Spinnaker Fleuss Automatic Watch

Great watch
Great buy.

Great watch at 43mm and under $300
Ok I’ve had the black/green bezel &lume version of the Fluess for 60 days and while I have several other autos, mechanicals and quartz watches at various price points that I can compare quality, value and fit and finish – I really like wearing the Fluess. Here are my thoughts.Bottom Line Up Front: This is a retro watch, not an homage but, and this maybe largely unknown to some people, the Fluess takes its style cues from Blancpain’s Fifty-Five Fathoms (a watch that is north of $9,000). But, I see the Fluess and it’s style inspiration no different than styling after the Rolex Submariner (ergo the Orient Mako), Or Omega Speedmaster (Casio ED503D) Chronograph. Nonetheless, for $280 dollars, this is really a great watch packed with features, reliable movement and fit and finish. Why 4 stars? I think some of the finish could be improved even at this price point (see my cons listed below that discuss the finish for the bezel and seconds hand, but not the size since you should know that the size is big when buying this). I should also point out that if cost is the most important consideration driving the “Should I or Shouldn’t I buy the watch”, just know that you can find codes all over Youtube and watch forums that can provide decent discount codes dropping the price at or below $225 on the actual Spinnaker site. At that price, this is an awesome watch but even when not on sale or with a code, the Fluess is an excellent watch despite my fit and finish critiques. I should also note that I have worn this when swimming in a pool (not with the OEM strap, see my strap comments below) with no issues, then or now. I do think the Brown version of the Fluess maybe more well-rounded, while the black version seems to be more classic and pull a little more style cues from the Fifty-Five (due to the black color)Pros:1) Features for the the money. With an automatic movement, 316 stainless case, Sapphire crystal, large screw-down crown, hand winding, hacking (second hand stops when setting the time) enameled bezel, applied indices, color matched date with framed date window and exhibition case back are all features, when combined together, are typically found on much more expensive watches ($450+). Even At full retail and esp. at a discounted price, this watch has great features for the money.2) Textured watch dial makes this look better than if it had a plan face or even a sunburst dial. The textured face makes it seem more like a tool watch and not just another desk-diver.3) Brushed and polished surfaces along with the polished chamfered edges on the case really makes the case look great4)Coin edged bezel5) Retro design (i.e. bulbous enabled bezel) and old-school Arabic numerals suggests a Fathom Fifty-Five inspiration since this is a dive watch named after the guy who invented/pioneered SCUBA diving equipment.6) the dail on the large face is non-complicated or busy and has a nice clean look (this is a double edge sword since it plays into one of the down sides)7) The Crystal has some distortion when viewing the watch face at certain angles which is indicative of the retro vibe and looks cool.8) 22mm strap really balances out the 43mm case. A 20mm strap would have made this seem bigger than it is.9) Power reserve on this seems to be better than my Orient Mako (not sure what movement that has in it).Cons:1) No doubt about it, it’s big at 43mm diameter, 22mm band width and 51mm lug-tip to lug-tip. It fits on my 7″ wrist with no overhang. I suspect that it is due to the size that it helps keep the face clean and uncluttered. Although I say the dial is not cluttered, it is because of the size, if this was a 40mm the face might Look a little busy. But, when considering the size, In comparison to the Fifty-Five in which it take some styling cues, the Fifty-Five is 45mm. The attached pic shows the Fluess against my 40mm Tag Aqua Racer. But in defense of Spinnaker to my own criticism, the Fluess is a dive watch and they do tend to be bigger for easy reading underwater. But as a desk-diver, it is big. Plus, if they attempted to shorten the overall length by truncating the lugs, it would start enter the homage territory to the Fifty-Five and that would immediately turn-off a large portion of buyers to both the watch and Spinnaker as a company for making homage watches (it’s a pretty decisive thing). Glad they stayed with their own design but for comparison, my picture shows the size difference between a Tag Aqua Racer (left) and the Fluess (right). I like the Fluess’s look more than my Tag.2) The Lume is weak on the Fluess although there is some lume. It’s about the same as my Orient Mako and a lot weaker than my Tag Aqua Racer but much better than my Seiko 5 and Casio.3) I feel as though the seconds hand could use a bit more polish. In some angles the seconds hand looks a bit rough. This is a real shame since it shouldn’t be anything to use a more polished seconds hand, maybe it’s just mine and bad QA/QC.4)The coin edged uni-directional bezel is not very aggressive making it a little hard to turn. When compared to my Tag Aqua Racer its super tight and nowhere near as smooth or easy to turn. When compared to my Orient Mako, it’s still still stiff but the grip is very similar even though Orient uses a different style edge on the Mako. Under water, the Fluess’s bezel would not work due to difficulty in turning. As a desk diver to time something out of the water, I think it’s fine.5) Presentation box, seems ok, I never give or get watches as a gift so I never really think anything of it and I would much rather have all the money going into the watch rather than a lot of packaging.6) Not exactly a con to me but to others I know “losing time” is a big deal. It’s also fair to point out that autos lose time yet people seem to measure the quality of an auto by how much time it loses. FOR ME, I run all my watches 5 minutes fast and since this has about a 40 hour power reserve, you’ll have to wind it anyways if you take it off for the weekend- so what’s it really matter?7) Lastly, the supplied watchband looks OK and it maybe the cheapest part about the watch. It’s not ugly but it also doesn’t have any “Wow” factor. Spinnaker does sell a rubber dive strap that is also retro in look for $50 on their website which will probably give it the “Wow” factor. Plus, the rubber strap can hold this larger watch on your wrist tighter even if the holes are not spaced perfectly for your wrist. I can say this about a rubber strap and its ability to have a “Wow” factor and holding the watch in place. I put a Dan Henry “1970 Rubber Band” (22mm) on my Fluess (see picture). The Dan Henry strap looks similar to the Spinnaker Rubber strap but IMHO the Dan Hebert is better since it costs $15 less than the Spinnaker and looks 100% better than the Spinnaker due to several details.I think the main reason the Dan Henry watches looks better Is due to them being designed to be retro (he’s a famous watch collector and now makes affordable automatic watches based off of old watch designs from the ’30s-’70s). So putting a Dan Henry strap on a retro inspired watch makes good sense. Specifically, regarding the details of the Dan Henry strap relative to the Spinnaker strap, the Dan Henry tapers down 2mm from the lug and slightly flares back out at the buckle, the cross-hatch design covering the strap is embossed which creates a slight raised feeling of the design; the perforation design is slightly different than actual holes for the tang and the perforation design runs higher than the Spinnaker; the repeated design of the strap is also on the strap keeper; the detailed edge has a faux stitch design embossed in the rubber. Plus, the Dan Henry strap is really soft rubber although I’m not sure how that translates into its durability Although this is not a review on the Dan Henry strap, it is to say that a black rubber strap, either the Spinnaker or esp. the Dan Henry, is what, IMHO, this watch needs for a real “Wow” factor. I also tried to wear this on a “James Bond Nato” (Black and Gray). And while that looked ok, it still did not have the “Wow!” factor. Now, my Spinnaker Fluess lives on the Dan Henry strap despite leaving the DH buckle said strap since the OEM Spinnaker is too large to properly fit on the Dan Henry. Small price for a great looking strap and although my preference is for the Dan Henry, I believe the Spinnaker rubber strap would like much much better than the OEM strap.I also think a black alligator embossed (Or real) strap will also make the Fluess look fantastic even though that’s a slightly dressier way to dress up a tool watch and that too can be somewhat divisive with people (ie watch snobs).So great automatic watch with a lot of higher end features for not a lot of money, a couple of gripes, and swapping the strap for a rubber (22mm) or any other black or even brown leather will really make the Fluess look sharper than it is! (strongly recommend a retro inspired strap – Barton’s and Ritchie have very inexpensive retro leather here on amazon)I am NOT endorsed or compensated by anyone or company for my opinions stated here. Just my opinion to help you out and make a better decision.

