Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date military watch
655 €The Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date is a military dive watch from the American workshop founded by Bill Yao. A civilian take on the TR-50717 "Paradive, Class B" platform developed by the brand's Tornek-Rayville division, it carries forward the legacy of the American MIL-W-50717 specification and the military watches of the 1970s. Its character rests on a sterile black dial cut into fifteen-minute quadrants, a date window offset to 4:30, and 1960s-inspired hands redrawn for Super-LumiNova. Water resistant to 200 metres and driven by a Japanese SII NE15 calibre, this reference with an aluminium dive insert is aimed at fans of genuine tool watches.
Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date military watch
Founded in 2002 by Bill Yao, Mk II first made its name modifying Seikos before producing its own reinterpretations of rare military watches: the Cruxible field watch, the Hawkinge pilot's watch, the Tornek-Rayville divers. This background explains the American workshop's particular status, a boutique brand whose series appear at the pace of its projects and whose references circulate widely among collectors.
The Paradive is Mk II's take on the Benrus Type I and Type II produced in the 1970s under the American MIL-W-50717 specification. The third generation pushes the idea further with the Type XIII, derived from the Tornek-Rayville division's TR-50717 "Paradive, Class B" platform: the official listing describes this variant, unveiled in October 2022, as the result of a mandate to offer a civilian version of the Class B for the retail and export markets.
The exercise goes beyond a literal tribute. Mk II adopts here the look of a military watch back from a service overhaul, reassembled with parts that are not all original: a dial drawn from the brand's old archives, hands taken from a 1960s design and adapted for Super-LumiNova, and a seconds hand painted black and orange. Every choice keeps a functional justification, right down to the date moved to 4:30 so as not to sacrifice a single luminous marker. The result is a versatile military dive watch, as credible for recreational diving as in the field or in daily wear, whose visual identity remains immediately recognisable.
Technical specifications of the Paradive Gen 3
- Brand: Mk II
- Model: Paradive Gen 3, Type XIII date, Dive Al inlay
- Reference: CD04.1-2004
- Indicative price: ≈ 655 €
- Movement: Automatic with manual winding option, hacking seconds, quickset date
- Calibre: SII NE15, made in Japan
- Diameter: 41.25 mm
- Thickness: 15.54 mm
- Water resistance: 200 m / 20 ATM
- Materials: Bead-blasted 316L stainless steel
- Crystal: Double-domed sapphire, internal anti-reflective coating
- Dial: Sterile black, luminous hour markers in 15-minute quadrants, date window at 4:30
- Strap: Choice of Nytex Type I-M2 (black or khaki), MODspec black nylon or black rubber, 20 mm
- Warranty: 1 year
- Box contents: Watch on chosen strap, fitted 2.50 mm heavy-duty spring bars and an extra set of 1.80 mm spring bars
The Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date military watch
The Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date belongs to the American workshop's Ready to Wear collection, which offers under this label a ready-to-wear version of projects the brand rolls out sparingly. This CD04.1-2004 reference corresponds precisely to the dated version fitted with an aluminium bezel insert dedicated to diving. Mk II's official "Story: Type XIII" narrative depicts an operator receiving such a watch in the field, anchoring the piece in the world of military tool watches rather than pure collector's horology. The model has also been reviewed by Watch Clicker, which called it a "military watch modernised for everyone".
Visually, the watch adopts the identity of a tool watch back from a service overhaul, assembled with parts that are not all period-correct. The sterile black dial draws on the brand's old archives: luminous hour markers cut the display into fifteen-minute quadrants, and the date window has been shifted to 4:30 to preserve every luminous marker. The hands, a 1960s design brought up to date for Super-LumiNova, play on negative space to establish a reading hierarchy: the minute hand dominates, the hour hand recedes, while the seconds hand, painted black and orange, serves as a quick reference. This geometry stems from a concrete workshop return, a first-generation Paradive whose hour hand had bent under the effect of vibration.
