Review: MKII Sea Fighter

The MK II Sea Fighter is a watch steeped in military and horological tradition, from a company with a compelling and principled philosophy.  With rugged good-looks, true military aesthetic and superb build quality, the Sea Fighter has been a pleasure to wear.  The Sea Fighter also provides a window into the soul of MK II, standing as a testament to the company’s commitment to excellence and preservation of military diver tradition.

Case: Bead blasted stainless steel
Movement: ETA 2836-2 automatic with day/date function
Luminous: SuperLumiNova C1
Lens: Double domed sapphire glass
Case Back: Screw-down
Strap: Natural rubber
Water Res.: 200 M
Dimensions: 42.35 mm
Thickness: 14.22 mm
Lug Width: 22 mm
Crown: Double gasket screw-down
Warranty: 12 months, returns within 3days

The MK II Sea Fighter is an homage to two iconic dive watches of the 70’s, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms German Military issue, and the Omega Ploprof 600m.  From the Fifty Fathoms, the Sea Fighter takes its case design and coloration, and from the Ploprof, its dial and hand configuration.  Each of these historic pieces are significant in their own right, and the Sea Fighter looks to combine the two designs into a living monument of these great achievements in watch design.

At first sight, the bead blasted Sea Fighter is subdued in appearance.  The black dial features limited markings outside of the hour and minute indices, a small MK II logo, the day/date window and the word automatic.   The version of the Sea Fighter we reviews also came with a dive bezel, which has a very simple and purposeful appearance.   Bead blasting throughout the top and sides of the case, rounds out the restrained aesthetic.  In fact, the only bit of shine to found on the Sea Fighter is hidden on the polished case back.

Thanks to this clean presentation, and utilitarian design, the Sea Fighter is efficient to read and adjust.   An oversized orange minute hand, a design element taken directly from the Ploprof 600m, draws your eye effortlessly to the time.  Meanwhile, the bezel has a feel of military precision to match its appearance.  It rotates effortlessly, and has reassuring machined response.  The same can be said for the screw-down crown, which is tucked away in the lower right corner of the watch case, yet provides a very nice tactile response and is easy to adjust.

The build quality of the Sea Fighter is pervasive.  From lug to lug, the watch feels like a well machined piece of equipment.  Its weight contributes to this feeling.  Listed as 99 grams without a strap, with the rubber strap we measured it at 123 grams.  In your hand, this weight feels significant, and heavier than the Sea Fighter actually looks.

Thankfully, the Sea Fighter also pulls off being worn just as well as it does being ogled and tinkered with.  The curvature of the case allows the watch to sit quite comfortably on your wrist.  It also provides a slightly lower profile than you may expect from a watch that measures over 14 mm in height.  The rubber strap our review model came with also helps to secure the watch to your wrist without needing to be secure too tightly.  Needless to say, this all helps to mitigate the heft of the Sea Fighter to the extent that you don’t really notice its weight.

The accomplishment of the Sea Fighter is quite impressive, seamlessly combining the design of two distinctive and iconic military divers into a rugged, well built and quite wearable timepiece.  So it is no wonder that MK II was the company to produce it.  Based on the principles of utility, clean/classic styling and quality, MK II states that they are committed to utilitarianism, reliability and timeless styling.  With the Sea Fighter, I think it is safe to say that MK II has held true to this philosophy.

Coming in at $780, this is the final iteration of the Sea Fighter, a watch that MK II has released in previous years.  The Sea Fighter is also available in the Bund model (with just date) and your choice of dive or GMT bezel.  The Sea Fighter is also available in polished stainless steel and black PVD finishes.  It is available for purchase now, at MK II’s online store.

For more information on MK II, see their website here.  And for an excellent behind the scenes look at how they produce their watches, take a look at this really great pictorial outlining MK II’s production process.