Microbrand Review: Spinnaker Tesei Bronze

The Watch: Spinnaker Tesei SP-5060-01

The Why: My quest for a bronze/brown diver continues. I was left somewhat wanting after my flirtation with the Aquatico Bronze Seastar (review here) and this was the next watch on my list. I was waiting for a while while because the price seemed to be a little high for the specs of the watch. So I figured I would try the less expensive option first. When I was not completely satisfied by the Seastar, I kept my ear to the ground, waiting for a price I felt was more appropriate, and eventually, eBay delivered.

Stat Sheet:

Sellita SW200 3 Hands w/ Date

Bronze Case Undirectional Bronze Bezel 43mm Diameter 17mm Thickness 52mm Lug-to-Lug Sapphire Crystal and Caseback

Super-Luminova

300M/1,000FT Water Resistance

Italian Water Proof Hand-Stitched Genuine Leather Strap w/ Bronze Buckle

MSRP: $850

Price Paid: $300

Customer Service: Purchased from a dealer on eBay, so no customer service experience to speak of.

Packaging: For an $850 MSRP I was expecting more than just a folded paper box with a pillow inside and I was not disappointed. Inside the white paper sleeve and blue fold-open protective layer is a stained wood box with black fabric lining, and a matching formed pillow. The box feels and looks good. No complaints here.

Shipping Speed: Again, eBay, but the seller shipped fast.

Utility: The Sellita SW200 movement is a fine movement, as a clone of the ETA 2824 should be. After the first day of wear I let the watch sit until it stopped 39 hours later. The advertised power reserve is 38 hours, so that's just what I'd expect. The biggest difference seperating it from the NH35A in the Seastar is the 28,800bph, which creates a dramatically smoother sweep of the second hand.

300M is the standard water resistance for modern dive watches, so anything else would be strange.

Lastly, the watch is easy to read, although the date wheel/window is small. The Super-Luminova is bright when charged up and seems to last well.

Feel: The Tesei is listed as being only 43mm in case diameter, but it feels bigger than that when you wear it. Part of that is surely the thick leather strap, and the lugs to accomodate it, but somehow this watch manages to feel bigger than other watches in my collection that are 45mm or 46mm. That being said, there's nothing wrong with a big watch, and it certainly doesn't feel cheap. The strap is fairly supple, but a tad big for me. I can wear it pretty comfortably on the last hole, but I prefer a tighter fit that I rarely find on leather bands. I'm sure this is my bird-like wrists, and not the fault of Spinnaker, or any other manufacturer for that matter.

Looks: I'm no diver (I don't even like swimming in the ocean), I bought this watch and others like it because I wanted a bronze watch with brown features. So you could argue that I bought this watch strictly for the looks. I have to say I am impressed. I'm not sure what material they used for the dial, but the wave pattern etched into it is eye-catching to say the least. The smooth edge that holds the indices is slightly elevated compared to the top of the waves, which creates a sense of depth that fits, even at the expense of being able to slip comfortably under a long sleeve.

As I mentioned before, the date wheel/window is a little small, almost as if they initially planned to have a cyclops. This keeps it out of the way though, as does the fact that it is a black wheel and not a white one, which never looks good on watches with darker dials.

The exhibition caseback is always welcome on automatic watches, but Spinnaker didn't do much decorating to the movement. The only alterations appear to be to the rotor, and they are minimal. Looking at competitors like Zelos and Certina, I feel like this was a missed opportunity, albeit an unimportant one, since the window will be held firmly against your wrist the majority of the time.

Spinnaker doesn't specify what type of bronze they use for the case and bezel, but it looks darker than the usual CuSn8 alloys I've seen on other bronze dive watches. Having bought the watch from a third party I can't confirm whether that comes from it's age or it's alloy, but I like it either way.

Which brings me to my one complaint; the insert. Spinnaker offers no details on the materials, but it appears to have a matte ceramic insert. One of the standout features of the Seastar was it's glossy ceramic bezel, which caught the light from any angle in it's shining chocolaty ring. The matte bezel is... fine. It isn't bad persay, it's just an odd choice. The mirror-like gloss on the Omega Seamaster and Rolex Submariner have set the standard, and it just feels like a strange departure from the norm for a watch who's very name is an invocation of history. Still, unexpected does not always mean unpleasant, and while I would probably change it if I could, it's beginning to grow on me the more I wear it.

Conclusion: The Spinnaker Tesei brings a lot to the table. A good movement, a bronze case, a multitude of color designs, and a standout dial all serve to make it one of, if not the most attractive timepiece in Spinnaker's growing line-up. But at an MSRP of $850 puts it in a tier that is dominated by actual ETA or modified ETA movements (Zelos, Reymond Weil, Mido, Tissot, Hamilton) and brands with a little more cache (Oris, Christopher Ward, Certina, Alpina, Longines). While there are certainly things to like about the Tesei, it's cost seems like it's more than the sum of it's parts, and I don't know if Spinnaker yet has the reputation to back up the price tag. They regularly run a 10-15% off coupon for first time buyers, but I have never seen the Tesei on sale, even during Black Friday or the Winter Holidays. As much as I love the look of the dial, from a value standpoint, the Tesei in bronze is hard to recommend. At a mere $520, the titanium cased version seems more reasonably priced, but also forces the question, is the bronze case really $330 more to make? It's a shame because again, apart from a few personal and nit-picky details, I really do like this watch. But I would have to say, by pricing it where they did, they put the Tesei up against much stiffer and more established competition than the fledgling brand has yet faced, and pushed the Tesei firmly out of "impulse-buy" territory for most of their normal customer base.

All that being said, I happened upon one at a fantastic price, and I'm glad I did. It is a really well designed and well executed timepiece, and it cured me of any desire to pursue the Bronze Tudor that started me down this path a year ago. For the price it generally sells for, I can't argue against shopping around and making sure it's the watch you want, but if you decide that it is, I'd be hard-pressed to argue. If your question is what watch to buy with a <$1,000 budget, it's clear that Spinnaker has made that question trickier. Whether they are the answer or not remains in the murky depths of personal taste.