Joining Forces, Project Recover, and Mk II Unveil Hellion-BAKU, a Tribute Timepiece Honoring WWII Heroes

Project Recover, an organization dedicated to locating, recovering, and repatriating American servicemen missing from past conflicts, has teamed up with Mk II watches to create an iconic piece of history. This commemoration comes to life as the Hellion-BAKU, a special edition wristwatch that celebrates the memory of the absent members of the renowned Underwater Demolition Team-10. Of significant note, a portion of each watch’s price is set aside as a donation to Project Recover, ensuring that the legacy of these brave servicemen continues to resonate and inspire future generations.

In a further nod to WWII-era design, the watch hands mirror those used on UDT-issued watches. A unique blend of grayscale hues gives the watch a distinct identity, influenced by the USS Burrfish’s wartime camouflage. The watch’s hands, broadened for improved readability, are coated with Super-LumiNova to ensure visibility in low-light conditions. As a tribute to Project Recover’s mission, an asymmetric triangle counterweight representing their logo is a subtle detail on the seconds hand.

The back of the case displays a callback to a WWII-issued canteen watch of UDT-5, including the ‘USN BUSHIPS’ stamp along with etchings of ‘UDT-10’ and the production number. The strategic use of stampings and acid-etching creates an irregular alignment purposely designed to encapsulate the historical reference and the human aspect of the mission. The names of Black, MacMahon, and Roeder, the missing members of UDT-10 are engraved in the middle of the caseback. The watch operates on the Seiko-made TMI NH38. The Hellion-BAKU, with unperturbed design and mission-oriented production, is much more than a timepiece; it’s a symbol of reverence, a remembrance of heroism from WWII.