spinnaker dumas Review
Updated: Feb 18, 2020
There are not many watch brands out there these days that illicit a feeling of excitement from me, with impending model releases. But the Spinnaker brand has definitely found its niche, by creating dive watch designs that have a look of familiarity, taking design cues from iconic, vintage watches of the past, but adding their own twists on the designs, as to create a watch that stands on its own, without falling into the category of an homage.
Lately, Spinnaker has upped their wrist-game, by not only creating timepieces with a dive "look", but also having the construction, and design-build aspects, that places these newer offerings within the category of "functional" dive watches; these watches not only look the part, but play the part also.
The Dumas is not really a brand new design for Spinnaker, but rather a redesign, and the look is simply fantastic. To me, this watch is a mash-up of the vintage Omega Seamaster Ploprof and Seamaster 1000, but in a much more wrist-friendly package. The broad-sword, orange hour-hand, is unmistakable, and plays well with the orange index markers, giving this dial amazing clarity and balance. The bezel, while it appears to be ceramic, is actually coated with mineral crystal; perhaps a nod to the vintage-era, but could also be an effective measure to keep the manufacturing costs down, by opting to use another material, other than ceramic. The "pip-less" bezel marker at 12, is definitely a unique feature. The case, at 44 mm, features an 8-sided design, but is extremely well-balanced on the wrist, and case diameter size puts this timepiece in that wearable sweet spot for many collectors. A very nice design touch is the case has a "sheathed" covering, where the lugs would typically be. The bracelet and strap attach to the case, underneath of this sheath, giving the strap and bracelet a seamless fitment.
Spinnaker did an excellent job, with adding real value to this timepiece. The Dumas ships on a very high-quality, rubber strap. But Spinnaker also made a great marketing decision, deciding to include an incredibly well-made, Milanese mesh bracelet. Watch collectors love changing-up the look of their timepieces with strap changes, and Spinnaker gives you that option right out of the box, with the Dumas; a nice added touch, and incredible value. At 4mm in thickness, the Milanese mesh bracelet, is probably the highest-quality mesh bracelet, that I've had the pleasure to experience, through any brand.
Solid construction all the way around with the Dumas diver. The mesh bracelet, although at 4 mm thick, wraps around the wrist with extreme comfort, the self-adjustable clasp, providing a true, custom fit to the wrist. The only detraction with this bracelet, was that the original spring-bar, used to secure the adjustable clasp, was slightly sheared-off at the tip, which prevented the bracelet adjustment, requiring me to source a replacement spring-bar from a third-party vendor, esslinger.com, before I could swap-out the rubber strap for the mesh. The mesh bracelet gives the Dumas a brand new attitude, as opposed to the rubber strap.
The devil is in the details with the Spinnaker Dumas. A cabachon emblem of the Spinnaker logo adorns the screw-down crown, and stainless steel keeper for the bracelet, are just a couple examples of this detail.
Giving some equal time to the rubber strap of the Spinnaker Dumas. The timepiece ships on the rubber strap, however, the Milanese, mesh bracelet is included with the purchase. Very high-quality exemplified in this rubber strap. I wouldn't put the rubber strap on the same level of quality as an Isofrane strap, but it's pretty close.
If the party is in the front with the Spinnaker Dumas, then the business is in the rear, as the exhibition caseback showcases the SII NH-35, automatic movement by Seiko Instruments, that powers this beautiful diver. Even more impressive, is the engineering by Spinnaker, to include an exhibition back, on a timepiece rated at 300 meters of water resistance, at their retail price point of $350, but well under $300 after Spinnaker offered discounts.
Adding everything up, considering style, design, functionality, accessories, and price, the Spinnaker Dumas Diver is simply hard to beat. In a sea of brands, with many offering timepieces with quartz movements at the price that Spinnaker is offering their Dumas, and other brands offering NH-35 automatic timepieces, at nearly twice the price of the Spinnaker, the Dumas has all of the markings to become an iconic design in the Spinnaker lineup, and a fan favorite among collectors.