Mk II has always embraced the deep history of the issued military watch. Their watches are known for their simplicity, straightforwardness and sterile aesthetic that highlight the purpose-built and military nature of these field tools. From their Cruxible field watch and their Hawkinge pilot?s watch, to their popular Tornek-Rayville diver, they?ve taken the original designs and created a range of watches built for the modern day wearer. Mk II recently announced their latest addition to their line of ?Ready to Wear? watches with the Paradive Type XIII, which we were able to check out in person during WindUp NYC last weekend, and spoiler alert, there?s a little something quirky going on with the handset, and it?s a good thing.

With the Paradive Type XIII, Mk II highlights a point in time when military watches returned from service, and to the surprise of the owner, with unoriginal parts to the watch. This might sound like a nightmare situation if this occurred nowadays, but according to some anecdotes from Mk II, some of the ?Frankenwatches? that returned actually came back looking better, and somehow more functional. As the story goes, one watch that made its way back had larger hands and significantly more lume. As the folks over at Mk II call it, ?happy accidents?.
As far as the general look and aesthetic goes, the Paradive Type XIII handset is sort of funky when you compare it to the rest of their lineup. The blackened area of the hour hand gives the illusion t...