Spinnaker Piccard Review - The Latest Monster From Spinnaker
(This page features affiliate links, for more information, click here.)
You've likely heard of the Blancpain fifty fathoms, perhaps even the Seiko fifty-five fathoms but what about the Spinnaker three hundred fathoms? It sounds bigger on paper and for once, it translates into reality. Meet the monstrous Spinnaker Piccard – the maddest dive watch you'll see this year (excluding Invicta, of course).
Brand Background
Based out of Hong Kong, Spinnaker is one of the brands under the Dartmouth brands umbrella, alongside others like Avi-8 and Fjord. Before now, I've looked at two, which both received mediocre reviews at best. The Fleuss chronograph was well-built but ugly and while the Hydrofoil Panda was a step forward, I wasn't a fan of the uneven subdials and highly experimental design.
Credit to them, they keep at it and they've tasked me once more with reviewing one of their latest releases, the Piccard.
Watch Dimensions
This beast is...well, beastly! It has a whopping 45mm case size, paired with a 51.8mm lug to lug and (are you ready for this) a 21.1mm thickness when including the domed crystal. Fish-eyed is probably the more appropriate term as this protrudes to a truly ridiculous level. The pictures are not photoshopped; this is a genuine watch and a real crystal. What's the purpose of this absurdity?
Design
Predominantly, it takes cues from the original Rolex Deep Sea Special, the watch that in 1960 accompanied engineer Jacques Piccard and his squad to the bottom of the Challenger Deep; the deepest known point of the seabed. This watch had an even more projected crystal, designed to withstand extreme ocean floor pressures.
It is by no means a clone though, also taking hints from the porthole-like observation window in the craft itself, as well as retaining some of the hallmark Spinnaker design cues from previous models.
Watch Crystal
Rather impressively, this bubble has been created from scratch-resistant sapphire, debunking an excuse often used by some brands in a similar bracket to this $550 Piccard; where they claim mineral or acrylic is required to keep high domes within budget.
Despite the scratch performance, this crystal style does have some quirks or downsides. First up, there's the obvious. I imagine many people would view this as unsightly, as it is abnormal as far as wristwatches go. When combined with the already thick case, it also makes the watch about as traversable as the ancient walls of Constantinople; so your shirts and jumpers will likely bunch up unless you're wearing something baggy. Lastly, the curvature also creates massive warping, rendering the dial unreadable past 45 degrees.
That being said, it not only improves functionality (just in case you plan on doing some extreme scuba diving) but it gives the watch a truly unique look that may pose as a good conversation starter without going to the hideous extremes of other whacky brands.
Construction
Of course, the watch doesn't fit me properly, so it's difficult to judge whether a similar feature on a smaller watch would take my fancy. Before link removal, the Piccard comes in at over 250g (251.6g), so you won't be forgetting it's on-wrist any time soon; it could also be pretty deadly as an improvised knuckle duster.
It's built like a juggernaut, with no obvious weak points across the case or bracelet, an excellent ratcheting bezel action and a beefy, heavily-grooved crown that's smooth and highly responsive. The bracelet is also very well made, with thick solid links and a near-flawless case integration. Even with the robust bracelet, the Piccard is predictably top-heavy, so it could prove unwieldy regardless of wrist size.
Despite there being little in the way of complexity, with a singular brushing style across the entirety of the Piccard, it still feels well-finished and purpose-built; as if it truly was born in the deep. The case rear attests to this, opting for hefty screw-down construction over fancy viewing windows, though it does have an etching of a submersible bathyscaphe in the centre.
As you might expect, given the helium release valve on the side of the watch, it boasts a very high water resistance of 300 fathoms or 550m to you and I. Essentially, it will be impervious to H20 unless you have one hell of an accident while swimming with the fishes.
Watch Dial
Discounting the peculiar crystal, I have to say I quite like the look of the Piccard, particularly this colorway with the complimentary grey and yellowy-green that provide great contrast without straying into boredom. Text is minimal, with some tactically positioned on the unobtrusive rehaut. The majority appears in a clean, modern font that avoids any faux-vintage cliches that could have been easy fall-backs, given the theme of the watch.
Given the strong warping, it's tricky to work out whether those markers are applied or not. They seem to give out some shadow, so I'm inclined to believe they are but don't quote me on that. Overall the design feels like a mash-up of a couple of different Spinnaker watches. In other words, it's not nearly as tacky as most Invictas, despite being huge. The other two colors also look pretty cool.
Movement
Powering this watch is the fan-favorite Seiko NH35 automatic movement. It hacks, hand-winds, and is decent enough, though you can get it in much lower cost watches than this, so I'd perhaps like to see something more premium. It's not aided by the stubby second hand which makes the beat rate look lower.
Final Thoughts
If you've got a big wrist and fancy stepping out of your comfort zone, then the Piccard makes for a viable alternative to your run-of-the-mill Seikos and Orients, though it also comes with a substantial price tag that may be hard to swallow for something so left-field.
It's my favorite Spinnaker so far, but I think it's worth weighing up the cheaper but similarly tough Vostok Fifty Fathoms. You can read the review of that watch here. Feel free to use my coupon code of BENJAMINARTHUR20 for 20% off your purchase.