Construction, bezel and mechanics underwater
The case takes up the TR-50717 platform, a reinterpretation of the MIL-W-50717 specification in a three-piece construction. The screw-down caseback allows the use of a one-piece stem, preserves the curved profile on the wrist side and simplifies servicing, where older monocoque constructions made access to the movement more difficult. The 316L stainless steel receives a matte bead blast finish that limits reflections and absorbs signs of wear. At 41.25 mm measured at the bezel, 49.50 mm long, 15.54 mm thick and 98 grams without the strap, the watch remains a dense, tall piece, best suited to wrists that accept this size.
The double-domed sapphire crystal, pressed in from the front and anti-reflective coated on its inner face, replaces the acrylic prone to hazing on earlier generations. The 120-click unidirectional bezel, fitted with an aluminium dive-scale insert, provides the timing security expected of a diver, while the double-gasket screw-down crown and the 200-metre water resistance verified to ISO 6425 confirm its aquatic vocation. Non-radioactive green Arclite Super-LumiNova luminescence ensures legibility in the dark. On the mechanical side, the Japanese SII NE15 calibre offers automatic winding, supplementary manual winding, hacking seconds and a quickset date, with regulation announced in three positions. The 2.50 mm heavy-duty spring bars, compliant with ISO requirements, secure the strap fitting.
Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date military watch: MIL-W-50717 heritage
This Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII pairs a three-piece case in bead-blasted 316L steel, 41.25 mm at the bezel, with a thickness of 15.54 mm and an overall length of 49.50 mm. The double-domed sapphire crystal is anti-reflective coated on the inside, the screw-down crown has a double gasket and water resistance reaches 200 metres, verified to ISO 6425. The 120-click unidirectional bezel carries an aluminium dive-scale insert. The sterile black dial, its fifteen-minute quadrants in Arclite Super-LumiNova and its date at 4:30 serve legibility, driven by the automatic Japanese SII NE15 calibre.
Movement
The SII NE15 calibre, made in Japan, powers this Paradive. Automatic, it accepts manual winding and offers hacking seconds for precise time-setting as well as a quickset date. Its rotor is decorated with Côtes de Genève, and the brand states that regulation is carried out in three positions.
Diameter and materials
The three-piece case with a screw-down caseback is cut from bead-blasted 316L stainless steel. It measures 41.25 mm at the bezel, 49.50 mm lug to lug and 15.54 mm thick, for 98 grams without the strap. The 20 mm lug width and the aluminium-insert bezel complete this deliberately rugged architecture.
Water resistance
Stated water resistance reaches 200 metres, or 20 ATM, a figure verified to the ISO 6425 standard. It relies on a double-gasket screw-down crown and a screw-down caseback. The 120-click unidirectional bezel, with its graduated aluminium insert, completes the timing equipment expected of a dive watch.
Accessories
The watch is delivered on the strap chosen at order: black or khaki Nytex Type I-M2, black MODspec nylon or black rubber, in 20 mm. It arrives with fitted 2.50 mm heavy-duty spring bars, compliant with ISO dive requirements, plus an extra set of 1.80 mm spring bars for standard straps.
Warranty
Mk II covers its watches and parts with a one-year limited warranty against manufacturing and workmanship defects. The brand states that units sold as seconds retain this standard warranty. Support runs through the workshop's after-sales service, which also handles servicing requests.
Mk II Paradive Gen 3 Type XIII date The pros
and cons
- 200-metre water resistance stated as verified to ISO 6425
- Double-domed sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating
- 120-click unidirectional bezel with aluminium dive insert
- Highly legible sterile dial with luminous Arclite Super-LumiNova quadrants
- SII NE15 calibre with hacking seconds, quickset date and manual winding
- 15.54 mm thickness is not discreet under a cuff
- 49.50 mm length and 98 grams best suited to generous wrists
- Warranty limited to just one year
- Availability
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Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
