Spinnaker Watches generally turns out diving and nautical themed watches that tend to be on the bold side of things, so I was a bit surprised when they sent me the SP-5047-02. This sedate dress watch has no overt link to the sea beyond its sailboat logo and is decidedly low-key. At just $210 (now $149 on sale) it is also a real value leader.
The Automatic is a pretty sparse design: applied markers on a white dial with leaf hands. The inclusion of Arabic numbers at 3, 6, and 9 keeps it from veering to close to Daniel Wellington territory, but it is likely to appeal to the same buyer. Like the DW, it has a slim, round, 40mm case, a neutral look, and a nylon NATO. Its key advantages are a 100m water resistance rating and a 24-jewel Seiko automatic movement inside. It even has a screw down crown. All in all, a big step up from most of the “minimalist” watches littering department store displays and Kickstarter campaigns.
It is just 13mm thick, which is not exactly wafer-thin but slim enough to slide under a cuff, and the case sides have an appealing bowl shape that helps minimize its height. In fact, I found the NATO strap to be the bulkiest aspect of the watch. If you are going to wear this as dress or dress/casual piece, I’d strongly recommend replacing the pass-through nylon with a two-piece strap.
The SP-5047-02 keeps it thrifty. There is no lume, but you wouldn’t expect it on a dress watch. The strap is nice enough, but I’d call it a placeholder until you find something better. The crystal is mineral, not sapphire. Heck, they didn’t even give it a real name. [Update: it now shows up as the Capri.] But for $149, it is a decent automatic that will suit many people as their daily, or perhaps even only, watch. If you have a buddy eyeing a quartz wannabe on Kickstarter, do him a solid and steer him to one of these instead. Better still, give him code TTB30 for an extra 30% off. For $104.30, he will have a pretty nice deal. ⬩
