is particularly effective if it is fueled by context and the perspective of others much more familiar with the subject than oneself. The MKii and Benrus booths at the WindUp watch fair in Manhattan allowed for this. It was the first time I had any sense of purpose in my strides. I had just placed the Benrus Type I back on its display table and quickly said my goodbyes to the two gentlemen crewing the Benrus station. I then made my way over to see Bill Yao, the founder of MKii watches, to congratulate him on his Paradive. I did so due to the sheer substance and quality of his watch versus the watch on which it was based, the vintage Type I by Benrus. Ever so humble, Mr. Yao brushed off the compliment and told me he had a couple of his new Paradive XIII’s available for sale at the show.
“Wait,” I said in disbelief. “You’re telling me that if I give you money, you will sell me a watch that I can have right now,” I said this referencing how hard it is to get one of his watches, for they typically sell out instantly on his site. Due to the nature of our work, some of us cannot be glued to a computer screen awaiting a watch release. When I said this, not only did Mr. Yao laugh but so did an onlooker at the fair who gave me a nod that said, “act now, you dummy.”
And act, I did.
On The Wrist
After two weeks of wearing the Paradive, a couple of distinct impressions have been made. First, given the military history of the watch that it was modeled after, it is a watch that looks at home on a NATO-style strap. When worn as such, the watch looks the part of a proper tool, and thanks to its sloping case and crystal shape, it wears thinner than one would think. This smooth slope allows the watch to slip under loose cuffs, and the flush bezel contributes significantly to this. The Paradive XIII comes with two single pass-through NATO-style straps that are densely woven and can result in discomfort for those with more delicate wrists. Neither of the supplied straps gave me issues, but I am accustomed to wearing watches around the clock (even while asleep) and having them fitted on the tight side.
The second is when the watch is worn on the supplied two-piece rubber strap. Though the watch may look at home on the straps mentioned in the paragraph above, it is on this rubber strap that the watch starts to come into its own. Again, this has to do with the flush bezel, the smooth slope of the case, and the crystal. The Paradive is not a light watch. In fact, the biggest differentiator between it and the current Benrus Type I at first glance (albeit for nearly twice the price) is the sheer density of the MKii. The MKii most closely resembles Marathon watches which are currently being made and sold to modern militaries.
Like my Marathon Chronograph Search and Rescue, this Paradive is so densely made that its Seiko NE15C movement can barely be heard. I also have a Tornek-Rayville TR-660 which uses the same movement, and I can hear that watch from about ten feet away if it is set on a hard surface. The Seiko movement can be underwhelming when it comes to accuracy at first. My example, when left dial-side up overnight, was running at +12 seconds a day, which is within the specifications for this movement. However, after two full weeks of wear, the movement has settled into a very stable +/- 4 seconds a day. This should be delightful news for most, for the movement’s serviceability and durability takes precedence with such a military-inspired timepiece, but if it can be this accurate as well, there is literally nothing to complain about.
It is hard to forecast the performance of movements that fall within the grades of this Seiko NE15C. They are known to vary from each example, and the quality control and regulation from the brand installing the movement into its watches is what you should look out for. Brands such as Nodus (hold on to that thought) are famous for miraculously being able to extract chronometer performance from their Seiko and Miyota movements. It seems that MKii is capable of such regulation and quality control as well. Sidenote: I always giggle when I see Cullen Chen’s name on a Nodus warranty card for I know that the watch will be a reliable performer for years to come.
When worn with the rubber strap, this dense watch does something miraculous – it disappears. In comparison, the current Benrus Type I feels unsubstantial when compared to the MKii. The clasp on this strap is bead-blasted to match the case of the watch and is sculpted beautifully, giving it a welcomed bespoke feeling. Currently, the watch splits its time between the supplied rubber strap and an Erika’s Originals MN Spec Ops strap.
Overall, like the rest of MKii’s “Ready to Wear” series of watches which are made in Japan, these watches sell out instantly for a good reason. Mr. Yao and his team painstakingly go over each watch before they are sold. This results in very long wait times for releases which when combined with how fast they sell out, results in frustration with consumers who do not take the time to understand why this is so. For instance, I plan on buying a Project 300 by MKii, but if I miss out on the chance to buy one on its release, I won’t be upset. We cannot always get what we want, and more importantly, should not be entitled to think that we should.
MKii Paradive Specs | |
Case Width 45mm (41.5mm bezel) | Lug-to-Lug 49.5mm |
Case Thickness 16mm | Lug Width 20mm |
Water Resistance 200m | Strap NATO |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova |
Movement Seiko NE15C | Price $895 |
Bezel and Case Details
The case, as mentioned above, is bead-blasted 316L stainless steel, and dense. The finishing is not the most durable against scratches, but any scratches that have occurred on my watch have been welcome. Such tool watches look fine with blemishes, and they do not personally bother me, but your mileage and expectations can understandably vary.
The asymmetrical case perfectly enshrouds the crown, ensuring it will always be protected. The side profile of the watch is impressive to the touch. The changing contours of the side of the case onto the comfortable bulbous caseback adds to the feel of solidity when first holding the watch. This feeling of substance translates directly over onto the bezel and thick sapphire crystal as your fingers move on from the case.
