A Cult Brand’s Iconic Affordable Diver Gets Its Most Stunning Dial Yet

This watchmaker is known for its dial treatments, but this one still stands out among its siblings as a true timeless beauty.

Close-up of a stainless steel wristwatch with a textured brown dial, luminous square hour markers, and a date window at 3 o'clock.

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By Sean Tirman

Published 2 hours ago

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Spinnaker is known for a few things, but two of its most defining features as a brand are the affordability of its watches and its affinity for bold, playful, eye-catching dials.

Both of those factors collide in the brand’s latest sneaky relaunch of the Spinnaker Bradner Automatic dive watch. What was already one of the brand’s most iconic offerings is now more stunning (and value-packed) than ever.

Close-up of a stainless steel wristwatch with a textured bronze dial, luminous markers, and a date window showing the number 8. — The new dial boasts a guilloché texture with a fumé sunburst finish.

A ripple on the surface

Perhaps the biggest change between this version of the Bradner and its predecessors is the dial treatment. For the most part, previous Bradners have been relatively pedestrian by comparison.

A few have had flat dials, some were metallic and others had an almost turf-like texture. Perhaps the most interesting and similar to this relaunch were those with a textured, gradient dial meant to evoke the look of the ocean floor.

Close-up of a red textured watch dial with silver rectangular hour markers, white hands, and a date window showing the number 9. — Not only are the dial colors stunningly rendered, but the texture is just as eye-catching and pleasing to behold.

But this new treatment takes the cake. Done in four distinct colorways, this new dial features a guilloché texture with a fumé sunburst finish. Radiating out from its center, this combination gives the impression of waves on the ocean, which is fitting for a diver.

That central dial is mated to a textured minute track and an internal bezel (meaning the bezel, like the rest of the dial, is housed underneath the crystal, which prevents accidental adjustments). Truly, this is one of those watches that gets more interesting the longer you look at it.

And that’s not even the half of what makes it such a great option.

Black metal wristwatch with glowing green and blue markers and a textured dial showing the date. — The SuperLuminova is a bit more restrained than some other Spinnaker watches, but it’s no less vibrant.

Bargain price, big value

Even without its dial, this is a deeply interesting and value-packed watch. Of course, that is obviously somewhat dependent on its price: a pretty bogglingly low $370 apiece.

You get quite a bit for that investment. For starters, the watch has a classic, reliable, albeit low-cost movement: a Seiko NH35. And that movement is visible through the watch’s caseback (which also has a unique lume treatment).

Close-up of the back of a black Spinnaker automatic watch showing the movement through a sapphire crystal case back with blue illumination. — While the front of the watch’s lume is somewhat restrained, it’s made up for by the treatment on the exhibition caseback.

The SuperLuminova lume treatment also extends to the dial on the hands, indices and bezel markers. While it’s a bit more restrained than other Spinnaker watches, it’s no less vibrant.

The case is entirely stainless steel, as is the jubilee bracelet it comes with. And it gets an AR-coated sapphire crystal. As a final note, it measures 42 millimeters in diameter, which is smack-dab in the center of the range for most dive watches.

Silver metal wristwatch with a blue textured dial and yellow markers worn on a wrist near water. — The watch also gets an AR-coated domed sapphire crystal and a jubilee bracelet, completing the refined package.

Availability and pricing

The new Spinnaker Bradner Automatic is now available on the brand’s site in four colorways for just $370 apiece.

Silver metal link bracelet watch with a textured bronze dial and black bezel marked with yellow numerals.

Spinnaker Bradner Automatic SP 5062

Specs

Case Size	42mm
Movement	Seiko NH35
Water Resistance	180m

$370 at Spinnaker

About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.

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