Terrible watch aside from looks
This handsome watch earns two stars for its looks. I would give one star otherwise and encourage someone to look at at the SeikoSKX, a Hamilton or even an Invicta watch for a diver at the similar price point which will actually keep accurate time, out of the box.It is a terrible watch. I work in public safety and was looking for a reliable automatic watch to wear on duty. This watch was absolutely not up to the task.Even worse than the watch was my experience with customer service. I regret my purchase and have been disgusted for months with the overall experience.

Ich habe die Spinnaker Fleuss Automatikuhr (Modell SP-5055) gekauft und möchte meine Erfahrungen mit dieser Uhr teilen. Insgesamt bin ich sehr beeindruckt von der Qualität, dem Design und der Funktionalität der Uhr, die sich sowohl für den Alltag als auch für besondere Anlässe eignet.Das Design der Uhr ist klassisch und dennoch modern. Das 43 mm große Gehäuse ist aus Edelstahl gefertigt und wirkt robust, aber nicht zu massiv. Es sitzt angenehm am Handgelenk und ist auch für mittelgroße Handgelenke gut geeignet. Das Lederarmband ist hochwertig verarbeitet, weich und bequem zu tragen. Es verleiht der Uhr einen eleganten Look, der sowohl zu Business-Outfits als auch zu Freizeitkleidung passt.Ein Highlight der Uhr ist das Automatikwerk, das präzise und zuverlässig läuft. Es ist schön, die Mechanik durch das Saphirglas auf der Rückseite zu beobachten. Das Saphirglas auf der Vorderseite ist kratzfest und sorgt für eine klare Sicht auf das Zifferblatt. Das Zifferblatt selbst ist detailliert gestaltet mit arabischen Zahlen und Leuchtzeigern, die auch bei schlechten Lichtverhältnissen, und bei Nacht gut ablesbar sind.Die Wasserdichtigkeit von 10 ATM (100 Meter) ist ein weiterer Pluspunkt. Was sie auch für den Einsatz beim Schwimmen oder Wassersport geeignet macht.Ein kleiner Kritikpunkt ist, dass das Lederarmband anfangs etwas steif war und etwas Zeit brauchte, um sich an mein Handgelenk anzupassen. Nach ein paar Tagen Tragen wurde es jedoch deutlich bequemer.Zusammenfassend kann ich sagen, dass die Spinnaker Fleuss Automatikuhr eine ausgezeichnete Wahl für alle ist, die eine hochwertige, stilvolle und funktionale Uhr suchen. Das klassische Design, das Automatikwerk und die gute Verarbeitung überzeugen mich. Lediglich die anfängliche Steifheit des Lederarmbands könnten für manche Nutzer ein kleiner Nachteile sein.Kleine Anmerkung am Rande, es kann vorkommen das die Uhr mal stehen bleibt, dann einfach das Einstellrad kurz lösen und wieder schließen.

Wunderschönes Design, interessante Farbgebung, sehr gut verarbeitet; die Uhr geht 4 Sekunden täglich vor, was für eine mechanische Uhr völlig in Ordnung ist.