The bezel and how it aids wearability was mentioned before. Thanks to the finer details, this flush bezel will not hinder the timepiece’s elapsed timing capabilities while on a dive. After hundreds of dives, I have never had an issue with a bezel dampened as well as this Paradive, which has its grip grooves that start sharp at the bottom and expand outwards towards the top of the bezel. It is a common misconception that all flush bezels result in troublesome operation when wet, but the grooves and how the bezel is designed on top of the case allow for wet bare, and gloved hands to operate it smoothly. Without any opportunities to dive, I resorted to trying on all of my diving gloves (wet and dry) ranging from 2mm-7mm neoprene gloves to my layered dry suit setup, and with all of them, I did not have a problem operating the bezel.
The mechanism used on the Paradive’s bezel is not your standard overly-clicky experience that many consumers have come to prefer over the years. The benefit of this mechanism is that you are not announcing to an entire room that you have started timing something. Like the Tornek Rayville TR-660 (Bill Yao also owns the brand Tornek Rayville – hold on to this thought until the final thoughts section) uses a gasket that dampens the 120-click bezel into very precise actuations. Getting this kind of bezel mechanism right is incredibly difficult and highly underappreciated.
A close friend also bought a Paradive after wearing mine at the show, and his bezel is considerably looser. He will send his in to be adjusted soon, but my example is perfect. It is still within MKii’s stated tolerances, and his decision to send it in is a personal one. I will continue to hold this over my friend, who is one of the most adorable watch nerds to have ever graced this planet. The matte aluminum bezel insert matches the case, reflecting little light to the wearer’s eyes in the black sections. However, the metallic numbers on this bezel are beautifully crisp and radiant. The attention to detail that MKii is renowned for results in a bezel insert that is easily one of the best inserts I have ever seen. Much attention has been given to MKii’s acrylic bezels that used luminous numerals in the past, but this aluminum bezel deserves equal praise. The Paradive XIII can either be had with a 12-hour bezel, or the dive bezel.
The crystal’s underside is treated with an anti-reflective coating which aids legibility. This is highly welcome for a tool watch, for I only need to recall the cost of replacing the crystals on Omega Planet Oceans in the past. AR coatings, when scratched, can look truly awful, and forgoing this is a welcome move for the Paradive.
The Dial and Hands
The dial and the handset are the stars of this type XIII version. With my ears strained to hear Mr. Yao at the fair, he mentioned that he fashioned this Paradive after watches that those in military service would often receive after sending their watch in for maintenance. Often, they would receive a watch with parts from other models due to constraints on the field, and they would then go back to work with a watch with what is known as a “Franken-Watch” – this references Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, which was put together with various human body parts. The result is what other brand owners at the fair (hold on to this thought until the last section) joked about being the most colourful watch Mr. Yao would ever release. The dial is a homage to Mr. Yao’s previous work when he used to mod watches many years ago. This makes this Paradive my favorite, and for that reason, you guessed it, you will have to hold on to that thought until the conclusion of this article.
The matte dial and printed markers are perfect, but the lume can be best described as adequate. The lume will not win any brightness competitions amongst the other dive watches in your collection, but it will burn bright enough over the course of a forty-minute standard tank dive. Overnight, its soft glow will require eyes that have adjusted for complete darkness. Once adjusted, you won’t have any issues telling the time in the middle of the night. The date window placement and execution are also perfect. Placed at 4:30 on a black matte black disc, the date function is only there when it is called upon by the wearer. My Paradive’s date switches over every night precisely at 11:58 PM.
The hands are perfectly executed as well. Often, you can see cost-cutting measures from brands by looking at the underside of the hands with a loupe. It is here that I have seen rough finishes and horrible paint work that resemble the underside of engine bays from Soviet-era economy cars on brands such as Seiko Marine Masters and even Omegas. The Paradive’s hands are just as crisp on their underside as they are on top. Furthermore, their transitions from the black counter sections to the white or orange main portions are flawless.
Final Thoughts
The impression one has while wearing any of Mr. Yao’s watches, whether they fall under his historic MKii brand or that of the Tornek-Rayville brand that he acquired over a decade ago, is that of quality. That’s right. I called his MKii brand historic, for it is a very important brand in the watch industry as a whole and not just within the space of microbrands. Mr. Yao’s work and the kindness that he has shown younger brands as they are starting out have created a landscape that is quite frankly astounding.
We have his example, guidance and care to thank for the current state of the industry. He not only helps out younger brands such as Nodus when it comes to sharing his experiences, but he does little things along the way that go unnoticed. In 2019, Erika op den Kelder of Erika’s Originals went on a global tour promoting her new straps. I had previously met Mrs. Kelder in Toronto during her tour and was pleasantly surprised to see her at WindUp NYC a couple of weeks later. Mr. Yao simply moved over his watches on his table at the fair and shared his booth with Mrs. Kelder. As a result, hundreds of enthusiasts and consumers got to meet Erika in person, and fully understand why her straps are so highly regarded. To most laypeople, mechanical watches are obsolete pieces of jewelry, and yet, the industry is thriving. We have people like Mr. Yao and now Cullen Chen and Wesley Kwok of Nodus watches to thank for this.
This brings me to the point that if you value the current state of the watch industry, this Paradive XIII is the one to have. Where other Paradives by MKii and now Tornek-Rayville have near-sterile dials, this dial and handset is an accidental self-tribute to Mr. Yao himself. By recalling his earliest attempts and forays into the watch industry, this Paradive is the one I cherish, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to own one. Ordering for the Paradive XIII reopens in January of 2023, so if you are interested in this timepiece, keep an eye out for its release window.
Lastly, since I have complimented the incredibly handsome Mr. Yao a lot in this article, here is an embarrassing photo of him at the WindUp watch fair in New York from 2019.
Check out more dive watch reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the MKii website here
