We have had mixed views when it comes to Spinnaker watches. The first Spinnaker watch review we did was the Bradner, a solid and stunning timepiece. Then we had the Spence. It is a good watch but we feel that the design of the watch was a let down. But not to worry, today we are going to review the latest addition to the Spinnaker collection, the Spinnaker Tesei Titanium. Is it a going to be a wonder or a a bore?

Spinnaker Tesei Titanium

As with many Spinnaker watches, they are named after famous and well-known figures in the diving world. The Spinnaker Tesei Titanium is named after famed Italian Naval officer, Teseo Tesei.

Tesei is remembered for both his bravery, ingenuity in inventing the first manned torpedo used by the Italian Navy during WW2. Tesei entered the Livorno Naval Academy in 1931 and quickly established himself as a persevered and inventive young man at the Academy. When graduating in 1933, he was made lieutenant and had several posts on ships and submarines.

In 1940, Teseo escaped and was the sole survivor when the submarine Iride sank. However a year later, Tesei died riding a manned torpedo attacking Malta.

To remember and to pay homage to Teseo, Spinnaker watches released the Spinnaker Tesei collection and also the Spinnaker Tesei Titanium collection. The Titanium, SP 5061, collection has only two model whereas the Tesei ,SP 5060, has four models.

The Titanium collection which we going to review is the SP 5061-01.

Spinnaker Tesei Titanium Features

Case: Titanium Grade 5

Lens: Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal Lens

Dial: Patterned dial with rectangular indexes

Index: Applied indexes with Luminous (Super LumiNova)

Hands: Stick shaped hour and minutes hands with Luminous (Super LumiNova)

Crown: Screw down crown

Bezel: Titanium unidirectional turning bezel with matt finished ceramic insert and luminous markers at 60M

Case Diameter(MM): 43.00mm

Case Thickness(MM): 15.00 mm

Strap: 22mm in width with CORDURA with water proof leather lining strap – Hand stitched

Movement: Japan, 8215 – Miyota with 21 Jewels

Water Resistant: 20ATM

Weight: 95g

First Impression

The SP 5061-01 is a good-looking watch, that is for sure. It has a classic diver look to the casing and another feature which stands out is the strap. We came across this strap when we reviewed the AVI-8 1980 Centenary watch. But does the watch grab our attention? We have to say no. Not that this is a bad thing, the watch has a subtle look from the matt finish and the dial is not too crowded.

Dial

Lets talk about the Spinnaker Tesei Titanium dial. You have this matt deep blue background with a little sparkle to it. The dial itself is not crowded with features and is very simplistic.

The index used are baton shaped layered with C5 Super-LumiNova. They are quick thick and noticeable from the dial. Following the ‘classic diver’ watch design, the dial will tick the box and to be honest, we actually like it. We did say that the dial on the Spence was not the best, but on the Tesei Titanium, the simplistic dial looks well and really goes well with the design of the casing.

There are a bit of text above the 6 o’clock and with most diver watches having this, it is a norm. You have the ATM in an orange colour and it looks delightful against the deep blue background. Just to make sure that you are wearing a Spinnaker Tesei Titanium, the word ‘Titanium’ is larger than the rest of the text on the dial.

The hands are matching baton shaped with the index marking. In terms of visibility, there are no issue there. The hands also have C5 Super-LumiNova, so visibility at night is great. As the watch is new, the C5 Super-LumiNova has been working brilliantly but we’d love to see its effect after a couple of months use.

The date window is large enough however we would love to have seen a domed glass on top of it. Personally, we think it will just look better and carry on with the ‘classic diver’ watch look.

Case

Let’s talk about size first. The diameter of the watch is 43mm so it will take majority of space on your wrist. However the it does look great on the wrist especially with that deep blue matt background. The thickness of the watch is around 15mm and it is not too thick. It will stand a bit on your wrist but if you are used with diver watches, this is the norm.

The casing itself is made from Titanium Grade 5, which adds to the weight of the watch, but you’d be rest assure that this is a durable watch and something that won’t break easily.

The bezel is a titanium unidirectional turning bezel with matt finished ceramic insert and luminous markers. We have mixed review for the bezel. We love the look of it with the 10 minute interval marking and luminous markers but we do not like the matt ceramic insert. It just takes the sparkle from the watch and looks a little bit flimsy. We’d rather see a shiny insert rather than a matt finish, just to add the sparkle of the watch.

The lug of the watch are slightly curved and this helps the casing to wrap itself around the wrist. The lug width is around 22mm, which is not too wide.

The lens is made out of  Sapphire Crystal. The only issue with it that it is a magnet for dust. As you probably see from some of your pictures, the lens will attract some dust.

The crown is a screw in crown and the casing molds around it. The crown itself is not too hard or tricky to operate as with as we found with other diver screw in crown.

Movement

The movement inside is a Japanese Miyota 8215 with 21 Jewels. The movement, after a week of wearing, has been accurate. You can expect an accuracy of around -20 ~ +40 seconds per day. The power reserve is around 42 hours and this can be achieved by hand-winding the crown at least 40 times.

Strap

We love the strap on this watch. It is CORDURA with water proof leather lining strap and we first came across this on the AVI-8 Flyboy 1980 Centenary watch. The strap has this rugged look and feel and it wraps around the wrist comfortably. Even if you have a small wrist, this strap should fit you easily.

The strap does not need breaking into but the only downfall is that there are no quick release pins. We have seen this in all Spinnaker watches we’ve reviewed and unfortunately this is the same for the Spinnaker Tesei Titanium.

Buy, Shorlist or Avoid?

This is a hard question for us to answer. It is a good-looking watch and all the right features you’d expect from the quality diver watch but the only sticking point for us to say ‘buy’ is the price. The retail price of the watch is £405/ $520/ €455. It is an expensive price tag. However Spinnaker are having a Special launch price (Nov 9-21) of £270/ $349/ €306. So if you can, do get the watch before the special launch price ends otherwise you will need to pay a higher price tag.

You can also use our promo code NWL20 for 20% if you’ve missed the special launch price. Overall, it is a great watch and you’d love the Cordura strap for sure. Do visit Spinnaker Tesei Titanium to register your interest!

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