Introducing: The Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ For Halloween 2024
Romaric André, aka seconde/seconde/, is a busy man these days. I have barely recovered from the Christopher Ward Desk Diver, and now he is back with a collab with Spinnaker. It goes to show that the often snobby watch world is looking for some lighthearted fun. Well, lighthearted fun is what we get today! This is the new Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic seconde/seconde/ 2024 Edition for Halloween. If that sounds familiar, you are onto something. The brands teamed up for Halloween before, giving the world the spooky 50 Phantoms. Now they are back for this Halloween with two new offerings.
Spinnaker is releasing a batch of 888 of each variant for order today. A thousand of these 1,776 watches will be sold via the Spinnaker website, and the rest will go to retailers. If, however, demand exceeds supply, Spinnaker will make a second batch available for pre-order. The watches will feature an engraving that indicates from which batch they come. Each watch from the first batch will also get a unique “xxx/888” engraving. The second batch is expected in April 2025. We applaud Spinnaker for this because it gives early backers something special while not limiting availability to others.
The Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic
Before we get into the ever-clever shenanigans of seconde/seconde/, let’s do a quick recap on the Fleuss 40 Automatic. As the name suggests, this is a 40mm model, in contrast to last year’s 43mm version. It doesn’t take a trained eye to see where this watch draws its inspiration from. Let’s just say they didn’t nickname it “50 Phantoms” for nothing. The official name, by the way, is inspired by influential diver and dive engineer Henry Albert Fleuss.
The steel case has a 40mm diameter, 47mm lug-to-lug, and 11mm thickness (excluding the protruding crystal). If you think those are pretty sweet proportions for a diver, you are right! Spinnaker rates the water resistance at 150 meters. You get everything you might ask for specs-wise, including sapphire crystals on the front and back, a screw-down crown, and a 120-click unidirectional bezel.
Inside ticks a Miyota 9039 caliber, which, in my opinion, is the best you can get in this segment. It has the typical noisy rotor wobble but performs well otherwise. The caliber runs at 28,800 beats per hour and has an official accuracy of -10/+30 seconds per day. It also has a 42-hour power reserve. Spinnaker includes a purple leather strap and a purple Tropic-style rubber strap. A ghost-face cap completes the package.
The 50 Phantoms seconde/seconde/ treatment
Spinnaker and seconde/seconde/ are offering two versions of the Fleuss 40 Automatic this Halloween. The first, the Phantom Classic, is fairly similar to last year’s model and adds 50 white-lumed ghosts to the dial. This time, however, the lume on the hour markers is pumpkin orange, and the bezel insert and strap are purple. Notice the “2m / 6ft” text on the dial. No, this is not the water resistance rating but, rather, a clever reference to the depth of a grave.
The second model (which we did not have in the office) also refers to that crucial brand I shall not mention. This is the No Apparitions version, featuring a crossed-out ghost above the 6 o’clock index. In case you are unfamiliar, this refers to the No Radiations dial of the original Fifty Fathoms. As no apparitions are allowed, the ghosts have fled onto the bezel, replacing the minute markers. Of course, there are still 50 of them. The orange lume of the other model makes way for yellow lume here.
Both models feature additional little Easter eggs in the form of a “Boo!” engraving on the buckle and an invisible date. The latter is a witty jab at the ever-critical watch community. This is a no-date dive watch until you turn the lights off. An otherwise invisible date window pops up at the 4:30 position. Of course, this is painted on the dial, not actually functional. Call it a “ghost date,” if you will.
So, what is the 50 Phantoms Fleuss like in real life?
I got a chance to try the Phantom Classic version, and my findings are mixed. The Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic itself is a ridiculously high-value-for-money watch. If you are a spec maximizer/expenditure minimizer, this is right up your alley. You get all the stuff you might need from a technical standpoint. Additionally, the execution is better than you might expect for US$445, even if it is a little rough around the edges here and there.
Objectively, then, I can only say that this is a good offering. It wears well, and the value is crazy. Subjectively, however, this isn’t for me. It ticks several boxes on my no-go list. I do not like homage watches, funny watches, or purple watches. I tend to love the small, witty changes seconde/seconde/ often makes. Think, for instance, of his spinning record seconds hand on a vintage Datejust. This, on the other hand, is a full-on fun watch. To me, those are a bit like joke T-shirts. I don’t wear them.
However, it is key to split the objective and the subjective here. Let’s say that you love Halloween and you decorate the house with the kids every year. You would love to have an affordable, fun watch for the occasion. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with these. The kids will love the crazy lume too!
What do you think of the Spinnaker Fleuss Automatic seconde/seconde/ 2024 Editions? Let us know in the comments below!
