MKII Goes Deep Into Their Catalog And Revives A Classic With The Stingray II Keroman

Purchasing a vintage watch, especially from a storied brand with an innovative history, can come down to two things: availability and attainability. You can spend countless hours scouring the internet for the watch you’re looking for only to find out that the only options available might need some extra TLC, or maybe a certain one meets all your expectations but the price is just too far out of reach to be attainable. Mk II focuses on providing an answer to this dilemma by creating affordable homage timepieces that follow the foundational design of the original watch, but with a modern build quality made for everyday wear. Today, Mk II announces the release of their Stingray II Keroman, which is their iteration of the iconic Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.

The Stingray II Keroman spares no expense when it comes to paying tribute to the exact details, which is what you want if you go the route of buying an homage timepiece. What separates Mk II is that they incorporate their own modern flair that coheres nicely with the vintage inspired aesthetic. The case body shape is similar to the Fifty Fathoms, and the iconic bezel design is held over as well.  Mk II has wisely chosen not to mess with the traditional diver dial layout, including circular and rectangular markers and the set of sword hands.

The differences are mostly technical and wind up being fairly subtle. The Stingray II Keroman is modern, built for everyday wear, and obviously benefits from modern production techniques that allow a watch like this to be made at scale. The case is thick and bead blasted, and the bezel sits flush against the case. Mk II has given the Stingray a robust crown and a date window at 4:30. The Stingray also has a curved caseback, as opposed to a flat case back, angling the watch for a more comfortable wear.

The Stingray II Keroman comes in two different bezel options. One with a modern aluminum inlay and the other with a more vintage vibe with an acrylic inlay. The modern is shinier, and the acrylic seems to be more muted.

Like the recently released Tornek-Rayville TR-660, which this watch bears an unmistakable resemblance to, the Stingray II runs on the Seiko made NE15C automatic movement with 50 hours of power reserve. The profile and general disposition of the Tornek and Stingray are remarkably close, which should be expected considering they both come to us courtesy of Bill Yao, but depending on the specificity of your taste, one might be just a bit more appealing than the other. Having choices when it comes to your tactical divers is never a bad thing.

Mk II seems to be pushing all the right buttons here. It’s confident in owning that it’s a tribute piece, making sure that the design cues are correct and having a proper build quality to back it up.

The Stingray II is available now on the site for $895 and the first 50 orders will also come with an Erika’s Original strap. Check out the Mk II website for more information, including ordering specifics and the full range of strap options available.