Last year, in 2023, for the Halloween holiday, Spinnaker introduced its first collaborative product with the Parisian company Seconde/Seconde/.
Based on the larger collection of Fleuss Automatic sports watches, Spinnaker's collaboration with Seconde/Seconde/ led to the creation of four “Phantom” watches. The first two versions, Fleuss Phantom with black dials (two bezel options), were released as limited editions and were priced slightly higher. Then, Spinnaker released two more blue versions of the Fleuss Automatic x Seconde/Seconde/, known as Phantom Blue and Phantom Mist (depending on the bezel color), which I review in this article.
To understand the theme behind these collaborative watches, one must possess some knowledge of watches. However, even if you don't get the “joke,” vintage-style dive watches (in large size) with 50 luminescent phantoms on the dial are very cool. Let's start with the main design, which Spinnaker emulates. The Fleuss watches come in various styles, but this version is an homage to the classic Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, at least one of their versions. Seconde/Seconde/ collaborations are often playful and highlight graphics that echo the main theme of the watch or play with words or puns on that theme.
In this case, Romaric Andre (the person behind Seconde/Seconde) plays with the term “50 Fathoms” (depth rating) and turns it into “50 Phantoms.” Thus, the watch dial features 50 graphic phantoms, and since phantoms typically have no feet, the watch playfully writes “No Feet” where a depth rating would otherwise be. The watch is water-resistant up to 150 meters, making it at least suitable for swimming.
The ghost graphics (reminiscent of simple video game graphics and how ghosts might have looked in Nintendo games) are undeniably fun, and one is placed on the self-winding rotor on the back of the watch. Most people will smile seeing the work of the luminescent markers on the dial, where Spinnaker cleverly decided to use slightly different luminescent markers on the phantoms, creating a sense of visual depth. Note that the ghost on the automatic rotor is also coated with luminescent material.
People who don't understand Seconde/Seconde's design ethos or who don't like playful phantoms likely won't become fans of the Spinnaker Fleuss Automatic x Seconde/Seconde/ Phantom series - and that's perfectly fine. Watches like these are intentionally meant to be niche and playful. Spinnaker produces many more “classic” watches for those who don't want to explain the story behind this dial to strangers.
The Fleuss Automatic watch itself is comfortable but large. The stainless steel case is 43mm wide and 12mm thick, equipped with a rotating dive-style bezel. The dial is covered with sapphire crystal, and the bezel inserts, covered with mineral glass, come in two colors. These are the deeper blue “Phantom Blue” and the aged light blue with mist “Spinnaker Phantom Mist.” Both options, in my opinion, are very fairly priced, even though they are essentially budget watches.
Inside the Spinnaker Fleuss Automatic is a Japanese automatic Seiko NH38 movement, operating at 3 Hz with a power reserve of about two days. This is a very suitable movement for watches in this price category. Despite being dive-style watches, they feature a larger pilot-style crown (which generally fits the vintage theme). The detailing on the dial is impressive, especially considering it remains relatively legible. It was probably a challenge for Seconde/Seconde to place 50 phantoms on the dial while keeping the hour markers and hands legible, yet the dial seems to work more or less.
The Fleuss Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ Phantom Mist from Spinnaker comes with two straps: a blue leather strap 22mm wide and a blue rubber sport strap. Both straps come on quick-release spring bars and are easily interchangeable. Overall, I believe Spinnaker made a wise decision collaborating with Seconde/Seconde/, and that watches like these are much needed in the industry when it comes to playful design. Many playful watches are also very expensive, which ultimately limits their market. People like Romaric Andre have helped open a new era of much less expensive playful watches, but importantly, ones that also attract serious enthusiasts.
The black-colored Spinnaker 50 Phantoms watches were released as a limited edition and have already sold out. They were also more expensive, costing $445 each. Even though they are sold out and often reserved, these non-limited blue models are cheaper and certainly more accessible.
The price of the Spinnaker Fleuss Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ Phantom Mist and Phantom Blue is $370. More details on the Spinnaker watches website.