This Affordable Diver Will Convince You That You Need a Halloween Watch

Look, your wrist deserves a costume too.

closeup of a spinnaker watch dial featuring a ghost

Published October 25, 2024

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If you have a watch collection, you probably have watches representing several different genres.

A well-rounded collection should have a dress watch, a dive watch, a travel watch, a chronograph, maybe a pilot’s or field watch … but what about a Halloween watch?

OK, the idea of a watch devoted to spooky season might seem silly, until you have a look at microbrand Spinnaker’s new collab with red-hot horological artist Romaric André, better known as seconde/seconde/. Then, suddenly, you’ll be wondering where your Halloween watch has been all your life.

a spinnaker watch with colorful ghosts on its dial — Face it, your wrist could stand to be spookier.

Gh-gh-gh-ghosts

If you’re deep into watch nerdery, then you may recall the first team-up between Spinnaker and seconde/seconde/ last year. If this is the first you’re hearing of it, here’s the gist.

Arguably, Spinnaker’s most popular watch is an affordable automatic diver called the Fleuss, which draws heavy influence from the iconic Blancpain Fifty Fathoms — the OG diver. As a nod to the Fleuss’s high-priced inspiration, seconde/seconde/ teamed up with Spinnaker last year to create the Fifty Phantoms: a Fleuss featuring 50 applied, lume-filled ghosts on the dial and other cheeky Easter, er, Halloween eggs.

The haunted watch was a massive hit in the enthusiast community, so much so that the two brands have now re-teamed for not one but two new 50 Phantoms watches just in time for this Halloween.

closeup of a Spinnaker watch bezel covered in ghosts — There are even more ghosts to be found this time around.

Boo 2! A Spinnaker Halloween

There are two distinct models of the second-generation 50 Phantoms, which technically is called the Spinnaker Fleuss 40 Automatic seconde/seconde/ 2024 Edition. Both share a number of features, some of which are different from last year’s model.

First off, the new versions are smaller than the original, clocking in at 40mm across compared to 43mm. This is a huge improvement in my eye, as 40mm is a more wearable case size for practically everyone. The crown has also been updated, as it’s now a classic “pumpkin” crown rather than conical. Cute.

There’s also a new and improved movement, as this generation of 50 Phantoms is powered by the Miyota 9039, which is thinner, more accurate, and better decorated than the Seiko NH38 in last year’s model. The rotor has also been customized to look like it’s been dipped in blood. Cute.

Spinnaker watch display caseback showing mechanical movement and a cartoon ghost — The display caseback features a lumed ghost hovering over the custom “bloody” rotor.

Now, onto the new designs, as that’s what’s really special about these watches.

First is the 50 Phantoms Classic, which largely features the same design as last year in that it features 50 friendly ghosts populating its dial. But there are some updates, too.

The color scheme is now a more Halloweeny purple and orange, and there’s now a “ghost date” on the dial at 4:30 that only appears under a UV light. The faux date window depicts “31,” the day of Halloween. The water resistance remains 150m, but the dial now displays a rating of 6 feet — as in 6 feet under.

spinnaker watch — The purple and orange colors of the new 50 Phantoms Classic really drive home the Halloween vibes.

The second version of the 2024 50 Phantoms is arguably even more clever than the original. This one, dubbed the “No Apparations,” has none of the usual ghosts on its dial. Instead, it features an exed-out yellow and red ghost above 6 o’clock with the label “No Apparitions.”

We’re getting deep down the watch-nerd rabbit hole here, but this is a reference to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms “No Rad,” one of the most sought-after vintage examples of the classic diver. Debuting in the 1960s after the dangers of radium lume were brought to light, the watch advertised its new less radioactive tritium lume on the dial with an exed-out yellow-and-red nuclear symbol labeled “No Radiations.”

closeup of a Spinnaker watch dial — The “No Apparitions” edition is a clever nod to the iconic Blancpain Fifty Fathoms “No Radiations.”

Although there are no specters on the dial, the 50 Phantoms No Radiations still features ghosts, but all 50 of them have migrated to the bezel, where they’re congregating underneath the K1 mineral-glass crystal. And just like their dial-contained brethren on the Classic version, these ghosts are fully lumed in both blue and green Super-LumiNova.

Pricing and Availability

One of my favorite things about watches is the sheer amount of minute details that can be packed into these tiny little machines. And these new Spinnaker watches definitely do not disappoint in that area. Everywhere you look, there’s something clever to discover, which makes these divers extremely interesting to me.

On top of that, these are just fun! Who doesn’t love a watch with a sense of humor? 50 Phantoms? Come on, that’s great. And the fact that these are legitimate mechanical dive watches with solid movements, a quality build, and an attractive general design (thanks, Blancpain) really puts them over the top.

underside of a Spinnaker watch buckle that says boo — The 50 Phantoms hides details everywhere you look, even on the underside of the buckle.

The price is also pretty absurd for what you’re getting, as both editions of the watch are priced at just $445 each. That price includes two purple straps — one leather, one rubber — a hat with the 50 Phantoms logo, and a UV flashlight for activating the lume and various Easter eggs.

The first batch of watches — 888 pieces for both variants — went on sale early this morning and sold out in only seven minutes. Thankfully, Spinnaker is opening up a 48-hour pre-order window for a second batch on Monday, October 28 at 6 AM EDT, with delivery expected in April 2025.