The Best Affordable Rolex MilSub Homage Watch Is Back After a Decade

One of the original icons of the microbrand space makes a refined return.

a mkii milsub style dive watch next to an old passport

Published January 27, 2025

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Today, there are countless microbrands populating the watch space with affordable and appealing options, but that wasn’t always the case.

Back when Bill Yao founded Mk II in 2002, the term “microbrand” as we think of it today didn’t even really exist yet. The brand was born on the internet watch forums of old, first as a supplier of third-party modding parts for Seiko and soon as a producer of modern reimaginings of iconic vintage military and tool watches.

Many of Mk II’s models can be described as homage watches and have developed cult followings around them, with buyers historically waiting years to get their hands on them after placing an order.

a Mk II dive watch glows in the dark — The original Fulcrum from 2013 remains one of Mk II’s most coveted models.

Among these early icons of the microbrand world were Mk II models like the Kingston, an homage to Sean Connery’s Rolex Submariner 6538, and the Fulcrum, a pastiche of vintage Rolex and Tudor MilSubs from the 1970s.

The original Fulcrum debuted in 2013 and not many were produced, but it still holds a spot in the hearts of many collectors. Now, the model is back after more than 10 years, but it’s a bit different than the watch you may remember.

New, and Improved?

Mk II’s new take on the Fulcrum is called the Fulcrum 39, and it makes some big changes compared to its predecessor.

Let’s start with the most obvious: its size. The new Fulcrum measures 39.5mm across the case, hence the name, making it nearly 3mm smaller than the 42.1mm original. To most, this will be viewed as an improvement not only in wearability but in historical accuracy, as most vintage Tudor and Rolex MilSubs had cases right around 40mm.

a man wears a Mk II dive watch while carrying a camera with a telephoto lens — The biggest change in the new Fulcrum is the smaller, more wearable case size.

The stainless steel case is still slab-sided with drilled lugs and a bead-blasted finish, but it also now features a chamfer running along its side and down the lugs for a bit more pizazz.

In exchange for these refinements, the case is less technical than before. It’s no longer an anti-magnetic case with a soft-iron core and it doesn’t feature a helium escape valve; two features that were present on the original Fulcrum. The water resistance has also been reduced from 300m to 200m, but the crown still screws down, so I don’t consider this a very big deal.

The rest of the overall design is largely the same, with a nearly identical dial layout (the “Anti-magnetic” line of text has been deleted) and the same sword hands coated in Super-LumiNova BGW9. The crystal remains a double-domed sapphire, now with anti-reflective coating on the inside.

a Mk II dive watch glows in the dark on a bar next to a camera and a glass of beer — Much of the style is retained from the original Fulcrum, including the excellent lume.

The 120-click unidirectional bezel has undergone some welcome changes as well. It retains its toothy design, aluminum insert and luminous pearl, but it now features an improved spring mechanism. It’s also available in either an elapsed time or a 12-hour format, whereas the original Fulcrum only came with a 12-hour bezel.

The watch’s internals have been updated, too. The original had a Swiss-made movement, the Soprod A10, whereas the new 39 gets a Japanese Miyota automatic, either a 9015 or the no-date 90S5 depending on whether you opt for a date or no-date version.

The A10 is considered a competitor to the ETA 2892, while the Miyota is generally considered to be a little less premium and is more comparable to the ETA 2824. It’s still a great movement though, and it’s both more common and more affordable to service.

a mk ii dive watch on a table next to a coffee mug — For the first time, the Fulcrum comes with a bracelet.

Perhaps the biggest improvement to the new Fulcrum is the addition of a bracelet. Less vintage-y compared to some of the brand’s older rivet-style bracelets, the new Oyster-style bracelet features solid end links, a 4mm taper, quick-release spring bars and a micro-adjustable Nodex clasp licensed from fellow American microbrand Nodus.

For Civilians

With the launch of the Fulcrum 39, Mk II has also undertaken a slight rebranding that’s very fun.

Yao also owns Tornek-Rayville, the reborn mil-spec brand that originally issued disguised Blancpain Fifty Fathoms divers to the first U.S. Navy SEALs in the 1960s. One of the best aspects of Yao’s incarnation of Tornek-Rayville is the printed zines included with the watches that include fun fictional backstories.

a tornek rayville military watch on a booklet by a plastic case — Like the Blakjak from sister brand Tornek-Rayville (above), the Fulcrum 39 includes a zine giving a fictional historical narrative about the watch.

The Fulcrum 39 also includes such a zine, and it gives fictional narrative accounts of Cold War-era American operatives putting their Fulcrum 39s to good use as tools. Hidden within that narrative is a mention of Mk II being the “civilian-focused parent company” of Tornek-Rayville, which manufactures the protagonist’s government-issued diver.

It’s an awfully fun way to connect Yao’s two brands, and I look forward to seeing more of this creative brand synergy from Mk II and Tornek-Rayville in the future.

Pricing and Availability

The more affordable movement, omission of more complicated tech like the helium escape valve, and the fact that the watch is now mass-produced in Japan instead of painstakingly hand-assembled by Yao himself in America mean the Fulcrum 39 costs roughly half what its predecessor cost more than a decade ago — and that’s not even accounting for inflation.

a Mk II dive watch on a map — Those MilSub vibes are hard to beat.

The Fulcrum debuted at $1,925 in 2013. The Fulcrum 39 costs just $995. That’s a pretty huge difference (accounting for inflation, that $1,925 in 2013 would be $2,608 today), and at that price, this watch is an absolute no-brainer for anyone looking to get a well-built tool watch with MilSub vibes.

Having said that, I expect demand to be through the roof. Mk II watches have always been hot commodities, with the brand’s “Benchmade” series often commanding years-long waits. Its “Ready to Wear” watches, which is what the Fulcrum 39 is, are easier to get a hold of but still sell out frequently, with long gaps before restocks.

So if you want a Fulcrum 39, I suggest signing up on Mk II’s website to be notified as soon as they become available on January 31. Oh, to further sweeten the pot, the first 100 watches sold will include both a black rubber strap and milspec Nytex I-M2 woven nylon strap in addition to the bracelet.