Halloween is just around the corner, and that means time for exciting costumes, spooky decorations and, of course, the perfect accessories! This year, we want to shine the spotlight on a unique piece that will appeal to any Halloween lover: the Spinnaker 50 Phantoms timepiece.

Introduction

That timepieces and their design are very personal is reflected by the amount of manufacturers and versions you can buy today. Yet every now and then there is a version that puts an instant smile on your face. The Spinnaker Fleuss 50 Phantoms is one of those.

We discussed in a previous article the regular Fleuss version as an affordable alternative to the Blanc Pain, and here we are happy to take a closer look at their 2nd release of this “spooky” 50 Phantoms special edition.

The Watch

The model name Fleuss, Spinnaker’s diving series, traces its origins to inventor Henry Fleuss. He developed the first Scuba diving apparatus in 1878 and undertook early diving missions, which helped develop the technology of deep-sea diving.

The word “Phantoms” is clearly an ironic pun on Blanc Pain’s 50 Phantoms from which Spinnaker’s Fleuss takes a lot of design elements from but with a very fat wink. It is especially the dial that steals the show in the 50 Phantoms edition. It is available in 2 variants, the Phantom Classic and the Phantom No App.

Our personal favorite is the Classic run. The dial has an asphalt-like texture that adds depth to the movement but it is mainly the 50 3 demension ghost images that make it a distinct and playful timepiece. The ghosts can be seen in the dark because of the excellent Super Luminova executed in 3 different colors which adds to its uniqueness in low light. In the No App version of the movement, the ghosts, with the exception of 1, have disappeared from the dial and “fled” to the bezel or edge of the movement so that here the decimal scale on the edge is missing in this version.

In addition, we discover some “Easter Eggs” or hidden things with this timepiece.

The tip of the second hand is red which is a reference to the red color of blood. We find the same reference on the rotor of the inner movement which is dipped in blood at the end, as it were. The crown of the movement is pumpkin shaped which is yet another reference to the Halloween theme.

So much for the visible “Easter Eggs” because if you look closely there are plenty of less obvious things. The use of a Miyota 9039 Premium movement makes the watch better and thinner than its predecessor with a Seiko NH35 movement. But what is special here is found in the lack of a date function in the movement. At first glance you would say that this is also correct because we also find no date function on the movement

However, if we look closer under a uv light we can see in the dark between the 4 and 5 o’clock position a fixed “ghost” date indication with the number 31, again a reference to Halloween. So 6 times a year including on Halloween night the timepiece indicates a correct date 😉

Earlier we also talked about the custom-made rotor that had a blood effect on the outside but on the see-through bottom of the movement we also see an additional ghost on the rotor center. This too is done in super luminova making it light in the dark. Rather a gimmick as this part of the movement is usually not visible. The movement is also finished with “côtes de Genève” vertical stripes which gives a more premium look to the Miyota movement.

Spinnaker supplies 2 watch straps with each of its timepieces and this version is no exception. The timepiece comes with a leather watchstrap for which here specially the white stitching also contains lume so that these also light up in the dark. We also see here again a hidden Halloween feature on the polished watch buckle where the word “boo !” is engraved. In addition, there is a rubber strap that you can use for swimming because since the watch belongs to the Fleuss series it is also 150m water resistant.

Conclusion

If you want something different and fun on Halloween or as an everyday timepiece then the Spinnaker 50 Phantoms is a hit in our opinion. Note this is a limited edition so be quick !

Click her for mor information about the Spinnaker Fleuss 50 Phantoms