Hands-On With The Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic

When the Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic landed on my desk, it instantly reminded me of two watches. The first was the skeletonized Rado Captain Cook in all its various guises. In all fairness, that’s not a bad visual reference. The second one was a little closer to home, though. In the 1990s, my brother owned a Swatch Irony Automatic Diaphane Skeleton, which I loved. While the Spinnaker is inherently different as it is a stainless steel dive watch, it still made me smile as it reminded me of a great memory from more than two decades ago. But could the Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic stand on its own? Let’s find out!

Spinnaker is a brand with an extensive collection of dive and aquatic-themed watches. Not too long ago, I reviewed the Spinnaker Dumas GMT Ocean Blue. It’s part of the Dumas collection, which consists of large, colorful, and robust divers. The brand’s Croft collection is a lot more traditional in its appearance and ticks a lot of the conventional dive-watch boxes. There are some exceptions, though. The first is a group of models with dials graced with colorful dots. The second is a series of skeletonized watches that present a far more futuristic take on a traditional dive watch.

The details of the new Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic

Today’s review subject is part of that range. This new Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic joins the Mid-Size versions with a 40mm case. Ultimately, the size gives the watch even more wrist presence than its smaller brother. Let’s go into the details. This watch has a 42mm stainless steel case with a 14mm thickness, a 49mm length, and a 20mm lug spacing. The case also offers a 150m depth rating and features a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock.

The case’s traditional shape is paired with a stainless steel bezel holding a green ceramic insert with a traditional 60-minute dive scale. This bezel insert includes a full set of luminous markings and numerals so you can read the remaining dive time during a night dive. Admittedly, I don’t think many future owners will take this watch for an actual dive, but still, if you have any James Bond-esque aspirations, this should be able to handle them.

A transparent dial and partially skeletonized movement

Topping the case is a sapphire crystal that protects the see-through dial below. This dial consists of a few individual parts. The first is the green chapter ring on the perimeter that holds the white markings and the applied luminous hour markers. Underneath, you will find a black ring placed on top of the sapphire dial that holds the white five-minute markings/numerals, the brand’s logo on the upper half, and the familiar specs-related text on the lower half.

The open dial structure gives you an almost unobstructed view of the Japanese Seiko Instruments NH70 automatic movement. It is based on the brand’s famous caliber NH35, which powers several affordable watches. The 24-jewel movement features a skeletonized mainplate, operates at 21,600vph, and offers a 41-hour power reserve, hacking seconds, and optional manual winding. Another sapphire crystal in the stainless steel case back reveals the other side of the movement as well. It features a customized black rotor with the Spinnaker logo and monogram.

The Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic series

This green Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic is part of a lineup of seven new variations from Spinnaker. Two models feature carbon bezel inserts, two come with stainless steel bezel inserts, and three models, including the one we had for review, have ceramic inserts. One of the two models with a carbon bezel insert also comes equipped with a two-tone bracelet. All the other variants come with a regular stainless steel Oyster-style bracelet.

The bracelet has a folding clasp with a push-button release and an extra safety lock for security during dives. However, quality-wise, the bracelet and especially the clasp are mediocre at best. The stamped clasp is rough around the edges, and the little security lock sometimes requires some force to open. While this is not strange in the sub-€500 category, we have seen better at this price point.

Wearing the Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Auto

After sizing the bracelet, which was fairly easy, it was time to take the watch for a spin. One immediate takeaway was that the 42mm diameter makes for a large watch. As some of you might know, I gravitate toward watches of 40mm and smaller despite my 18.5cm wrist. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a bigger watch, but I would have been okay with the 40mm version in this case. Having said that, a 42mm watch is by no means oversized, and plenty of people like their watches this large or larger.

The watch sits solidly on the wrist. Despite the bracelet’s less-than-stellar quality, I found that it balanced the watch nicely. At 145 grams, the Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic is not super heavy for a stainless steel watch of its size. In terms of looks, the skeletonization is, of course, quite hard to miss. Revealing the inner workings of a mechanical movement is special on any level of watchmaking. For people who are just getting into mechanical watches, it can be the start of their hobby, while at the higher end of horology, the same fascination with complicated movements also exists.

Final thoughts on the Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Auto

Despite the open aesthetic of the dial, the readability is never compromised. Though it isn’t as impressive as with a regular dial, Spinnaker did a good job of making the time easy to read. Furthermore, while skeletonized watches are not for me, I certainly do understand their visual attraction to many. The proof of this is that the Croft Mid-Size Skeleton was a huge success for Spinnaker. With that in mind, I do not doubt that the brand will also quickly sell quite a few of the new Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic models.

The green version that we had in for review, along with the two other models with ceramic bezel inserts and the standard stainless steel bezel version, is available for US$435. The stainless steel version with the black carbon bezel insert and the version with the sandblasted stainless steel bezel each cost US$465. Finally, the two-tone version with the black carbon bezel insert is available for US$495. This collection offers fans of an affordable skeletonized diver plenty of options, and I think these watches will find their way to their new wearers soon.

But what are your thoughts on this new Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic? Let us know in the comments. If you want to learn more about the new series, you can visit the official Spinnaker website.

This is a partnership post. Read about our transparency here.